Introduction
Welcome back! This week I will be reviewing the third book of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Titan’s Curse. This book was first published by Disney Hyperion on May 1st, 2007. While the Character and Plot sections of this review will be mostly spoiler free, the section containing my personal Thoughts and opinions about the book will contain spoilers for this one and the two previous installments of this series, The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. If you haven’t read either of those reviews or any of these fantastic books yet, I would start there! If you don’t mind having these books spoiled for you, go ahead and enjoy!
Characters
Thalia Grace
The spunky daughter of Zeus makes her shocking return to Camp Half-Blood in this book after being only a memory in the previous two. She and Percy don’t clash immediately, but their personalities - and their many similarities - do cause some tension between them, and they have a very up and down relationship. Thalia herself is a complex character. She, like Annabeth, has known Luke for a long time. Unlike Annabeth, she believes him to be too far gone for redemption, though that doesn’t necessarily stop her from agreeing with him on some points.
Zoe Nightshade
Zoe is an immortal huntress, the lieutenant to the goddess Artemis and leader of the maiden hunters of Artemis in the goddess’ absence. She has a very complicated past with heroes and her family, which gets slowly revealed to Percy throughout the books in dreams and innuendos. She - though neither would admit it - is much like Thalia. Both are brave and stubborn leaders with a warrior’s instincts. Ultimately, her courage and selflessness is not fully realized until the ending.
Bianca di Angelo
Bianca is only thirteen in this book, and her godly parentage is left unknown until the very end of the book. Her brother, Nico di Angelo is only two years younger than she is, but there is more to their story. Their mother died when they were young, and they bounced around for a long time before eventually being taken to a boarding school, where Grover finally finds them. She is a very responsible girl, caring for Nico since their mother’s death, but she is still young, and while she wants Nico to be safe and happy, she wouldn’t mind living a life of her own as well.
Plot
This book begins with Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth meeting Grover at a boarding school to retrieve Bianca and Nico di Angelo and escort them safely to Camp Half-Blood. Of course, things go horribly wrong, but not just for our demigods. When we learn the full scope of the danger that only increases as the winter solstice gets closer, a quest is issued, and similar to the previous book, this quest is not Percy’s to lead. The usual trials and obstacles await the group on their quest, but this time it’s more than just monsters thwarting them. Kronos has sent a titan to work against them, but there’s always a plan within a plan when it comes to the Titan Lord, and everything is not all it seems to be. The quest is successful - of course it is - but not without great sacrifice. With a heartbreaking end to the book, we wait on the edge of yet another cliff for the fourth installment.
Thoughts
Though Percy would deny it, it’s obvious that his feelings for Annabeth are very slowly but surely creeping beyond that of “just friends.” Once again, there doesn’t feel like a third wheel to their romance because Annabeth is largely out of the picture in this book in the sense that she isn’t present on the quest. This also gave us a chance to finally see Grover back in action. He jumped at the chance to go along on this quest, and getting the chance to watch him get ever closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming a Searcher for Pan adds a layer of drive and determination to his character that we haven’t gotten to focus on yet. So instead of a tension between them that feels suffocating and awkward for us and the other characters, it instead feels like a friend doing everything in his power to get his friend home safely. The loss of Annabeth does scramble Percy’s priorities, and he knows this. While he does make the right choice and manages to save both Annabeth and Artemis in the end, that victory costs Bianca and Zoe their lives in the process. Another testament to his loyalty lies in his decision at the end of the book to accept the Great Prophecy as his own, instead of risking Nico becoming the child of the prophecy - a decision that was made out of pure selflessness and guilt for Bianca’s death.
Seeing other characters - like Thalia and Zoe - from Percy’s perspective is made more interesting because he can notice similarities between them that they may refuse to acknowledge themselves, adding more depth to their characters and conflicts. Percy’s interactions with the other characters are incredibly interesting, especially as bonds are made and shattered, and relationships seem to be constantly evolving as characters learn more about one another. Riordan perfectly times these interactions to get the most emotional impact as possible out of these moments. Building animosity between Percy and Thalia after their game of capture the flag makes every disagreement between them that much more dangerous. Having Percy see Bianca as someone he cares about and needs to protect only to have her die is just devastating. Percy’s distrust of Zoe throughout the book before growing to respect and admire her and then having her die shortly after millennia of life should be the final blow in this book. But it isn’t, because now Percy has to tell Nico - someone who looked up to him and saw him as a hero - that the last of his remaining family is dead. Every emotional beat in this book hits exactly as it should, making for a shockingly emotional story of sacrifice, bravery, loyalty, and a final reminder that our families do not define who we are.
As far as the plot goes, we don’t get to see too much of Luke and Kronos in this book, but we are kept so busy with the mysterious Titan that we hardly have time to worry about much else. The quest takes the crew across the country, which leaves room for a lot of different locations. Riordan describes everything beautifully, but he does not spend too much time doing so. While some may prefer more descriptions, we do need to remember that these books are intended for children as young as ten, and their attention spans may not be able to hold up through a long description. I liked the minor conflicts throughout this book, but after the iconic callbacks to the events of the Odyssey in the previous book, interactions with the Nemean Lion and Telos weren’t quite as exciting. However - as fun as the battle with Polyphemus and then with Luke was in the last book - the final battle with Luke and Atlas at the end of this book was absolutely fantastic. The throne room chapter at the end is also very revealing of Thalia’s self-awareness, Percy’s feelings toward Annabeth, and the general lack of gratitude the gods have for their children. It almost makes us see why Luke made the choices he did, though nothing excuses his treatment of Annabeth in this book.
I personally find this to be one of the most interesting books in the series not necessarily for its plot but for the emotional weight it carries. This book is very well paced with a healthy balance of action, comedy, mystery, and tragedy that keeps us engaged in the story. When there isn’t too much action and adventure happening, there are quiet moments where we get to learn more about the characters, their relationships, and their backstories. I believe this book is more successful in this than the previous two, which makes it a more enjoyable read for me. Overall, I find this to be one of my most anticipated in the series. I would rate this a solid 9.5/10 for the plot, character dynamics, emotional impact, and storytelling.
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