Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Title:  The Battle of the Labyrinth
Series:  Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4
Author:  Rick Riordan
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion 
Pages:  361
Format:  Paperback
Source:  Bought

When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy Jackson hurries to Camp Half Blood, from whence he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth, while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near.

My Review:  This was probably my least favorite of the series so far.  And in saying that, I by no means think it was a bad book.  Actually, it was pretty wonderful.  There was a lot of adventure and action like in the others.  I enjoyed my time reading it and would definitely reread it sometime in the future.  My problem with it was that it was so choppy and didn't flow as well as the others did.  

The plot was exciting and definitely made my heart race most of the time.  But there were parts where there wasn't much going on and I just wanted to skip around to find another bit of action.  Besides that, I really enjoyed the plot.  There was a lot of different aspects and creatures we met.  I thought the idea of the Labyrinth as its own character with its own actions was great.  It added some depth and made the maze seem a lot more sinister.  The added thrill while reading was different and exciting.  

The characters were spectacular, as always.  I adore seeing the changes in Percy and the others in every book.  Rick Riordan does a fantastic job of showing how they mature and age without it seeming too rushed or unrealistic.  The feelings that they experience build over time and it was so refreshing to read a book like this.  I love Percy and Annabeth together.  They're such a realistic and fun couple they it makes it hard not to root for them.  Rachel was an interesting character to mix in.  I was unsure what exactly to feel about her.  At first she was just kind of annoying but she redeemed herself in my eyes in the end.  

I'm really excited to read the final book in the series, The Last Olympian, after the ending in this one!  So many things were left open and I'm just dying to see how it ends!  

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