Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters: Book Review

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Author: Rick Riordan

Summary: In this second installment in the series, Percy, Poseidon's 13-year-old demigod son, is desperate to rescue his friend Grover, captive of the bloodthirsty Cyclops Polyphemus, and to retrieve the healing Golden Fleece. The sheepskin is needed to restore the protection around Camp Half-Blood, the only safe haven for the children of gods and humans, heroes-in-training in our modern world. However, the camp has already been compromised and the quest for the Golden Fleece has been awarded to the bully Clarisse. Encouraged by Hermes, Percy sets off for the Bermuda Triangle anyway with his friend Annabeth and classmate Tyson.

Overall: This book was really good. It was well written, and had that adventure, action and romance trio that Riordan crafts into his writing. I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns; it made the book suspenseful and intriguing. I couldn't put it down until I had turned the last page. Even then, I was begging for more.

Characters: This book is, as always, told from Percy's point of view. He's a very relatable character and all of his emotions are evident in the text. It was mainly Annabeth and Percy for most of the book- along with Percy's 'friend', Tyson -, because they were trying to find and save Grover. The gods didn't play quite as big of a role, but they were still there. As usual, their personalities were unique and differed greatly.

Plot/Storyline: The beginning was right into the action, which really kept the book interesting throughout the whole story. I loved the challenges and mishaps Percy encountered during his quest. There were a few parts where I felt it was a little slow, but they weren't long. It usually picked up again quickly after the little blip.

Really, I liked this book. It was interesting, and I'm already reading the third. I'm warning you; have the third ready for when you finish the second or else you'll go crazy xD

What Can I Do to Keep my Story Interesting?

Today, we have a question from a fellow writer, as always.
What can you do to move your story along when it gets to a slow point?

We all face the problem where your story or book starts to feel like it's dragging on, even when we're nowhere near the end. Some writers ignore it, and their books suffer. Whenever I feel that the story is getting boring, or the characters seem bland, I throw in a twist. Think of your book as if you're the reader. What would be a shock that spiced things up, but kept it realistic for your storyline?
Things like adding a new character into the mix or even killing one add a punch to your book. I know most books can't just have people dying left and right though. So, maybe a dramatic accident where someone is injured. Maybe your main character flips in science class? It's up to the writer how to add the punch in. Whichever way you choose, it should be a wake-up call to readers that your book does have twists and turns. Don't let things get too out of hand though. If you want to see an example of plot twists, take a look at my book, Flashbacks of Juliet. There are a lot in there.
I hope that helped with your dilemma. Just remember, think of yourself as the reader. What would make you go, "Oh my God, I can not put this book down!"?