The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Summary: All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos' army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and his army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate. (Summary from the inside cover flap and image from http://fcpltab.wordpress.com/)

My Review: What a fantastic ending! I love how the prophecies have you guessing all the way up until the end. You keep thinking you know what's coming and then Riordan throws a twist. All those tangled girl relationships in book #4 are resolved in this one. Percy really does seem to have matured and grown up since the first book. The ending shows growth and selflessness, which as a theme for the Greek myths and their gods is a welcomed change.

Riordan has a way of telling the battle scenes that can keep my attention--and this is tricky considering I prefer character driven plots. The imagery is strong. He keeps the suspense building so that hours can go by while reading and you're not aware of how many pages you've burned through. It really gives a feeling of 'I have to know how this ends!"

By adult standards maybe it was too 'tie everything up with a nice bow' to be 5 stars. As a YA book, it was great. I'm so glad I read this series. It kept you on your toes, gave lots of Greek mythology, and added a fun, modern twist. And, I think it will lure in my male students to enjoy reading.

Rating: 5 Stars

Sum it up: A climactic end to a great series.