The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Book five in the Percy Jackson series. The final book.

Plot: Kronos and his army are closing in on Manhattan, and Percy is beginning to lose hope. He has finally heard the entire Great Prophecy, and it doesn't sound good. Together with his small defending force of half-bloods, can Percy destroy the monsters and defeat Kronos's plan to rule the world?

Comments: I love this series. The books have such great plots, separate, yet tied together into one big story. I appreciate the way Rick Riordan writes, with both seriousness and a great sense of humor. Reading these books, I've laughed out loud more times than I can count.
In this series, Percy Jackson has grown up. He's made some hard decisions, lost too many friends, and gone through more than any teenager should be able to handle, yet he's managed to keep hold of his sense of humor. I like that in this book he's less of a joker, more sure of himself, a good leader. But it's sad that all the half-bloods that fought in this war against Kronos grew up too fast.

I've always liked how I feel I can relate to the characters in this series, even some of the more minor characters. I appreciate how you feel you know everyone, and can imagine their lives continuing on past the end of this book, this series. This series has a lot of good life lessons about perseverance, love, and sacrifice. I loved the ending, even though I was sad the series had ended.

Rating: I rate this book an eight out of ten. I rate the series a seven and a half out of ten.