Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #4

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell Cadiz

Synopsis: Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshmen orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

Time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Review: Will there ever be a quiet and normal moment in Percy’s life? Percy heads to freshmen orientation at the school where his mom’s new boyfriend, Paul, teaches English. Right from the beginning Percy has a bad feeling the day isn’t going to go so well and he couldn’t have been more right! He meets up with Rachel, the mortal girl he almost killed with his sword at the Dam in Titan’s Curse and who happens to able to see through the mist. Percy also ends up having to fight a gang of Empousai who are attempting to pass themselves as cheerleaders but are way uglier! In the process of fighting for his life, Percy ends up blowing up the school. More bad news comes Percy’s way when he heads back to Camp Half-Blood and finds out Kronos is reforming with the aid of Luke. Luke has a plan to invade the camp, once thought of to be impenetrable. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover soon realize Luke is planning on using the Labyrinth from underground to get into the camp. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover head down into the Labyrinth to find its creator, Daedalu’s, in the hopes of finding a way of stopping Luke. But Dadealu’s doesn’t have such great news for them: the Labyrinth cannot be controlled, it is constantly changing and tunnels can pop up wherever or close whenever the Labyrinth chooses. Percy must find a way to stop Luke before he loses the only place he has ever thought of as home.

The Battle of the Labyrinth was fantastic! I love the idea behind the maze and the story behind the creator. I like that it’s a moving and living thing all on its own. It was great having Nico’s character more involved in the story. I love how sarcastic and angsty he is because it works for his character. He’s also a bit scary with his powers. Rachel Dare plays more of a role as well. I like the fact that Annabeth gets jealous of her relationship with Percy. It’s fun to see a different side of Annabeth since she’s always portrayed so confident and tough. Tyson is one of my favorite characters because he’s just so loveable!

Lots more gods and monsters are also introduced throughout various stages in the plot. The backstory to how Annabeth was born finally comes to light and a very romantic moment between Annabeth and Percy takes place *nudge nudge*

The fourth installment is much different than the first three in the Percy Jackson Series because the tone is more serious and filled with more tragedy and consequence. Percy has to make harder decisions and readers can see how he has matured. He is much braver and wiser.

I love the dynamic to the relationships between the characters. The backstories intertwine nicely each other and how fiercely loyal Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson are with each other helps fuel the plot forward and add dimension to it.

I, for one, cannot get enough of Percy Jackson!