Review: Demigods and Monsters

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

Which Greek god makes the best parent?Would you want to be one of Artemis’ Hunters?Why do so many monsters go into retail?
Spend a little more time in Percy Jackson’s world—a place where the gods bike among us, monsters man snack bars, and each of us has the potential to become a hero.
Find out:
Why Dionysus might actually be the best director Camp Half-Blood could have

How to recognize a monster when you see one

Why even if we aren’t facing manticores and minotaurs, reading myth can still help us deal with the scary things in our own lives

Plus, consult our glossary of people, places, and things from Greek myth: how Medusa got her snake hair extensions, why Chiron isn’t into partying and paintball like the rest of his centaur family, and the whole story on Percy’s mythical namesake.

When I bought this I thought it was going to be something like The Demigod Diaries or The Demigod Files - some bonus Riordan content. When I realized what it was though, I was a bit diappointed but interested. Behold, my thoughts:

The introduction was really cool to me - it's basically Rick Riordan expressing his amazement that people could find symbolism and deeper meanings in a bedtime story he made up for his kid. Includes interesting quote by Mark Twain. 

Monster Recongnition for Beginners- cute, entertaining. Liked the footnotes. 

Why Do So Many Monsters Go Into Retail? - found this boring, was unable to figure out the concrete claim the writer was trying to make. 

Stealing Fire From the Gods -  well written, but a familiar concept. 

Would You Want to be One of Artemis' Hunters? - a question I (and I bet every other female reader of The Titan's Curse) had thought about a bunch of times. The whole dilemma in one essay.

Dionysus: Who Let Him Run a Summer Camp? - ahhh loved this. Mr. D is my favorite. 

The Gods Among Us - heartfelt. A good and important read.

Percy Jackson and the Lords of Death - some new and interesting comparisons to Maya mythology, and a How To Build A Middle Grade Adventure guide.

Eeny Meeny Miney Mo(m) - oh, admit it. You thought about which godly parent you'd want a million times. This essay confirmed my choice! (APOLLO)

Percy, I Am Your Father - rating of the gods based on their parenting skills. An overlook over the whole series, some very good points. 

As Bad as They Wanna Be - all about Hades and Nico. I loved this! Always thought they deserved more credit than they got. 

The Greek Hero- New and Improved - agreed!

Not Even the Gods Are Perfect- nicely done, but a subject discussed in other essays. 

Frozen Eyeballs - about oracles and prophecies. Had more potential than it lived up to. 

The Language of the Heart - ehhh.

A Glossary Of Ancient Greek Myth - cutely written, actually had a lot of new info there, but I still stopped halfway through because you can only read a list of definitions for so long.

Overall? Not going to excite your middle grader, but if you have a thoughtful fan in mind this might work for them. Rating:

Happy 2016 dear people! So sad I missed December here on the blogosphere, and looking forward to a year filled with happiness and books!

Love, 

Esty