The final novel in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, THE LAST OLYMPIAN, is everything a final novel should be. There is no build-up because Mr. Riordan took care of that in the first four books. Neither does he make readers wait for the promised battle. He doesn't add any last-minute characters. Instead, we have nonstop action and the unveiling of long-held secrets.

Even better, Percy finally shows some of the maturity I would expect to see from a teenager who was forced to grow up at a young age. He is clever with his battle tactics, compassionate where necessary but brutal when needed. After feeling like Percy sounded too young and naive in books three and four given his experiences, it is a treat to get a glimpse of what Percy would be like as an adult.

I'll also say that even though I wasn't a huge Percy and Annabeth fan, the ending of THE LAST OLYMPIAN was adorable. Mr. Riordan handled the awkwardness and Percy's nervousness with delicacy and just a slight touch of humor. I imagine there was more than one child who used those scenes as motivation for their own awkward romantic encounters.

There is no doubt that THE LAST OLYMPIAN is the best book in the series. It contains within its pages everything I was hoping to see in previous books culminating in the battle for Olympus. I thought the battle scenes to be well-written, detailed without being graphic, and touching on fallen comrades and foes with the appropriate level of gravitas. While Mr. Riordan sets up the next series with a well-timed prophecy, I consider my time with Percy Jackson and friends at an end, with a final book that provides enough closure to satisfy me. ( )

Okay, funny thing: when I re-read "Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth" a few days ago, I was practically certain it was my favorite of the entire series. However, after re-reading the final entry in this series, I'm not so sure anymore. Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the highest-rated Percy Jackson actually surprised me. Why is that, you ask? Well, it's because I didn't like this book as much as I do now when I read it the first two times. I thought it was pretty good, but I didn't like it as much as books 3 or 4.

So, what changed? Well, my absolute favorite thing about this book is how grounded and emotional it is. While I love this series for how fun and light-hearted it is, a lot of the times I felt like it was a bit too fun. It felt like a lot of Marvel movies that were great to watch but didn't have that emotional core that could make a truly a great movie. Thankfully, the final entry does a fantastic job giving the series a much-need emotional pay off. Even though this book is almost 400 pages long, more than half of it is dedicated to the final battle in Manhattan. However, that's not just because the battle is long and difficult, but it's also due to the fact that a LOT of time is spent in dreams, visions, conversations, and thoughts, all of which pack a lot of emotional punch. The themes of love, sacrifice, and hope are extremely prevalent here. I was surprised by how much this book touched me. I thought I would get really bored having to read almost 200 pages to get through the final battle, but it actually gave me a lot to think about and left me craving more. Bravo.

The battle itself is great as well. One thing I didn't like about the final Harry Potter book was that the final battle felt like it happened a little too quickly, at least when compared to the size of the whole series. This battle, however, takes its sweet ass time. There are multiple assaults by Kronos and his army, and there are multiple breaks and retreats. Just when you think the battle may be won due to the arrival of some last-minute saviors (The Party Ponies, Ares's cabin, The House of Hades), the fight continues and gets even more intense. It felt like a true war. I loved it.

Even the last 40 pages of the book after the battle ended were great. Rick Riordan tied off all loose ends. No stones were left unturned. Every character in the franchise got a satisfying send-off. It was extremely gratifying. I say this because I dislike how abruptly things end in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". That book feels like it needs another 20 or 30 pages to do the same thing this book does.

I don't really have much to say about Luke's arc in this book because everyone knows how great it is and how it gives this series such an emotional conclusion. I'll only add that I love how much time is dedicated to learning about Luke's past and his family. It makes his final sacrifice to defeat Kronos feel so much more climactic and epic. The final stand-off in the palace of the gods is a truly a remarkable ending to an incredible battle.

I don't really have much that I dislike about this book. My problems here are pretty much the same as my problems with the previous entries [silliness that went a bit too far (Kronos disappearing under a big blue butt. Really?), and love triangles that make want to rip my hairs out]. Yeah, I love this book, and I will say that, right now, it is tied with "Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth" as my favorite book in the series, thought that may change in the future. ( )

Cassandra and Selena’s tragic Battle of Troy parallel, Hestia’s Hearth, Luke’s final question for Annabeth….My copy of this book is in tatters from commutes spent cracked open in one hand as I chewed all my nails off the other. Such a good finale. I loVE THESE KIDS. ( )

Percy Jackson and the rest of the demigods have their final facedown with Kronos as he threatens to destroy Olympus and all of human civilization as we know it.

As a last book in a series (at the time of publication), this entry does everything you'd expect it to: has a major battle with the big bad of the series while also nicely tying of up character arcs for all of the individuals we've come to care for over the series. Riordan does a solid job (although I found the final battle carried on a little longer than I wanted - but I find fight sequences less interesting generally) while also adding enough of a tease for the next series set in this universe that I'll be reading more. ( )

I liked the resolution with the various characters and their relationships, and was particularly satisfied with Rachel's new future. I also liked Hesta and how a traditional woman was shown to be the hero. ( )