Review- The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1

Author: Rick Riordan

Illustrator: John Rocco

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology

Publication date: July 2005

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

This deluxe gift edition of the internationally best-selling first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, lavishly illustrated by series artist John Rocco, is a must-have for Riordan fans.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have owned this copy of The Lightning Thief FOR YEARS but I had not read it. I first read The Lightning Thief I think maybe 13 years ago? So it’s been a while. So with the new TV show coming out, I thought this would be the perfect time to revisit this book and finally read the illustrated edition.

I feel like I liked this book less than when I first read it, but don’t get me wrong, I still had fun re-reading it! (You can read that review here if you want, though I don't know if I recommend it since it's quite old. Lol. But it's there. Lol.) It’s just such a great world with fun and sassy characters, and I was so excited that the series was getting a second chance adaptation because it really deserves it.

But I obviously enjoyed this! I feel like I flew through this though! It felt so short! 😆 But I liked the illustrations—the landscapes in particular were my favorite! Camp Half-Blood was just depicted so beautifully! It’s such a shame that this is the only illustrated book we got in the series though.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊