I was disappointed in the beginning of this sequel to 
 . Percy seemed to have learned little or nothing from his experience or his year in school. It's a trope in these type of books that the hero be a bit clueless (otherwise why have the brainy female sidekick?), but they have to learn something from their experiences or they just come off as stupid. OK, so Percy is dyslectic, but there are audio books! I know because I listened to 
 on a long drive to Ohio. 
 Having said that, the book is a good one of its type. Percy and his friends fight monsters, traffic with gods, foil sorceresses and support each other through personal trials. The action is dire, the dialog is snappy, and the plot has some nice twists. The best part is the ending. Nice cliff-hanger!