The Titans Curse is a near perfect book. There are very few complaints I have so that’s what I’ll start with. It drags on far too long at camp and getting to camp. About half of the book is just them getting to Camp Half Blood and staying for like a long time. 

Another complaint is the dialogue sometimes is unbearable. The insults they use most times make me want to die. “Pinecone Face ” was an insult used unironically and it made me put down the book. 

Now what this book does right is everything else. The rest of the book has really nice dialogue and it’s really enjoyable from beginning to end. It has really emotional dialogue between all of the characters, especially Percy and Nico.

It introduces one of the best characters, Nico, and develops him nicely for the rest of the books. He is done perfectly throughout the book, showing him as an emotional and young character who is angry at Percy for letting his sister die. 

Percy is good as always and so is Annabeth and their interactions together are really strong. It shows Percy and Annabeth perfectly and develops the big decisions that they will both have to make in books four and five. Percy needs to decide whether or not to become a god or stay human. He also needs to decide whether or not to stay on the island of Calypso and let all his problems and responsibilities go away. It develops Annabeth’s decision with Luke in the fifth book. This is one of the most important books in the series. 

The next thing that makes this book brilliant is the prophecy:

“Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan’s curse must one withstand,

And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.” 

He found a way to not spoil anything and let us keep guessing the whole way there.

With all these factors at play it is one of the best books of the five in the series my opinion and a joy to read that I can’t recommend enough.