The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson the Musical Review

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Originally I intended this blog to be just about reviewing books, but I feel like I can make an exception for this musical! I spent Easter weekend in New York with my sister, and I was lucky enough to get us tickets to see The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson the Musical at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. We went to the night performance, and we got there pretty early but there was already a crowd waiting to go inside. I managed to snag my sister and I front row seats, and it was definitely an amazing experience being so close to the action! So, now to the actual play. I cannot express enough how much I loved it! It was about 2000 times better than those movies that shall not be named. Although, to be fair, the movies on there own aren't that terrible. But they were a terrible book-to-movie adaptation. The musical contained every moment that the movies left out, like the Oracle, Mr. D, Percy having no idea who is godly parent is and eventually being claimed, his fight with Ares, and the exploding toilets, believe it or not. There was also a fun little cameo from Bianca Di Angelo! 
The cast was AMAZING. They embody the characters so perfectly, not to mention they are all super talented. It was so amazing to finally see some of my favorite characters brought to life in a way that was super true to the books. Percy was so sassy and funny, and Annabeth was such a badass. It was such a well-written play, the entire theatre was laughing the whole time! This is an off-broadway musical, so I assume there wasn't the biggest budget, but let me tell you that did not stop them! They dealt with centaurs, satyrs, and Medusa in such clever and funny ways. Also, they just announced that a cast album will be released! So if you can't make it to see the musical in person, you should definitely buy the album! After the musical, they actually set up a small merchandise table where they were selling the Percy Jackson books, some of which were actually signed by Rick Riordan, as well as posters and two t-shirt styles! I bought the two t-shirts, which I have a picture of down below. After the musical ended everyone lined up outside and the cast came out and took pictures with everyone and signed posters or books! I brought my original copy of The Lightning Thief which is a million years old and has clearly been read a million times based on how destroyed the spine is. So that was my experience at The Percy Jackson Musical! I definitely give it 5/5 stars! 

Make sure you go to www.lightningthiefmusical.com where you can see the entire company, pictures, and even a song thats been released!

My copy of the Lightning Thief signed
             by the entire cast!

 The two shirts they were selling! 

Finally I have a Camp HB shirt!

Flame in the Mist Review (Spoiler Free)

Flame in the Mist
by Renée Ahdieh

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book through Penguin's First to Read Program.

This was the first Renée Ahdieh book I have read, and I have heard so many great things about her writing so I went in with high expectations. I was not let down! This was a wonderful story about politics, magic, and the strength of women. I also truly enjoyed Ahdieh's writing. It was so imaginative with just the right amount of mystery to keep me hooked the entire time. At first I had a really hard time connecting with the characters, but eventually they all grew on me. The novel also had a very intricate plot, so I really had to pay attention to what was happening, and all the small details and the names of everyone or I would get really confused. At first I thought this was going to be a story with no romance, but then it came out of nowhere and I completely support it! I will go down with this ship! I can't wait to see where it goes in the next book. 
Let's talk about Mariko, because she is an incredible character! I loved seeing her grow into a confident woman during a time in Japan when women were not given power and were only expected to be wives. It was so empowering and inspiring to read about such a wonderful character. I am definitely going to check out more of Ahdieh's writing in the future, because I can't wait to discover her other characters!