Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is the second book to a gripping series consisting of five individual books, each with its own new and exciting adventure, and if you haven't read the first book of the series, (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief), I would highly recommend that you do so first, as there are many spoilers incoming.
The story starts off with Thalia's tree, the magical pine tree that generates the protective boundary surrounding Camp Half-Blood, starts to die due to a an unknown and mysterious outside force. Soon, Camp Half-Blood is frequently getting attacked-- sometimes multiple times a day--and it becomes clear that Thalia's tree needs to be healed in some way or another--and fast. Lucky for them, the Golden Fleece is said to have unrivaled healing properties, and Percy and his fellow half-bloods soon set out on a daring and dangerous quest across the Sea of Monsters and into the lair of the Cyclops Polyphemus in a desperate attempt to retrieve it and revive Thalia's tree.
I ended up going to the library in an attempt to check out this book literally the day after I finished Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, eager to experience another one of Percy's wild and hilarious adventures, and once I finally got my hands on it, my experience from reading the first book of the Percy Jackson series just repeated itself.
I was completely immersed in it from beginning to end, and the suspense and action just kept me turning page after page! If anything, it was even more of page-turner than the first book--with even more new characters being introduced, new relationships formed, and the plot of the overall series clearly thickening. I will always remember Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters as one of the best books I have ever read! Definitely one of my top 10 favorite books. I would give this book a perfect five stars--a must-read for any young teen who absolutely adored Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief and is looking for more of where that came from!