Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse features the third of Percy's adventures since the time he stepped foot into the crazy topsy-turvy world of the Greek gods 2 years ago, and if you haven't read about his first 2 adventures in The Lightning Thief or The Sea of Monsters, I would highly recommend that you learn go through them first.
Percy's third summer at Camp-Half Blood starts off with news of the goddess Artemis going missing while thought to be hunting a mythical creature said to have the power to destroy Olympus itself--and Annabeth also disappears soon after. The demigods at Camp Half-Blood come to learn that they are both being held hostage by the Titan Atlas, and Percy, Thalia (now resurrected by the Golden Fleece), and other demigods just like them set out on a quest to rescue Annabeth and Artemis.
I had already read The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, and by this point, I was completely obsessed with the Percy Jackson series. I ended up checking out The Titan's Curse just a couple days after I finished The Sea of Monsters, eager for continuation of the series, but I found this book to be a little less entertaining than the first 2 books of the series. The plot seemed to slow down in The Titan's Curse, and I don't remember it as well as the other four books of the series. I would still say that it is necessary to read it in order to be able to understand the fourth book of the series (The Battle of the Labyrinth), and I do think that Percy Jackson: The Titan's Curse is a good read--just not as gripping as the other books in the series. I would give this book a solid four stars. A noteworthy book for any young teen who has thoroughly enjoyed the Percy Jackson series so far.