“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.”
That is one heck of an opener! Compare it too Harry Potter’s, and you can see some stark differences.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
When you read Harry Potter, it gives a hint that the family isn’t normal, but it’s just foreshadowing, and it doesn’t go deeply. When you read Percy Jackson, however, it begins by telling you what the narrator is, but doesn’t tell us what it means. It also pulls the readers in by making a claim about their own life.
For the sake of journalistic integrity, I must say that I am biased. I grew up on Percy Jackson, and loved them. Harry Potter… Not so much. I read the books, but dang were they boring (in my personal opinion).
Something that made all the difference is that Percy Jackson’s story feels more real. He has much more of a personality that his wizarding world counterpart, as does his trio. He is mischievous and loyal, as is Harry Potter, but he is also impulsive.
Annabeth and Hermione can easily be compared, as both are strategists with a lot of room for sass, but Annabeth breaks the norms as she usually leads instead of our protagonist. She also is more rebellious and had a much more interesting story (if not tragic). Another factor is that while Hermione is possibly the most powerful Harry Potter trio member (if not the most powerful character), all Annabeth has is her intelligence, in which she wields to defend against other more powerful characters.
Grover and Ron are both comedic reliefs who are loyal to the protagonist, but that’s where the similarities end. Grover is a sensitive guardian bound to Percy, while Ron is brave and occasionally jealous of Harry, whom he chose to be friends with rather than being assigned to him. Grover holds a lot of guilt over his job, while Ron consistently is moody. Grover is much more cowardly and possesses little actual powers, while Ron is a powerful wizard.
I will say that Hermione is my favorite Harry Potter character, while titularly I like Percy Jackson. I find Hermione’s story to be all too realistic as a muggleborn.
In conclusion, I find that Rick Riordan’s works are continuing to be relevant, unlike J. K. Rowling’s, who doesn’t have enough trope-breaking. After all, maybe there was a reason she tried over twenty times to get her book published?
