The Wicked Within by Kelly Keaton

Series: Gods & Monsters (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Dystopian

Subjects: Greek mythology, supernatural, magic, gorgons, gods and goddesses, curses, witches, vampires, shape-shifters, Louisiana, New Orleans

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 280 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster: Simon Pulse

Summary/ product description: “Ancient lore leads to present danger in the final book in the dark and sexy paranormal romance trilogy about a descendent of Medusa, set in a richly reimagined New Orleans.

Her fate is not set in stone.

Having temporarily defeated Athena, Ari races to break the gorgon curse that has plagued the women in her family for centuries. Her one lead sends her on a quest for the Hands of Zeus, an ancient relic last seen in the charge of New 2’s ruling elite, the Novem. But if there is one thing that Athena desires as much as revenge, it’s the Hands of Zeus—and Athena always gets what she wants.

Before either can locate the Hands, the statue goes missing, and a trail of blood follows those who once protected the relic’s secrets. Ari knows that her city, her friends, Sebastian—her life—depend upon her finding the statue before Athena. And with rumors an ancient power is on the rise, that may not be her only concern…”

My Review: With the epic amount of mythology and paranormal creatures, this book series is perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Richelle Mead and Tera Lynn Child’s books. Vampires, witches, shape-shifters, demi-gods, Gods and Goddesses and so much more. I love the New Orleans and bayou setting. It’s set during Madi Gras, which is a prime time for New Orlenes, also known as New 2 in this book. It’s also a bit dystopian, without the sci-fi. It’s creepy and mysterious and enchanting. I read the previous book and this final book back to back, so it’s hard to believe that this series is over. The books are pretty short and faced paced. I love the characters, as I mentioned in the review of A Beautiful Evil.

Ari is kick butt, and her relationship with Sebastian has become complicated. I never doubted their love for each other, but he did become a vampire in the last book. It really sucks that her needs blood now. He’s keeping his feeding habits from Ari. We get to see some of Bastian’s perspective in this book. It’s the italicized chapters and they’re written in 3^rd person. They weren’t as exciting as Ari’s parts, but there weren’t that many Bastian chapters.

I really think that Ari’s pursuit to remove her curse was complicated and exciting. Athena want her child to not be stone anymore, and will cure Ari is she revives her child. So many crazy things happen along the way. Many questions are answered through out the book. We also get to learn about gods from other cultures, specifically Egyptian gods. There’s also this character that raised Violet, known as the River Witch.

A small spoiler is that Menai and Heni kind of have a thing for each other, and they’re both my favorite side characters. Toward the end of the book, we find out secrets about Violet, Menai, Pandora, and Athena’s child. It’s an epic conclusion that leaves room for a spin-off series. I really hope that a spin off is written. I want to now if the Blood Wars really start with Athena’s child.

Cover Art Review: I like the Mardi Gras mask. The girl looks like she could be Ari.

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

Series: Gods & Monsters (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Dystopian

Subjects: Greek mythology, supernatural, magic, gorgons, gods and goddesses, curses, witches, vampires, shape-shifters, Louisiana, New Orleans, monsters

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 287 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover (and now in Paperback)

List Price: $16.99/$9.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster: Simon Pulse

Summary/ product description: “Myth and mayhem inhabit a richly reimagined New Orleans in this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her. After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.

Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine…”

My Review: It’s been over 2 years since I read Darkness Becomes her (June 2011). I finally decided to read the last 2 books in the series. I have to admit that I did enjoy this even more than the first book. Ari is a likable main character. I remember comparing her to Maximum Ride. She’s kick-butt and brave. She’s got a unique look with her white hair and teal eyes.

She has a relationship with Sebastian (Bastian) who’s half warlock, half vampire. I love Bastian. He very kind and gentle and caring. I’d like to add him to my list of book boyfriends. I love how there’s a strong, yet gentle romance between Ari and him. Ari put a lot of trust in him

My favorite side character is Henri. A spoiler that revealed very early in the book is that he’s a shape-shifter. He can turn into a hawk. Henry the hawk! I love that. And he uses French words a lot and reminds me of Jules from Die For Me. I love hawks and birds, and bird shape-shifters. It was totally awesome. The best fight scenes are the ones where Henri turns into a hawk. I do like the other characters too. We get to meet some new people, and see a lot of Bastian’s dad and Bran, who’s training Ari.

The thing that I love about this series is that it melds paranormal with dystopian (non-sci-fi). New 2 is New Orleans after it was destroyed by 2 hurricanes and then have the French Quarter restored by the Novem. There are all kinds of paranormal creatures and beings. Witches, vampires, shape-shifters, demi-gods, god and goddesses, other monsters and one girl who’s a gorgon. It’s a awesome mix and it’s done so well. Think Vampire Academy meets Divergent meets Percy Jackson and the Olympians. (Not really Maximum Ride meets Twilight meets Percy Jackson). Ari decided to attend the Novem school, which is where I get the Vampire Academy comparison. Ari is a lot like Rose, (and Max).

Athena did a lot of torturing and was a total b-word. She likes to play with her prey, and toy with people. I like Athena better in Percy Jackson because she was Annabeth’s mom, but here she’s a complete sociopath bent on getting her way. She’s overly cunning and seems like the ultimate supervilliness. Think of the Evil Queen on crack. That’s how she is. Ari gets into trouble and Athena tests her and pushes her to the limit. Ari wants to learn everything she can about ways to stop Athena and get Violet and her father back. She goes to Mount Olympus to save them. Lot of crazy stuff happens. Athena throws her own Mardi Gras party and parade, but she calls it something else. The ending was kind of awesome. I’m sure my questions will be answered in the next book.

Fans of Vampire Academy, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs will love this. Mythology and monster are pretty awesome.

Cover Art Review: Different from the 1^st book’s hardcover version. The snake coming from the hair does fit with the story, although Ari doesn’t have snake hair yet. Her hair is white.

Sweet Legacy by Tera Lynn Childs

Series: Medusa Girls (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Subjects: supernatural, Greek Mythology, gods and goddesses, mythology, magic, gorgons, love, monsters, San Francisco, California, sisters

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 376 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HaperTeen: Katherine Tegen

Summary/ product description: “The stunning conclusion of Tera Lynn Childs's Greek mythology–based Sweet Venom trilogy is perfect for teen fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.

The girls cannot hesitate as they seek the location of the lost door between the realms, even as monsters and the gods of Olympus descend on San Francisco in battle-ready droves.

Greer must use her second sight to step up and prevent anything from stopping her sisters' mission, even though a god is playing with her mind. Grace wants to trust her adopted brother, Thane; but will his secret put the girls in even more danger? And Gretchen has trained her sisters to stop the monsters, but her role as a huntress comes with more responsibility than she ever imagined. What will the girls' immortal legacy be? Three teenage descendants of Medusa must unite to restore balance to the world in this action-packed series with plenty of romance.”

My Review: Final books are always hard to read, and even harder to review. Especially when they’re in one of your favorite series. I love the Medusa Girls series. They’re like a cross between Charmed (the TV show) and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Three triplet sisters, living in San Francisco, battling monsters and gods of myth, and part of a prophecy. It was awesome from start to finish.

The character voices are all very distinct and well developed. They all grow in their own way. I’d say that Greer changed the most. She started out a prim and preppy girl so focused on her social life. She becomes loyal and brave, and accepts her destiny. She also had a romance start with Grace foster brother, which was totally awesome.

 Gretchen also changed. She was so closed and angry and hated monsters in the beginning. She realized not all the monsters of the abyss are bad. She befriended Sillus, a talking monkey-like creature. She also started to fall in love with Nick. Grace became more brave and less shy. She’s probably the character I relate to the most. I’m not a computer genius (but I use computers a lot), I just have her kind of personality. Shy and geeky. Her relationship with Milo developed.

The three guys are also very different. We never get their perspectives. I hope we get a novella of either Thane or Nick. Nick is very charming. Thane is an introvert and a bit secretive. Milo’s an athlete and a normal guy. I love all the characters. They are definitely lovable, and I wish they were real people, because I’d want to be friends.  I really wish Sweet Venom was an ABC or CW TV show because it’d be perfect (and not just a Charmed knock-off!).

Sweet legacy did have it’s surprises and wow moments. There were a few cliché things, but the story itself was so good that I didn’t care. This series is a real escape and just as good as Percy Jackson (but more girly). I got the feels for the romance. I really want to gush about it, but I don’t want to spoil everything. This finale is true to the nature of the series. It’s fun, romantic, and written in a very fast-paced, readable way. The ending was epic and satisfying, but left me feeling like there’s more to the story. This trilogy may be over, but who’s to say that there won’t be a novella or a spin-off? I’m missing the characters already.

Cover Art Review: It’s a nice photo, but not very unique, except for the title. But it fits well with the series.

Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs

Series: Medusa Girls (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Greek mythology, Medusa, sisters, triplets, magic, supernatural, San Francisco, monsters, destiny

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 328 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Teagan

Summary/ product description: “Teen triplets Gretchen, Grace, and Greer, descendants of Medusa, continue to battle the monsters who walk the streets of San Francisco, unseen by humans, but realize they must enter the abyss if they are to protect their loved ones--and their world.

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters—after all, she's spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss—but that doesn't mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe? Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won't leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home—like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He's hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives keeping secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: I only read Sweet Venom a little over a month ago and really enjoyed it. Reading the second book I have even more to enjoy. Some of my predictions from the first book came true in the sequel. And I still think that this series is very similar to Charmed, the TV show (because of 3 sisters with powers and it’s set in San Francisco). I wanna go comparing each sister to a Charmed one. It bet the author loves Charmed. But it’s also very different because it’s Greek Mythology, not witches. My favorite of the sisters in this series is Grace. She’s the most relatable personality wise, but I’m not an eco-geek computer genius, just an art geek. And now Greer is learning to deal with all this monster stuff. She still wants to do her normal stuff. She changes a lot from the first book. I like how Nick and Gretchen are. They’re relationship is crazy funny. She always threatens him. She starts to trust him, though.

And, not to spoil anything, it was interesting what kind of creatures Gretchen found in the abyss. You’ll have to read to see it, but now she sees the reason why the door should be unsealed.  There’s 3 sides to this war, and 2 want the sisters dead. I really like how the plot’s coming along. There are still some questions not answered, so I will be eagerly anticipating Sweet Legacy. Like, who is Thane? (Is he a demi-god or something?)

If you liked the Charmed show, Percy Jackson series, or just love funny mythology stories in general, that I recommend this series. It’s both girly and tough at the same time. There’s humor, action, romance and monsters! Kick-butt triplet heroines with magic powers. Sounds awesome, right? It is. Also check out Tera Lynn Child other series: Oh.My.Gods. and Forgive My Fins.

Cover Art Review: Similar to the first, no braid, girl facing forward. Looks like Greer, while the first book looked like Gretchen. Unless it’s Grace. I still like the title type face. I wish the cover was matte/dull and not glossy and flat. The inside cover is embossed with the title.

 

~Haley G