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 3rd
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.
