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

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Series: Fairytale Retellings (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Subjects: Mermaids, fairy tales, supernatural, love, magic, sisters

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 291 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Little, Brown

Summary/ product description: “Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.
Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.
When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.”

My Rating: êêêê

My Review: As with all the books in this series, to are some connections between characters. Celia is one of the Reynolds. The youngest one. Lo is related to a character in the last book, Sweetly. You can guess who for yourself. And there are werewolves again, eventually, but the main focus is the ocean girls. Celia and her triplet sisters all have special powers, and it reminds me of the characters from Tera Lynn Childs’ book Sweet Venom. I really liked Celia and Jude. Jude is a musician and he’s pretty funny and cute. And Lo remind of Luce from Lost Voices by Sarah Porter. But these girl aren’t mermaids with tails. It’s not even clear why they’re underwater. It’s pretty mysterious. The plot is mainly about Celia using her past reading powers to help Lo remember who she was before. The book switched between their perspectives, and I find Celia’s perspective easier to read. Lo’s underwater world is very strange. She talks about “becoming angels” and that she would have kill a boy who falls in love with her to get her soul back. The story is pretty interesting over all, but I’ve having a hard time reviewing it. I liked Jackson’s other books. She’s really good a write retellings that are very different from the actually fairytale. This is no ordinary mermaid tale, so I do recommend it to those looking for something unique.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover! So shiny and metallic. I like the use of an object rather than a model. And the title is nicely customized on Illustrator (but could be refined even more). The author’s name is nicely done. I love the light effects that make it look under water. The pendant makes the bottom of the mermaid’s tail fin look like angel wings.

 

~Haley G