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jsc55's review against another edition
3.0
Eh... 2.5, too many characters, too many boyfriends, too much not really happening...
gatoraly's review against another edition
4.0
I want more!!!!! I simply adore tera for making such great books. This just adds to the list. I really cannot wait.for a sequel!!
ladytiara's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet Venom is an interesting modern take on an ancient myth. If you've studied Greek mythology, you're likely familiar with the myth of Medusa the Gorgon, whose gaze would turn onlookers to stone. Teri Lynn Childs updates the legend and makes the descendants of the Gorgons monster-fighting warriors. These descendants have fought mythical monsters (like minotaurs and hydras) throughout the centuries. The monsters can break through the barriers into our world, and the warriors have to send them back to protect humanity.
Sweet Venom is the tale of three sisters who were separated at birth. Gretchen is a tough loner. At age 12, she was taken in by a woman named Ursula, who taught her about her heritage as a Gorgon descendant and how to fight the mythical monsters that show up nightly in San Francisco. Grace is a rather meek computer genius who's just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. Unfortunately, she starts to see monsters, which really freaks her out. Eventually, Gretchen and Grace meet up and realize they are sisters. The girls soon learn there's a third sister, which leads them to glacial rich girl Greer, who is none too pleased to have two strangers who look just like her show up at her door claiming that they're triplets.
Not a whole lot happens in this book. There's some monster fighting, but there's also a lot of exposition settings things up for the sequel. This didn't bother me, since it gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters and the mythology. The book is really about the three sisters. The point of view alternates between all three. We get to know Gretchen and Grace better than Greer, since she only arrives on the scene in the last third of the book. Gretchen is tough and brittle and not exactly open to the idea of a sister (or sisters) at first. Grace is almost the opposite. She's shy and nervous and a little overwhelmed when she learns who she really is, but she's also excited by the idea of having a sister. She also has to learn to deal with the fact that there's a whole other world out there. I liked both of them a lot. Greer is a bit of a stereotypical rich girl at first, but she's not so bad once we get to know her. I'm still undecided about whether I liked her though. All three characters were distinctive enough that the point of view switching worked well.
I'm looking forward to the next installment as there are a lot of unanswered questions. Big changes seem to be happening in the girls' world. More monsters are slipping through than ever before and someone or something is after the sisters. Gretchen's mentor is missing. We don't know who the sisters' birth parents are. And Grace's adopted brother has run away, which I suspect may be related to the bigger picture. The author did a nice job of setting things up for the sequel.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
Sweet Venom is the tale of three sisters who were separated at birth. Gretchen is a tough loner. At age 12, she was taken in by a woman named Ursula, who taught her about her heritage as a Gorgon descendant and how to fight the mythical monsters that show up nightly in San Francisco. Grace is a rather meek computer genius who's just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. Unfortunately, she starts to see monsters, which really freaks her out. Eventually, Gretchen and Grace meet up and realize they are sisters. The girls soon learn there's a third sister, which leads them to glacial rich girl Greer, who is none too pleased to have two strangers who look just like her show up at her door claiming that they're triplets.
Not a whole lot happens in this book. There's some monster fighting, but there's also a lot of exposition settings things up for the sequel. This didn't bother me, since it gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters and the mythology. The book is really about the three sisters. The point of view alternates between all three. We get to know Gretchen and Grace better than Greer, since she only arrives on the scene in the last third of the book. Gretchen is tough and brittle and not exactly open to the idea of a sister (or sisters) at first. Grace is almost the opposite. She's shy and nervous and a little overwhelmed when she learns who she really is, but she's also excited by the idea of having a sister. She also has to learn to deal with the fact that there's a whole other world out there. I liked both of them a lot. Greer is a bit of a stereotypical rich girl at first, but she's not so bad once we get to know her. I'm still undecided about whether I liked her though. All three characters were distinctive enough that the point of view switching worked well.
I'm looking forward to the next installment as there are a lot of unanswered questions. Big changes seem to be happening in the girls' world. More monsters are slipping through than ever before and someone or something is after the sisters. Gretchen's mentor is missing. We don't know who the sisters' birth parents are. And Grace's adopted brother has run away, which I suspect may be related to the bigger picture. The author did a nice job of setting things up for the sequel.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Really fun novel with great characters and Greek mythology galore. I seriously enjoyed it and can't wait for the sequel!
charms1976's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet Venom is the first book in a new series by author Tera Lynn Childs. After reading the author's Mermaid series, I was anxious to find out how her new series would incorporate children of Greek Mythology. As many of you know, I wasn't a good student who stayed awake during school. So I missed out on the legends and myths of Greek mythology in school. Thank goodness authors are starting to introduce it into their stories more!
With Sweet Venom, we get to read from alternating points of views between Grace, Gretchen and Greer who also happen to be descendents of the famous Medusa. While the three never knew about the others existence until now, they all agree that something weird is going on in the world and mainly San Francisco. Together they need to figure out what is going on and try to find Gretchen's mentor Ursala, so they can stop the evil monsters from entering our world.
Each character had their own personality that brought something great to the story. Gretchen was the black clothed combat girl who has been training with Ursala for a while now. She knows about the mythological monsters that are terrorizing our world. She fights them on a daily basis and has given up relationships and friends to make it a better place to live. Grace bumps into Gretchen and can't believe she has a sister. She has recently started seeing the monsters and thinks she might be losing her mind. When Gretchen explains things to her she definitely wants to learn how to protect herself and become closer to her sister. Grace was the peacemaker of the bunch and always optimistic in having a sisterly relationship. She is learning to stand up for herself more now and she looks to Gretchen as a mentor for herself. Greer was introduced later in the book and I found myself not liking her that much. She is the typical spoiled teen girl who always gets her way. She has no desire to have sisters and doesn't want anything to do with them. She wants her perfect life with no interruptions. I loved how Grace had to play the go between with Greer and Gretchen. They both butted heads and Grace was constantly trying to keep the peace.
While the girls struggle to find their footing in a new destiny, they each discover that each is what the other needs. Together they need to find and rescue Ursala while fighting evil and trying to have some sort of normal life as well. While this is a great start to a new trilogy, I was a little disappointed in the ending. It ended with some questions unanswered, but since this is a trilogy I assume that secrets will be revealed as we go. Be prepared to be left hanging at the end of the story and you will be anxious to get your hands on the next installment in the series!
With Sweet Venom, we get to read from alternating points of views between Grace, Gretchen and Greer who also happen to be descendents of the famous Medusa. While the three never knew about the others existence until now, they all agree that something weird is going on in the world and mainly San Francisco. Together they need to figure out what is going on and try to find Gretchen's mentor Ursala, so they can stop the evil monsters from entering our world.
Each character had their own personality that brought something great to the story. Gretchen was the black clothed combat girl who has been training with Ursala for a while now. She knows about the mythological monsters that are terrorizing our world. She fights them on a daily basis and has given up relationships and friends to make it a better place to live. Grace bumps into Gretchen and can't believe she has a sister. She has recently started seeing the monsters and thinks she might be losing her mind. When Gretchen explains things to her she definitely wants to learn how to protect herself and become closer to her sister. Grace was the peacemaker of the bunch and always optimistic in having a sisterly relationship. She is learning to stand up for herself more now and she looks to Gretchen as a mentor for herself. Greer was introduced later in the book and I found myself not liking her that much. She is the typical spoiled teen girl who always gets her way. She has no desire to have sisters and doesn't want anything to do with them. She wants her perfect life with no interruptions. I loved how Grace had to play the go between with Greer and Gretchen. They both butted heads and Grace was constantly trying to keep the peace.
While the girls struggle to find their footing in a new destiny, they each discover that each is what the other needs. Together they need to find and rescue Ursala while fighting evil and trying to have some sort of normal life as well. While this is a great start to a new trilogy, I was a little disappointed in the ending. It ended with some questions unanswered, but since this is a trilogy I assume that secrets will be revealed as we go. Be prepared to be left hanging at the end of the story and you will be anxious to get your hands on the next installment in the series!
jenny17's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the story seemed a little slow starting i feel the next book is going to be much better! Cant wait to read it
lillyenrose's review against another edition
4.0
Triplets that never knew the others existed thrown together to fight the mythical monsters that go bump at all hours of the day. Grace, Greer, and Gretchen must work together to save the place they call home, but most importantly they must fight to save each other.
alanaleigh's review against another edition
4.0
Greek mythology is finally making its way from Percy Jackson to the teen market -- and Sweet Venom is a charming new adaptation of an old myth with new tricks. Popular culture leaves most people with the awareness of Medusa was a woman/creature with snakes for hair and a stony gaze that could turn anyone who looked into her eyes into, well, stone. In Tera Lynn Childs's "Medusa Girls" series, this isn't quite the whole story, as Medusa (and her two sisters) got a bad rap from a jealous god. (Isn't it always the way?) This isn't to say that the reputation was entirely a bad thing in the end, as it shielded her descendants from scrutiny. These descendants follow in her footsteps, turning the "family business" into guardianship (they are called "huntresses"), and making it their life's work to protect the general human populace from beasties that slip through a crack between the worlds, a crack which happens to be located in San Francisco.
Of course, Grace knows nothing about this. She's lived in the middle of nowhere USA with her family and she thinks the big adventure of her life will be their relocation to San Francisco so she can take advantage of a scholarship at a prestigious high school. That's before Grace sees a minotaur (though she appears to be the only person startled by it)... and *then* sees someone who could be her double show up to fight it.
This is how Grace meets her long-lost-twin, Gretchen.
Gretchen is a huntress and a damn good one. (In my mind, I pictured Faith from Buffy before she went totally nutso.) Saved from living on the streets by a mentor who trained her to fight the monsters that it seemed like only Gretchen could see, Gretchen isn't scared of the monsters now... she's mostly just pissed that between monster hunting and homework, she barely gets any sleep. What *does* scare her is the fact that her mentor has gone MIA and Gretchen has no idea what's become of her. Now this whole identical twin thing pops up and Gretchen doesn't do well with the personal/emotional stuff.
Grace and Gretchen have to come to terms with this newfound relationship and it really isn't easy for either of them. Grace has a loving family (and a very protective brother, Thane, who might notice when a girl identical to his adopted sister is walking around school) whereas Gretchen only really trusts her mentor and this soft version of herself could only be deadweight. Grace has to decide if she wants to help Gretchen in her fight against the monsters (if Gretchen even lets her)... and even if they can find a way to come to terms with each other, well... the surprises aren't over for this pair.
If you're looking for a story with dark twists and turns, you'll have to hunt elsewhere, because Sweet Venom is quite sweet and light indeed, striking a charming note in the often quite-dark-indeed paranormal teen genre. I'll admit that I scooped up Sweet Venom with only the awareness that this was a Medusa story and so I didn't read much beyond that... and maybe that it takes place in San Francisco. I was pleasantly surprised by the tone, which seems just as eager to tackle Grace's crush on her brother's friend Milo as the issue of various mythological demons cropping up in the Castro. Narration jumps between Grace and Gretchen in the beginning, allowing you to see both of their perspectives, which gives nice perspective -- and eventually allows Childs to do a fun twist which caught me slightly by surprise (in a good way!) and I'm pretending that it hasn't been spoiled for you with other reviews. Grace is obviously the "straight man" character and so provides the reader with the chance to be oriented in to this world while Gretchen provides attitude and knowledge. Later, you meet another important character who didn't seem to get the same careful depth as Grace and Gretchen, but the series is young, there will hopefully be time for that. The important note is that here, they are all distinct characters and don't immediately mesh together, and their differences will likely fuel many bits of dialogue in the books to come. I only hope Childs continues to let each character to continue to develop in an independent fashion as they grow, rather than falling prey to any easy shortcuts like allowing stereotypes to take the place of character development, which would keep them sounding different but deny them any depth. Given the care that Childs has shown to the characters thus far, though, I don't think she's in any danger of that.
I always appreciate when authors who use mythology are inclined to let the stories stand without wild adjustments -- or if there are adjustments, for them to happen in relation to the more modern setting rather than repeat "no, the history books got it all wrong!" over and over. Not that Childs doesn't make any adjustments... she tweaks enough to accommodate for her additions to the storyline, but there's no feeling of deep, egregious wrong or outrageous liberties being taken with the myths as most folks know them. I frequently found myself thinking that this book reminded me of Percy Jackson... only it wasn't trying so hard to be funny and it was a bit more grown-up (only slightly, as we're aiming for teens instead of tweens, but I imagine this novel would be totally acceptable for tweens, too). There's a definite girl-bent that will make this a hard sell for male readers, though it's refreshing to have a story where the romance is on the lighter side as opposed to being the sole focus with some other storyline details tossed in. Some interesting young men that factor in as romantic interests for the girls and I think we can bet that they're all more than they seem at first glance. (Indeed, they somewhat fade in to the background before the ending of the book, so I hope they come back with beefier storylines or some ability to contribute to the larger goals in the book.) It looks as though real romance or male character development will happen as the series unfolds, for Childs isn't rushing things there and I suppose I prefer it this way. Better to take it slow than create false drama to liven things up. All in all, Sweet Venom is a fun romp and a quick read -- a delightful beginning-of-fall novel as you look to curl up on the couch with something light and entertaining as the back-to-school crush might load one's plate down with heavier tomes. I'm certainly looking forward to the next in this series, as I think these Medusa girls have some very amusing storylines ahead of them.
Full disclosure: I don't work on this book, but it does factor in to my professional life. My review is my own personal opinion, but weight this knowledge as you see fit.
Of course, Grace knows nothing about this. She's lived in the middle of nowhere USA with her family and she thinks the big adventure of her life will be their relocation to San Francisco so she can take advantage of a scholarship at a prestigious high school. That's before Grace sees a minotaur (though she appears to be the only person startled by it)... and *then* sees someone who could be her double show up to fight it.
This is how Grace meets her long-lost-twin, Gretchen.
Gretchen is a huntress and a damn good one. (In my mind, I pictured Faith from Buffy before she went totally nutso.) Saved from living on the streets by a mentor who trained her to fight the monsters that it seemed like only Gretchen could see, Gretchen isn't scared of the monsters now... she's mostly just pissed that between monster hunting and homework, she barely gets any sleep. What *does* scare her is the fact that her mentor has gone MIA and Gretchen has no idea what's become of her. Now this whole identical twin thing pops up and Gretchen doesn't do well with the personal/emotional stuff.
Grace and Gretchen have to come to terms with this newfound relationship and it really isn't easy for either of them. Grace has a loving family (and a very protective brother, Thane, who might notice when a girl identical to his adopted sister is walking around school) whereas Gretchen only really trusts her mentor and this soft version of herself could only be deadweight. Grace has to decide if she wants to help Gretchen in her fight against the monsters (if Gretchen even lets her)... and even if they can find a way to come to terms with each other, well... the surprises aren't over for this pair.
If you're looking for a story with dark twists and turns, you'll have to hunt elsewhere, because Sweet Venom is quite sweet and light indeed, striking a charming note in the often quite-dark-indeed paranormal teen genre. I'll admit that I scooped up Sweet Venom with only the awareness that this was a Medusa story and so I didn't read much beyond that... and maybe that it takes place in San Francisco. I was pleasantly surprised by the tone, which seems just as eager to tackle Grace's crush on her brother's friend Milo as the issue of various mythological demons cropping up in the Castro. Narration jumps between Grace and Gretchen in the beginning, allowing you to see both of their perspectives, which gives nice perspective -- and eventually allows Childs to do a fun twist which caught me slightly by surprise (in a good way!) and I'm pretending that it hasn't been spoiled for you with other reviews. Grace is obviously the "straight man" character and so provides the reader with the chance to be oriented in to this world while Gretchen provides attitude and knowledge. Later, you meet another important character who didn't seem to get the same careful depth as Grace and Gretchen, but the series is young, there will hopefully be time for that. The important note is that here, they are all distinct characters and don't immediately mesh together, and their differences will likely fuel many bits of dialogue in the books to come. I only hope Childs continues to let each character to continue to develop in an independent fashion as they grow, rather than falling prey to any easy shortcuts like allowing stereotypes to take the place of character development, which would keep them sounding different but deny them any depth. Given the care that Childs has shown to the characters thus far, though, I don't think she's in any danger of that.
I always appreciate when authors who use mythology are inclined to let the stories stand without wild adjustments -- or if there are adjustments, for them to happen in relation to the more modern setting rather than repeat "no, the history books got it all wrong!" over and over. Not that Childs doesn't make any adjustments... she tweaks enough to accommodate for her additions to the storyline, but there's no feeling of deep, egregious wrong or outrageous liberties being taken with the myths as most folks know them. I frequently found myself thinking that this book reminded me of Percy Jackson... only it wasn't trying so hard to be funny and it was a bit more grown-up (only slightly, as we're aiming for teens instead of tweens, but I imagine this novel would be totally acceptable for tweens, too). There's a definite girl-bent that will make this a hard sell for male readers, though it's refreshing to have a story where the romance is on the lighter side as opposed to being the sole focus with some other storyline details tossed in. Some interesting young men that factor in as romantic interests for the girls and I think we can bet that they're all more than they seem at first glance. (Indeed, they somewhat fade in to the background before the ending of the book, so I hope they come back with beefier storylines or some ability to contribute to the larger goals in the book.) It looks as though real romance or male character development will happen as the series unfolds, for Childs isn't rushing things there and I suppose I prefer it this way. Better to take it slow than create false drama to liven things up. All in all, Sweet Venom is a fun romp and a quick read -- a delightful beginning-of-fall novel as you look to curl up on the couch with something light and entertaining as the back-to-school crush might load one's plate down with heavier tomes. I'm certainly looking forward to the next in this series, as I think these Medusa girls have some very amusing storylines ahead of them.
Full disclosure: I don't work on this book, but it does factor in to my professional life. My review is my own personal opinion, but weight this knowledge as you see fit.