Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn-Childs

About the book

Sweet Venom is the first book in the Medusa Girls series by Tera Lynn-Childs. It was published by Templar Publishing on 1^st September (Today!! You can go and buy the book here) and the book is 368 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

Plot

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

What I thought

I really loved Tera Lynn-Childs’ Forgive My Fins so I jumped at the chance to review her newest book and the first in a series. I’m also a massive lover of Greek mythology so that was a big selling point for me.

Something that makes Sweet Venom different from any other book I have read is the triple narrative. Sister Gretchen begins by telling her story then the two other sisters, Grace and Greer are introduced later on in the story. As there are three main characters to this book I really liked the way it was narrated. Each girl has a very distinct voice and very different personalities so it was nice to really be able to get to know them all well. Gretchen and Grace do get more time than Greer but this was part of the plot so I didn’t mind this.

All three girls were amazing characters but that was because they were so different. I really liked how shy and quiet Grace was and how she had such an interest in computers. There aren’t many computer geek girls out there in YA novels so this was refreshing to see. She was also a really nice girl which was a good touch to her character. Gretchen is the hard-ass of the trio as she is the one already uses to hunting down these crazy monsters. She has a tough exterior and guards herself well due to her upbringing. Then there is Greer, who comes from a well off family so she’s quite stuck up and not feeling the whole monster hunting thing.

As this is a story about girls who are descendants of Medusa, there is a hell of a lot about mythology. This could never have been a bad thing for me though as I find it so interesting. Lynn-Childs has certainly done her research when it comes to this aspect of the book and everything is really detailed. The basic plot idea of the girls being part of a long line of decedents of Medusa was something that is original, new and exciting to the YA genre. There are quite a few books out now which have mythological themes although nothing like this. As well as this being explained really well, there is also a whole range of mythological creatures to contend with. These are colourful, interesting and scary all at the same time.

Although this is mostly a paranormal novel, there are slight romance aspects in there too. Greer has a boyfriend called Kyle and Gretchen and Grace both have their own love interests. Milo is Grace’s brother’s friend who is insanely hot and someone who she falls for straight away. However, she’s really shy and the slow build up between the two was really nice. The romance here isn’t overpowering at all and instead of being the main part of the story, it was just a nice addition instead. Gretchen’s love interest comes in the form of Nick, who she wants nothing at all to do with. I really liked Nick as he never gave up and was very persistent when it came to Gretchen.  

Sweet Venom is a truly exciting addition to the YA genre and a must read!

Come back later on today when I'll be hosting an interview with Tera Lynn-Childs!