Deadly Sweet

Published: September 6th, 2011
Sweet Venom
By: Tera Lynn Childs
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN-13: 9780062001818


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.

Review

   Grace moves to San Francisco to attend a prestigious private school that will better her chances of attending a major college.  She has had a great life with her adopted parents and brother.  Gretchen was kicked around by her parents and lived on the streets for awhile.  That is, until Ursula found her and traine her for her destiny - hunting mythological monsters because she's a descendant of Medusa.  But she's also a teenager and she wishes it wasn't just her job.  Greer is a social whirlwind living a the high and extremely orderly, planned life.  She has no room for monsters or sisters.  I really enjoyed this book!  I liked that it was told from all three girls' points of view alternately.  It WORKED, because each girl has a distinctive voice and personality.  They don't bleed together.  I hope Greer plays a much bigger narrative part in the next book because she was barely in this one at all, and I would like to see more of her.  There is some sweet romance subplot with Gretchen and Nick, the new boy in school and also Grace and Milo, her brother Thane's friend from the soccer team.  The girls have to fight extra hard because a bounty has been placed on their heads.  Someone is trying to get rid of them and they ARE NOT playing!  Thane had some mystery surrounding him as well and near the book he goes off on his own, refusing to tell anyone where he went.  Grace's wimpy, effusive nature does sort of get annoying every once in a while, as does Gretchen's toughness that can turn mean-spirited occasionally.  But overall this was a cute, enjoyable read for people who like mythology and good YA.  I would recommend it for those people.  Also, don't go in expecting brain food, but brain candy and you'll go away satisfied.

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars
Book#9 of Challenge COMPLETE

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*