Review: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

September 6, 2011

Katherine Tegen Books

Synopsis:
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.

My Review:
SWEET VENOM is a sweet and sassy YA novel with a very interesting take on mythology! If you are looking for a light-hearted read with a bit of paranormal thrown in, SWEET VENOM is most definitely the book for you! It is full of monsters, Greek Mythology, gorgons, and sisters galore. I will be waiting with baited breath for the next novel in this series.

Grace is the easiest sister to relate to. She is quite, a computer geek, and finds it hard to fit into her new school. She knows she is adopted, but she would never ever have suspected that she was related to the Medusa! Upon encountering some crazy looking monsters that no one else seems to see, Gretchen swoops into her life and changes it all. Together, they discover much about themselves and their heritage, as well as the fact that there aren't just two of them!


Gretchen is the athletic sister who has been hunting monsters for the past four years. She is a professional at it by the time Grace comes along. The only problem is that more and more monsters keep showing up and she is so not okay with that. I loved Gretchen's snarky attitude and the confidence that she had in her huntress abilities. I really loved seeing her soften up around her sister Grace and Nick, the new guy at school. Her interactions with Nick especially were very entertaining!

Greer is the last sister to be introduced, and she doesn't come in until the last 1/3 of the book. I can see why Childs didn't bring her in with Gretchen and Grace right away, but that made her that much harder to connect to. She came across as very spoiled and bratty! I really wish she would have gone away and left the huntress stuff up to Gretchen and Grace, but alas, that it not possible. I am hoping for much more from her in the next book.

Of course there are also cute boys in SWEET VENOM. Nick is "Gretchen's guy" and I absolutely adored him. He was so flirty and never once gave up on Gretchen. Then there is the fact that there is something up with him. I am interested in seeing what!! And then there is Milo, "Grace's guy". I really didn't care much for him. He was a bit boring to me and I wish Childs would have made him more interesting.

SWEET VENOM is a great read that is sure to make you giggle. I cannot wait for the next book in the Medusa Girls trilogy!

My Rating: