Paranormal Pick: Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom
Tera Lynn Childs
Katherine Tegan Books
(Harper Collins Publishers)
2011
345 pages

Fantastic, hypnotic, captivating and uber-cool, Sweet Venom is a rollicking thrill ride. Tera Lynn Childs has done it again. She delivers a solid page-turner that is well-written with wide appeal sure to entertain teen readers who like mythology and paranormal novels. I loved this book and found it much more entertaining than Forgive My Fins.

Three sisters who have been adopted separately have no idea they are sisters, let alone triplets! Imagine their surprise when they run into each other and realize they are related. Not only that, Gretchen the wild goth sister who favors combat boots to stilettos, informs them that they are meant to fight monsters from Greek mythology.

Grace just moves to San Francisco and begins to see weird creatures. She sees a minotaur walk into a restaurant and thinks she might be going a little crazy. That's when she meets Gretchen. The two girls do a little detective work and find out they are not twins but triplets descended from the Gorgons, the three sisters of Greek myth. The two girls train together and defeat a few monsters but something strange is beginning to happen.

First, Ursula vanishes. She became Gretchen's guardian taking her in and teaching her about the monsters. Gretchen learned that only one monster can escape the seam at a time, but now the sisters are seeing monsters everywhere. How can all these monsters be running around free in San Francisco? The rules seem to have changed but the sisters have no rule book and no one to guide them.

Grace and Gretchen are able to find Greer, the third triplet. Greer has led a posh life, attending high teas and the opera, shopping in the most expensive boutiques, and being the most popular girl in the junior class. She is not happy to find out she has sisters and less delighted to hear that she is meant to fight Greek monsters. What if she breaks a nail or ruins an outfit?

Teen readers are in for a treat--Sweet Venom is only book one! Childs has more books up her sleeve, so stay tuned.

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. No sex; no language.
I loved the idea of the Gorgon sisters and their descendants being "good" not evil.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Bewitching Pick: Guest Review: The Coven's Daughter

The Coven’s Daughter
by Lucy Jago
Disney Hyperion Books
2010
256 pages

Blogger's Note: This review is from Leslie Rush, my BFF in ya novels and avid reader and now fellow reviewer. This is Leslie's third review. You can find Leslie's reviews at A Book and A Hug


Cecily Perrin has just turned thirteen. In 1500s England, for most girls this might bring a new skirt and cap, or maybe the boys would come courting. But Cess is not most girls. She is a bastard, with no father and no friends. She lives with her mother, both of them village outcasts. She is lucky to have a roof over her head and her job as a poultry girl at the local lord’s estate. She wishes she could look like a lady. She wishes she knew something about her father—anything! On her birthday, she wishes with all her heart that today will be different.

If only her wishes came true the way her dreams often did! Since she was a little girl, Cess has had premonitions, but learned quickly to keep quiet about them, lest she be accused of being a witch.

Cecily’s birthday wish comes true when she finds an unusual and valuable locket in the chicken coop. But it’s May Day, and as the local festivities begin, the locket and the Maypole get overshadowed by the disappearance of several boys, including her only friend, William. The villagers fear that it may be the work of witches, and their suspicions turn to Cess.

Cess must find William before it’s too late. In her quest to save him, and prove her innocence, she becomes entangled in the dark and dangerous world of political intrigue. Aided by the local coven, Cess calls upon her powers to rescue William and battle the perilous forces that swirl around her, threatening her life, her village, and England itself!

A strong sense of time and place makes this paranormal adventure worth reading. The often disgusting details about daily life in the late 1500s will fascinate budding fans of historical fiction.

Recommended for ages 11-15. Implied sexual references, one cussword.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I shared the arc with Leslie Rush, my friend and ya novels enthusiast and now fellow reviewer/blogger. This is Leslie's third ya novel review. Look for her reviews on A Book and A Hug website. Thanks, Leslie, for your review! Pamela