Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs

*** 1/2

From Tera Lynn Childs:

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters—after all, she’s spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss—but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe?

Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won’t leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home—like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He’s hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives hiding secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.

The Bad:

Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows are both told from the point of view of all three sisters, Grace, Greer & Gretchen.  I enjoy the multiple point of views but occasionally it leaves me feeling a tad disjointed. 

The Good:

Tera Lynn Childs is a great writer.  Sweet Shadows is a fascinating and cleverly written re-imagining of Medusa's mythology.  Shadows is full of foreshadowing and Tera's ability to cast doubt and suspicion over even the most lovable characters is amazing.  I thoroughly enjoyed Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows and recommend both to anyone who enjoys new twists on old myths.  

We have one more "Sweet" book to come - I wonder what the title will be...

~Shel 

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

(Don't you just love this cover?!) 

**** From HarperTeen:

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 in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

The story is simple enough, three young girls, each adopted as children.  Each into very different families.  Fate brings them back together, the latest guardians, protecting humans from the creatures of myth.  For me, there were six main characters, the girls, Gretchen, Grace and Greer.  The boys (of course we have to mention the boys!) Nick, Milo and Thane.  Nick is a new student at Gretchen's school and he is full of cocky swagger and fun.  Thane is Grace's adopted brother and is the strong, silent type.  Then there's Milo.  I'm not really sure what to think of Milo yet, but he seems sweet (those are always the most dangerous)...

I have read almost everything Tera Lynn Childs has written (she has two self-published chic lit books I haven't gotten to yet). Sweet Venom marks my 5th TLC book and it is her best yet. Sweet Venom is fun, action-packed and chock-full of intrigue. The story ended with a bang and left me wanting more!  I thought it was a little bit Greek mythology and a little bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  And seriously can you have too much of either? 

Book two, Sweet Shadows is due out in 2012 (I'm guessing in the fall, but if anyone at Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen is reading, I would be grateful if you could get it out earlier, please). 

~Shel