This series just gets better and better. Lots of action and adventure, along with romance, but not so much that it overshadows the story. I like the character development and look forward to book three, as their relationships become more interesting and complicated while they work so closely together. ( )

first posted on Realm of the Sapphired Dragon on 20/04/16

** I received this ARC from Barclay publicity via netgalley in return for an honest review **

I mostly enjoyed this novel and found it a quick easy and relative engaging read. You know those books where you, despite noticing a number of things that in any other novel would annoy the heck out of you to the point of not finishing, you actually still quite enjoy it. That was this book. I know its a story set in Greek mythology and there are only so many gods in this mythology to write about but the story itself didn't feel overly original and in fact in places, I saw shades of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. I also wasn't so sure about the fusion of witches and Greek Mythology so the connection didn't really work to me.

Sometimes it felt like Ms Madow is trying to add all these elements that make a good story but the story itself felt really contrived and you could see the thought and the strategy behind everything which draws me out of the story rather than drawing me in.

I also struggled to connect to most of the characters which probably didn't help.. The main character, Nicole, lives in her own head a lot and then the use of dialogue to hash everything out made a lot of her worries incredibly repetitive. I did the connection between Blake and Nicole more in this book than the first but I still struggled a little to connect to the characters in general.

I also found it a little conflicting in terms of its messages as one minute Nicole is worried because she has the power to kill with a touch then the next the five are killing in self defence and not being overly bothered by it. The writing of this book has the feel of a middle grade novel but some of the themes seemed a little too old for middle grade novel

That being said though, this book is a fast easy read that you can literally get through within a few hours. I did mostly enjoy it and will read book 3 to see where this series goes.



Sapphired Dragon xx ( )

*I don't know why I've read the sequel since I've rated the first one a two out of five; I generally don't read the sequel if I rated the first one two or below.
*Well, it's actually better than the first book- a step-up.
*Strong of vibe of Percy Jackson in here.
*Of course, she gets to slay the hydra with a touch of her hands. ( )

The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow
Book #2: Elementals Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

There is truly no rest for the wicked or, in this case, no sleep for the four teenage witches and one teenage demigod who have been gifted with control over the elements. Oh, sure, they killed the first big bad and got the super awesome book but the book is blank and the portal between Kerberos and the mortal world is getting weaker by the day.

In the month since their first mission, the group has been training non-stop to hone their skills both magical and otherwise. As a group they are growing stronger but there is still some awkwardness amongst them all. Danielle still gives Blake and Nicole the stink eye since she and Blake broke up. Kate is still totally smitten with Chris but too shy to act on it and everyone is waiting ever so anxiously for the next big bad to rear its ugly head. The anxiety leads to short tempers and sharp words that just can’t stand if they are to work together as a cohesive unit. To allay some of their anxiety, the group decides to start tracking Kerberos escapees and getting information from them by any means possible.

What the group gains from their interrogations isn’t the best of news. “Killing” the big bads as they have been is turning out to be nothing more than a temporary situation but there is a solution of sorts. All they have to do is coat their weapons in a special solution that’s made from three very hard to acquire ingredients. Once this done, it will take the big bads more than a year before they can reappear in the mortal world. All the group has to do is travel to the Island of the Lotus Eaters, gather milk from Helios’s immortal cows, and slay the Hydra in order to collect her blood. Oh, and all of this takes place in locations that only a precious few know how to find. Should be easy!

The three trials are utterly ridiculous with a group of drugged up islanders turning on the group in a most violent way, two mythical creatures rising out of the sea, a group of bitchy cows who have no intention of giving over their milk, and the hydra. Yeah, the hydra!! The creature that only Hercules has ever beaten and for every head that is cut off, two grow back. So, let’s send a group of teenagers in to kill her  At each turn, the kids are tried and tested but they are able to accomplish each of their goals. With each intense experience, the group comes closer together and develops a level of trust they have not previously known. To that end, Danielle confesses to Nichole that she would be OK with Nichole and Blake becoming a couple and Nichole confesses to the group that not can she heal with her power, she can also kill and has done so on at least two occasions.

The Bottom Line: The Blood of the Hydra is a bit of a slow starter but once it gets moving, the pace is fast and frenzied all the way through to the end. The trials these kids face are truly monumental but since they have been given by the gods, the kids get some help from the gods along the way. The inclusion of the gods and so many of the mythical creatures really adds to the fun of this read and certainly sets up possibilities for future installments of the series. Furthermore, the deepening trust and increase in powers among the group adds a whole new dynamic that is going to play out rather well as the series continues. While there isn’t really a cliffhanger, it is clear by the end of the read that the Elemental group has a lot on their respective plates and their adventures have only just begun. ( )