The stunning conclusion of Tera Lynn Childs's Greek mythology–based Sweet Venom trilogy is perfect for teen fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.

The girls cannot hesitate as they seek the location of the lost door between the realms, even as monsters and the gods of Olympus descend on San Francisco in battle-ready droves.

Greer must use her second sight to step up and prevent anything from stopping her sisters' mission, even though a god is playing with her mind. Grace wants to trust her adopted brother, Thane; but will his secret put the girls in even more danger? And Gretchen has trained her sisters to stop the monsters, but her role as a huntress comes with more responsibility than she ever imagined. What will the girls' immortal legacy be? Three teenage descendants of Medusa must unite to restore balance to the world in this action-packed series with plenty of romance. ( )

Solid books that I wish I liked more. The sisters have different personalities but something about having all three of them on my page bugs me. I feel like they don't really get to be fleshed out and they just have this attributes to make them different just because they have to be different. I'd like to see more depth. I do love the bend on mythology. ( )

I am going to start by saying most of my original predictions for this book turned out to be true. At the end of Sweet Venom, I knew there was something important about Thane's disappearance. I was right, even if we don't know what his role is yet or not. I have my theory. I also guessed Nick's role head on. Aw yeah, I am awesome.

Yes, this book took a twist that I didn't expect, but it still ended up being pretty predictable. I had such high hopes, which has left me a tiny bit disappointed. Now, don't go thinking that I didn't enjoy this book. I did. It just ended up being a typical second book in a series. Nothing spectacular, but certainly needed to move the story along.

The characters stay the same for the most part. Yes, grumpy loner Gretchen develops a soft spot. That was nice. I liked seeing her become more approachable and human-like. Greer and Grace bond and grow also. Obviously, the three sisters are the focus of the book-- which is a good thing. The jury is still out on my overall feelings toward Nick and Thane.

Tera Lynn Childs does a great job with infusing the mythology in this series. I love how fresh and original it is. The story line of Medusa's descendants being in charge of protecting a magic portal in one-of-a-kind. TLC also subtly weaves other stories from mythology into the subplots and minor characters (we meet a unicorn and a pegasus in this book). There is also a mermaid sighting in the Abyss. Of course, it's a super creepy killer mermaid, but merfolk all the same!

If you are a fan of this series, you'll probably enjoy Sweet Shadows. It's an important piece in the trilogy and certainly needed to understand the plot developments that will occur in Sweet Legacy. Unfortunately, it just didn't knock my socks off. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Things start with a bang in Sweet Shadows and keep rolling, bringing the girls closer to answers and danger.

Opening Sentence: As I stare across Gretchen’s dining table at Grace, who is flipping through a binder about some ridiculously hideous monster straight out of mythology, I still can’t really fathom that there are two girls right here in this loft who look exactly like me.

The Review:

When I say the novel starts with a bang, I mean it literally. At the end of Sweet Venom our heroines were throwing themselves off the balcony to avoid an exploding apartment. This installment only becomes more intense. Figuring out the truth behind the prophecy, behind the sides to a coming war over the Abyss, as well as how to live with newfound sisters is a struggle of mythical proportions. Because war is coming. The daughters of Medusa must die in the eyes of all sides, the only question is when: after they close the crack or before, so it can remain open forever. A small group wants to keep the girls alive so they can act as guardians and regulate the monsters who come into the human world.

Everything in this book is a little more intense: the romances begin to bloom (YAY!), the plot begins to thicken, and danger comes to find them. Fighting in this book goes beyond training and eventually, their problems become impossible to overcome alone. We finally learn more about the abyss and get to explore it first hand. Everything our heroines were told, the decisions they made, are no longer quite as right as they always thought. Fighting monsters isn’t so cut and dry. History isn’t so black and white. So do the girls continue their battle to close the crack between worlds like they’ve been told, or explore the rest of the prophecy despite the coming war.

We get a lot more about Greer in this novel, who came into the story late in Sweet Venom. She’s struggling to balance her social obligations with her destiny, keep her sisters and monster-fighting side job a secret, and deal with her distant parents. The ice queen act we see from Grace and Gretchen’s perspective chapters breaks a bit as Greer realizes even she can’t juggle everything. The girls grow stronger both independently and as a family. As a reader, that was a very satisfying thing to see.

Nick has a much bigger role to play in this novel, and a lot to answer to. Though they were strangers in Sweet Venom the girls have grown to be protective sisters and friends. They’ll fight for each other and for their destiny, and the gods help anyone who gets in their way. When Sthenno is kidnapped before their very eyes, the girls know they have to save her and Ursula if they want any answers about their mother and the mysterious prophecy. As the warring Olympians take the novel to the next level, and our trip into the Abyss makes the novel deeper and more complex, the girl’s humor and unique voices help carry the story.

Again, the novel has no plot independent of the whole series, which means that it’s a very middle-book. Not in a bad way, but there’s no satisfying conclusion—just more questions and a desperate desire for Sweet Legacy. It’s a lot of action, a lot of build up, and leaves you with a lot of questions. I can’t wait to get my hands on book three!

Notable Scene:

When I was a child, I saw a centaur in my bedroom. It was the only time before my sisterly reunion that I saw a mythological monster, and I eventually came to believe that the vision was a nightmare. A hallucination. Mother started taking me to regular hypnotherapy sessions immediately. The therapist was a middle-aged woman with dark hair that was fading into gray. Then, at one session—the very last—there was a different therapist. She was younger, blonder, and far more effective. One session with her and Mother declared me cured.

I recognize the woman stepping on the sidewalk at the end of the block because she was that final therapist.

A million confused questions flood my brain.

“I—”

Before I can say that I’ve met Sthenno before, a black spot appears next to her in the middle of the air. The spot grows quickly, expanding into a giant hole about the size of a double door.

FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins provided me with a copy of Sweet Shadows. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Sweet Shadows was even better than Sweet Venom. There is just as much mystery and adventure as the first novel, but there is more depth to the characters and much more relationship building. While Sweet Venom was a novel about self discovery, Sweet Shadows is about love, family, and duty.

Watching Grace & Greer try to balance their destiny and maintain some semblance of a normal life made the story more realistic & heartfelt. It also highlighted how differently all three of the sisters grew up. It’s hard not to feel bad for Gretchen because she doesn’t have the same type of connections that Grace & Greer do, although she is finally learning to let her guard down.

I loved watching the sisters grow closer together. I have two sisters and a brother and I am very close to all three of them. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up apart from them. Since we are all very similar, yet different, I am sure it wouldn’t take long for us to get close if we were raised separately. What makes Grace, Greer, & Gretchen’s dynamic so fascinating is that even though they are still close, it is hard for them to understand each other at times. Even though they clearly love each other, there are times when they just don’t understand where the other person is coming from (particularly Gretchen & Greer).

While the sisterhood is really what makes me love Sweet Shadows there are mysteries of epic portions to unravel. The girls are starting to learn why Gretchen’s mentor went missing, why multiple monsters are starting to show up at the same time, and why someone wants them dead. But there are so many pieces to this puzzle that have yet to be solved.

As the Medusa Girls trilogy continues, we will certainly be treated to many more mysteries, adventures, & romance. I love watching this story unfold and am truly looking forward to reading more about the Medusa girls. ( )