Sweet Shadows(Medusa Girls 2)Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 2012Genre: YA MythologyThree teenage descendants of Medusa, now united, must claim their heritage to fight the monsters escaped from the abyss.
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.
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?
The Medusa sisters have found each other and
they’re ready to claim their heritage, but first they must battle against abyss
monsters and find out exactly how to go about claiming it. But monsters aren’t
the only thing plaguing the girl’s lives. Gretchen’s patience is running thin
and handsome Nick with his dubious intent isn’t helping at all. Greer’s perfect
image is cracking under all the pressure and she isn’t sure how to deal with
it. Grace’s parents are giving her a hard time and she hates lying to them
constantly, but there’s no other option when you have a secret mythological
life. As the girls struggle to find information about the gates they’re
supposed to open, all their major leads disappearing into abyss portals! The
sisters know there only one solution left. They’ll have to journey in to the
abyss themselves.
Tera Lynn Child’s Sweet Shadows brings out
the big mythological guns with fast action, more thrills, and bigger mysteries!
I’m so not a fan of multiple POVs,
especially when it’s more than two characters, but The Medusa Girls is totally
the exception to that rule. I LOVE the sisters. They’re so alike, yet totally
different and unique. Their personalities just pop off the page! There’s no way
to confuse them even with the similar sounding names. Now, on to meet the
girls!
Gretchen
is at the end of her patience. Someone blew up her loft, Nick isn’t telling
her all the truth, and Greer insists on keeping up with her old life! But can she really trust him? An
unexpected journey and even more unexpected company leaves her thinking that
maybe not all monsters are bad.
This girl is the definition of kick-ass. She isn’t scared of any monsters the abyss
throws at her, in fact she taunts them. Gretchen was born to be a huntress. But
her tough exterior guards a loving center. She will do anything for her sisters
and protecting them is priority. When Nick comes into the picture, Gretch
doesn’t quite know how to deal with him. He seems to like her (a lot) and says he
wants to help, but she isn’t about to trust him so easily with her sister’s
lives…and her own heart. Gretch’s deals with her feelings for Nick like she
does everything else…with unrelenting will and a bit of violence.
Greer
promised her sisters she would work with them on the condition that she could
keep her social life intact. But as things heat up she realizes this might be
impossible. Her two lives, the social and the mythical, are colliding and
there’s nothing she can do to stop it.
I like that Greer is finally showing
more emotions. We get a little deeper into her feeling for her parents, and her
newfound sisters. Her ice queen facade is crumbling and we all know it’s for
the best. I still like her use of the word ‘sugar’ as a curse. I think it’s one
of the most awesome things ever (LOL). There’s a spark of interest that occurs
when she meets Grace’s brother Thane, and I can’t wait to see how that turns
out.
Grace
is struggling between her two lives two. She gets into serious trouble with her
parents after staying the night out (hunting monsters) without telling them.
When they instill a curfew and insist on watch her like hawks, Grace knows it
won’t be long until her two worlds collide.
I’m so proud of Grace! Though she’s
still the sweet and shy girl we met in Sweet Venom, she’s also growing into her
huntress shoes! Greer’s encouragement and Gretchen’s unconditional support and
love have done wonders for Grace’s confidence. Now she’s all like hacking stuff
to get info (I’m still waiting for her to complete that monster hunting app
she’s been talking about for ages), taking on monsters on her own, kissing boys
(okay it’s just one boy, but still..!!!) and not scared of playing referee
between Gretchen and Greer.
After
the heart-stopping finale of the first book I’m sort of flabbergasted and
disappointed by the ending in this book. First, the ultimate throw down between
the armies is cut short and the setting was the very clichéd school gym. We
don’t even get a 5 min fight before the girls escape. Then the following
chapter totally killed the momentum, slowing it down with explanations and more
intrigue about Grace’s brother Thane (which we still don’t know anything about
by the book’s end). The final chapter was at least very touching, but it ended
in another cliffhanger.
Favorite Quotes:
~Gretchen:
Monsters fear her~
“Here’s a lesson to share with all your
beastie buds.” I roll my shoulders, I can almost feel the first punch. “You
come after one of us, you get all of us.”
It backs up faster, knocking its head
into one of the branches and wincing.
“Now,” I say with a sick smile, “you
have to deal with me.”
It turns to run.
“Don’t you want to play?” I call, but
it keeps running. “Darn it.”
~Greer:
A seer’s need~
The pendant of Apollo.
The one Nick said I shouldn’t touch.
But everything about this image in
front of me begs me to touch the pendant. It’s like a craving. I need to touch
the pendant more than I need chocolate, deep tissue massage, and another pair
of Louboutins. That’s need.
~Grace:
Scoring kisses~
He grins, and then leans down to give
me a matching kiss on the cheek.
As he turns and heads back to
practice, I lift my hand to my cheek. Fight a harpy, get a kiss. A girl could
get used to that deal.
