Customer Reviews

SWEET VENOM

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found Sweet Venom to be a fun and sassy read, and I loved the mythological twist of Greek-style monsters roaming the streets of San Francisco. The monsters were creepy, smelly and each very distinct. Tera Lynn Childs did a great job of recreating snarling beasts, and having been trained to send them back to their world, Gretchen was the perfect, feisty monster hunter. Straight away we were thrown into Gretchen's monster fighting life, giving the story instant pace and action. As Grace and Greer became involved in the foray later on, their attempts at sending the monsters back were a little clumsy and haphazard but it made the story feel more dangerous, as well as humorous.

The story is told from the points of view of three sisters: Grace, Gretchen and Greer. Each girl has a very distinct personality and narrative voice making it easy to distinguish whose POV you were reading. I loved Gretchen's fierce and tough attitude, and Grace's sweet and caring nature. Grace was a pushover but I could relate more easily to her, as she struggled to fit in at a new school. As she gained strength throughout the book I was there cheering her on. Greer, who enters the story much later on, was a bit of a snob who won't accept less than the best. She wasn't easy to like to start, but all of the sisters changed and learnt a little over the story and it made them all more admirable for it.

Lots of things started going wrong for Gretchen, with the plot taking unexpected twists and turns. Her mentor Ursula has disappeared and the rules that means only one monster can be in the human world at a time has changed. Straight away there is a sense of danger, and although Gretchen flounders a little, Grace sees everything in a positive life. There are plenty of questions that need answering and mysteries to solve. Although the story ends on a positive and hopeful note, there was little resolution to any of the plot questions, leaving a lot to be answered in the next books. Whilst I like to resolve some things at the end of every book, I'm still intrigued and excited to find out what happens next.

I think Sweet Venom would really suit a young teen, female audience who would be able to relate to one of the sisters in some way. There's also some subtle morals woven into the story too, about standing up for yourself, being yourself and looking out for family which might hit home more at this age.

Sweet Venom is a sassy action adventure with a fun mythological twist. Perfect for younger teens, this is a great start to the series.

I loved this book which was a fun and enjoyable read. I adore stories which weave in elements of classic mythology and Tera Lynn Childs has done such a good job of it here. I was intrigued by the idea of three girls who are the teenage descendants of Medusa and I couldn't wait to find out what their fates were going to be. I ended up taking this with me to read in bed as it was so gripping and engrossing that just reading a few chapters wasn't enough. I stayed up half the night so I could finish it!

The opening chapter from the point of view of Gretchen was fantastic. It hooked me into the story and really whet my appetite for the rest of the book. It kept getting better and better from that moment on with so much fantastic action and adventure.

I thought the three main characters, Gretchen, Greer, were all brilliant. They have distinct and very different personalities but I enjoyed seeing how they were drawn together by a common goal. My absolute favourite was Grace who seems to be the glue that brings the sisters together but I also liked Gretchen who is very sharp and witty and comes out with some of the best lines in the book. She comes across as tough and independent but I enjoyed seeing her mellow slightly as the story progressed. The narrative alternates between them and this worked really well in allowing each girl to establish herself to the reader, as well as tell her part of the story.

There are some intriguing boys in the book too who I'm dying to know more about. There's the enigmatic Thane, the too hot to handle Nick and sweet Milo. I'm betting that there's a lot more to all the boys than originally meets the eye and I'm sure Tera Lynn Childs has plenty of surprises up her sleeve which she'll unveil later in the series.

The ending was explosive and left me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait now for the sequel 'Sweet Shadows' coming in 2013.

There I was quite happily enjoying the Forgive My Fins series by this author, when Templar waved Sweet Venom under my nose. This book lured me in with it's sweet promise of kick ass girls and full on monster hunting and didn't disappoint. I was completely hooked in the story from Chapter 1 and now I have to wait rather impatiently for the second book.
OK, so this book left quite a few questions unanswered and normally that would annoy the hell out of me, but it really didn't with this book. I honestly felt like it was setting the scene for the rest of the series and I was more than happy with that, because I'm seriously hoping for a long series here.
This book brings together three girls who were all adopted into very different families at birth, but it turns out they are triplets. If that isn't amazing enough, they are also descendants of Medusa. I kid you not! I loved this aspect of the story - I really enjoy all books that embrace Greek Mythology and Medusa hasn't turned up in any of them yet. The sisters are each unique in their taste and style and yet they come together when they are needed to. I loved how individual they were, standing out from each other, even though they are identical.
This book is set in San Francisco and I felt the author really brought the place alive. It's one of those places that I have always wanted to visit, so I enjoyed visually creating the image with the wonderful descriptions the author provided.
This book was a fast paced, thrilling ride as the sisters quickly handled their new found information and skills in order to combat the growing number of monsters appearing in San Francisco. They each have their strengths and weaknesses which fit perfectly together like the missing pieces in a jigsaw. The plot was brilliant and completely engaging. The characters were unique to each other and extremely entertaining, I almost hated leaving one sister's point of view to move onto another, as I would become completely absorbed in their story.
These sisters are the best female trio to come along since The Charmed sisters and Charlies Angels. I love them and can't wait to read more. In fact, someone please make this book into a TV series!

Readers of Cassandra Clare (The immortal Instruments) and Percy Jackson series will absolutely love this thrilling teen tale, which incorporates everything from the mythical to the fantastical in an exciting story. Fast-paced and deeply absorbing, I was sucked into this tale from page 1 drawn into a mesmerizing otherworldly creation filled with such fascinating creativity. As a reader of both the fantasy genre and also Young Adult fiction, I was delighted to encounter an author who `gets' her target audience perfectly and which younger readers can connect with easily through the use of language and style.

"Sweet Venom" is the first installment within a series that follows three teenage descendants of Medusa (Grace, Gretchen and Greer), who must embrace their fates in a world where mythological monsters lurk in plain sight. I love how this book is splint into chapters that each focuses on one of the three girls, whether that is Grace, Gretchen or Greer who singularly face their own adversaries and trials to test them to the limit. This single element makes this story stand-out from others, (the majority with a tendency to solely focus on a single main protagonist) and so I liked how you swapped from one character to the next. Similarly to `Charmed' these three individuals must conquer challenges which not only test their abilities but also their relationships and bond with one another - hence adding to the drama and suspense!

Grace: is new in town. It's scary, starting over, but it gets scarier when she runs into a Minotaur. And scarier still when a girl who looks just like her rocks up to fight it.

Gretchen: is fed up of fighting monsters, especially on school nights. Getting rid of a Minotaur is easy, but she never expected to run into her double in the process.

Greer: is perfection personified. But her world is knocked off its immaculate axis when two identical girls appear on her doorstep and claim that they're all demon-hunting sisters.

Becoming a Huntress is not easy, especially when your sisters have strange' doubles'. This was a gripping, unputdownable book filled with such color and vibrancy as to illuminate your mind and excite any teen reader. I really liked the parts connected to ancient Greek mythology and how Tera Lynn Childs beautifully interwove it with fabulous fantasy. This highly distinctive story is current and contemporary fitting into its own niche within a competitive genre. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would rate 3.5

I wanted an easy read and got just that. I loved the way the book was split between the sisters. Looking forward to the sequel and follow the girls in their fight against another realm together. Thanks for a fabulous book

It's a fab book. Different storyline, characters you love. I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more books from this author

4½ Out of 5
"You belong to an elite lineage of guardians," she explained. "Destined to hunt down the monsters that escape into our realm and send them back into theirs..."
Everyone knows about Medusa, right? The evil snake-haired woman who turned people to stone with a single glance, one of the Gorgon sisters. We all know she was a monster, don't we?
Well, think again. Medusa and her sisters weren't monsters - they were protectors, the only ones standing between the human world and the real monsters, the ones trapped in a hell-like underworld.
But with Medusa dead, it's up to her ancestors to protect humanity. Speaking of...
Grace Whitfield is just starting at a new school in San Francisco and she's doing ok-ish - there's even a cute guy in the picture - until a man with the head of a bull walks in. Even more shocking is running into her doppelgänger, who is battling monsters.
Gretchen Sharpe is focused - she's been kicking beasties' butts for four years, since she ran away from home at the age of twelve, and was taken in by Ursula, who taught her all about her destiny. Her duty. What Ursula thoughtfully left out was that her destiny is a shared one: shared by three sisters...
Which brings us to Greer Morgenthal, the high society girl, who is growing up with the picture-perfect life and is most certainly not impressed to find her so-called-long-lost-sisters knocking on her door and telling her that monsters exist and that she exists to find them.
Yes, Grace, Gretchen and Greer are Medusa's descendants and they must protect humanity from the monsterpocalypse...
I love Tera's Fins series, so when I was offered the chance to review Sweet Venom, I pounced! I started reading the moment it landed on my doorstep, discarding my usual read-the-month-before-publication rule. Considering this book had two of my favourite aspects - demon-butt-kicking and Greek mythology - I had huge and excited expectations going into it, and added to them was the fact I love Tera's other books: I never thought Sweet Venom could live unto my giant-sized expectations. I was very, very wrong. Sweet Venom just rocked my world and left me hungry for more, more, more!
I loved how Tera wrote all of her characters. They were all so real and vivid. And there were just so many to love! Gretchen was so kickbutt awesome - a total badass demon fighter! She was tough and snarky and brave and awesome! Reasons to love Gretchen: she uses words like "monsterpocalypse" and curses like "what the Hades" and "son of a centaur". So yes, she definitely must go into my Kickbutt Lead Girls Wall of Fame! Grace was shy and nerdy - I just loved all her geekiness, snark and how she made me laugh! She was so chirpy and rambly, so hyper and bubbly it was impossible not to love her. Plus, she totally killed me! Now Greer we didn't meet `til the end. She was totally fierce and a bit snobby and cynical - she was just very Gossip Girl. I didn't know her as well as the other girls, so I can't wait to learn more about her. But the whole sister bond was amazing and developed so brilliantly and believably. I cannot wait to see where they all go!
Oh, and there were also yummy guys. And they were all so mysterious and secretive - I am desperate to know all of their secrets! Anyway, Nick was cute and persistent and funny - but who is he? Thane was a great brother - but what was his secret? And Milo was adorable and hot - but does he have a secret like all the other hot guys in this story? Either way, I love the budding romance between him and Grace!
The writing was just amazing. It's no secret that I love split POVs and Tera is just one of the best and most natural users of the style I've come across. Each girl sounded so different and unique and I loved that it was between sisters rather than love interests. And I loved the plot just as much: it was action packed, addictive, fast paced and just so much fun! Plus, I loved that even though there were cute guys to crush on, the huge emphasis wasn't on romance, but instead on the sisterly bonds. And, of course, the mythology - which I loved! I've always loved Greek myths and absolutely adore the twist Tera put on the Medusa story. Even with all the Greekish books I've read, I've never come across one with this twist, or anything near it.
As I said earlier, I love Tera's Fins series to pieces, but man do I love the Medusa Girls! It's funny, action packed, fast paced, utterly addictive and just, quite frankly, kickbutt awesome. And it's totally changed my view of Greek mythology - if my brother ever calls me Medusa (again) I'm just gonna smile and say "Thank you", 'cause in my head I'll be thinking of this book!
So yeah, this book kicked butt. It's safe to say I'm absolutely and totally desperate for the next in the series. I'm gonna be first in line to get my greedy little hands on it! Oh, why must everyone make me love a book so much, and then make me wait for I don't even know how long for a sequel?!!?

I love Greek Mythology and the trend for basing books in the world of Greek tales with a modern twist, while I was desperate to read this book I had it sitting on my kindle for ages before I plucked up the courage to read it. I am sure you can guess why if you know me. Yes, you guessed it, what is Medusa famous for, apart from turning people to stone *whispers* yep those horrible things in her hair. So I had to build myself up to facing that sort of imagery. Thank goodness her descendants look like normal teenagers *breathes a sigh of relief*.

The book while in first person narrative alternates the view point between the 3 protagonists, building slowly as the sisters discover each other. I love getting into the mind of more than one character in order to fully understand them and the way in which they develop. With the ebook there was very little means of distinguishing the narrative voice apart from the name given at the start of each chapter, that is until the picture of each individual girl takes shape in the imagination. I do think that a narrative of more than one person works better in a printed book than an ebook but that might just be me.

Clever weaving of the monsters from Greek Mythology into the modern world added to the action and tension of the book. Although I think this book concentrates on setting the scene and introducing the characters more than anything else. There are a number of open-ended twists that I cannot wait to see develop.

Each girl, Gretchen, Grace and Greer have had completely different upbringings and it has therefore shaped their personalities. The background details aided in understanding them as individuals. Although separated at birth the bond between them is strong, and was a joy to witness when they accepted it.

The history of the Gorgons not only Medusa was touched upon adding depth to the multiple layers of the plot. The portrayal of the Gods themselves assisted the plot dynamics and added a layer of mystery to the unfolding events.

This series I am sure is going to just get better and better as Sweet Venom has laid a solid foundation on which to build a fantastic series. Strong, female protagonists, kick-ass action, mystery and intrigue thrown together with Greek Mythology, conspiracy theories and family secrets, topped off with a couple of hot boys. I am really looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

I am a fan of Tera Lynn Childs' Fins series so I was excited to read this. Add the fact it's based around Greek Mythology and Medusa and I was sure I would enjoy it. Just as I expected, it's a brilliantly light and fun read.

The story is narrated by each of the sisters, with all being given a very distinct voice. I'm a massive fan of this narrative style and it works so well here, both because it gives us the chance to get to know the sisters really well, but also because it infuses energy into the story.

Gretchen, Grace and Greer are brilliant characters. I loved Gretchen and her sassy, rough around the edges character. In contrast, Grace is just so incredibly sweet it is impossible not to love her. And Greer, who is only introduced towards the end of the story, is obviously blindsided by the news of who she is. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better in the next instalment.

The male characters are also ace! While I didn't warm quite so much to Nick I am very intrigued by him (and I think anyone who wishes to catch Gretchen's attention would have to be very persistent!). Both Thane and Milo were really easy to like - the budding relationship between Milo and Grace is really sweet. And Thane obviously has some secrets and I'm very excited to find out what they are.

Love the action too - it's great to see the girls really hold their own! I can't wait to read the next book in the series - the ending is a killer! I will definitely be picking up Sweet Shadows as soon as it's published.

we boughts this as a stocking filler and were very pleased with the price and delivery times.wife was very happy.