Sweet Venom (Sweet Venom, #1)

by Tera Lynn Childs

[inlibrisveritas]

When it comes to reading I have fall back books for those times where I don’t want to read, those are vampires…and mythology. So since I’ve been in a slump I decided it was time for another mythology read to help me through a readathon.

Sweet Venom is a rather neat spin on the the tale of Medusa and her sisters, and when it comes to adding to a myth this one certainly did it in a way I didn’t quite expect. I really appreciate when mythology is given a cool little twist and especially when the author takes the time to add some depth to the story, which is what Childs does here. There are a lot of monsters, some familiar to the lore and others a little weirder, and some really cool fights. I love that the sisters are responsible for keeping the monsters at bay while the rest of the world keeps moving on without any clue. However, the whole plot centers around what basically amounts to a series set up, which brought the whole novel down for me. We do get to find out a bit of what’s going on and why the three sisters are so important, but you never really get to the actual point of the novel. They never really tackle the main issue at hand and they don’t really know who is behind all the bad things that occur, so it’s a bit of a let down that I have to wait to read the next book to see what’s really going on. However it does show the budding relationship between the three sisters who have never met each other before and how they deal with monsters.

We are introduced to Gretchen first in a rather fast hitting first chapter where she takes on a monster by herself and brings it down. I think at that point I knew right away that she would be my favorite of the three sisters. Grace is exactly what you expect from a girl bearing that name, she’s rather meek and overall a sweet character. She’s the perfect counterpoint to Gretchen’s hardness. And then there is Greer…my least favorite of the three but probably the most necessary in some ways. I personally didn’t like how controlling she was about everything in her life but when it comes to the other two girls it works perfect. Gretchen is all action and swift decisions, and Grace is not really a leader and rather unsure of herself…so to have Greer be able to fill that role is fantastic. I loved that their personalities varied so much and I really wish I would have been able to see how they work as a true team.

Overall I wish this one had developed more before ending but I did enjoy the world that Childs created, and I really enjoyed the whole twist to the Medusa myth. It’s a neat book but I think it needed a bit more in the way of explanation of the true plot.