Review: The Goddess Hunt - Aimee Carter

File Size: 256 KB
Print Length: 75 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (March 1, 2012)

A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....

This was a pretty great novella, it was nice to ease back into Kate's world after being away. I also enjoyed getting to meet new people Castor and Pollux was a story that I always felt close to since I am a Gemini. So getting to see a bit more of there story was great. It was also nice to see Kate missing Henry. I was worried that maybe the 6 months away would wear on there new and fragile relationship. It was also fun to see some of the other gods, Ella and Ava are two of my more favorite Greek goddesses and the way the gods all interact kinda makes me chuckle. I enjoyed this story and the quick peek into Kate's world. I look forward to starting goddess interrupted soon. I give this novella 5 stars.

Review: Half-Blood - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press; 1 edition (October 18, 2011)
Language: English

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this one. I read just as many great reviews as I did negative. I have to say though while I see the things the negative reviews mentioned none of it bothered me. But the good things I read, I whole heartedly agree with. 

In the beginning we meet Alex who is a half blood, she is running away from daimons and not quite getting away. Enter Aiden and company to the rescue. From there we are submerged into the lives, beliefs, and ways of the Pures and Half-Bloods. Alex is dangerously close to becoming a servant in the home of her Pure stepfather. all she wants is to finish her training and become a sentinel. The problem? Her mother took her and ran away which put Alex very far behind in her training. Aiden the very hott Pure volunteered to train her during the summer to try to get her caught up with the others her age.  During all this Alex starts to feel things for Aiden, which is very bad news, Half-Bloods and Pures are not allowed to be together. As more problems are laid at her feet we watch Alex step up to the plate. she doesn't back down, she does things that I would never be able to do. She learns her destiny and even though she isn't happy with it, she stares it in the face. 

Alex is a strong character who amazed me over and over throughout this book. The action was tense and exciting. The lore behind this world sucked me in. Aiden was another great character who usually left me in a puddle on the floor. I think I'm babbling hehe. Jennifer has made a huge fan out of me. Rich lore, great characters, plenty of action, snark, and some steamy bits! This one gets 5 stars from me!

Review: Sweet Venom - Tera Lynn Childs

Reading level:  Ages 13 and up
Hardcover:  352 pages
Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books (September 6, 2011)

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight. 

My Thoughts... 

This was a hard review for me to write. On one hand I LOVED this book, but I find it hard to really talk about without giving too much away, so here is my attempt...

Gretchen, she is smart and well trained when it comes to mythological monsters. She is fierce, and determined and maybe a little tired. 

Grace, having just moved to San Francisco she sees this an an opportunity to be a new person. She never expected to see a Minotaur walk into a restaurant! Maybe shy boring Grace wasn't so bad after all.

Greer, comes from a well off family, where her toughest choice is should there be be an ice sculpture for decoration at tea time.

The last thing any of these girls expected was to run into another girl wearing the same face. As we move through the story the girls all have to fall apart and come to there own decisions before they can come together and try to fulfill their destiny. 

The world, monsters and alternate realities where these monsters are trying to escape from. Things the girls don't understand. They are in for the fight of their lives trying to save themselves and the world. I give this one 5 stars! It was fresh and original, with a great story and great characters!

Review: Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 22, 2011)

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

My Thoughts...

Yay for more books involving mythology!  This was a great story from start to finish.  I loved the setting that was New 2.  It seemed so beautiful yet creepy all at the same time.  I think I also fell in love with Ari, self discovery isn't always easy especially when you discover that you miles from ordinary.  I really felt that she mostly handled herself well and that she was a strong main character.  I was a little put off by the insta connection between her and Sebastian, but through out the story it seemed to work itself out.   I liked the group of "misfits" that she falls in with, especially Violet she was such a great character.  My favorite thing here though had to be the way that mythology was worked into the story.  I kind of had a feeling for where it was going, but wasn't really sure how we were going to get there until we had arrived.  This was a quick read that left me wanting more.  I'm really excited for more books in this series and I am giving this one 5 stars!

Review: Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini

Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 31, 2011)

How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

I have a book crush!  I am still trying to sort out my thoughts.  I really enjoyed this one, I struggled threw the first few chapters, but once we met Lucas and crew everything picked up, and the story wouldn't let me go until I was done.  I really liked Helen, flying under the radar trying not to stand out.  Watching Helen grow into "herself" was cool, and Claire made me laugh as she put pieces of the puzzle together.  I also really enjoyed Lucas and his family.  They all played a part and were well written.  Now I am a huge geek mythology junkie so this was really up my alley.  I loved every minute of it! I also really enjoyed the romance in this book.  I liked that Lucas and Helen weren't an insta love connection.  Watching everyone work through one issue after another to try to do the "right" thing made the romance that popped up so much sweeter for me.  I will say that I am dying for more of this series.  I have to know what happens like NOW!  I highly suggest this book to everyone! I have to give this one 4.5 stars.