Cruel Beauty

I have always been a sucker for fairytales, especially "Beauty and the Beast." There are so many retellings, many written for teens, and I have always found myself drawn to the story. It's well-known, but in the hands of a good writer, it becomes new each time it is retold. I settled in recently with Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge and was delighted to find that she had done something brilliant --she combined fairytale and mythology. It works incredibly well, and what the reader gets is a fascinating novel of love, duty, and hard choices.

Nyx Triskelion has been raised to wed the Gentle Lord, the master of the demons and a cruel demon himself who enslaved the land of Arcadia in a time known as the Sundering. Nyx's life has never been her own. From childhood she has been taught her duty--to marry the demon king and then to kill him in order to free Arcadia from his rule and to avenge her mother's death. Long ago her father foolishly made a bargain with the Gentle Lord and was tricked like all the other fools who had asked for their heart's desire. Though he received his wish--that his barren wife would have children--he forgot to stipulate that his wife also survive the births.  For his folly, Nyx's father would lose both his wife (to death) and one of his twin daughters (to marriage.)  But her father believes he can trick the Gentle Lord by training Nyx to perform magic rites on the four "hearts" of her  husband's castle. Unfortunately for Nyx, after those rites are completed, the castle will fall in on itself, killing the Gentle Lord, but also killing Nyx. No matter, says Nyx's father, freeing Arcadia and avenging her mother's death, are clearly more important than Nyx's life or happiness.

Nyx has always been the hope of her people. She is also their sacrifice. And living with this weight has made Nyx bitter and hateful. When she is finally wed to the Gentle Lord, she is terrified, but as the days pass in his castle, as Nyx searches for the "hearts" and tries to destroy her demon husband, she begins to see that all is not as it seems. No one, not even the Gentle Lord himself, understands the truth of his power, and as Nyx grows closer to her husband, she begins to doubt her role as his assassin.

A great read for those who like fairytales, mythology, and well-written fantasy. I look forward to more of this author's work.

The Goddess Test

An interesting, entertaining twist of the Hades/Persephone myth. The Goddess Test is part of the Harlequin Teen series. I generally DO NOT care for romance novels, but I actually like this book, to the extent that I am looking forward to the next installment.

I have always been a big fan of Greek mythology and I think that is the reason I picked up this book and gave it a try. Obviously the story is loosely based on the myth with lots of confusing relationships between the gods and goddess. But that was kind of what it was like anyway.

Kate has been chosen (as a last ditch effort for Henry/Hades to retain his rule over the Underworld) to take Persephone's place. She has no idea what is going on until she is told that she has failed her test to become immortal.

It is very interesting how she becomes very invested in Henry and his quest to retain his rule. She is trying to live with the fact that her mother is dying of cancer and how she will cope with the real possibility of becoming immortal and Henry's wife. Kate manages to start coming to terms with life without her mother and finds she is falling in love with Henry.

Most of the characters are pretty much one dimensional. Kate is fleshed a bit more, especially as she changes as the story moves along. Still I found them interesting and rooting for Henry and Kate. If you like Greek myths and you like a light romantic novel, then this is the book for you.

Lightning Thief

Wow, I've posted three days in a row. I'm on a streak! Anyway, today I thought I'd write about another graphic novel that I just read: The Lightning Thief.

We all know what The Lightning Thief is about, right? If not--where have you been? I was asked to review this book for a library journal recently. Okay, so I've read the book, listened to the book, watched the movie, and now have read the graphic novel. What do I think about it? Well, the novel is still the best way to be introduced to the story, but this graphic novel is a pretty good adaptation of the story (better than the movie, for sure!). Besides the fact that Percy looks to be 16-20 in this book instead of the 12 he's supposed to be, the artwork is realistic and well done.

Some of the scenes I really enjoy aren't here--the trapped tunnel of love in Denver, the semi-truck ride to Vegas, and my favorite Medusa. But for the most part the adapter, Robert Venditti, kept the pacing at a breakneck speed.

So if you have already read the novel series and are waiting in line for The Lost Hero, then you should pick this graphic novel up to see another view of the Half Blood world.

Snakehead

A Greek myth retold with some interesting characters. Usually the characters in myths are pretty one dimensional, but with Snakehead you get to know the quirks, dreams, weaknesses, etc of the various characters. I like viewing Perseus and Andromeda as real individuals. Also the frivolity of the gods is both entertaining and maddening, but you do get a very real feel for how the ancient Greeks must have felt about the deities to whom they made sacrifices. Since I have a great interest in archaeology, I like the various ancient cultural tidbits thrown into the mix. I enjoyed the story. If readers like fantasy base in mythology, then this might appeal to them.