Hey, It's A Review Blitz for "Demigods and Monsters" by Raye Wagner

by Raye Wagner

Book 2, in The Sphinx Series
"Demigods and Monsters"
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Mythology. 273 pages.

Price: $3.99 ebook (at time of post)

Book Link: Click Here

- SYNOPSIS -

Can Apollo’s curse be broken? 

 Seventeen-year-old Hope Nicholas is done running. Apollo’s curse has ruled her entire life, limiting her choices and robbing her of the things that matter most. But she refuses to live in fear any longer. In fact, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to break the god’s power over her existence. 

 When the goddess Artemis instructs Hope to impersonate a demigod and infiltrate a conservatory to get access to the Olympian library, she doesn’t hesitate. As she sees it, there’s nothing left to lose. 

 But once inside, Hope discovers the only way to get what she needs is to work with her sworn enemies. As the lines between demigod and monster are crossed again and again, Hope has to dig deep for the courage to accept her fate or fight for the freedom to save herself.

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My Rating:   

My Thoughts: Mission, Break The Curse!

       This is book 2 in the Sphinx series and you'll definitely need to read book 1 "Curse of the Sphinx" before diving into this book, trust me I tried reading book 2 before 1 (by mistake) and was totally lost. The novel picks up a little after book one and continues on with the main character as she seeks out new people and more information. The writing style in this novel changes a bit from the previous book and I love the series even more.

      After fleeing the small town of Goldendale, Hope Nicholas is now hiding in Seattle with her aunt Priska. However, Hope decides she isn't content with just hiding anymore and now wants to pursue ways to break the curse of Sphinx, which has controlled the women in her family for too long. The problem is Hope is a monster hunted by Apollos' sons and she may just have to step into a house of demigods for answers. Meanwhile, Athan son of Hermes is out searching for Hope trying to find her before Skia get him or worse Apollo finds Hope. With so many gods, immortals, secrets and curses in the world around her, Hope begins to wonder who are the real monsters and will ever be able to break the curse of Sphinx?

      Overall, truly enjoyed this sequel. The first book was written in a different writing method, which took time to get used to. However, this novel had a lot more dialogue that helped connects readers to Hope and the new characters introduced. Plus there is a quite a few more fighting scenes included too. Now as the heroine, Hope definitely shows she has a lot of growing up to do as her world is one big frustrating mystery and she seems to lack wisdom and understanding. That's the one great thing about Greek mythology, it gets more twisted and twisted the more you try to untangle it. Only bummer for me personally was the serious lack of Athan in this novel. The guy only got a small portion and Hope barely lets him in at the very end, which made me want to slap her because he is obviously more awesome than a certain friend she makes in this novel. But I digress, so if you haven't read the first book do so, and then read on to get wrapped up in Hope's journey to understand herself, her history and family curse.

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EXCERPT

Hope went into the sparse guest room and closed the door behind her. She let out a long, slow exhale and leaned against the door.

“How long have you been at the conservatory?” 

Hope yelped. Turning around, she noticed Athan sitting on the edge of the bed. “Sorry.” He was quickly at her side. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

“Then what the Hades are you doing in my room with the light off?” Hope flicked the light on and glared at him. 

“Right.” He took a step back. “Sorry. I wanted to talk to you, and you left abruptly.” 

Hope clenched her teeth. “Oh. Well then, it’s all okay. Come on in.” Sarcasm dripped with the words. “What do you need to say?” 

Athan frowned. “What’s with the hostility? Did I do something to you?” 

She sputtered in her attempt to say anything, but words formed and disappeared before she could get them out. Finally, she said, “I trusted you.” She knew she was being irrational, but all the pent-up emotion erupted, blasting into the air between them. “I don’t even know what to believe anymore.” 

Athan reached his hand out to touch her face, but something in her expression made him hesitate before contact. He dropped his hand to his side. “I never lied to you, Hope.”

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Also Available ....

Curse of the Sphinx (Book #1)- Click Here
Price: $2.99 (at time of post)

Origin of the Sphinx 
(Prequel Novella)- Click Here

Price: $0.99 (at time of post)

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    Raye Wagner

Author Links: Amazon Page, Facebook, Website, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads.

Raye Wagner grew up in an urban fantasy just outside of Seattle, Washington. As the second of eight children, she was surrounded by monsters, demons, and her sometimes mortal parents. She read heaps of fantasy while locked away in the upstairs room of the family cottage.

 Raye studied the art of medicine long before she had an interest in the Gods on Mount Olympus.

  One sunny afternoon, the history of Apollo’s ancient curse and the myth of the Sphinx dropped into her consciousness, and she’s been scribbling and typing stories in her spare time ever since.

 Raye writes young adult fiction for teens and adults.