I'm enough of a fan of the author's to give the series another try with the upcoming Sweet Shadows and it's certainly better than the last Medusa adaptation I read.

It's not all bad, by any means - I like Childs' writing style, she has some great dialogue, particularly from Gretchen, and she captures San Francisco well while the mythology of her story (based on the premise that the Gorgons weren't villains, but heroes who got bad publicity from Athena) is interesting and, from what she's revealed so far, seems well-developed. I was also irritated by an ending which fails to resolve anything much - there are at least four big questions left unanswered in the wait for the sequel - so reading this one was rather unsatisfying for me personally. It feels a bit too much like paranormal fiction by the numbers to really capture my attention. As supports, we get two mysterious boys and a wise mentor. While the writing is engaging and easy to read, most of the main characters are all rather sterotypical - Grace is the good girl, Gretchen the jaded combat veteran, and Greer the snobby rich kid. Sadly, Childs hasn't pulled this one off with the same flair. I jumped at the chance to review this one because I loved Forgive My Fins, a breezy and adorable look at mermaids. The three of them look eerily alike - what's their connection, and can this mismatched trio of teens defend the world from the demons who seem to be appearing with ever-increasing frequency?

Gretchen is an experienced monster-hunter. Grace is the new girl in San Francisco, who can't understand why she's seeing weird creatures whom no-one else seems to notice. Given the author's excellent track record I'll be hoping book 2 is more satisfying. Summary: Stereotypical characters and a frustrating ending make this one hard to recommend.

Sweet shadows tera lynn childs