Greer, Gretchen, and Grace are so different and their voices are so unique that the characterization isn't just in the description of their clothes and their actions, but in the word choice and their tone. Gods.I want to go ahead and make a point to say that when an author is going to narrate a story from 3 different first person POVs, that it is imperative for the voices to be so distinct that it is impossible to blend the characters together.Ĭhilds accomplishes this perfectly in this novel. We currently have two copies of Sweet Venom in my library, which I am going to add to next year’s Lone Star Plus list for my school. Perfect for middle school girls! STATUS IN MY LIBRARY Romance takes a backseat in this cute story of three sisters battling mythological beasts. My ARC of Sweet Shadows (due out in September) taunts me at this very minute… THE BOTTOM LINE Book talking it in my library will be a breeze (even without a good book trailer at this time), and I have decided to include it on my 2012-2013 Lone Star Plus list for my school. Overall, Sweet Venom is a fun read that will appeal to middle school girls big-time. Romance is there, but it takes a back-seat to the sisters’ story. I think the romance is a big part of what I loved about Forgive My Fins and missed in Sweet Venom. I am hoping they develop more fully in the sequel Sweet Shadows. I was a little disappointed in the male characters in the story–they are all pretty standard stock.

Being the oldest in a sisterly trio myself, I enjoyed reading how the girls find each other and learn to get along. Greer is hands-down my favorite character, and her inclusion adds an element of sibling-rivalry that I did not expect. The book is well-paced for the most part, but the story really picks up once the third triplet, Greer, is introduced. Greer, Grace, and Gretchen are very different characters, and I wish their “voices” were more unique to them.

If I stopped reading mid-chapter, I would sometimes have to read a several paragraphs before I could tell which girl’s story I was reading. I liked the triplet characters of Gretchen, Grace, and Greer, but I do think the three girls’ alternating voices were not distinctive enough. While for me, Sweet Venom lacked the charm of Forgive My Fins, I found it mostly well-paced with a gruesome cast of mythological monsters and a fun premise. I really liked this one! I tend to enjoy mythology-influenced stories anyway, and Childs’s Forgive My Fins was one of my favorite books on the 2011-2012 Lone Star Reading List.

Triplet girls separated at birth learn they are descendants of the mythological Gorgon Medusa charged with protecting mankind from mythology’s most heinous creatures.

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs