Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway:
Demigods & Monsters by Raye Wagner
Demigods and Monsters has been on my “highly anticipated sequels” list. Curse of the Sphinx was an enjoyable read and I couldn’t wait to catch up with Hope and Athan. Read on to find out whether the anticipation was worth it. (Okay, okay, it totally was!) Be sure to enter the tour-wide giveaway!
Demigods and Monsters by Raye Wagner
Series: Sphinx #2
Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Release Date: April 25th, 2016
Purchase: Amazon
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.
Demigods and Monsters is the second book in the Sphinx series.
Excerpt:
Hope gaped at the goddess of night. Artemis’s dark umber skin contrasted with her pale, almost silver hair. Her slight figure was clad in black, fitted garments, and as she pulled the silver bow and quiver of arrows from off her back, her midnight eyes settled on Hope.
“You are very young.” She set her weapons on the spongy moss and stepped up to Hope. “Very young, but not too naïve, I think.” Her gaze held Hope captive for a moment, and then the goddess contemplated the puppy struggling in Hope’s arms. “Who is this?” Artemis giggled as Angel licked her face.
“She’s . . . she’s for you.” Hope held the pale Labrador out.
Artemis peered from Hope to Priska and back to Hope again.
“You are giving me an offering?” She raised her brows but did not take the dog.
Hope shifted her gaze to Priska for help. Hadn’t she said she would do the talking? Priska was studiously examining the night sky.
“No . . . I mean, yes. Yes.” Hope shook her head. “We got her for you.” She extended her arms again, the dog’s back paws dangling in the air.
“Hope wants to break the curse,” Priska said, taking the puppy from Hope. “The Lab was my idea. She comes from a long line of hunters. She will be loyal and easy to train.”
Artemis extended her hands. “Loyalty is difficult to come by. I will accept this with gratitude.” She took the puppy and set her on the ground. The pale fur glowed in the moonlight, and the puppy scampered about. “What do you need my help with, Hope? It was my brother that cursed you, not I.”
Hope shifted her weight. “Yes, but do you know anything that could help me? Has he said anything to you?”
Artemis drew in a slow breath and closed her eyes.
Hope again looked to Priska, but she’d chased after the puppy, leaving Hope alone with the goddess.
“She’s scared,” Artemis said, breaking the silence. “She feels responsible for what happened to your mother. And she feels bad about what could’ve happened to you.” She grabbed Hope’s chin and forced her head side to side. “You want to break the curse?”
Hope nodded.
“It won’t solve your problem,” the goddess warned, dropping her hand.
Review:
[book rating=5/5]In the beginning of Demigods and Monsters, Hope is floundering. She has fled Goldendale and left behind both her best friend and the boy who held her heart. A visit to Artemis has given her the direction she needs to begin finding a way to break the curse Apollo placed on her, but Hope’s aunt, Priska, has her pretty much completely under lock and key. And let me tell you, Hope is not happy about this. When Xan, a mysterious, handsome, tattooed neighbor moves in, her interest is piqued—as was mine. I mean, who doesn’t love a handsome, tattooed stranger with an accent?
For as much as Hope was floundering, I felt as though I was, too—and this isn’t a criticism. This is a testament to Raye Wagner’s writing and the ability to drag the reader right into a scene with her characters. I felt Hope’s ennui, angst, and irritation. I was sort of crawling up the walls along with Hope and thinking, why isn’t Priska doing anything?
Xan is the spark that ignites the action; once Hope meets him, things begin to fall into place, though things are never smooth here Hope is concerned. New characters are introduced, some familiar characters return, and, as for Athan, well, you’ll have to read to find out what happens with Athan.
I always love when an author’s voice grows in a second book, and Raye’s has done just that. Her growth is apparent in Hope’s character, who has also grown, as well as in the voices of the new characters that Raye has created. Xan, Dahlia, Dion, and Thenia are fantastic new additions to Hope’s friends list, while other characters are deliciously antagonistic.
Much of the story takes place in the conservatory where Hope and the demigods reside, but the story is never boring because of this. Scenes are filled with vivid descriptions, teenage longing and self-doubt, or some pretty intense training sessions. The chemistry between Hope and Xan is tangible and I am declaring now that I am completely Team Xan. Wait, am I? I mean, I was, but then Athan showed up and pulled at Hope’s heartstrings and I might have melted a little bit. Sigh. Decisions, decisions.
More questions are asked, very few from the previous book are answered (really, are any? I need to think about that again.), and the ending left me cursing because . . . I mean, how could it just be done? However, the ending is where we truly see how much Hope has grown; instead of running because she is scared and needs to flee for her safety, Hope is taking control of Apollo’s curse—her destiny—and doing what she needs to in order to break it.
Things I’m very much looking forward to in the next book: 1) Xan; 2) Finding out more about Priska. I still don’t feel as though we know everything about her, and I honestly don’t trust her completely; 3) Xan; 4) Dion. He cracked me up and offered some welcome comedic relief in Demigods; 4) Watching Hope continue to evolve; 5) Hopefully some more Haley and Mr. Stanley; 6) Finding out how Xan and Athan are going to react when they find out what Hope did.
Demigods and Monsters: 5 stars. Funny, engaging, fast-paced. If you liked Curse, or are a fan of YA mythology in general, you will love this story!
Series:
Origin of the Sphinx (Sphinx #0.5)
Origin of the Sphinx is a prequel novella in the Curse of the Sphinx series.
In Ancient Greece, the invocation “May the Gods watch over you” was more than a spoken blessing. It was an entreaty for divine benevolence.
Phoibe, daughter of Hera, is content. Raised by her aunt, her life is quiet, filled with milling grain and spinning wool. But after her Hestia celebration, Eros, god of love, visits the small town of Belen.
And now Phoibe will have to choose—
If she marries a mortal, she risks eternal solitude for a moment of love.
If she follows her heart, she risks spurning a god.
The gods are enormously powerful, but they don’t fix problems.
They make bigger ones.
Uncover the curse. . .
Curse of the Sphinx (Sphinx #1)
How long can a monster stay hidden in plain sight?
Seventeen year-old Hope Nicholas has spent her entire life on the run. But no one is chasing her. In fact, no one even knows she exists. With her mom, she’s traveled from town to town and school to school, barely staying long enough to meet anyone, let alone make friends. And she’ll have to keep it that way. It’s safer.
When her mother is brutally ripped away from her, Hope’s life shatters. Is this the fulfillment of Apollo’s curse, murder from the shadow monsters of the Underworld, or have the demigods finally found her? Orphaned and alone, Hope flees again, but this time there’s no one to teach her who to trust—or how to love.
Set in a universe where mythology is alive and well in the modern world, Curse of the Sphinx irresistibly blends action, suspense and romance.
Author Bio: Raye Wagner
Raye Wagner grew up in Seattle, the second of eight children, and learned to escape chaos through the pages of fiction. As a youth, she read the likes of David Eddings, Leon Uris, and Jane Austen. Inspired by a fictional character, Raye pursued a career in nursing, thinking to help the world one patient at a time.
One summer afternoon, when her then young children were playing in the pool, a plot dropped into her head, and she started writing.
She enjoys baking, puzzles, Tae Kwon Do, and the sound of waves lapping at the sand. She lives with her husband and three children in Middle Tennessee.
Origin of the Sphinx, a novella detailing the story leading up to the creation of the mythological creature, is her first publication. It is the beginning of the Sphinx series.
Curse of the Sphinx, the first book in the series, is completed, and set to be released in August 2015.
Author Links:
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