The Medusa sisters have found each other and they’re ready to claim their heritage, but first they must battle against abyss monsters and find out exactly how to go about claiming it. But monsters aren’t the only thing plaguing the girl’s lives. Gretchen’s patience is running thin and handsome Nick with his dubious intent isn’t helping at all. Greer’s perfect image is cracking under all the pressure and she isn’t sure how to deal with it. Grace’s parents are giving her a hard time and she hates lying to them constantly, but there’s no other option when you have a secret mythological life. As the girls struggle to find information about the gates they’re supposed to open, all their major leads disappearing into abyss portals! The sisters know there only one solution left. They’ll have to journey in to the abyss themselves. Tera Lynn Child’s Sweet Shadows brings out the big mythological guns with fast action, more thrills, and bigger mysteries! I’m so not a fan of multiple POVs, especially when it’s more than two characters, but The Medusa Girls is totally the exception to that rule. I LOVE the sisters. They’re so alike, yet totally different and unique. Their personalities just pop off the page! There’s no way to confuse them even with the similar sounding names. Now, on to meet the girls! Gretchen is at the end of her patience. Someone blew up her loft, Nick isn’t telling her all the truth, and Greer insists on keeping up with her old life! But can she really trust him? An unexpected journey and even more unexpected company leaves her thinking that maybe not all monsters are bad. This girl is the definition of kick-ass. She isn’t scared of any monsters the abyss throws at her, in fact she taunts them. Gretchen was born to be a huntress. But her tough exterior guards a loving center. She will do anything for her sisters and protecting them is priority. When Nick comes into the picture, Gretch doesn’t quite know how to deal with him. He seems to like her (a lot) and says he wants to help, but she isn’t about to trust him so easily with her sister’s lives…and her own heart. Gretch’s deals with her feelings for Nick like she does everything else…with unrelenting will and a bit of violence. Greer promised her sisters she would work with them on the condition that she could keep her social life intact. But as things heat up she realizes this might be impossible. Her two lives, the social and the mythical, are colliding and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. I like that Greer is finally showing more emotions. We get a little deeper into her feeling for her parents, and her newfound sisters. Her ice queen facade is crumbling and we all know it’s for the best. I still like her use of the word ‘sugar’ as a curse. I think it’s one of the most awesome things ever (LOL). There’s a spark of interest that occurs when she meets Grace’s brother Thane, and I can’t wait to see how that turns out. Grace is struggling between her two lives two. She gets into serious trouble with her parents after staying the night out (hunting monsters) without telling them. When they instill a curfew and insist on watch her like hawks, Grace knows it won’t be long until her two worlds collide. I’m so proud of Grace! Though she’s still the sweet and shy girl we met in Sweet Venom, she’s also growing into her huntress shoes! Greer’s encouragement and Gretchen’s unconditional support and love have done wonders for Grace’s confidence. Now she’s all like hacking stuff to get info (I’m still waiting for her to complete that monster hunting app she’s been talking about for ages), taking on monsters on her own, kissing boys (okay it’s just one boy, but still..!!!) and not scared of playing referee between Gretchen and Greer. After the heart-stopping finale of the first book I’m sort of flabbergasted and disappointed by the ending in this book. First, the ultimate throw down between the armies is cut short and the setting was the very clichéd school gym. We don’t even get a 5 min fight before the girls escape. Then the following chapter totally killed the momentum, slowing it down with explanations and more intrigue about Grace’s brother Thane (which we still don’t know anything about by the book’s end). The final chapter was at least very touching, but it ended in another cliffhanger.
