ARC Review: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow
Title: The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals Book #2)
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Publish Date: April 18, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Mythology
Synopsis: A demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret from everyone, even from those trusted most.
Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.
Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.
The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?
Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.
I received a free copy of this book via Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my review in any way.
I didn’t not like the first book in the Elementals series. I briefly remember saying that although the first novel wasn’t my favorite, I was looking forward to the second novel. And boy, was I right! The Blood of the Hydra was an action-packed, non-stop, nail-bitter that I could not put down!
There really wasn’t anything that bored me. Madow gets straight to the point, which is something that I like about her works. She doesn’t dilly-dally and let’s you dive right into the storyline. Since I’m talking about Madow’s writing, I just want to mention that Madow writes action and mythology really, really well. Like she could stop writing contemporary and just write fantasy novels because they are amazing! Everything flowed really well in the Blood of the Hydra.
The characters were more fully developed in this second book. I got to know each of them a bit more and I found that to be great. I do feel as if I don’t know them that well though. Very little is known about Chris and Kate. I would like to see their relationship more fully developed in book three.
I’ve gotten to know Danielle better, and I’m kind of sad that she’s not as bad as we thought her to be. Some riff in the group could be good for the story, but I do like the relationship that she and Nicole have now, not fully friends but not really enemies either.
Throughout the book, you see Nicole fighting with her thoughts. She wants to trust these people that she is surrounded herself with, but is still unsure if she can. I thought that struggle was well written. I understood her, and I felt for her.
The romance is still there, but pushed off to the side. I think the balance is nice though. There’s some romance to balance this crazy mythological world, but it’s not overpowering.
I did not like the two new characters, Ethan and Rachel. I didn’t like them from the start (still don’t), but I feel as if that was Madow’s intentions, especially given what happens to Rachel. I don’t think they were really needed. There whole storyline seems pointless to me unless Ethan has a bigger role in the next novel…
If you follow me on Goodreads (which you totally should if you don’t), you saw my updates as I was reading the Blood of the Hydra. I got extremely excited when the first god made his appearance. I loved the way Zeus was portrayed! I’ve the Percy Jackson series and loved how the gods were portrayed, but this Zeus was almost better. He seemed more Zeus-like to me, how I pictured him.
It’s always cool to see different interpretations of something, like with the Lotus Eaters. They are one of my favorite mythological people, and it was amazing to see how Madow wrote them. I loved the island, everything to do with it. I loved how the lotus plant was integrated into everything. I loved how the people were from all different time periods. When the Elementals were on the island of the Lotus Eaters, it was probably my favorite part. I loved it!
I almost got mad when the group was discussing fighting Scylla and Charybdis. I was like if these kids could defeat these monsters that gods and Odysseus himself couldn’t fight, I was done. I like mythology too much to have such powerful monsters destroyed so easily. I did enjoy the direction that it actually went in though. It was quite clever.
I’m starting to really like this world that Madow has created. I’m growing attached to the characters, and I’m really loving her take on mythology. The only thing I didn’t like was that everything seemed a bit too easy. Maybe that’s what you lose when writing a fast paced novel, but I don’t feel as if the Elementals struggled as much as a group of teenagers should when fighting the Greek monsters, given that grown men had trouble fighting them.
Giveaway
Michelle is offering up a fabulous prize during her Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Virtual Tour event. One (1) luckywinner will receive a signed paperback copy of one of Michelle’s books! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:a Rafflecopter giveaway
One Last Thing
The adventure began in the first book in the series, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To learn more about the first book, and to read the first four chapters for free, click here!The Elementals series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so subscribers can read it for free!
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About the Author
Michelle Madow writes fast-paced YA (young adult) fiction that will leave you turning the pages wanting more!
She's always loved writing stories, but the possibility of being an author used to feel more like a dream than a reality. She didn’t share her stories with anyone until her junior year of college, when she signed up for an Intro to Creative Writing course. Her teacher and classmates read the first chapter of a book idea she had, and they loved it so much that they told her she had to finish the book so they could find out what happened next. By the end of the school year, Michelle finished that book, which would later be published as her first novel.
Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.
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