Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Rating: *****
Genre: Mythology, fantasy, action

Pages: 345

Series: A sequel is set for release in fall 2012.

Gretchen is a huntress descended from the legendary Medusa. The only family she's ever known is her mentor, Ursula, who trained her to hunt monsters on the dark streets of San Francisco before she vanished without explanation.

Grace is a vegetarian and computer geek trying to fit in at her elite private school in a strange new city. She understands that San Francisco, being a big city, will have its share of weirdos, but that doesn't explain why she keeps running into monsters. Or a girl who could be her twin.

Greer is occupied with shoe shopping, pleasing her busy parents, and co-chairing the Immaculate Heart Alumnae Tea. She simply doesn't have time for those two girls who look eerily similar to her, aside from their woeful lack of fashion sense. Besides, monster hunting could get her clothes dirty.

But like it or not, the three of them are triplets, destined to work together to save the world.

Before I started reading, I thought it would be confusing to shift between three first person narrators, expecially because they all have similar names. But Gretchen, Grace, and Greer have such different personalities, styles, food preferences, and even language. I was never lost. Aside from Greer not appearing until chapter fifteen (well, look who decided to show up), I didn't have any problems with this book.

I loved the language, the unique characters, and the interesting but not distracting subplots, but the thing that stuck out to me is how Childs really gets teenage life. She understands that we have whiteboards instead of blackboards, powerpoint presentations are a good time to have naps, and that most schools don't have a popularity pyramid like they do in movies.

With its mythological background, Sweet Venom is a great read for anybody suffering from Percy Jackson withdrawal.

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