Review and Giveaway - Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

--> Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra is the second book in the Elementals series. Join Nicole and the rest of the Elementals on their quest to save the world, or die trying, in this spellbinding sequel that fans of mythology, magic, and adventure will love!

About Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra - 

Title: Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: April 18, 2016

Series: Elementals #2

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Format: eBook and paperback

ISBN: 9781311296788

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 she was a witch was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. No one can know her secret—not even Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with since first moving to town.

Now Nicole, Blake, and the three others with elemental powers must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. The creatures they face on this journey will be more dangerous than anything they’ve encountered yet. Will they all survive the quest? 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.

Buy Links:  Amazon

Add to your TBR List:  Goodreads

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!

My Review:

I was lucky enough to get an e-galley of this title from Netgalley, Dreamscape Publishing, and being part of the author's street team.  I've been a big fan of Michelle Madow since I first read her book Remembrance.  And the first book in this series so far, Elementals, started off with some great ideas and I was very excited to read on and see where the story would go.

Just like in my review of the first book, the synopsis above tells you pretty much what happened, and I don't want to repeat all of it.  So again I'll just talk about what I liked or didn't like!

Honestly, for the most part, there wasn't much that I didn't like in this one!  I really enjoyed the quest that they had to go on.  When they went to the island that was the Land of the Lotus Eaters, and had to keep from eating the fruit, it was great how the author thought of every way that the fruit might get into the people's system besides just eating the fruit.  They found some other demi-gods, Rachel and Ethan, on the island, and they were great to join into the quest and help.  Trying to figure out how to get between Scylla and Charybdis was really stressful.  Trying to not have to do what Odysseus had to do, and sacrifice six people from the boat, that got them to have to figure out another way, and even earned them a visit from Zeus.  Then, the next part of the quest was to get the milk of the immortal cattle on Helios's island.  That proved to be pretty difficult, not to mention also brought about another issue they will have to deal with. 

Then, getting to the final battle with the hydra.  All I can say is that Rachel, well she kind of annoyed me, and what she did, well, let's just say I feel like what happened to her was her own fault.  It seemed like for a minute Ethan might become a love triangle, but I feel like the author kept that from happening perfectly.   In a way that I'm sure will pop up in book 3 and lead to a really good story arc.  The five of the Elementals:  Kate, Blake, Danielle, Chris, and Nicole, are learning to work together better.  To get past the personal issues from Blake and Danielle breaking up.  And Blake just wanting to be able to be with Nicole, they will be able to figure out how that can work with the group and still have them be able to take care of the things they need to.

Another great book from Michelle Madow, as well as a great new book about Greek mythology in the footsteps of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, and the Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter.

  About Michelle Madow:

Michelle Madow writes fast-paced YA (young adult) fiction that will leave you turning the pages wanting more!

She 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 went on a cross-country road trip from Florida to California and back 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.

Want to get some of Michelle’s books for FREE? Click here to learn how.

To get instant updates about Michelle’s new books, follow her on Amazon!

Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads  

Giveaway:

Michelle is offering up a fabulous prize during her Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Virtual Tour event. One (1) lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of one of Michelle’s books! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal and Giveaway - The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals #2) by Michelle Madow

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra is the second novel in Michelle Madow’s Elementals series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Book Info:

Title: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra

Author: Michelle Madow

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: April 18, 2016

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Series: Elementals #2

Format: eBook and paperback

ISBN: 9781311296788

 

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.

Pre-order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

Add to Goodreads

And don’t miss the first book in the series, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! Click here to learn more.

I guessed that maybe Blake would be on the cover of the second book, and so he is!  And he is a hottie!  What do you think of that cover?  I love it!  Thanks to Barclay Publicity for allowing me to be a part of this awesome cover reveal!

My review of the first book will be posted on Monday.  So be sure to check that out. And before you go, check out the giveaway and countdown button below the author info!

About the Author:

Michelle Madow has 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, Remembrance.

  

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.

Connect with Michelle:

Facebook: /MichelleMadow

Twitter/Instagram: @MichelleMadow

Email: michelle@madow.com

Visit Michelle online at www.michellemadow.com, and be sure to sign up for her newsletterc and follow her on Amazon to get instant updates on her books!

Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

   
 

Giveaway:

• Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Add the Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Countdown Timer to your blog!  

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again I am in love with Rick Riordan and his world of mythological creatures and demigods! I put off reading this for so long because when his other new series, The Kane Chronicles, came out, I couldn't wait to start reading it. And then, unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. And I love Egyptian mythology, so that was very sad to me. But the way the story was told, between the two characters, I had trouble sometimes remembering which person I was reading from their point of view. Which really made it hard to let the story take me away. But with this new Heroes of Olympus series, I was grabbed again and sucked back into the story, just like I was back with the Percy Jackson series.

We have a new group of demigods in this story to follow around, but some of the old ones, as well as other characters are back. Of course we still have all the Greek gods, but we now learn about the Roman gods and how they relate to the Greek ones and demigods. Percy Jackson has disappeared, and at the same time a new demigod, Jason, has just shown up out of nowhere. Now, the kids he is dropped in with have all these memories as if they've known him, but soon learn it is just the Mist messing with their memories. And of course, something is brewing, and there is a quest. The kids get to Camp Halfblood where it should be safe for them, but not without danger along the way! There they meet Annabeth who is looking for Percy.
One of our other new demigods is Piper, who is the daughter of a famous movie-star. What I like about this story is that we know kind of from the get-go that Piper may betray her friends. Her dad has been kidnapped, and she is being contacted by something evil. And this evil has said she must keep the quest from being successful if she wants to save her dad. The other of the three new ones is Leo, who is a son of Hephaestus. I have to say I just loved Leo. His character is so funny. I also felt him to be very relatable. He felt as if he was a nobody, that his friends had all the power. But he can withstand fire, and even create it! And he is great with fixing things. I also love how his "type" of girl are the ones that are way out of his league and he knows are not attracted to him. Again, that seems to be my "type" of guy. He also has secrets he doesn't want to share with his friends, and worries about whether he can help or if he'll be causing the quest to fail.
And finally we have our Jason. Jason can't remember who he really is, but he seems to have a lot more memories of the Roman gods as opposed to the Greek ones. At Camp Halfblood, Chiron knows he is, and tells him he should be dead. But then won't explain why? Hera, or Juno in Roman mythology, comes to the demigods saying she needs their help in order to prevent another evil from taking over, even though the Titans were defeated before. And as the story goes on, we learn more and more about Jason, but in very small doses. We're given just little tidbits that fill in some blanks, but still leave you hanging till the end to find out more.
Some great new characters/gods in this book. I loved King Midas, he was funny, as well as Aeolus, also really amusing to read his part in the book. I'm now so excited to go on with this series, and you'd think as part of my "September is for Sequels Challenge" that I'd read on in the series, but alas, I have other books on the list to get rid of. This does help me out in getting the current Truman nominees read, because I hadn't read them all yet. But doesn't help with the ones I need to help read for next year.

View all my reviews

The Goddess Hunt (Goddess Test #1.5) by Aimee Carter

So, I was getting ready to read my brand new autographed copy of Goddess Interrupted from BEA, when I saw something on the bookmark I got with it about this story.  And I know that you don't usually HAVE to read the short stories set in between the novels to keep up, but I decided to go ahead and quickly download the $1.99 e-book on my Nook and read it before I jumped into the next full length story.  This was an interesting and short look into Kate's world in the 6 months after she's married Henry (Hades), and has been sent out into the world to have experiences before she spend her first 6 months with Henry ruling the Underworld.  In it, she's taken off with James (Hermes), to do some sightseeing, and of course the first, and most likely place they visit is Greece.  James seems to have a plan though when he takes Kate and they get "lost" on a hike in the woods. It is here that they run into Castor and Pollux, who are on the run of course from the other gods.  See, one was immortal, the other was not, and they wanted to share the immortality, but Zeus, now called Harold, tricked them, and said while they could share, one would be on the surface, while one would be in the Underworld.  And the thing was that they had wanted to be together!  So Pollux has broken Castor out of the Underworld.  Well, James has always been nice to them, and so he seems to want to just visit with them.  But instead, they end up running into other gods.  I think the point of this little story is to give us a look into how Kate will rule the Underworld.  As we saw in the first book, The Goddess Test, she doesn't agree that the way the council of gods often rules or makes their decisions makes sense.  Henry learns that he doesn't want to lose his wife, and that her decisions are a fresh, new outlook that is probably needed in their world.
I read this really quickly, and moved on to Goddess Interrupted.  I have to say that what I am really liking about these books is that they are doing the same thing that the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan did in a way.  As I read about the stories of the gods as told by Aimee Carter, the author, I am having to go back and look up the actual myths to see how close the interpretations are.  And I love that!!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus)

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

This week I am very eagerly awaiting the latest book by Rick Riordan about Percy Jackson and the other Camp Half-Blood characters we grew to love in The Lightning Thief and it's four sequels.

The info about this says it will pick up after Percy has defeated Kronos and goes back with his friends to rebuild Camp Half-Blood. Specifically we will be joining a new generation of demigods, but fortunately it says they will get a little help from our favorite demigods, which would be Percy, Anabeth, and hopefully Grover as well. This is currently set to be released in October 2010. At one time it was listed as October 22, which would have been my birthday, but since then Riordan tweeted that it was actually a week or so earlier.

Now, if only someone would go back and re-do the movie, which messed up soooooo much from the books, that anyone who had read them came out of the theater disappointed. Just ask my students that I read it with in our Greater Gator class. :-)

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted, and I'm actually going to skip a few books I've read since I'm so behind. But I'll jump back in with the new series by one of my favorite YA authors, Rick Riordan. While this had some really interesting stuff with all the Egyptian mythology mixed in, I must say I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the the Percy Jackson series. I think part of it is the way it skipped back and forth between the 2 narrators, who were brother and sister. It got confusing and I don't know, it's just not my cup of tea. I think kids will enjoy it though. And I will of course recommend it to all who enjoyed Percy Jackson.

I know this is a really short post, but it has been a week or two since I finished the book, so I'm going to go on to another book now.