Great return visit to Ava’s school and her friends. Lots of twists and turns that our middle school readers will enjoy. One of the best ‘girl power’ books I have read this year!

This was a treat to read. I enjoyed it. I was something else for me, in a good way.
I highly recommend this one.
10/10

I loved the first book in the series so I was so excited to start this one! I love the play on the old Greek myths and the complete girl power message. The first half the book was hard to get into but the second half was better.

What worked:
The premise of the series is that Greek gods control all of the details in myths to depict men being in charge and heroes of every story. Library books have been censored to share the stories they want known so their lies will continue. Ava is determined to reveal the truth about all of the gods but they will do all they can to stop her. In the previous book, Ava discovered her mother, the gorgon Medusa, is still alive and Perseus never chopped off her head as the myths say. Ava’s school year is complicated when Pereus is named the new headmaster of the school! Her friends know she’s being targeted and they do their best to keep her from being expelled.
Middle-grade readers can identify with Ava’s insecurity about her appearance as she begins a new school year. She’s initially excited about being several inches taller until she sees how her friend Layla has changed. Layla can make herself appear as anyone she likes so she decides to become as beautiful as possible. She still has the same kind, friendly personality but Ava is uncomfortable with everyone staring and wanting to be near Layla. It creates an internal conflict for Ava when she feels guilty for any negative thoughts about her friend’s new look.
Perseus is a cocky character whose main role seems to be antagonizing Ava. He changes instructors, classes, classrooms, and activities to favor male students and it’s not done quietly. There’s no effort to hide his unfair treatment which helps to magnify the conflict between the gods and females. Perseus assesses strikes to students for unacceptable behavior and three strikes result in a student being kicked out of the school. Perseus is assisted by other godly characters and readers may be surprised to see female characters helping to oppress the rights of all women. Ava helps reveal the truth about god-created stories that have misguided some female characters.
What didn’t work as well:
It’s surprising when Perseus uses supernatural powers to control others. He’s a demi-god in myths and doesn’t display any special abilities like that. His character is confusing when compared to the typical myths of Perseus. However, his puzzling powers are explained later in the story and make perfect sense.
The final verdict:
This book highlights the fact that whoever controls the information also controls the power. Ava’s efforts to uncover hidden truths create conflict with the gods that will continue throughout the series. Readers who enjoy mythology and women’s rights will appreciate this book and I recommend you give it a shot.

Definitely read the first one if you want some background on the characters, because this book hits the ground running picking up from the last one. The plot moved quickly, which is great for the middle grade, focusing on the action. I enjoyed learning about history of the Greek monsters and some other obscure Greek gods. I wish the ending had explained more, but maybe the author is building to something bigger, with the theme of women and girls empowerment.

I really loved the first book in the series so I was so excited to start this one! I love the play on the old Greek myths and the complete girl power message.

Unfortunately, if I had to base this review on just the first 50% it would only be 2.5 stars. The Ava we came to know and love in the last book was completely gone and in her place was a whiny, insecure girl who didn’t seem to like her friends. No joke, the first half is all whining so please prepare yourself for that.

HOWEVER, the second half of the book totally makes up for it! It brings back all of the adventure and friendship that I loved from the first book and really brings myths about women to the forefront. It ended up being a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy!

This was a strong sequel in the Myth of Monsters series, it had that spirit that I enjoyed about Medusa. The concept had that Greek element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first book. I thought the characters continued to feel like they belonged there and enjoyed reading this. Katherine Marsh does another great job in this and can’t wait for more.