Circe: the retelling of the mythological Greek witch with gods, monsters and legendary heroes

Circe by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the mythological Greek witch, Circe. Helios, the god of the sun and the mightiest among the Titans, has a daughter, Circe. Circe is not like his other children. Not as powerful as her father nor as alluring as her mother. When she doesn’t find her place among the gods, she turns to mortals for companionship and she discovers that she does possess a power. The power of witchcraft to transform her rivals to monsters and become a menace to the gods. When Zeus becomes threatened by her power, Circe is banished to a desecrated island. There she hones her craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with famous figures. As she battles some dangerous foes, she finds herself pitted against the one Olympian who is the most terrifying and the most vengeful. In order to protect everything and everyone she loves, Circe summons all her strength and her knowledge of the gods and her potions. 

As a fan of Greek mythology since high school, I have wanted to read Circe for a while and I got the chance to listen to the audiobook (narrated by Peridita Weeks). From the opening chapter to the final pages, readers are taken deep into the world of gods, monsters and heroes of legend including Hermes, Scylla, and the cunning Odysseus. While I did not know the entire Circe myth, I was excited to see her interact with the characters that I did know and gasped at the parts of the myth that I did not know. There were a few moments that I even laughed as Circe would call out the antics of certain gods like Hermes. With gritty actions, this story grabbed me and took me on a wild ride through ancient Greek mythology. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and Ms Weeks’s narration really made the story exciting and engaging. If you enjoy retellings of Greek mythologies, I highly, highly recommend Circe. 

Circe is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Clawing Free: what if monsters are real? What would you do if they knew your name?

Clawing Free by Josh Roberts is a story that asks the questions: what if monsters are real? And what if they know you by name? Eleven years after the grisly death of her older sister, Mia, Elisabeth “Lissy” Oullette is struggling to move on as she tries to put the pieces of her life back together. She works as a waitress in Mitchum, Colorado, a small mountain town, when the anniversary of her sister’s death approaches and her life seems to be falling apart again. A series of mysterious deaths start occurring at the lake near town. As she and her friend, Neil, search for answers, Lissy finds herself being lured to the lake by something so evil and so powerful that it seems inevitable that the next death will be hers. What is this evil that has been lurking? Can Lissy find the strength and courage to defeat it? 

Inspired by C.K. Chesterton’s quote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed” Clawing Free is a supernatural thriller as the heroine discovers a strength she didn’t know she had to defend her demons both real and the ones of her own making. A debut novel by author Josh Roberts, the theme of the love triumphs over evil rings throughout the story. Slowly, the layers of the mystery are peeled away, the reader is kept on the edge of their seat waiting, anticipating the discovery of the evil that hunts Lissy. The author’s descriptions of the monster are so vivid that I had no trouble imaging the horrifying evil in my mind. The final battle is intense and brings the story to a wondrous end. If you enjoy supernatural thrillers, you will enjoy Clawing Free. 

Clawing Free is available in eBook. 

Monsterland Reanimated: the monsters return!

Monsterland Reanimated by Michael Okon is the sequel to Monsterland. The story picks up the night after the events of the Monsterland Catastrophe. The protagonist of Monsterland, Wyatt, tries to pick up the pieces from the events he experienced in Monsterland. Little does he know but someone is still in Monsterland, trying to complete the mission and reanimate the monsters. Communication is still down, and the world is on chaos. Wyatt decides he needs to go to Los Angeles to get news, supplies and find any other survivors. He, along with a group of friends, start on the journey and soon realizes that he is being followed. There is a bigger threat out there than just vampires, mummies, and werewolves. Oh my! Can Wyatt and his friends defeat the new threat and shut down Monsterland for good? Will it really be the end?

Monsterland: Reanimated is a fast-paced sequel to Monsterland with a new villain and new monsters. Each step of their journey brings new scares and threats which culminates into the battle of Monsterland. The ending of the book suggests a third adventure is coming. I would like to see how the author ends this story with a third story. Will the humans win? Or will the monsters take over once and for all? If you enjoyed Monsterland, you will enjoy Monsterland: Reanimated. If you haven’t read Monsterland yet, I recommend you do so before reading Monsterland: Reanimated.

Monsterland: Reanimated

is available in hardcover, paperback and eBook