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Muse #1
Muse
The last thing Callie expected to receive for her sixteenth birthday was the power to freeze time. Before she can adjust to her new talent though, she discovers that her worst enemy, her best friend, and six other girls are all descendants of the nine Greek Muses, and are now blessed with various magic abilities.
Between visions of the future and ghosts of the past they come to realize not everything is at it appears and something wicked is pursuing them. Can they learn to put aside their childhood jealousies and fears in order to take control of their new found powers and fight together or will the wretched creature get his way by pitting them against one another.
Between visions of the future and ghosts of the past they come to realize not everything is at it appears and something wicked is pursuing them. Can they learn to put aside their childhood jealousies and fears in order to take control of their new found powers and fight together or will the wretched creature get his way by pitting them against one another.
297 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
505 people want to read
About the author
Janica McEndollar
1 book12 followersMom of 3, lover of painting, reading, Netflix and lounging around in my sweats.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 5, 2016
All Callie wanted for her sixteenth birthday was a drivers license - what she got, was the magical ability to freeze time. Pretty cool, unless you don't have a clue what's going on, and the only person who seems to know is your least favorite individual in the whole world. Then there's the matter of the monster on it's way to kill her. . .
MUSE is an easy flowing young adult read with strong links to Greek Mythology. It contains some language ("hell", The Lord's name in vain), injuries, fighting (punching a parent, throwing things at a monster), ghosts, use of magic, throwing up, kissing (on lips and neck), bodies pressed together, a butt swat, and an intense desire for physical contact. There is also a significant amount of strife between the main character and the parental figures in the form of verbal fights, and parents demanding that a child keep information from another parent. MUSE is the first in a trilogy.
Parents may want to screen the sexual content and parent-child relationship material with young readers.
For more content based reviews see Sarah's Reviews
MUSE is an easy flowing young adult read with strong links to Greek Mythology. It contains some language ("hell", The Lord's name in vain), injuries, fighting (punching a parent, throwing things at a monster), ghosts, use of magic, throwing up, kissing (on lips and neck), bodies pressed together, a butt swat, and an intense desire for physical contact. There is also a significant amount of strife between the main character and the parental figures in the form of verbal fights, and parents demanding that a child keep information from another parent. MUSE is the first in a trilogy.
Parents may want to screen the sexual content and parent-child relationship material with young readers.
For more content based reviews see Sarah's Reviews
March 8, 2013
..... Whut?
Good concept. Terrible story development. Dang it.
Good concept. Terrible story development. Dang it.
March 4, 2013
Read the full review at Witchmag's Boekenplank
I liked the concept of this book. However I wasn’t exactly thrilled with how it’s executed. While reading the book I felt that I was holding an unpolished gem. That could have shone like the brightest star, if only someone had taken the effort to polish it. Unfortunately, the story was unable to shine and throughout I only got glimpses of what great book this could have been. Such a shame…
As I said, I thought the concept was pretty interesting. I love my mythology, especially the Greek one and I absolutely love retellings. It’s great to read a well-known story from a different point of view. It makes you think twice about the original one and discover lots and lots of little details you’ve never seem to notice. Like this story, with the nine muses. Although I knew they existed, I’ve never really paid attention to them. Except when I had to learn about the for my exams (and quickly forgot everything afterwards. It WAS boring…) So I liked refreshing my memory and read about them in a not so stern and I-have-to-remember-it-later book.
I was also happy with the powers. Every muse has a different one. But there seemed to be no reason behind which muse had which powers. As if they were given at random. Each muse was given a “sphere of influence” wouldn’t it be logical if that muse had powers that matched that sphere of influence?
That was the highlight of the story for me. The rest was full of dirt and grime and I had a hard time finishing it. Mostly because of how the girls reacted emotionally. Some things just aren’t possible. Or happen way too fast to make it believable. For example, I can’t believe it’s possible that someone, who’s been pushing people away for years, who build up a massive wall to keep people out, can change in a heartbeat. That’s not how human emotions work. It’s a process that can take quite some time and isn’t fixed with one big fight. This is one of the many examples I could give you where the feelings where not in line with what was happening. And don’t let me get started about the romance in this book!
Then we have the girls, the nine muses. We experience the story though the eyes of Callie, who isn’t exactly the best protagonist out there. She’s unable to make life or death decisions, unable to open her mouth (even when her boyfriend is taken by her “friend”), behaves like a little child who is not able to see the consequences and is capable of ditching her BFF in a heartbeat. Just because she doesn’t have powers… Not someone you’d be able to love, don’t you think? And she stays this way the entire story. There’s no character development at all…
And that was just the tip of the iceberg with things that I didn’t like. But I’ll stop here to spare you guys my ranting.
Conclusion: 1 heart. The only thing I liked was the concept with the muses. It was very refreshing to read about them, since most books only focus on the “big and well-known” gods. However I didn’t like how it was executed. The book didn’t feel credible at all. There’s also a protagonist that I just couldn’t stand, with nada character development and use of human emotions in the most strangest and unbelievable ways. I hope you’ll now understand my low rating for this one.
I liked the concept of this book. However I wasn’t exactly thrilled with how it’s executed. While reading the book I felt that I was holding an unpolished gem. That could have shone like the brightest star, if only someone had taken the effort to polish it. Unfortunately, the story was unable to shine and throughout I only got glimpses of what great book this could have been. Such a shame…
As I said, I thought the concept was pretty interesting. I love my mythology, especially the Greek one and I absolutely love retellings. It’s great to read a well-known story from a different point of view. It makes you think twice about the original one and discover lots and lots of little details you’ve never seem to notice. Like this story, with the nine muses. Although I knew they existed, I’ve never really paid attention to them. Except when I had to learn about the for my exams (and quickly forgot everything afterwards. It WAS boring…) So I liked refreshing my memory and read about them in a not so stern and I-have-to-remember-it-later book.
I was also happy with the powers. Every muse has a different one. But there seemed to be no reason behind which muse had which powers. As if they were given at random. Each muse was given a “sphere of influence” wouldn’t it be logical if that muse had powers that matched that sphere of influence?
That was the highlight of the story for me. The rest was full of dirt and grime and I had a hard time finishing it. Mostly because of how the girls reacted emotionally. Some things just aren’t possible. Or happen way too fast to make it believable. For example, I can’t believe it’s possible that someone, who’s been pushing people away for years, who build up a massive wall to keep people out, can change in a heartbeat. That’s not how human emotions work. It’s a process that can take quite some time and isn’t fixed with one big fight. This is one of the many examples I could give you where the feelings where not in line with what was happening. And don’t let me get started about the romance in this book!
Then we have the girls, the nine muses. We experience the story though the eyes of Callie, who isn’t exactly the best protagonist out there. She’s unable to make life or death decisions, unable to open her mouth (even when her boyfriend is taken by her “friend”), behaves like a little child who is not able to see the consequences and is capable of ditching her BFF in a heartbeat. Just because she doesn’t have powers… Not someone you’d be able to love, don’t you think? And she stays this way the entire story. There’s no character development at all…
And that was just the tip of the iceberg with things that I didn’t like. But I’ll stop here to spare you guys my ranting.
Conclusion: 1 heart. The only thing I liked was the concept with the muses. It was very refreshing to read about them, since most books only focus on the “big and well-known” gods. However I didn’t like how it was executed. The book didn’t feel credible at all. There’s also a protagonist that I just couldn’t stand, with nada character development and use of human emotions in the most strangest and unbelievable ways. I hope you’ll now understand my low rating for this one.
June 11, 2012
I received this book in a giveaway, however it's a autographed copy so I'm super lucky.
The story centers mostly from Callie's point of view, she's your typical teenage girl trying to make it through school when she wakes up on her birthday to have the ability to freeze time. Her grandmother encourages her while her mother tries to kill it before anything can happen. Through they story Callie learns that she's a descendant from the Greek muses and that she's not the only one there are nine of them in this generation all united. All Callie could think about before the morning of her birthday was getting her drivers licence she is one of the first of her friends to drive since her birthday is first. She's confronted by the popular mean girl who also happens to be a muse.
Callie must learn to juggle her new friends with her old friends, keep her parents on the down low, and possibly find love. But people aren't always what they appear and evil lurks in the shadows waiting for it's chance to destroy the Muses. Through Clio's visions the girls learn who else will be joining them as well as the not so good that. As they start to work as a team a chance at love threatens to tear the girls apart.
I found the book very refreshing a exciting entertaining twist on mythology. Who doesn't love a story of good vs evil I know I do and I found the story easy to get into. I found that the characters are well written I feel like I could visualize them easily as if I was there watching over there shoulders. I love a book that can suck me and leave me wanting more. I had a hard time putting this book down if not for real life I would of read it non-stop. Callie is this very likable girl you can't help liking her, she's sweet, innocent, caring, and most of all reminded me a lot of me as a teenager. I really love this book it had everything I could ask for in a book. I hope for another book.
The story centers mostly from Callie's point of view, she's your typical teenage girl trying to make it through school when she wakes up on her birthday to have the ability to freeze time. Her grandmother encourages her while her mother tries to kill it before anything can happen. Through they story Callie learns that she's a descendant from the Greek muses and that she's not the only one there are nine of them in this generation all united. All Callie could think about before the morning of her birthday was getting her drivers licence she is one of the first of her friends to drive since her birthday is first. She's confronted by the popular mean girl who also happens to be a muse.
Callie must learn to juggle her new friends with her old friends, keep her parents on the down low, and possibly find love. But people aren't always what they appear and evil lurks in the shadows waiting for it's chance to destroy the Muses. Through Clio's visions the girls learn who else will be joining them as well as the not so good that. As they start to work as a team a chance at love threatens to tear the girls apart.
I found the book very refreshing a exciting entertaining twist on mythology. Who doesn't love a story of good vs evil I know I do and I found the story easy to get into. I found that the characters are well written I feel like I could visualize them easily as if I was there watching over there shoulders. I love a book that can suck me and leave me wanting more. I had a hard time putting this book down if not for real life I would of read it non-stop. Callie is this very likable girl you can't help liking her, she's sweet, innocent, caring, and most of all reminded me a lot of me as a teenager. I really love this book it had everything I could ask for in a book. I hope for another book.
June 10, 2012
I had heard absolutely nothing about this book until I received a request from the author asking me if I wanted to read it. Janica L. Stoff then sent me a paper back copy in exchange for an honest review. It took me a while to actually pick it up and get started. For that I am genuinely sorry because it was a refreshing read.
I love paranormal and fantasy stories and I’m a sucker for anything that deals with mythology. Because of that, it should be no surprise that I liked Muse. Callie was one of nine descendants of the original Greek Muses. This generation marked the first time that all nine would be together. It also marked a time when an evil power would come to destroy them all.
The story flowed well and the characters were fairly easy to relate to. At times the dialog switched a little between being casual and formal, but it wasn’t enough to distract the reader from the tale that Stoff has woven. I probably caught on to who the ‘bad’ guy was a little earlier than I was supposed to, but I could have just as easily have been wrong. It always keeps things interesting when the players switch back and forth. The pace was pretty quick, especially in the last chapters and I got to a point where I just had to know what was going to happen with these girls.
There’s no mention of whether or not there will be a sequel to Muse, but from the way the book ends, I’d say that there is more in store for this group of friends.
I love paranormal and fantasy stories and I’m a sucker for anything that deals with mythology. Because of that, it should be no surprise that I liked Muse. Callie was one of nine descendants of the original Greek Muses. This generation marked the first time that all nine would be together. It also marked a time when an evil power would come to destroy them all.
The story flowed well and the characters were fairly easy to relate to. At times the dialog switched a little between being casual and formal, but it wasn’t enough to distract the reader from the tale that Stoff has woven. I probably caught on to who the ‘bad’ guy was a little earlier than I was supposed to, but I could have just as easily have been wrong. It always keeps things interesting when the players switch back and forth. The pace was pretty quick, especially in the last chapters and I got to a point where I just had to know what was going to happen with these girls.
There’s no mention of whether or not there will be a sequel to Muse, but from the way the book ends, I’d say that there is more in store for this group of friends.
September 19, 2012
“The last thing Callie expected to receive for her sixteenth birthday was the power to freeze time.”
So where’s the sequel? When is it coming out?? Yes, “Muse” is that good!
Callie and her friends (or, in some cases, frenemies) form an alliance to fight evil with good – of course, it takes both time and thought to determine exactly who is the enemy and who and how they must fight. This group of high schoolers, however, is smart, savvy, and fearless and will likely triumph if all goes according to the plan….
Believable characters, well-developed plot, and original story all come together to make this a definite must-read. New author Janica Stoff has a winner on her hands, and one read will make you an immediate fan, waiting anxiously for a second book.
So where’s the sequel? When is it coming out?? Yes, “Muse” is that good!
Callie and her friends (or, in some cases, frenemies) form an alliance to fight evil with good – of course, it takes both time and thought to determine exactly who is the enemy and who and how they must fight. This group of high schoolers, however, is smart, savvy, and fearless and will likely triumph if all goes according to the plan….
Believable characters, well-developed plot, and original story all come together to make this a definite must-read. New author Janica Stoff has a winner on her hands, and one read will make you an immediate fan, waiting anxiously for a second book.
June 7, 2012
I hadn't really been in a reading mood recently so I wasn't really expecting to get very far when I picked up Muse the other day. However once I started it, I just couldn't put it down. I love the characters in this story. They just jump off the page. Callie seems like exactly the kind of girl I would have loved to have for a friend when I was her age and her adventures are exciting and fun.
It's a blend of high school drama, Greek mythology, and teen fantasy and they work so well together to create a very unique and remember-able story.
Thank you for getting me back into reading!
It's a blend of high school drama, Greek mythology, and teen fantasy and they work so well together to create a very unique and remember-able story.
Thank you for getting me back into reading!
August 13, 2012
I happy to have received the book through the Goodreads giveaway program.
When Callie receives the power to freeze time in her sixteen birthday her life is turned upside down. To make the matters worst, her worst enemy seems to know her secret and a evil creature plots against them all.
It is a light and very pleasant reading reading. The style allows the reader to step on and find himself unable to leave it. A very good book, i just can't wait to read more from this author.
When Callie receives the power to freeze time in her sixteen birthday her life is turned upside down. To make the matters worst, her worst enemy seems to know her secret and a evil creature plots against them all.
It is a light and very pleasant reading reading. The style allows the reader to step on and find himself unable to leave it. A very good book, i just can't wait to read more from this author.
May 17, 2012
3.5 star rating.
I really wanted to like this book enough to give it a 5 star rating, but it was just a little too juvenile enough for my tastes. Callie was a likeable enough character, but there was something missing from the book as a whole. There wasn't enough Greek Mythology, and I figured out who the bad guy was like...five seconds after the character was introduced.
I really wanted to like this book enough to give it a 5 star rating, but it was just a little too juvenile enough for my tastes. Callie was a likeable enough character, but there was something missing from the book as a whole. There wasn't enough Greek Mythology, and I figured out who the bad guy was like...five seconds after the character was introduced.
skimmed-and-dnf
June 23, 2012I won a copy of this through First Reads and was pretty excited about it because I love Greek mythology. But I'm abandoning it (for now) because I'm just not getting into it. I'm withholding a star rating since I only read about a quarter in. It isn't bad but it's a bit "younger" YA than I was expecting and doesn't really mesh with my current reading proclivities.
November 15, 2012
This is not my normal genre but I LOVED IT! Cannot wait for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews