Nice Shot, Cupid!

Myth-O-Mania #4

by Kate McMullan

Puts a modern spin on the myth of how Cupid stuck himself with one of his own arrows and fell in love, as told by Hades, Ruler of the Underworld.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Childrens, Humor, Middle Grade

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Kate McMullan is an American children's book author.
She is the author of the Dragon Slayers' Academy series. She is married to author and illustrator James McMullan.

She also has books published under the name: Katy Hall.

Reviews

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Shot, Cupid is the fourth book in the Myth-O-Mania series from Capstone Kids.
I think I liked this story better than Say Cheese, Medusa. It's not that this is a better story but I understand the rythym of the books better now. There's a lot to be said about Kate McMullan's myth books.
Nice Shot, Cupid tells the story of Psyche and Cupid. Psyche was the beautiful daughter of a king and Cupid, the son of Aphrodite. Mortals were so taken with Psyche's beauty that they stopped worshipping the goddess Aphrodite. Angry, Aphrodite told Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a horrible man but Cupid feel in love with her himself.
Psyche is kidnapped and all she can think of is her love for the Voice, which is Cupid behind a curtain. When she sees him, she knows he's her true love but Aphrodite won't let her be with him until she's completed a series of tasks. The list of tasks continue to grow as Psyche ages.
Without Hades help, Psyche would never be able to settle down with Cupid and find happiness.
I loved Psyche. She's beautiful but that doesn't matter to her. She's kind and thoughtful. She's willing to accept her fate but doesn't mind doing the hard work. She loves Cupid so she doesn't mind all the tasks Aphrodite makes her do.
It's a sweet story of love, perseverance and gratitude. I highly recommend it for all ages. It's a great introduction into Greek Myths and a good catalyst for discussing good personality traits.

[Nu Jahat Jabin · Rating 5 out of 5]

এই সিরিজটা রাখছিলাম শাটলে পড়ার জন্য। বোরিং সময় পার করার জন্য হাস্যকর কিছু লাইফে দরকার আছে।
ইদানীং সবাই মিথ নিয়ে লিখে তার ভিতর আবার বেশির ভাগের পছন্দই গ্রিক মিথ । যাই হক সারাজীবন আমরা গ্রিক মিথ শিখে আসছি জিউসের দৃষ্টি কোন থেকে । সারাজীবন শুনে আসছেন জিউস হ্যান ত্যান। পরিবারের ছোট ছেলে হয়েও জিউস কিনা অধীশ্বর আর চুনকালি মাখা হেডিস পাতালে গিয়ে পড়ে আছে , তাও সেখানে গিয়ে যদি ভাল কিছু করত । পার্সিফোনরে অপহরন করে দুনিয়াকে মৃত বানায় ফেলা থেকে কত্ত কিছু করেছে !! আরে থামেন সবই তো শুনছে জিউসের মত ন্যাকা চরিত্রহীন (!!) দেবতা থেকে । হেডিসের নিজের মুখেও কিছু শুনেন

হেডিসের নিজের মুখ থেকে গ্রিক মিথ শোনার জন্য এই সিরিজ - এখন পর্যন্ত সিরিজটা আমার বেশ ভালই লেগেছে ফুলটুস মজা আর নতুন দৃষ্টিকোন থেকে গ্রিক মিথ দেখতে পাওয়া । যদিও সে চিজ মেডুসা পরে কিছুটা আগ্রহ হারিয়ে ফেলছিলাম তাও পরের বইটা ধরে এক টানা বসে শেষ করে ফেললাম এইটা ।
গ্রিক মিথে আমার সব চেয়ে প্রিয় কাহিনী কিউপিড সাইকির প্রেম কাহিনী সেই প্রেম কাহিনী নতুন ভাবে জানতে পারাটা আসলেই জোশ <3

[Reading Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all familiar with Zeus’ version of Cupid and Psyche’s story. Well, it turns out that Zeus is a bit of a myth-o-maniac, someone who spins wild myths that are not entirely true. Now it’s Hades chance to tell the REAL story.

In this version of the famous myth, Cupid is struggling with typical teen problems when he falls for Psyche. Aphrodite gets jealous of Psyche and things begin to spin out of control. This is most certainly NOT the original myth, but it is an entertaining take-off that had me laughing along.

This series has 8 books that can be read in any order. I want to read them all. They are being re-released with splashy new covers on August 1, 2011.

RATING

5 Loved

COVER COMMENTS

Look at goofy geeky Cupid! He has a red robe and red love arrows. Sweet. I love cartoon covers on middle grade books and this is no exception.

[Hyzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't explain why I finished this except that I was hoping it would at some point turn into a Rick Riordan novel. (And it was quite quite short.)

It did not.

Maybe I was expecting too much from it, given how much I loved the entirety of the Percy Jackson series, but this was just not a whole lot of fun. It tried to be. It really did. I could tell every time they said something silly or Hades made some overly-modern reference or something unexpectedly ridiculous happened.

It just did not work for me at all. I didn't find it funny, I didn't find it compelling, and I didn't like what they did to the mythology. This wasn't just about making certain characters more or less sympathetic than I have previously read, but several of the mythological figures seemed kind of "out of character" in that they did things I had trouble really rationalizing. It might have been an issue of the characters not being fleshed out enough--I might have understood some of these things better had I known more (and thus cared more) about the characters and their motivations.

It's possibly reading it "out of order" (this is technically the fourth in a series, apparently, though I didn't realize when I picked it up.) caused some of that problem, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it much more had I had more background, simply because I felt like the characters that seemed to be introduced in this story were not well-developed either.

I might just have been requiring way too much from the book, but it really grated on my nerves and the love story was kind of awful (I know, Greek myths, but this was quite bad by the end) and I won't be picking up another one in the series to check.

[Crystal ✬ Lost in Storyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at Imaginary Reads.

Reading Nice Shot, Cupid! reminded me of how much I love McCullan’s Myth-O-Mania series, where Hades tells us the ‘true’ stories behind Greek myths. She has modernized the Greek gods and goddesses, giving them unique personalities and very human problems. While it isn’t the best series to offer children when you want to teach them what we know as the Greek myths, it does make for an enjoyable read, especially when you already know the stories!

In this story, Cupid isn’t as hot as you think the god of love should be. In fact, he’s suffering from normal teenage beauty problems—pimples and braces and a gangly teenage body. Of course, since Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, she does everything in her power to provide beauty products for him, making him feel disheartened by his appearances. So when he falls in love with Psyche, a beautiful mortal princess, he decides not to take chances courting her in person. Instead, he kidnaps her and doesn’t let her look at him.

The story follows Hades as he does everything in his power to help Cupid gain more confidence in himself and arrange a happily ever after for Cupid and Psyche. I love how Cupid reminds us of any teenage boy suffering from puberty. I love how strong and beautiful Psyche is, and how true she remains to her love even after seeing Cupid in all his teen glory. And I love the sense of humor that Hades possesses. I recommend this for those looking for a fun, light-hearted read at the middle-grade and even elementary-grade level.

[Cleffairy Cleffairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at: Over A Cuppa Tea
Date reviewed: 10 June 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=5479

This is definitely one book your mythologist would definitely won’t approve of. ‘Nice Shot, Cupid!’ is a part of Myth o Mania series and it will surely make you go wacko with the the re-tellings of famous mythological stories.

In this one, Cupid is painted as a wimpy geek with a not so attractive feature but fancies Psyche

I couldn’t help myself but laugh when I read this version of the story about Cupid and Psyche. Highly recommended to those who loved mythology and those who are in desperate need of witty humour.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from Capstone via Netgalley. I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This amusing updated version of the story of the love between an immortal, Cupid, and a mortal, Psyche, would have it that Cupid is an awkward teenage phase when he meets the beauty, and worries that she will be repulsed by his acne and braces. Psyche breaks her word to him so that she can see what he really looks like, and then must toil for years doing tasks for Cupid's mother Aphrodite. Related by Hades, the lord of the Underworld, the story bears his particular imprint on its events. The pop cultural references and stylings--Hades calls Persephone "P-phone," for instance--may add to the story's appeal for modern readers.

[Panda TheTim · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny!!!

[Mella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth where Cupid is actually a pimply faced teenager god going through his awkward stage. I didn't like this one as much as the previous books - mainly because the Furies didn't make a very big appearance and I wasn't all that fond of Cupid or Psyche - but I like the lighthearted narration and the masterful way McMullan weaves in modern references. I liked the use of the nursery rhymes in her tasks - The Ants Go Marching and “‘Baa-baa Rambow, have you any wool?’ ‘Yes, Psyche! Yes, Psyche! Three bags full.’ ‘May I snip some wool, sir?’ the hopeful Psyche asked. ‘To give Aphrodite and so complete this task?’”

McMullan, Kate. Nice Shot, Cupid! (Myth-O-Mania Book 4) (p. 128). Capstone Press. Kindle Edition. I laughed out loud at this line;

“Oh, Tartarus!” (that’s old Greek speak for %#!@) I exclaimed.

McMullan, Kate. Nice Shot, Cupid! (Myth-O-Mania Book 4) (p. 34). Capstone Press. Kindle Edition.

4 stars for target audience, 3 for me.

[Christ Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about a boy named Cupid who was sent by his mom Aphrodite to put a lovely women Psyche to fall in love with a ugly men because the mortal s started worshipping her instead of Aphrodite.But when Cupid saw Psyche,he fell in love with her immediately whom was reluctant in making Psyche fall in love with the ugly man to make her ugly.I like this book very much because it is exciting and Hades talks about this story in a kind way.I prefer teenagers to read this book because it is quite funny and interesting as I think.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a great spin on the myth of Cupid and Psyche. This is how I first learned about that myth and to be honest, this book changed less than I was expecting. Cupid is a pimply teenager and Aphrodite is an Italian mother, but the plot is way similar. It’s also hilarious how Cupid is a pimply boy who says “man, Psyche!” (Or at least that’s how I remember it). When I first read the book, I didn’t understand Aphrodite’s Italian mother stereotype, but on one of my rereads I got it and it cracked me up. This is probably my favorite Myth-o-mania book.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun take on Greek Myths from Hades perspective as the misunderstood big brother. We've been studying Greek Myths and were ready for some light hearted fun after reading several books written in traditional style. A humorous take on the original myths following the outline of the traditional versions of the stories from the perspective of the first born of Chronos.

[Mama Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Submitted by Sylvie, age 9:
This book was so fun to read. It made me even more interested in Greek myths than I was before, and now I'm reading A LOT of more books about all different kinds of myths, especially Greek ones. It was also really funny reading it all from Hades's point of view on Cupid. I really enjoyed reading this funny book. I even read it two times!

[Randelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different take on the myth. I think the discussion and write prompts at the end of the books are fantastic for mid grade kids. This series is a great way to get kids interested in mythology.

[Treagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

the princess is my favorite character.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute, easy read in this series. If you liked the first three, you'll like this one as well.

[Historic Hummingbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol I loved it! SO funny!

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was more silly than the others, but I liked Hades following around for the action.

[Brice Culhane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3.5 stars. I really enjoy these retellings, I loved them as a kid and as an adult they are still rather enjoyable.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read via NetGalley

This was strange book. Yes, it was quite cute for a greek myth based novel. But it was not my type of reading. It was quite odd and strange for and old tale like this one to be turned into a modern one. There were touches of ancient times, like kings, but there were some new aspects like pimple cream.

The Plot- Cupid is a teenager god who is going through puberty like every other god did. Except one, his mother, Aphrodite, who rose out of the sea. The god has pimples, braces and a very ugly (well in my opinion, just look at the cover of the book) face.

While working on an assignment his mother gives him of making Pysche, a beautiful mortal, fall in love with the world's ugliest man, Cupid of course falls in love with her. Hades, the underworld god, sees it all.

Cupid with the help of his father kidnaps Psyche and houses her at Zeus' little vacation home. Every night, he talks to her behind a curtain. She never peeks behind the curtain until Psyche's jealous sisters, Muffy and Buffy, trick her into looking at the pimple faced Cupid. Now Psyche has to complete Aphrodite's lists to ever see Cupid again.

5 Likes/Dislikes

1. - This is ridiculous. It is told from Hades' point of view. Hades in this series is a total weirdo; obsessed with wrestling, calls Persephone "P-Phone" and helps out mortals!!! Does that sound like the god who is forbidden to enter Olympus everyday except winter solstice?

2. - The characters are irritating in their own way. Good job, author, for creating a book with only irritating characters, that's a first. Here's a list of how every character is irritating. Now that I think about it, maybe that was the point of the author.

Cupid- Obsessed with pimple cream and his ugliness

Psyche- Love singing weird songs. She sang 99 bottles of beer on the wall to Hades. She loves singing songs that don't rhyme well too.

Hades- Loves calling people and animals by nicknames. I have mentioned P-Phone. But have I mentioned Cerby, Tisi, Alec and Meg. Guess who they are.

Aphrodite- Speaks really really really bad Italian and calls everyone by their Roman name.

Persephone- Always agrees with Hades. C'mon, a girl needs to disagree once in a while.

Muffy and Buffy- They're creepy. There is never a moment that they are not jealous of their sister. But that's who they are.

3. + The story somewhat kept up with the real myth, even with the mix of modern and ancient. That was pretty cool.

4. - The cover is the scariest thing I have ever seen. Cupid's face is bigger than his whole body. Gladly, the cover is not on GoodReads currently. If it was, I'd die of laughter looking at it as I am typing this review up.

5. - The ending made no sense whatsoever. It just ended rather suddenly without a good epilogue. Well, there is an epilogue. But it is not really about the story, it is about the next book in the series. That is not what epilogues are supposed to be about. They are supposed to end the story. Well I kind of have to admit, the story did end at the epilogue.

I did not really like this book. If it was less creepy, I might have liked it better.

[Julie Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Opinion: I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first experience with the Myth-O-Mania series of books and I have to say that I absolutely loved it! Since each book tackles a different myth, you don't have to read them in order to be able to follow what's happening, which is good for me because I plan on going back and reading them from the beginning, that's how much fun I had reading Nice Shot, Cupid!

This book tells the"true" story of Cupid and Psyche according to Hades, God of the Underworld, because, as he puts it, "When it comes to myths, you can count on me, Hades, to give you the real deal." I have to admit that Hades has always been my favorite god because he's so dark and mysterious, dealing with the dead all the time, etc. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he has a wicked sense of humor and a great deal of love for his family, and mortals who may need his help. The humor in this book is tailored to the MG age group, i.e. "Yo, Hades!" Cupid said. "Am I ever glad to see you, man!" ... "Yo, Cupid," I called back to him, wondering what exactly "Yo!" meant. He calls his wife, Persephone, P-Phone, and drives around in a chariot pulled by his steeds, Harley and Davidson!

Hades is also quite the romantic. When Cupid falls in love with Psyche but is too embarrassed to show her what he looks like (because in this series, Cupid is a teenager, covered in zits, with a mouth full of metal and greasy hair), he kidnaps her and takes her to one of Zeus's palaces where he speaks to her from behind a curtain (which she promises never to look behind), and figures that he'll keep her there like that until he gets through this awkward teenage phase he feels stuck in. Hades tries to help Cupid realize that he should be honest with Psyche and trust that she will see past his appearance to the love struck man inside, but unfortunately, Cupid's mother dearest, Aphrodite, shows up and all of Hades work goes to hell in a handbasket!

This was really such a fun book that I would recommend it to all MG readers who love a good laugh and don't mind reading an alternative "truth" to all of our favorite Greek myths :D I give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m reviewing this for NetGalley.

Nice Shot Cupid is the fourth book in the Myth-O-Mania series by Kate McMullan. This series is being reprinted.

The Myth-O-Mania series are told in Hades’ perspective because according to him Zeus is a liar and told the myths wrong. In the classic tale of Psyches and Cupid, Cupid is handsome and Psyche is beautiful. In Hades’ telling, Psyche still is beautiful but Cupid has pimples, greasy hair, and braces. Aphrodite also speaks Italian because she’s insecure about springing from sea foam.

I was psyched when I saw this on NetGalley. I love mythology in general and even took a World Mythology class in high school. I liked that the myth was still recognizable. I found Cupid to be annoying because have the liberal use of calling Hades man. I also couldn’t stand Aphrodite speaking in Italian, but I did like that the author told what it meant in English. There is a glossary in the back of the book that had information about gods, goddesses, etc. It was in Hades POV, but it still had the basic information. There were some times I cringed like when Hades called Persephone P-Phone and Phoney, as well as calling Cerberus, Cerbie. For the most part, I did like reading Hades’ perspective. I understand people calling someone by a nickname, but when it’s Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, it’s definitely cringe-worthy. I do think some kids will like this, but there will be kids who love mythology that might not the liberties taken with this story.

[Meg Mirza · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fast-paced, breezy slang-filled version of the Cupid and Psyche myth changes plenty of details, but actually stays fairly true to the basic plot arc of the original myth. First, we get a quick rundown on who all the major players are. The story is narrated by Hades, who in this version, is more of a misunderstood good guy who's been given a bad rap. Cupid is an awkward teenager with pimples and braces, accidentally scratching himself with one of his arrows causing him to fall in love with... himself! He sounds like a surfer, peppering his speech with lots of phrases like, "dude" and "man." His mother, Aphrodite, is a bossy, funny woman prone to speaking in Italian, since she rose fully-grown out of the Italian sea. In the meantime, Psyche has been promised to marriage to Cupid, and is goaded by her sisters Muffy and Buffy into finding out what, exactly, her invisible husband looks like. In doing so, she angers Aphrodite, and must out-perform Hercules' labors to get back in Aphrodite's good graces again. The silliness level in this book is easily amped up to 11, what with Hades calling Psyche by the nickname, "P-phone," and plenty of anachronisms like motorcycle riding, WWF-style wrestling and so on.

This reprint (first published in 2002) is sure to cash in on the Percy Jackson excitement with a lot of young readers. In terms of tone, and reading level, this will appeal to readers who are right on board with goofy humor like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but may find Percy Jackson just a skoche too challenging at the moment.

[Hao huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Shot, Cupid! It is the fourth series of Myth-O-Mania by Kate McMullan. This is about how the god of the love Cupid fell in love with the most gorgeous female mortal called Psyche, which made him self-abased about his face because he’s in god-teens stage. (like the poor face now we have!) But his mum doesn’t like Psyche because Psyche is more gorgeous than her so the male mortal doesn’t go to her temple anymore but following Psyche around. And Hades helped Cupid and Psyche get married at last.

The most romantic parts begins when Cupid kidnapped Psyche, he wanted to keep her until his face had change back into the handsome god as before. Then Hades came and talked to Cupid, soon Hades found out that Cupid loves Psyche but felt unconfident with his face. Later Cupid’s mum found out that her son had fell in love with Psyche, she immediately stopped them, and made 10 tasks for Psyche to completed if she ever want to see Cupid again.(when immortal gave task it is normally impossible for mortal, you know) So with Hades' help Psyche finished the 10 tasks then Hades gone back Underworld again, he thought Psyche'll be fine and live happily with Cupid. But sometime later Psyche came to the Underworld to ask for help. Then Hades found out some problems with Cupid's mum.

This book is as romantic as the second series of the series Myth-O-Mania. I liked it.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Impression:
I decided to read this book from Netgalley for a few different reasons. I'm a huge fan of Capstone and Stone Arch books and love buying them for my library. Also, I've been looking for more books to buy that deal with mythology. The book also looked like a fun read, so I gave it a try.

While Reading:
I just love the fact that Hades is the narrator of this book. I've been a wee bit ruined by Disney, so I of course pictured him right off as the character from Hercules, but this book did a great job of changing it up a bit. There's definitely some added content to the tale and the narration is humorous and full of life and draws the reader into the tale.

I like how involved Hades is in the book while narrating and adds his own little spark to the situations unraveling. The series will be one I'll be putting in my library because it seems like a quick and easy read for my students who are interested in mythology but aren't quite ready for some of the harder books involving this subject.

Verdict:
Nice Shot, Cupid! is a book that will have you laughing and wanting to share this book with someone. I can't wait to see what my students think about it.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Myth-O-Mania series by Kate McMullan. These books are fun to read and have a youthful and humorous perspective that makes it simple for people to remember the various characters and their stories.

We are balancing these fun tales off with more classic fare, like The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey by Rosemary Sutcliff, so our girls can hear the original tales, too.

This book offers a humorous take on the story of Cupid and Psyche - we really enjoyed the wit and wry sarcasm. The tale was rendered with enough fidelity to recognize the story, but it was still a very different version. It's an entertaining and quick read.

[Tillie Torpey · Rating 3 out of 5]

McMullan, K. and Ziber, D. (2011). Nice Shot, Cupid! (Myth-O-Mania). Stone Arch Books.

Theme/Topic: The experience of Cupid falling in love with Psyche through the god of the underworld, Hades perspective

Critique (comments, observations, questions):
Reading this book, I understood the job specializations for the Greek gods and goddesses, but it was particularly fascinating to read about the gods experiencing human experiences. For example, Cupid has the experience of falling in love with a human and has so many insecurities that he don’t know if the human, Psyche will like him.

Various Teaching Ideas:
I think a good teaching lesson from this book would be teaching students to be confident within them; that yes, there will be times in their lives they will feel insecure because of someone they like. But, they must accept themselves and make sure the person they want to be with accepts them too.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction; Juvenile
3 stars

As the fourth installment in Kate McMullan’s myth-o-mania mythological series, Nice Shot, Cupid tells the story of Cupid and Psyche, only slightly different. It is not told in the familiar Zeus version but from Hades point of view or has he likes to say; the REAL story.

While not the original myth; McMullan modernizes her version and makes Cupid a pimply faced teenager who is struggling with all the usual teen problems. The beautiful Psyche seems within his reach, but will the jealous Aphrodite cause enough havoc to throw him off course? You’ll have to read to find out!

This is definitely different from any other version of this myth that I’ve ever read before but it was still fun and entertaining. I can see where it would be appealing to young readers who like mythology.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 5-8. I think it might be a little too silly for older students. An extremely light-hearted look at the myth of the Greek god Cupid and the mortal princess Psyche. Many liberties are taken with the traditional version of the myth, some to modernize it, some to increase the appeal to younger readers, but the very basics are still there. The narrator is Hades, who says he is telling the story because Zeus always gets the facts wrong. Things the reader will encounter that were not in the classical version: Hades is a big wrestling fan (Eagle Eye Cyclops is his favorite); Psyche had a couple of sisters named Muffy and Buffy; and Aphrodite likes to sprinkle her conversation with Italian.

If students are looking for a serious retelling, they will be disappointed, but this version is enjoyable for one looking for entertainment.

[Mackenzie]

Nice shot! Cupid is a book about Cupid's day told by Hades. In this book Cupid is a teenager and has problems with his mom because his mom is Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty, so he feels he is letting her down. Cupid also has problems with love because of his pimples. I can make a connection with Cupid because he's a teenager and i'm a teenager. I would recommend this to anyone you likes myths. I hope you will look into reading Nice Shot! Cupid.