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Sphinx #2

Demigods and Monsters

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Can Apollo’s curse be broken?
Seventeen-year-old Hope Nicholas is done running. Apollo’s curse has ruled her entire life, limiting her choices and robbing her of the things that matter most. But she refuses to live in fear any longer. In fact, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to break the god’s power over her existence.
When the goddess Artemis instructs Hope to impersonate a demigod and infiltrate a conservatory to get access to the Olympian library, she doesn’t hesitate. As she sees it, there’s nothing left to lose.
But once inside, Hope discovers the only way to get what she needs is to work with her sworn enemies. As the lines between demigod and monster are crossed again and again, Hope has to dig deep for the courage to accept her fate or fight for the freedom to save herself.
Demigods and Monsters is the second book in the Sphinx series.

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2016

335 people are currently reading
1091 people want to read

About the author

Raye Wagner

35 books1,217 followers
RAYE WAGNER is the USA Today Bestselling author of young adult fantasy books, but she hates writing bios. She’d much rather tell you a story. She’s partial to fantasy, with dragons or magic or something so she can lie and not feel guilty. She also has an obsession with sweets (all the bakery goodies), nerf wars, wigs, and occasionally tutus.

When she isn’t writing, shenanigating (I’m sure that’s a word), or lying, Raye is with her family . . . preferably at the beach.

Come chat with me! I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me via Facebook (Raye Wagner), Twitter (@rayewagner), Instagram (rayewagnerauthor), or her website: rayewagner.com

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
Profile Image for Ben Alderson.
Author 31 books14.4k followers
July 14, 2016
4.5

A really REALLY good sequel.
God, I have to say, the indie authors really know how to write a GOOD sequel!

If you love Greek Mythology, set in a modern day work where Greek Gods and Monsters and Demi-Gods are known to exist, then you will love this.....


now don't read any more for spoilers..









So, Hope really grew into herself this book. I really enjoyed the whole idea of 'hiding in plain sight'. Pretending to be a DemiGod, even though she is the Sphinx the Demi-Gods are after. The ending really sets up the third book well. I think its time to see her go crazy and kill some gods!

AND OMG APOLLO TURNED UP TO THE PARTY, FRYING SOME DEMI GODS WHILST HE WAS THERE. god, he was creepy. Like, he kinda is obsessed with Hope. SHE IS HIS DONT FORGET AHSNHABDFAHSBGFHJASG

I need the third book now.
Also as much as Xan was cool, I still have mad love for Athan!

Also, being Greek ( half greek ) I really appreciate when authors are true to mythology and also, write and quote CORRECT greek words and grammar! THANKS RAYE!
Profile Image for stefansbooks.
282 reviews148 followers
August 14, 2017
I just finished Demigods and Monsters for the second time and I loved it even more than the first time I read it😂 5/5⭐️s

Full Review from June 2016:
Curse of the Sphinx review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

So hey, I suppose you have already read Curse or else you wouldn't be here right? Well if you're just lost I would suggest that you leave 'cause my review might contain spoilers:// And if you haven't read Demigods again leave 'cause I'm sure I won't be able to make this a non-spoiler review lol.

Ok, so this was again sent to me for an honest review so here it is:

I again read this in one sitting, until 4am lol. This was again a really great book, and to be honest an excellent sequel to the curse. In this one we follow again Hope, but this time she's trying to break the curse and isn't just sitting around like in the Curse. I think that I liked this even more, with the difference of that I missed the Stanleys :( I really loved those. I hated even more Athan, and I didn't like that much the love triangle. I really love hating characters, so that made the book even better lol. Anw, you see this time Hope has a purpose as I have mentioned, which makes the book have suspense. It was always gripping you know, because she was surrounded by demigods, specially that Endy guy and Obelia! Those 2 were sooooo frustrating lmao. I was glad when Apollo roasted him and those 3 annoying half-brothers of his. Ok I kind of felt bad about Obelia having her heart broken by Athan, and then losing her only friend. I was mad at Hope for still having feelings for Athan and for her not wanting to be with Xan, 'cause even though an as*, Xan was better from Athan, even though he slaughtered half of the monsters and hunted Hope and her mother when she was a kid lmao. I was glad that Hope still had Dahlia as a friend and wasn't alone + I liked how she trained and we actually got to see a fighting scene, actually 2 of them (one in the market when she defended Obelia and when she fought to defend Athan), I think that none of those deserved her having to defend them, I was practically screaming for her to leave them there to die lol. I still don't trust Priska fully, and I need someone to finally explain to me how can she be Artemis's daughter, 'cause we get that scene at the beginning when she goes at the temple and calls Artemis her mother, yet Artemis is the virgin goddess so yeah that got me confused, 'cause if she was trully her daughter then a scandal would erupt at Olympus and Artemis would lose her name. Anw this book was again action packed, engaging and all the stuff, of course and it was fast paced since I finished it in one sitting and these two books helped me catch a bit on my goodreads challenge yay lol! So I highly recommend these 2 and I would gladly read the Origin (the prequel) of the series :DDD

P.S: I definitely adored Dion lol He spoke Greek and I really like the fact that ms Wagner inserted those few Greek words (even though they were practically wrong gramatically) the effort was great and it was really fun (for me since I understood what they meant idk about others/you though xD)
482 reviews7 followers
May 2, 2016
I want more now please!
Wow, I loved this book, it was even better than the first in the series. I'm so glad that I was given the chance to read & write an honest review for this book as, I'm not kidding you, I loved it.
This follows on a few months after the end of Sphinx, the first book in the series, and after a brief prologue from Athan, jumps right back into Hope's story. There are new characters, some that you love straight off, some that you grow to love and some that you love to hate.
There are plenty more twists & turns in the story which keep you gripped to the edge of your seat, the ending leaves you panting for more and there is one new character to this story who's got my heart all in a twist.
I love the Greek Mythology in these books. It was actually one of my favourite subjects when I was a kid & I'd forgotten how much I loved it, but these books have re-awakened my love of the Greek myths.
If you're a fan of myths and a good story then these are the books for you, trust me you won't regret reading them.
Profile Image for Debbie Bunton.
68 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2017
Demigods and Monsters picks up right where book 1, Curse of the Sphinx, left off. Hope is trying to find a way to break the curse; however, she leaves Athan behind and finds more yumminess to help her. The adventure that follows will make you both laugh and cry. The author appears to have refined her craft a little more in this installment to the series as it does not seem too slow at the beginning as the first one did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I will definitely read the next book by this author.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
102 reviews3 followers
July 1, 2016
I cannot wait for the next book! Loving this series!
Profile Image for Michelle .
2,128 reviews304 followers
April 25, 2016
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Demigods and Monsters is the second book in the young adult, Sphinx series by Raye Wagner. This is a series that must be read in order, so if you have not read Curse of the Sphinx yet, you need to check that out first. (you can find my review for Curse of the Sphinx HERE). Just like with the first book, in Demigods and Monsters,the mythology nerd in me was totally geeking out the whole time. I really, really love how much classic mythology is woven into the story. Raye Wagner clearly knows what she is talking about.

Hope impressed me more in this book than she did in the first book. She is really coming into her own. I didn't love her in the first book. I found her to be a little wimpy, and too much of a follower. She has proven me wrong.Now that we know a little bit about Apollo's curse and who the players in the story are, Hope really can dive into the actual work of breaking the curse in this story. In fact, it was because of Hope, and a change up to the writing style (this book just felt different than the first one.) that I can easily say that I liked Demigods and Monsters a lot more than I liked Curse of the Sphinx. There is obviously still work to be done on the curse front, but book two made me really anxious to get my hands on book three.

The pacing was better, there was more action. There was a trip to the Olympian library...umm hello huge points on this one!...and we get to see even more players from the mythology world. I just knew there was so much potential after reading book one, and I am so happy to see that book two stepped up to the plate big time. Raye Wagner raised the bar with this one. I can't wait for the next book.

P.S. There will be a bigger discussion of guys in the next review because I am still sorting out all of my thoughts on that front. Just note...there are two guys in this story, although I think it is pretty clear who Hope likes. Before I get sidetracked into a long love triangle discussion, just know that I am holding off on joining a team until the next book. More on this to come. :p

Bottom line: this book is a great series for mythology lovers. The books each end on a cliffhanger, so grab both of them and buckle in for a wild ride. I think book two is much better than the first book, so if you are on the fence at the end of book one, keep reading!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Profile Image for Jay G.
1,648 reviews443 followers
September 1, 2016
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I received this book as part of Booktube Tours in exchange for my honest review*

VIDEO REVIEW: https://twitter.com/theawkwardbookw/s...

17 year old Hope is cursed by Apollo, forcing her to become a Sphinx for 2 days and 1 night when Apollo's power is strongest. In hopes of breaking the curse, Hope visits Artemis and is instructed to enter a conservatory to find the answers she needs, under the false pre-tense that she is a demigod.

I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first in the series! Athan is back and still am iffy about him. I also can't decide if I love Xan or hate him with a fiery passion... He is so snarky but something about him just makes you want to like him. The love triangle was a tad confusing at times as Hope's feelings continued to flip back and forth between the two boys. I think I'm team Xan though ;) I enjoyed Hope as a character in this book. She was less naive and whiny and started to stand up for herself. Dion was 100% my favourite character. He was hilarious and made me laugh out loud. I loved the Greek Mythology in this book more than the first. The plot was definitely more developed and I feel like there was a bit more of a back story. The pacing was better and there was a lot more action in this book than the first! The ending of the book set up so nicely for the third book in the series! I'm excited to see where Hope's story goes next!
Profile Image for Maghon Thomas.
1,541 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2016
This is an excellent continuation sequel from book one! We left off from book one on a crazy moment and we start off there. Athan wants Hope, but first he's got to find her. He's willing to sacrifice a lot for her. And I love that he truly loves her and puts her wants and needs first. Even if it costs him. And Hope, well she has grown so much and I love her character, even more in this book. She has a lot on her plate, and now that Xan is around competing with Athan for her, it seems even more complicated. And I liked Xan too! He's kinda the opposite of Athan but I can't figure out which way we're going just yet! Lol and she's finally figured out what she wants and needs and she's gunna get it. And I loved that she's loyal! And we have some other important powerful gods, demigods, people who pop in! I won't spoil things though :)

The writing is great! I loved having the continuation from the first book because I liked it so much! And I look forward to seeing even more in the future! I love that the author has kept my attention and twisted the myths and lore just enough for it to be her own without throwing the whole concept out the window :) and I definitely love the story!! 5 PAWS!!
Profile Image for Teri.
3,918 reviews37 followers
April 29, 2016
I have to admit when I finished book 1 Curse of the Spinx I was on the fence about Demigods and Monsters but hoping for big things. I was not disappointed. Layer by layer the confusion and questions I had were taken away and replaced by a story that made sense of everything and left me smack dab in the middle of a really good read. The story was developed so well and soundly you didn’t even realize it was all falling in place. The characters are strong and the interplay is a work of art. What would you do to free yourself from a curse? What would you do to prove you aren’t a monster? Hope puts on her big girl panties and sets out to do just that. To prove she isn’t a monster and to take her right to choose back into her own hand. While we end book 2 with questions knowing the next story is bound to be just as good if not better, as it has from The Curse of the Spinx to Demigods and Monsters. The boundaries are changing between Monster and Demigod, one can only guess which boundaries will shift next.
Profile Image for Cindy Mathis.
209 reviews2 followers
April 27, 2016
Going to go ahead and lay down the 5 stars on this series! I read this in one sitting because it was impossible to put down. If you love Greek Mythology, pick up this series! Even if you don't, which I admittedly don't know that much about, give it a shot! I'm so glad I did! Can't wait for Book 3!!
Profile Image for Luisa.
543 reviews23 followers
November 16, 2017
This was better than the first, for sure. Things were a bit more well explained but there are still some things that sometimes don't make sense. Anyway, it's a fun, easy read, and the characters are pretty cool. Who wouldn't want a Xan in their lives?! <3
Profile Image for Siri.
1,219 reviews69 followers
February 3, 2017
I liked it even tho i didn't like some of the characters. I also liked the greek mythology, it reminded me of the starcrossed trilogy by Josephine angelini
Profile Image for The Mysterious Reader.
3,588 reviews66 followers
October 25, 2017
I love the world that Raye Wagner built in this series. It's Percy Jackson (a favorite read for my son when he was little) all grown up and on steroids, with Greek Gods, demigods and other assorted mythologicals living openly in an alternative universe of modern day America and beyond. The characters are even more developed than in book 1 and continue to grow. The emotions experienced by the leading characters comes off as being real (misunderstandings included) and the plot is both exciting and well written. This one is very easy to recommend.
Profile Image for Lillian.
1,085 reviews68 followers
April 26, 2016
I received an eARC of this book from Lady Amber's Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I loved Curse of the Sphinx, so I had high expectations for its sequel. Demigods and Monsters by Raye Wagner exceeded all of them! Like the first book, this one starts with a prologue from Athan’s perspective. He’s looking for Hope, who ran after overhearing him and his father talking about her. He has no clue where she is but he wants to find her because he loves her despite that she’s a monster. Hope is back with Priska in Seattle. She is determined to break her curse, but in order to do this she has to find help in the most unlikely place, a conservatory for demigods.

Hope is tired of hiding, she’s tired of lying, and she’s tired of her curse. She wants what everyone wants….freedom. Hope wants the freedom to live her life, choose who to love, and just be herself without the fear of death hanging over her shoulder. I liked Hope in the last book, but I loved her in this one. She is determined and nothing, not even her feelings, will stop her.

Athan….oh Athan! So while reading the first book, I thought he was just a little too charming but seemed sincere with Hope. With him MIA through the first half of the book, Hope finds out some disturbing information about him and his methods of bringing in new demigods. She feels used and rightfully so. BUT I do believe he is sincere where she is concerned. He’s promised that he never lied to her and I believe him….that’s my opinion anyways.

In order for Hope to enter a conservatory, she first has to be invited by and “discovered” as a demigod. Enter Xan. Xan is the demigod son of Ares. At first I didn’t know how to take him. He was a complete jerk (and that’s putting it nicely). He says what he thinks without a filter and makes no apologies for it. The good thing about this is you always know where you stand with him. When he finds Hope and brings her to the conservatory, I had a bit of eye rolling. I knew where it was going, the inevitable love triangle. BUT I’ll be the first to admit that it works well. Xan is a hard character to dislike and as things turn sour with Athan, he becomes Hope’s confidant and most importantly her friend. I have to admit I jumped ships! #TeamXan

The plot of this book really focuses on Hope’s curse and how to break it. I just thought there was a lot of world-building in the last one! This installment is packed full of mythology woven into the unique twists that Wagner writes. It’s seamless! The mythology is a big draw to the book for me and I love seeing it in this urban setting. Seriously the demigods have cell phones! Kind of made me snicker.

Overall I loved every word of this book! I was cheering Hope on and was on the edge of my seat afraid something was going to happen while she was surrounded by demigods. And that ending!!!! UGH!!! I cannot wait to see what will happen next. For fans of the series, you will not be disappointed with this book!
Profile Image for Danissa Macaraig.
59 reviews9 followers
May 2, 2016
First of I wanna send my massive thanks to Sara Meadows and Raye Wagner for the honor of letting me be part of the launching team!


This book is A++mazing! I really loved reading it. The book is fast-paced and intense though it took a little bit to pick up the pace because the first three chapters are a bit slow. But then when you involved the demigods in the scene, that's where all the stuff start going down.
Its just so good, especially when we were introduced to the character of Xan. He's a bit, no a huge, of a jerk to begin with but he started to grow on me when he mentored Hope. The difference that I notice in this book, comparing to The Curse of the Sphinx, is that Hope is not having her countdown on how many days left before she change. There is still but it isn't too out there for its thrilling enough not to be caught as a monster in the conservatory so we don't need to add that time of the month countdown to make us more nervous. I also liked it that we didn't dwell much in the potential love triangle between Hope, Athan and Xan. And speaking of Athan and Xan, there's too much history between those two immortal demigods that makes me wanna grab the next book! Mysteries and intrigues *rubs palms together*. I don't trust Priska, there's a lot of things she's not telling Hope, one moment she's all okay with the plan of the demigods finding them and then the next she's shooing them away from Hope. What is it with demigods and their secrets, I guess immortality does that to a person.
Athan, wow I love him. I can't believe Xan is in the cover and not him, I hope in the next book he'll be in the cover ;). Athan might have his reputation with all the female demigods that he brought in the conservatory in the past, being a sweet talker that he is but then he found Hope and whoo seems like he has found his match. I like Dahlia, her romantic back story made me tear up a little plus she's cool. Those sons of Apollo are plain assholes but I think Endy is better than them its just that maybe because he wants to be part of the Sunshine clique he's acting that way. Maybe. Also I felt bad for Hope when she's hurting because of Athan, it's like I wanna reach out to her and pat her on the back and whisper "Girl, I know how ye feel."
I could keep going but I know I'll end up spoiling the best parts so I'll just leave it to you to read the book.
All in all, the book is amazing and bad ass I ended up loving Hope even more. The writing is good and the development of the newly introduced characters are great, you guys if you haven't read the book yet I suggest you do.
Profile Image for Nina DuBois.
1,858 reviews17 followers
February 20, 2018
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to fall in love with book and expected so much more from it as a sequel, but I am disappointed.

Let me start with the things I enjoyed about this book. There are lots of demigods in this book and I really liked finding out who their parents were and how each child sort of carried the same characteristics as their parent. This was really cool. As Hope is doing her studies at the Conservatory she just so happens to be learning about the gods family tree and I loved that Raye Wagner had real life celebrities past and present be children of gods. The library was very cool and I liked that there were some cameos from other monsters and a few gods as well. I also liked Xan and Dahlia. They were nice, but kinda mean at the same time. There is plenty more action in this book and Hope kicks some serious Skia butt, but Xan is also pretty hardcore. I really enjoyed the direction the story was heading as well.

While I liked where the story was headed I felt that it took too long going anywhere and not enough information is being revealed. All I know is that Hope wants to break the curse and the entire book is spent with her life at the Conservatory, most of which she does not spend finding information. I'm still confused at to where the story is going. My biggest issue with this book is that I really just don't like Hope at all. She is very bratty and always angry at someone or something someone said to her. While she criticizes others for their rudeness and bluntness she is very rude herself. I don't know how many times she's going to get caught while turning into the Sphinx. She has no respect for Priska or empathy whatsoever, not to mention she just leaves and says nothing to Priska for weeks until she magically shows up at the end of the book. Her relationships with Athan was bizarre and he doesn't show up until halfway through the book and she's mad at him and mean to him. Hope ran away from Athan and is judging him off hearsay and won't just confront him. It was very childish. Needless to say I had a lot of issues with Hope.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I was disappointed and was hoping to learn more about the curse or maybe how to break the curse, but I'm more confused than ever and not sure where this story is heading. At this point, the only thing I really liked about this book was the action and the incorporation of Greek mythology in this world. I did like the ending, that's when it gets good. It just came a little too late.
Profile Image for Aldii - perfectioninbooks.
1,301 reviews
April 25, 2016
The Writing:
I enjoy the writing. These books are fast and really enjoyable reads! I like that the prologue and epilogue are from Athan's POV but the rest of the book is from Hope's POV. \

The Story:
Other story that I really liked.
This story has a lot of demigods everywhere and I really like that.
If you don't know these books have a lot of Greek mythology (something I really like) and they are set in a kind of present day, our world but at the same time not. The religion is Greek, they teach Greek mytology in school (wish that happened for real!), people know monsters,demigods and gods are real, they are part of the society (some of them).
I think the world is quite cool because it's different from ours but not all disconnected,which sometimes I forget is different.
In this story there is a kind of love triangle but at the same time it didn't feel that way. It made me think of the love triangle in the Dark Elements trilogy by Jennifer L Armentrout, though it's not as strong as that one.
There are new characters, some that I like, some that I don't, some old characters are back and some of them were back just to disappear again, but maybe they will show up.
There is a lot more danger in this book, less hiding more acting and I liked that.

The Characters:
Hope: I think I liked her more than in the first book. Now she is facing more things and I think she goes through a good character development, which is not finished yet. She is starting to grow, she can be a great warrior and I hope to read that.
Athan: I doubted of everything about him in this book, but I still like him. However I hope to read a lot more of him in the next book.
I want to read more of these two as a couple, a team.
Xan: I really really like him. His personality, he is so honest, he is what he wants to be. Just a great character. He has a past but he has changed and I hope he stays in the books and finds his love.
Priska: Ughh, she was so frustrating but I think I understand why. I'm happy that she didn't really change.
Dhalia: Her personality is a lot like Xan, so I like her, not as much as Xan but anyway. She wasn't bad, she has her businness but she helps when she can.
Obelia: Didn't like her. Nop.

Overall, this was a great sequel. The story changed and we have a new reality full of challenges and surprises. Character development and new characters are introduced that I hope we will read more of them. Fast and enjoyable read with lots of mythology.
Profile Image for Hannah D.
325 reviews53 followers
May 23, 2017
description
A fantastic second installment of the Sphinx series, Demigods and Monsters continues the story of Hope as she fights to stay safe and break the ancient curse the God Apollo placed on her family. Hope is a sphinx, a decedent of the ancient sphinx from Thebes, and she's on the run. Cursed to be a monster known as the sphinx, she's on the run from gods, demigods and Hades's minions. Leaving Athan and the town she was just getting comfortable in behind, Hope is desperately sneaks into a Conservatory for Demigods who would kill her if they knew what she was. Action packed and full of suspense and mystery, Demigods and Monsters had me at the edge of my seat.
Just like in The Curse of The Sphinx, Demigods and Monsters was addicting and left me wanting so much more! I love Hope, she is an extremely well rounded character who is strong and yet at the same time vulnerable. On a more shallow look at her, ever the idea of her is interesting to read about. From how she is on the run to her magical ability to shift into a sphinx, her character was great to read about. Plot wise, Demigods and Monster is very well developed. The story unraveled at a good pace that keeps readers on their toes and doesn't leave them board. The is plenty of mystery and plot twists in this novel that had me unable to put the book down and reading until four in the morning. Romance wise, this book was very good at keeping romantic tension without overdoing it or basing the entire plot off the romance aspect of the novel. I am hooked and simply cannot wait for the next installment of the series. I recommend both Demigods and Monsters, as well as the first book in the series The Curse of the Sphinx! I give Demigods and Monsters the high rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!
description
Want more of me? Go to: http://thenotsopubliclibrary.blogspot...
Profile Image for Bri.
Author 4 books33 followers
April 22, 2016
UGH! Another one!
And I say that with the utmost respect. I read this in 5 hours, with minimal breaks to take care of my family.
I LOVED this one too! And was heartbroken when the end came to soon. Another well written, 5 star deserving read.

Since most of Ms. Wagners reader will not have read this yet I will try to be as respectful of spoilers as I can, but I make no promises.


To follow the form of my review on Curse of the Sphinx, let's get down to character evaluation.

Athan: I was so upset for Athan in the end of Book One. He truely wanted hope, you could tell he wouldn't listen to his father's advice. But, Hope heard what she did and split. I knew we would open this story with him searching for her and he didn't let me down. He proves to be loyal and resourceful, and even when things are strained he always has Hopes best interests in mind. I was thoroughly impressed with how he handles competition for Hopes attention, which brings me to the newest character:

Xan: Now this guy seriously greases my gears. From his snarky attitude, to the marshmallow inside, armed with dimples and tatz, he is a Bullseye on the Brittaini's Book boyfriend lust..I mean list. YA or not.. Nummy. I am so #TeamXan. Not for hope.. For me. Lol.

Hope: Speak of the devil.. Or Sphinx as the case may be. I loved her character growth, she's actually doing something for herself for once. She may be following her mentors schedule for the most part but all her motivation is self centered and I say it looks good on her. She's faced with the boy issues but you can tell where her heart is, and I think it's great that she sticks to her guns even in the face of DemiGod Candy and confusion.

Now, Krista doesn't make an appearance but we go get some more snooty twats, and egotistical males to annoy our main characters. If I could throat punch Obelia, I totally would.

And, without treading on ice that's too thin I must say Hope certainly has some big players in her corner. I may even be able to forgive a little bit of Apollos crazy curse urges for how he handled his sons! Just saying.

5 out of FIVE all the way. I'm bouncing for book three!
Profile Image for Stalking.
291 reviews7 followers
April 25, 2016
The storyline picks up after Hope flees her small hometown to escape the sons of Apollo in The Curse of the Sphinx.
Writing style- Raye Wagner has really refined her style of writing since the first book; it is more polished and flows well. The evolution of her writing is prevalent and remarkable. It is obvious that she has not only researched her genre but surpasses any other books within the ranks of mythology/fiction. To be completely honest, if I had to choose between reading this series or the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, I would without hesitation choose The Sphinx series.
Storyline/Characters- There are some awesome new characters introduced in this book. There are bad guys, good guys, and some I wasn’t quite sure what side they fell on. They are all well developed and thought out. There are questions from the first book that get answered and some new questions presented. I love Hope’s determination and dedication to break her Curse. I think most people could relate to the things she goes through because of what she is versus who she is. It’s a difficult thing for her to deal with yet she never gives up. When running and hiding would be the easiest choice she chooses to fight.
Overall opinion- Since I had a book hangover and re-read it immediately, I have to say my overall opinion of this book is it is a must-read. There is a little bit of a love story in there, a lot of self-discovery, and action. There was never a dull second in this book and I read it in one sitting. I eagerly await the next book in the series and hope like crazy that it’s more than a trilogy. I’ll never get tired of reading about Hope and the Curse of the Sphinx!

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***
Profile Image for Shannon Rogers.
Author 1 book25 followers
May 23, 2016
I became a huge fan of this series from the first page of book 1, Curse of the Sphinx. With Demigods and Monsters, I was pulled even further into Hope's world and fell even harder. It had all of the elements I love... Greek mythology, a mystery to be solved, forbidden love, you name it.

Again, I felt so badly for Hope, rooting for her to find a way to break the curse placed on her. In this story, she's pretty much on her own in a dangerous place surrounded by demigods who would kill her if they knew what she really was. I loved the new strength and confidence she found in this story. I loved the new characters,and the spark she tries to deny she has with her new mentor, Xan. Seriously, I can't figure out which guy I'd want her to be with, because I really like them both for different reasons.

In this book, we get a deeper peak into the mythology of the story, demigods, the Greek gods themselves, and hints of what Hope must do to find the answers she seeks. There were some amazing fight scenes in this story that had me on the edge of my seat.

Altogether, the author did an amazing job with this second book. The story progressed further, new mysteries were revealed, as well as the new characters, which just added more flavor and depth to what I already though was going to be a great series. The book read very quickly, and I finished it in no time at all. I loved it and can't wait to see what happens next!
293 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2016
This is the continuation of Hope's story as she tries to acclimate to life on the run once again, with Priska invading every aspect of her life. Hope hits rock bottom with her grades which is an indicator of her state of mind, to go from straight A's to barely passing.

Priska's demigod status is also explored with her shifting ages to blend into school life, to watch Hope more closely. The idea of trying to break the curse becomes paramount, with a very risky plan starting to form.

Joining the Conservatory gives her access to their library and becomes her focus in her quest for answers. Xan replaces Athan as friend, possible love interest and mentor and Obelia is the new but slightly less offensive "Krista" from Curse of the Sphinx.

The deep prejudice that everyone has towards the Sphinx is apparent, even though, there has been no cause for that much hatred since ancient times. It symbolizes the further distinction between "Demigods" and "Monsters" and knowing Hope as a person beforehand, doesn't seem to change most of their opinions. Obelia surprised me, I thought considering Hope saved her life, she might be swayed, however she was part of the final group that attacked her towards the end of the book.

Definitely a series worth reading! Completely immersive!

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for KelticKat.
727 reviews30 followers
November 28, 2016
Enjoyed this one a bit better than the first.

Hope ends up hiding in plain sight. Sort of goes along the lines of keep friends close and enemies closer - right?

Hope finds a way into the "conservatory" - Demigod School. She's really there to find out more about the curse & how to break it.

Hope has to find a way to stay safe when danger can come from any where and anyone at any time. I do love that she learns fight - it seems like she excels in the area and it's good to see an her come into her own at least in one area of her life.

Yes, there is the "dreaded" Love-Triangle. I'm not sure she can trust either one very much. Xan has secrets and a past it seems he is trying to make up for and live down, but is he really. The Athan comes back and of course is hurt and mistrustful of Hope. Likewise, Hope has learned more about Athan is hurt and distrustful of him. Oh, the angst!

Looking forward to diving into the next book soon!

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this e-copy
775 reviews31 followers
April 29, 2016
So as I said in my review of The Curse of the Sphinx (Book 1) I had never read Mythology books before. However this series has opened my eyes to a whole new reading world. I can honestly say that this book is by far my favorite of the two. I was hooked from the quote on the first page. It had such a dramatic affect on me, I could not wait to dig further into the book, and I definitely was not let down. I want very badly to say so much about this book, and the story-line, and the characters, but I won't because I do not want to spoil this treasure for anyone. I will however say, that I LOVE Dahlia and I would absolutely devour a book written about her.

You can tell that Raye Wagner has a passion for writing these books. She has such a great way to pull you into this world, to grow attachments to characters. To feel their emotions. It's been an incredible ride so far, and I cannot wait to see how this all ends.
Profile Image for Laura.
2,157 reviews19 followers
March 8, 2018
Hope is living amongst demigods hoping to find out how to break the curse binding her to Apollo. While there she becomes close with Xan, nemesis to her former love interest Athan. Of course she is in more danger her, comes no closer to breaking the curse and exposes herself to Apollo.

I like the writing style of these books, the story is very gripping. I just don't love Hope. She acts like breaking the curse is the most important thing to her but she has trouble focusing because of the two boys...that was really frustrating. And then leaving very incriminating things all around for anyone to find, while she is living among a bunch of people who would kill her without a thought....just constant eye rolling. I did enjoy it overall though and I will probably pick up book 3 eventually.
Profile Image for Amanda.
419 reviews13 followers
September 16, 2017
Although I loved the first book in this series, I found myself enjoying Demigods and Monsters so much more! I loved being in this new setting of the conservatory and being introduced to new demigods. I felt that there was a lot more action in this book and that Hope was a stronger character overall.

I really liked the natural progression from the first story to this story and the fluidity with which Raye changes settings. I wish more characters from the first book were included in the second book however I do have hopes that some of them will make a return in later books in the series. I'm excited to see how the next book in the series plays out!

*I received this book as part of Booktube Tours in exchange for my honest review*
Profile Image for Bunnita (Worth Reading It?).
211 reviews2 followers
April 4, 2016
This continues where the first book left off. So you'll want the read book one first. Hope is trying to find out if she can break her curse and if so, how. What she finds is almost more than she can handle.

I enjoyed the characters. A love triangle is introduced. I'm team Athan on this one. Started off pretty slow for me but it sped up especially toward the end. This is a transition book. It left you with more questions than it answered. It was still a good read so okay with it. I'm looking forward to the next book. The ending makes it seems as though Hope (and me) will get some of the answers she's looking for.

*this is an arc review
Profile Image for Chelsea.
316 reviews2,794 followers
August 21, 2016
I liked this one even more than the first one! Definitely paced better and has even more characters to get to know and figure out.

I liked that there was more direct scenes with the gods and goddesses. I also liked seeing inside of a conservatory and how the demigods live finally. The characters are the best part of these books. Even as we are introduced to more and learn more about the ones we know, we still don't know who to believe. I love unreliable characters and this series is full of them.

I think this one left me with more questions than answers which means I just have to keep going with the series!
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