Title: Muse Unexpected
Author: V.C. Birlidis
Source:
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Release Date: January 15, 2014
Reviewed by: Jasmyn
"We're Muses. Not vampires, not fairies, not werewolves. We're Muses." Sophie was sure her mother had reached an epic level of crazy. ‘We're Muses?' She thought Muses were lame, not to mention she found the idea ridiculous. However, Sophie couldn't explain away her physical transformation that made Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries look like a bad Walmart make-over, not to mention why her mood swings triggered an uncontrollable ability to shoot powerful bursts of energy out of her hands.
Sophie soon realizes modern day Muses have evolved into powerful guardians of humankind, tasked with keeping mortals on the right path and the original Olympians locked away from the world. But old hatreds don't die easily, especially for immortal enemies that have an eternity to plot and gather their forces. Well aware of the Fates' foretelling of another Olympian war, and a young Muse that would rise up as a warrior and defeat them, the Olympians have vowed to either possess Sophie or destroy her. Either way, they will make sure everyone associated with their imprisonment will reap an eternal damnation in the Underworld, leaving the Olympians to restore Mount Olympus and force humankind into a future of never-ending servitude and misery.
Praise for Muse Unexpected
"Ripe with conflict, skin-crawling creepy that is sprinkled with a wonderful sense of humor and a plot fraught with horrific danger in every step taken by Sophie, this book should be on the top of everyone's must read list. Simply put, I loved it and can't wait for book 2 to come out." ~Olive (Amazon Review)
"I remember learning about mythology & Greek gods in elementary school....boring! Well, this fantastic book takes everything you thought about gods/mythology and turns it on it's ear, sort of like "Wicked" did to the "Wizard of OZ". At times funny at times gruesome and scary, this story definitely kept my interest. I loved the way the writer made the gods "human". I also liked the subtle, blink and you'll miss them hints sprinkled throughout the story. Don't let the young adult genre scare you away. This is an engaging story that can be enjoyed by all. Can't wait for the next one!!!!" ~Paula (Amazon Review)
Author V.C. Birlidis
V.C. Birlidis was born and raised in Miami, Florida and has always been involved in the arts. He attended the New World School of the Arts and was a member of The Miami Ballet.
Mr. Birlidis moved to Ohio to attend college where he earned his Bachelor's degree in marketing and communications from Capital University. He currently is the Director of Marketing at one of the top midwest advertising agencies, SBC Advertising. He has freelanced as a writer for Outlook News and Tickled Pink Magazine, where he wrote a comical advice column named Ask V.
Five years in the making and inspired by the numerous Greek myths his father would utilize as demented bed time stories, Muse, Unexpected is Mr. Birlidis' first novel. It is the first book in his Muse series.
Muse Unexpected was a new twist onGreek mythology in the modern world. I loved the description of what the gods and goddesses were and how they came about, along with the various demigods. I give this book 4 stars, but I wish I could divide it into three and give it different ratings.
The beginning is definitely 4 stars. It opens with a very dramatic scene and jumps right into the story introducing all three of our main characters spectacularly. Birlidis does a great job of giving the personalities that really draw you into their lives and lead you down a path of how they relate to each other.
About a third of the way in though, things die down....a lot. The middle part of the story featuring Sofie in her new home in Greece really dragged for me - much closer to a three star rating. There were quite a few scenes that looked like they may be important, but nothing ever came of them. Even though they were intriguing, they seemed to be more page filler than necessary and I kept wondering why it wasn't brought into the story again.
The last third of the book was close to a five star rating. Once things start happening - they really start happening. With Sofie's ball and party quickly approaching, we can tell that this will be the turning point of the story. With the gods conspiring against her, it's hard to imagine how she will be able to succeed in her duties, but with a very very very surprise ending a lot of things from the beginning start to fall into place. Over all this was a very good read and a anyone who enjoys a good mythology tale will enjoy it.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Excerpt from Muse Unexpected.
“Mom, step away from the mirror. Let me see what has happened to me.”
“But I need to explain first. It’s like this, some people may have a few additional doors open and because of those open doors, they have some extra abilities like being able to tell the future or being able to speak with the dead. Now, beings like us have the majority of our doors opened and our soul is expanded to allow us to do the things we can do. Otherwise, our soul would be ripped to shreds.”
Sophie’s arms shook; a searing heat building inside her as crackling electricity filled the air. “What has happened to me, Mom? I need to see.” She lifted her head; her eye’s meeting her mother’s. The heat was almost unbearable, burning in her eyes and moving toward her clenched fists. Her hands tingled and burned. She was sure they were going to explode.
Callie held firm. “Honey, calm down. You don’t have control of your emotions. It’s always difficult at first, but—”
Sophie was furious and she let whatever control she had slip away. Her eyes were burning through her mother, in an attempt to reach the covered mirror.
With a steady voice, Sophie said, “Let me see.” She shook her hands, in an attempt to shake off the heat pooling in them. Instead of feeling relief, the energy surged from her.
Callie threw herself out of the way, falling forward onto the floor as the energy burst hit the mirror, ripping the heavy curtains and massive iron rods off the wall and cracking the mirror from top to bottom. Sharp pieces of mirror rained down, as both women crashed to the floor.
“Ow!” The slivers of mirror glass sliced her palms. She grew silent watching the mirror-shards pushing themselves out of her skin. The cuts bled a little then stopped bleeding and healed before her eyes. She stood, afraid to move, trying to get her mind around what she was seeing.
“What the heck is wrong with me?” Sophie said, as she burst into tears.
Although a good portion of the mirror was destroyed, Sophie could still make out most of her reflection. She lifted her right hand and touched her face, realizing she was staring back at the girl from her nightmare. It was the girl who had pushed her into the grave.
This is more than just a little liposuction or a hair straightening. Am I a victim of an alien attack? Was this the work of body snatchers?
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