Review & Giveaway: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: The Blood of the Hydra

Author: Michelle Madow
Series: Elementals #2
Version Reviewed: ARC, eBook
Website: www.michellemadow.com

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

GoodReads Synopsis:

A demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret from everyone, even from those trusted most.
Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.
Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.

The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?
Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.

Review:
I absolutely loved The Prophecy of Shadows so I couldn't wait until The Blood of The Hydra was added to NetGalley.  I requested it as soon as I found out that it was available and I was super excited to receive my copy.

In the second installment of the Elementals series, the story begins pretty much exactly where the previous one ended. After finding out about witches and learning that she's a demi-god, Nicole embraces her amazing -and sometimes scary - powers and helps her new group of friends carry out the wishes of the Gods.

The Blood of The Hydra is full of action and I definitely recommend it for anyone that enjoys stories like Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle. Michelle Madow has perfectly combined the feel of those two stories and makes them her own. The Elementals series is full of Greek mythology and ancient power and magic. The group fights off some extremely hardcore creatures and uses their powers, intuition, and brains to figure out some of the most difficult challenges that seem impossible.  From sea monsters, sacred cows, lotus-zombies and gigantic beasts, there's never a dull moment for these kids.

I absolutely loved this book, just like the first one, and I really cannot wait to read The Head of Medusa, the third book in the series.  I've always been slightly fascinated with Medusa and her story, so I'm excited to see what kind of twist Michelle Madow has woven for the new story!

Rating: 4 Stars.

Amazon | GoodReads

The adventure began in the first book in the series, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To learn more about the first book, and to read the first four chapters for free, click here!

The Elementals series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so subscribers can read it for free!

The Giveaway

Tour event. One (1) lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of one of Michelle’s books! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Michelle Madow writes fast-paced YA (young adult) fiction that will leave you turning the pages wanting more!


She grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle went on a cross-country road trip from Florida to California and back to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

Want all three parts of the Transcend Time Saga—Michelle’s first YA romance series—for FREE? Click here to learn about the series and claim your books.

To get instant updates about Michelle’s new books, follow her on Amazon!

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Review & Giveaway: Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: The Prophecy of Shadows
Author: Michelle Madow
Series: Elementals #1
Version Reviewed: eBook, ARC
Website: www.michellemadow.com

I received this book for free from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.
Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.
When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

Review:
I was super excited when I was approved for this title on Netgalley. I couldn't wait to begin reading the first in the Elementals series because Michelle Madow is an awesome writer and the synopsis for the book sounded amazing.  I do have to say that the beginning little blurb is one hundred percent correct. This is right up the Percy Jackson/Secret Circle alley and I could easily understand why fans of those series' would enjoy The Prophecy of Shadows.

The book begins with Nicole moving to a new town. With a new town comes a new school and her first day is anything but ordinary.  In her homeroom class she is very quickly introduced to the world of witches, gods, energy, elements, magic and power.  This one initial moment is what kicks off the rest of the book and once everything takes off, the pace doesn't slow down.

The Prophecy of Shadows is full of magic, action, and adventure.  There's something lurking around every corner and it's really interesting to go along wit Nicole as she learns more about who she is and discovers the powers and loyalty that she has found in her new Elemental companions.

With a little bit of love and teenage lust thrown in the mix, The Prophecy of Shadows definitely does not disappoint and I absolutely cannot wait to continue reading the series when the second book, The Blood of Hydra, is released. This is a truly awesome start to a great new series.

Rating: 4 Stars. 

Giveaway

Michelle is offering up a fabulous prize during her Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows Virtual Tour event. One (1) lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire 7”! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Michelle Madow has always loved writing stories, but the possibility of being an author used to feel
more like a dream than a reality. She didn’t share her stories with anyone until her junior year of college, when she signed up for an Intro to Creative Writing course. Her teacher and classmates read the first chapter of a book idea she had, and they loved it so much that they told her she had to finish the book so they could find out what happened next. By the end of the school year, Michelle finished that book, which would later be published as her first novel, Remembrance.


Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

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