Review of Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner


                                                    


4 stars
Reviewed by Char for Late Night Books and Reviews

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner is a young adult novel that is centered in Greek Mythology, although it is not exactly mythical in this book. I’m not sure if this is an alternate reality or the author just takes liberty with having everyone in the world believe in Greek Gods. I love Mythology and enjoyed the references to some popular and some obscure gods, goddesses and monsters.

The book begins with a prologue that was full of action and ended with a tragedy. The point of view was from Athan, the male leading character in the book. The novel then jumps to a different point of view and a different time in the story, which was a little confusing. Chapter one starts from Hope’s point of view happening a while before the prologue took place.

Hope is cursed to become a Sphinx for two days each month, just like her mother and grandmother. Sphinxes are considered to be monsters but most of the world. Monsters are hunted by Demi-gods so Hope and her mother were in hiding all of her life. They moved constantly to avoid someone discovering her secret. This kept her very sheltered and isolated. She is a strong character, being able to take care of herself and also showing vulnerability. She has to overcome hurdles throughout the book.

The story caught up to the events of the prologue and Hope had to deal with the fall-out from that. She was devastated, alone, and needed to move to a new location once again. She settled for a small town and suddenly started to meet people and create friendships, something she had never done.

Athan is a Demi-god and the son of Hermes. He is fun-loving, intense, capable and caring. Athan’s primary job is to track people down and bring them to safety. He finds Demi-gods and brings them to sanctuaries. He met Hope and pursued her at first for his job and then later, because he fell for her.

I really like the chemistry between the characters, and how their relationship builds slowly over time. I also liked how the author showed Hope growing as a character and Athan helping her do that. The secondary characters were really great in this book and were well written. Loved the butcher!


Curse of The Sphinx unveils tiny bits of information as you read, which is cool. It left many questions that, hopefully, will be answered in later books. The first half of the book was a little slow, but it picked up and had a nice pace. This was a good book and it left me wanting to know what was going to happen next, so I want to read the next book.

Four Stars * * * *

Late Night Books Reviewer Char