They had me at Gargoyles!

Medusa's Destiny is book 1 in the Monsters and Gargoyles series. The moment I saw Gargoyles, I was all about giving this book a listen. Gargoyles are my jam. This is my first book from this author. It won't be my last. I enjoyed the creativity the author showed in the book.

The story is about Medusa, who was once mortal but was cursed by the Goddess Athena over 2,000 years ago to become a monster who turns men to stone, and 4 Gargoyles named Byron, Harold, Forrest, and Marcus. The Gargoyles kidnap Medusa, thinking she is nothing more than an evil monster, and plan to use her to accomplish their intended missions and then kill her. But once they meet her, they realize that things are not as they assumed them to be.

The book is Reverse Harem, insta-lust, and full of hot and sexy scenes. It is told in the multiple POVs of Medusa, Byron, Harold, Forrest, Marcus, and Edgar (who is Byron's dad).

The audiobook is semi short at only 5 hours and 26 minutes duration. I wish there would have been more to their story. Especially during the 6 month gap between chapters 24 and 25. I enjoyed all of the adult scenes but I feel like they kind of took over the book and we didn't get enough actual story and action. Also, with the group adult scenes, without going into specifics or getting my review bounced for adult content, I found that they weren't really believable and that kind of bummed me out. Each time it was the 4 guys and her I found myself noticing things that just weren't possible based on the description as well as the sheer size of the guys and how tiny she was. Plus it almost seemed at times as if the author was trying to make the scenes more gratuitously erm... x rated than genuine.

There were a few minor editing mistakes that I noticed but without having the book to look at I can't really speak to the editing. One thing that was really obvious though was that a sentence (in the final chapter during a group scene) was written twice but said slightly different and they were back to back. So obviously the author meant to swap them out but both got left in.

I liked the narrator for the most part. She had excellent pacing, good tone and clarity, and a pleasant voice. I struggled though because besides the female POV, there were 5 other POVs that were all males and the narrator used the same voice for each of those male POVs. I felt like I had to pay extra attention to keep the POVs straight and more than once I had to restart the chapter so that I could hear the heading to know which POV it was. Perhaps adding a male narrator would have really elevated this audiobook.

The second book was setup toward the end of this book and it sounds as though we will be revisiting this Gargoyle sanctuary and hopefully get to see these characters again. I'm definitely interested in continuing this series. Medusa's Destiny was a lot fun and as I said earlier, creative. I can't wait to see what happens next with Gargoyles and Merpeople.

7 people found this helpful

narrator was great

3 stars/spoilerish alert- I know not everyone cares for trigger warnings and not anyone's responsibility for any emotional reaction to material and stuff, and maybe I should have done better research or something before I don't know much about Greek mythology, I don't know, but a heads up that there's mentions of a past r*pe multiple times would have been appreciated on my part just because I was relating to her so much and it all just hit a little close to home and I wasnt ready for that.

Anyway, I don't know if the author intended for their to be sort of metaphor of being a monster for trauma and mental health but it works.

I think it would have been a bit better if there was some more build up to the bond as is it was all pretty fast and the ending seemed very rushed especially with the time skips. I think I like the concept the most like it was clever and original, I did expect to love this book and I think for the first little bit I did but yeah so 3 stars. Sorry. I hate leaving not so nice reviews.

(I got a promotional copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

1 person found this helpful

Hotter the Expected

I was caught off guard by this story a little bit, in a good way, because I don't feel that the summary is representative of the story. Nonetheless, I was surprised at how the guys were able to break through Medusa's protective shell, emotionally. The author did a great job of making us care and drawing us in with an interesting plot, in addition to the steaming bits. I liked the twist on Medusa's story and was captivated all the way through.

The narration was excellent and was perfect for this story. She captured Medusa's attitude and nature so well and made this a smooth listen.

1 person found this helpful

Disappointing

This story is about Medusa and her four Gargoyles. This is basically adult content with not much plot. The characters are alright I suppose, although the first part of the book is mainly dealing with Byron who is an absolute jerk. I can't really say much about this story due to finding myself zoning out while listening. Don't get me wrong, I love a good smut story but with the blurb I was expecting more story with sex scenes scattered throughout, not the main focus. The narration fell flat for me. Marie Smith has a very nice voice but her character voices needs major work. I couldn't tell much difference between Medusa and the Gargoyles. There was a minute difference in the male voices. You have to listen carefully or remember the chapter name in order to know who is speaking. Overall, this book was quite disappointing for me.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 person found this helpful

good fun smut

It's funny and smutty, best of both. Also a nice quick read/listen. I like the sarcasm, though I usually prefer only one pov, this wasn't too obnoxious with the multiple povs.

Monsters and gargoyles oh, my!

This is a self-contained RH #whychoose book with the HEA you expect. I enjoyed the narration and thought this was a fun quick listen. I'd happily explore more in this series as I expect more #whychoose monster tales are in the future!

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

A sinfully delicious blend of mythology & erotica!

Finally, someone weaves a tale of Medusa as the woman, and not the monster that everyone paints her as. If you look up her origin story, it is said that Medusa was a mortal woman: a beautiful maiden, who was brutally defiled by Poseidon in the temple of the goddess Athena. But nobody ever thought about how f--ed up that she, the victim, was PUNISHED by Athena (the supposed goddess of war & wisdom) with a curse to turn men into stone? And that Perseus beheaded her, took that head and used it as a weapon, before giving it over to Athena to place on her shield? It's no wonder she has a right to be pissed off.

Andersen's clever re-telling of Medusa in a modern day setting with a secret society of gargoyles, aka the defenders of the humans, is a great start to the series! Just imagine being cursed with immortality and to have people hate you for being a "monster," never knowing unconditional love. I cried so many times for Medusa... at her mistreatment and all of the abuse she's endured over the centuries. Like how come Poseidon's never talked about as the rapist god? Humans can be just as monstrous too by the way... That's why I loved this redemption story. It made me feel so many emotions.

As for the reverse harem aspect, there is A LOT of mature themes. I'd advise you to either listen in private or wear some earbuds lol. Smith's narrating wasn't too bad, but I wish there was a male narrator for the guys. My only complaint is that this story feels like an abridged version. There wasn't enough story for me regarding her backstory and the ex. Did he really betray her or not? How did the guys find out about her and knew where she was? Are we going to get any follow-up in the next book?

what amazing book

I can't believe its over i want more. this book was good. I loved the mythology creatures and ohhh the boys.

Medusa’s Destiny

I read this book in the past and wanted to read it again but didn’t have time. This audiobook was fast paced and fun.

Wow

Amazing, it’s such and interesting twist on the Medusa take! All the twists and turns leave you wanting more