Review: Origin of the Sphinx
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 11, 2013
First thing's first, I LOVE Greek mythology!! I adore anything having to do with it. And, overall, I really enjoyed this novella.So, this book tells the story of Phoibe, a demigod girl born to the goddess Hera and mortal father Damon, who is torn between the love of a mortal guy and the attentions of the god Apollo. Little does Phoibe know that getting on the bad side of gods can result in very, very bad things.Speaking of the gods, Hera having a child with someone other than Zeus? Never did that happen in any of the myths I've read. Hera is the goddess of marriage (among other things) and her cheating of Zeus goes against everything she stands for..literally! It's understandable why she would do something like this... Zeus being the cheating god that he is. But usually Hera would take out her jealousy on the poor other woman and/or the resulting children of that affair. I guess I was just shocked when I read about Phoibe.As for the Sphinx... According to the myths, she was born to two monsters. And depending on the version you read, there are three different sets of monsters you will come across. Hera does have some connection to the Sphinx, however (again, depending on the version you read)... she was apparently the one who sent the Sphinx to terrorize the town of Thebes for some crime that was committed. I'm beginning to understand that Sphinx-Hera connection, though I really want to see where the story will go from here.One thing I loved without a doubt: Apollo! I was so glad he was big part of the novella because he is my favorite Greek god, even though, yeah, he got a little crazy there at the end. But I liked that :) The way the gods were portrayed as sweet and loving and then suddenly have a bipolar change to vengeful and ruthless... spot on!Overall, I thought it was a very interesting story and take on the myth of the Sphinx. I have to admit though, one of my biggest pet peeves with Greek mythology books is that they stray from the original myths. However, I am learning to accept variety... really trying hard!Also, I've read a ton of Greek myth books, but very few that actually took place in ancient Greece, as did this one. And I really enjoyed that little change of setting. I felt like it something more... more background, and time to get to know the characters better. But I do understand that this is part of a bigger series, so I really want to learn more about this Sphinx!