Review Detail

Elementals Two: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

The Story:
Nicole’s adventure-filled tale carries on in the first sequel to The Prophecy of Shadows. Nicole is now aware of the magical world, but this knowledge brings fresh troubles in its wake; Nicole used black magic to kill and no one can know. She wants to be more than friends with Black, but cannot risk tearing the Elementals apart, not when it seems they are the only beings powerful enough to send the dark, mythical creatures escaping Kerberos into limbo.

The Characters:
Nicole grows in confidence throughout this novel. She confronts several of the issues plaguing her, and makes sure her voice is heard. Her reactions to the sub-plot with her father are endearing as are the angst-ridden exchanges between she and Blake. Happy sigh.
The other four characters in the elementals have individual growth, and the relationships between the five deepen into easier lines.
We meet a few new characters who ‘rock the boat’, romantically.

The World:
At the end of book one we were introduced to a couple of mythical creatures. Book two dives completely into this ancient world. The elementals face the temptations of the Lotus fruit, the dangers of the Scylla and Charybdis, and—as the title implies—the legendary Hydra.

The Readability:
Michelle Madow’s style is light and very clear, ideal for the young adult genre. The story moves along without difficulty. There is good balance of character dynamics, growth, plot, and subplot. The themes of friendship and unity are strong.
I felt that the dialogue from the mentor-type characters became a little repetitive at times, and—though I know Darius has his Jedi mind tricks—a firmer reason for the non-attendance of the parents during the novel would have boosted authenticity.

Final Verdict:
If you enjoyed book one in this series, you will find all the aspects you loved there multiplied ten-fold in Blood of the Hydra.
Great for twelve years and over. Professionally edited.

Favorite Quote:
“Then I pictured white energy, until I could feel it radiating around me, and pulled it into my body. It charged through my veins, the light coming out of my palm and surging into Danielle’s wound.”