Monday, September 26, 2011

Book Review: The Medusa Amulet by Robert Masello

The Medusa Amulet
by Robert Masello
The Medusa Amulet: A Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction / Adventure / Thriller / Mystery / Fantasy / Mythology
Ages: 15 and up
I received an ARC of this novel through Goodreads.

Description:
What begins as a simple investigation quickly spirals into a twisting, turning tale of suspense and intrigue, a race against time that carries Franco across continents and centuries in a desperate search for this ultimate treasure—and a work of unimaginable power . . . and menace.

Aided only by a beautiful young Florentine with a conspirator’s mind and dark secrets, Franco is soon caught up in a life-and-death struggle from which there is no escape. Relentlessly pursued by deadly assassins and demons of his own, in the end he must confront—and defeat—an evil greater than anything conjured in his worst nightmares.

My Review:
This book was a fairly typical action-adventure story with a touch of the supernatural. The plot was interesting and the characters decently written, but there was nothing really special about it. The ending and the identity of the mysterious villain was very predictable but not unsatisfactory.

I rather liked the idea of the Medusa legend being used to give immortality. However, when you have all of the villains in history to choose from, why pick the most obvious? I mean, really, I probably would have guessed his identity even if there weren't a bunch of German-named bad guys running around.

The main characters were both likable and had pretty good chemistry. David was smart and interesting while Olivia was quirky and kind of fun. The only thing that ruined their relationship for me was their names, and that is purely personal. My brother, who is six years older than me, is named David. My sister, who is four years younger than me, is named Olivia. So the scenes where they were kissing - or worse - were just wrong to me.

This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me. I would recommend it as a light action thriller for a rainy day.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it an 8.10 for multiple uses of the f-word.

Sexuality:
I give it a 6.10 for a vague scene and a couple of fadeaways.

Violence:
I rate it an 8.10 for lots of violence, multiple murders, mutilations and general gore.

                          Lieder Madchen

1 comment:

  1. I imagine it can be awkward if the main characters are named the same as your siblings, that definitely spoils the experience. The inclusion of the Medusa myth sounds interesting. Great review!

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