nyrabloodreaver's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
akernelofnonsense's review against another edition
4.0
**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of a blog tour which does not influence my review**
Chantel Acevedo delivers a heartfelt sequel with Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth, the final book in her middle grade duology inspired by Greek mythology. Callie Martinez-Silva’s life changed when she discovered she is one of the nine muses, tasked with inspiring humankind. While visiting her father over the summer in NYC, Callie finds herself caught between her responsibilities as a muse and helping a new friend. Like its characters, this sequel feels a little more grown up. Callie struggles with being a good leader and whether it’s ethical to use her gift on people without their consent. Callie and her friends face even more difficult challenges in this sequel as their journey pits them against dangerous mythical creatures and cunning gods. If that wasn’t enough, Callie must adjust to being a big sister for the first time and finding where she belongs in her father’s new family. Being a muse has never been more complicated, especially when it starts affecting her relationships. Callie has to figure out how to balance and navigate two very different parts of her life. Callie also finds herself clashing with her dad more and more. Growing up to her means being given more freedom, but to her father it also means being true to your word and understanding how your actions impact those around you, lessons Callie still needs to learn. Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth captures the perils of growing up, including making difficult decisions, but also the undeniable joys of finding friends who truly understand you and discovering who you want to be.
Chantel Acevedo delivers a heartfelt sequel with Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth, the final book in her middle grade duology inspired by Greek mythology. Callie Martinez-Silva’s life changed when she discovered she is one of the nine muses, tasked with inspiring humankind. While visiting her father over the summer in NYC, Callie finds herself caught between her responsibilities as a muse and helping a new friend. Like its characters, this sequel feels a little more grown up. Callie struggles with being a good leader and whether it’s ethical to use her gift on people without their consent. Callie and her friends face even more difficult challenges in this sequel as their journey pits them against dangerous mythical creatures and cunning gods. If that wasn’t enough, Callie must adjust to being a big sister for the first time and finding where she belongs in her father’s new family. Being a muse has never been more complicated, especially when it starts affecting her relationships. Callie has to figure out how to balance and navigate two very different parts of her life. Callie also finds herself clashing with her dad more and more. Growing up to her means being given more freedom, but to her father it also means being true to your word and understanding how your actions impact those around you, lessons Callie still needs to learn. Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth captures the perils of growing up, including making difficult decisions, but also the undeniable joys of finding friends who truly understand you and discovering who you want to be.
asphodelic's review against another edition
3.0
(+) The themes in this book worked much better than the ones in its predecessor.
(+) Callie's final choices were really great, making for a strong ending. Again, much better and rewarding than its predecessor.
(+) No one mentioned Callie's weight this time. (Which is weird considering how much it was emphasized before.)
(+) Diverse cast
(-) The main plot is little more than a giant fetch quest.
(-) The goth girl on the cover (name withheld to prevent spoilers) was given much more time than the other three Muse Squad members. This also, unfortunately, meant that the other three girls in the squad suffered greatly. None of them had any character development or legitimate exploration.
(-) There were many obstacles, but no tension. The Muse Squad overcame everything so quickly and easily that it barely mattered. (I would've rather had more purposeful dialogue between the Muse Squad and goth girl as they journeyed around NYC.)
(-) Inconsistencies with Callie's knowledge of mythology. (She doesn't know who Dionysus is, but knows that Venus is the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite? What?)
(-) Acevedo uses "Hercules" instead of "Heracles," and there are some inaccuracies in the simplifying of the myths. (No, Hera was not the one who kept sending the labors to Heracles.)
(-) So few new named characters were introduced, making the titular mystery not difficult to solve. But, I am fully aware that I am not the target audience for this book, and younger readers might find the reveal to be better than I do.
(-) In the end, Callie is simply not a very compelling heroine. Her choices throughout the book give her agency. But if you asked me to describe her personality, I wouldn't be able to say much.
Overall, the Muse Squad duology is a fun, diverse, and female centric set of books for young readers. While heavily flawed, both books have positive messages at their core. Would not reread them, but would recommend.
(+) Callie's final choices were really great, making for a strong ending. Again, much better and rewarding than its predecessor.
(+) No one mentioned Callie's weight this time. (Which is weird considering how much it was emphasized before.)
(+) Diverse cast
(-) The main plot is little more than a giant fetch quest.
(-) The goth girl on the cover (name withheld to prevent spoilers) was given much more time than the other three Muse Squad members. This also, unfortunately, meant that the other three girls in the squad suffered greatly. None of them had any character development or legitimate exploration.
(-) There were many obstacles, but no tension. The Muse Squad overcame everything so quickly and easily that it barely mattered. (I would've rather had more purposeful dialogue between the Muse Squad and goth girl as they journeyed around NYC.)
(-) Inconsistencies with Callie's knowledge of mythology. (She doesn't know who Dionysus is, but knows that Venus is the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite? What?)
(-) Acevedo uses "Hercules" instead of "Heracles," and there are some inaccuracies in the simplifying of the myths. (No, Hera was not the one who kept sending the labors to Heracles.)
(-) So few new named characters were introduced, making the titular mystery not difficult to solve. But, I am fully aware that I am not the target audience for this book, and younger readers might find the reveal to be better than I do.
(-) In the end, Callie is simply not a very compelling heroine. Her choices throughout the book give her agency. But if you asked me to describe her personality, I wouldn't be able to say much.
Overall, the Muse Squad duology is a fun, diverse, and female centric set of books for young readers. While heavily flawed, both books have positive messages at their core. Would not reread them, but would recommend.
morchels's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Truly a wonderful novel. I wish there were more in the series. I think this series would be a wonderful precursor for kids who like Percy Jackson. It talks a lot about emotions and grief and making mistakes.
mancerelle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Bittersweet. More bitter than sweet.
librarianpenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ashymareads's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to the author for providing me an eARC in exchange of my honest opinion.
Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth was a spectacular end to this magical duology. We jump back to action with the young muses Callie, Nia, Thalia and Mela on another adventure that takes us to NYC. Now that I already knew the muses, it was easier to go back into the routine with them, and I was very excited to see them back in action. Their friendship was one of my favorite things of this book, and seeing it develop from the first book to this was great. As for the story, it was really good, filled with tension, funny moments and valuable lessons. The muses and their new friend Ari have to go through a series of adventures straight out of an epic poem, and it was interesting seeing how all of these myths and legends from Greek history get transported to a modern setting. The book had a great pace, which kept you hooked and wanting to continue the story to see what happened next. I also enjoyed all of the Spanish sprinkled around. Even though the ending shocked me a little, I was happy with the resolution and that Callie was able to grow more as a character. I did shed a few tears, to be sincere.
Definitely pick up this book if you love seeing Greek myths reimagined, good friendship dynamics, important topics about family and their complexity and girls being powerful and saving the day.
Muse Squad: The Mystery of the Tenth was a spectacular end to this magical duology. We jump back to action with the young muses Callie, Nia, Thalia and Mela on another adventure that takes us to NYC. Now that I already knew the muses, it was easier to go back into the routine with them, and I was very excited to see them back in action. Their friendship was one of my favorite things of this book, and seeing it develop from the first book to this was great. As for the story, it was really good, filled with tension, funny moments and valuable lessons. The muses and their new friend Ari have to go through a series of adventures straight out of an epic poem, and it was interesting seeing how all of these myths and legends from Greek history get transported to a modern setting. The book had a great pace, which kept you hooked and wanting to continue the story to see what happened next. I also enjoyed all of the Spanish sprinkled around. Even though the ending shocked me a little, I was happy with the resolution and that Callie was able to grow more as a character. I did shed a few tears, to be sincere.
Definitely pick up this book if you love seeing Greek myths reimagined, good friendship dynamics, important topics about family and their complexity and girls being powerful and saving the day.
eleennaeisloved's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
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