NetGalley - Kaysee Cadman
Wow! Who would have expected that a god would look like every other teen on the face of the earth. This not only is a briliant twist on the classic story. It also shows a light on classic teen problems that everyone goes through who would have expected this briliant story and from the point of Hades perfect.
August 1, 2011GoodReads.com - Amy Holbrook
The Myth-O-Mania series are told in Hades’ perspective because according to him Zeus is a liar and told the myths wrong. In the classic tale of Psyches and Cupid, Cupid is handsome and Psyche is beautiful. In Hades’ telling, Psyche still is beautiful but Cupid has pimples, greasy hair, and braces. Aphrodite also speaks Italian because she’s insecure about springing from sea foam. I was psyched when I saw this on NetGalley. I love mythology in general and even took a World Mythology class in high school. I liked that the myth was still recognizable. I found Cupid to be annoying because have the liberal use of calling Hades man. I also couldn’t stand Aphrodite speaking in Italian, but I did like that the author told what it meant in English. There is a glossary in the back of the book that had information about gods, goddesses, etc. It was in Hades POV, but it still had the basic information. There were some times I cringed like when Hades called Persephone P-Phone and Phoney, as well as calling Cerberus, Cerbie. For the most part, I did like reading Hades’ perspective. I understand people calling someone by a nickname, but when it’s Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, it’s definitely cringe-worthy. I do think some kids will like this, but there will be kids who love mythology that might not the liberties taken with this story. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/183605235
July 10, 2011Susan Heim on Parenting - Susan Heim
Mythology has always been fascinating to kids, and the Myth-O-Mania chapter book series by Kate McMullan is certain to thrill them. The interesting twist to this series is that these humorous parodies are written from the viewpoint of Hades, King of the Underworld! In Nice Shot, Cupid! (#4 in the series), Hades tells us that Cupid was no hunk when he first met Psyche. In fact, he was “an awkward, pimple-faced, greasy-haired teen-god with braces on this teeth”! So, what is the “real story” (well, according to Hades) about how Cupid and Psyche got together? This hilarious book gives one side of the story… Kids will love all of the books in the Myth-O-Mania series. http://susanheim.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-reading-for-children-in.html
August 1, 2011Over a Cuppa Tea blog - Elizabeth Toh
This is definitely one book your mythologist would definitely won’t approve of. ‘Nice Shot, Cupid!’ is a part of Myth o Mania series and it will surely make you go wacko with the re-tellings of famous mythological stories. In this one, Cupid is painted as a wimpy geek with a not so attractive feature but fancies Psyche. I couldn’t help myself but laugh when I read this version of the story about Cupid and Psyche. Highly recommended to those who loved mythology and those who are in desperate need of witty humor. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from Capstone via Netgalley. I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review. Book description: The story about the handsome Greek god Cupid and how he met Psyche? Just another lie from that myth-o-maniac Zeus! The truth is, when Cupid met Psyche he was a gawky teen god with bad skin and braces. Psyche was so beautiful, Cupid was scared to even approach her. Instead, he and Zeus cooked up a plan to kidnap Psyche. Hades, King of the Underworld, is here to shine some light on what really happened. A part of the Myth-o-Mania series. http://cleffairy.com/?p=5479
June 11, 2011Imaginary Reads blog - Kris Chen
Reading Nice Shot, Cupid! reminded me of how much I love McCullan’s Myth-O-Mania series, where Hades tells us the ‘true’ stories behind Greek myths. She has modernized the Greek gods and goddesses, giving them unique personalities and very human problems. While it isn’t the best series to offer children when you want to teach them what we know as the Greek myths, it does make for an enjoyable read, especially when you already know the stories! In this story, Cupid isn’t as hot as you think the god of love should be. In fact, he’s suffering from normal teenage beauty problems—pimples and braces and a gangly teenage body. Of course, since Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, she does everything in her power to provide beauty products for him, making him feel disheartened by his appearances. So when he falls in love with Psyche, a beautiful mortal princess, he decides not to take chances courting her in person. Instead, he kidnaps her and doesn’t let her look at him. The story follows Hades as he does everything in his power to help Cupid gain more confidence in himself and arrange a happily ever after for Cupid and Psyche. I love how Cupid reminds us of any teenage boy suffering from puberty. I love how strong and beautiful Psyche is, and how true she remains to her love even after seeing Cupid in all his teen glory. And I love the sense of humor that Hades possesses. I recommend this for those looking for a fun, light-hearted read at the middle-grade and even elementary-grade level. http://imaginaryreads.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-review-nice-shot-cupid.html
June 20, 2011
