I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the RISE OF THE SNAKE GODDESS by Jenny Elder Moke Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Rise of the Snake Goddess by Jenny Elder Moke Series: Samantha Knox #2
Published by Disney-Hyperion on June 7, 2022
Genres: YA Historical Fiction, YA Mystery
Pages: 320
Source: the publisher
Format: Hardcover
My Rating:
Goodreads
Find it: Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Blurb:
Samantha Knox is back for another adventure in this 1920s female-driven mystery-adventure series!
Sam Knox’s second adventure takes her to the island of Crete, just off the coast of Greece, where she discovers the ancient Snake Goddess’s golden girdle in the depths of a cave shrine that has been buried for decades. After having been belittled by her archaeology professor throughout her first college semester, Sam knows this triumph will prove her worth in the field, but before she can take credit for the find, the girdle is stolen and the island is hit with a series of earthquakes that don’t feel quite geological.
Soon Sam, Bennett and Jo are embroiled in a wild hunt―one that takes them to tiny island shops, a glamorous auction party and a near fiery death―to find the girdle before someone can use it to raise an ancient goddess from her slumber. The final battle features gryphons, a labyrinth, the minotaur of legend and lots of snakes. Lots.
Reviews:
“Another action-packed, romance and mythology filled mystery…Themes of wealth, power, and chauvinism are skillfully woven throughout the story while readers are provided with a cast of characters they will easily find themselves rooting for!”―School Library Connection
“Billed as the heir apparent to Indiana Jones, Samantha is a witty and wise adventurer, and it feels as though Moke is building towards an eventual greater purpose for her heroine.”―Booklist
“Jenny Elder Moke has done it again! Witty banter, ancient mysteries, thrilling action, and a mix of clever and dubious characters will keep you up all night in book two of the Samantha Knox series. A fantastic adventure!”―Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, author of Lies Like Wildfire
“Sam’s response to misogyny and classism propels the book’s action but also, in the deft hands of the author, provides readers with insights into the complexities of identity, self-awareness, and right action. While never becoming preachy, the book also thoughtfully explores issues related to the ethics of the acquisition and ownership of antiquities…Another satisfying supernatural adventure featuring an intrepid solver of puzzles.”―Kirkus Reviews
“Ahead of her time and a force to be reckoned with, Samantha Knox is the female Indiana Jones we’ve long been waiting for! You haven’t lived until you’ve read a Samantha Knox novel.”―Jen Calonita, New York Times best-selling author of the A Twisted Tale series
Get started with the series and grab CURSE OF THE SPECTER QUEEN now!
My Review
I really enjoyed the book that started this series off, Curse of the Specter Queen. And so I was excited to see where the author would take our characters. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, when I was younger I really liked archeology myself, more specifically Egyptology, but all of it really was fascinating. This time we get some Greek history, connected to the minotaur and the labyrinth!
Something that kind of clicked in my brain was how both books had the big bad as a queen or goddess, making these books very female-centric or touching on the strength of women. I mean your main character is a young woman in the ages when they were still fighting to go to college and make things of themselves. And the villain being a strong woman, or goddess in this case, who had been called just a “mother-figure” type of goddess by all the male archeologists, really hit home a lot of what the author is trying to put forth in these stories I think.
Samantha Knox, or Sam, had to deal with the prejudice against females from the lead professor at her college, so much that he even cut off a normal scholarship she’d worked her butt off to win, just so he wouldn’t have to take her. Not to mention how even at times, Bennett, her boyfriend, and yes we do like him, he is a good guy, but you could see how he even somewhat unconsciously had a bias about her being able to do things or make decisions because of her being a woman.
And yes, she did make some choices that weren’t necessarily wise at the time, or maybe the way she went about them wasn’t the best decision. But she also was young, and came from a different world than her best friend Joanna and her brother, Sam’s beau, Bennett. It was all of these different things coming together that led them on the adventure into a cave, to a party for antiquity smugglers, and finally the ascension of the snake goddess and a trip to the labyrinth to escape the minotaur.
Another fun adventure that I’ll definitely recommend to my students!
About the Author
Jenny Elder Moke writes young adult fiction in an attempt to recapture the shining infinity of youth. Her debut novel, Hood, was a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Mayor’s Book Club selection, and received critical acclaim.
When she is not writing, she’s gathering story ideas from her daily adventures with her two irredeemable rapscallions and honing her ninja skills as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Jenny lives in Denver, CO with her husband and two children.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway
- 1 winner will receive a finished copy of RISE OF THE SNAKE GODDESS, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 6/1/2022 | YABooksCentral | Excerpt |
| 6/2/2022 | @simplybeccamee | IG Review |
| 6/3/2022 | Just Another Teen Reading Books | Review/IG Post |
| 6/4/2022 | Review Thick And Thin | Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
| 6/5/2022 | A Court of Coffee and Books | Review/IG Post |
| 6/6/2022 | Karen Dee’s Book Reviews | Review/IG Post |
| 6/7/2022 | Book-Keeping | Review/IG Post |
| 6/8/2022 | More Books Please blog | Review/IG Post |
| 6/9/2022 | Lisa Loves Literature | Review/IG Post |
| 6/10/2022 | @wraithreads | TikTok Review/IG Post |
| 6/11/2022 | DB’S Guide to the Galaxy | Review |
Week Three:
| 6/12/2022 | @drewsim12 | IG Review/TikTiok Review |
| 6/13/2022 | Read With Serena | Review/IG Post |
| 6/14/2022 | @ReadsReaders | YouTube Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
| 6/15/2022 | Star-Crossed Book Blog | Review/IG Post |
| 6/16/2022 | popthebutterfly | Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
| 6/17/2022 | Fire and Ice | Review/IG Post |
| 6/18/2022 | @coffeesipsandreads | Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
| 6/19/2022 | beersbooksandboos | Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
| 6/20/2022 | The Real World According To Sam | Review/IG Post |
| 6/21/2022 | @jacleomik33 The Page Ladies | IG Post Review |
| 6/22/2022 | The Reading Devil | Review/IG Post |
| 6/23/2022 | Emmiepooh2 | IG Review |
| 6/24/2022 | The Girl Who Reads | Review/IG Post |
| 6/25/2022 | Lifestyle of Me | Review |
Week Five:
| 6/26/2022 | Two Points of Interest | Review |
| 6/27/2022 | The Momma Spot | Review/IG Post |
| 6/28/2022 | BookBriefs | Review/IG Post |
| 6/29/2022 | Library of Alexandria Archives | Review/IG Post |
| 6/30/2022 | onemused | Review/IG Post |
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I love that the heroine is a woman and is tough too! Nice review.
She’s strong for sure! And doesn’t let the men around her stop her when she knows what she’s doing!