"When the God of War calls you to his chambers, you don't decline him. The Sphinx, by Jessica Cage, is a modern Greek Mythology tale about a scorned woman getting revenge on the Gods. Asa was once in love with Ares until he didn't have use for her anymore. Refusing to allow her to be with anyone else, he fashioned a curse and turned Asa into the infamous Sphinx. Asa, however, found a way to escape her curse and went into hiding. When the Gods fell from grace, she knew that they would one day return. With a new purpose in life, Asa swore to avenge the life that was taken from her."
I was excited to pick up an original-modern Greek Mythology tale featuring a black woman. I am an absolute fan of the classic old wives' tale, and to see it highlighting a black woman as the main character was a big plus for me. Also, I was very interested in seeing how the story would be told. I don't know the Sphinx's origin story, other than how the creature was defeated, so I was curious about what the book could depict. Unfortunately, the information lost me as it's reader before I can find out.
I've gotten halfway through The Sphinx and couldn't will myself to finish the rest. I had a hard time trying to picture the imagery Cage was describing. She tried pulling off a mysterious underlining tone in the story in which the novelty wore off after the first chapter. Because of this, it took a while for me to get acclimated to the characters. It was very noticeable when Cage switched the character's POV many times, without warning. I don't think there was enough development with each character or the story. The best way I can describe the structure of The Sphinx is when a person is telling a joke but forgot how to set it up.
I did begin to warm up to Asa and Carter's relationship, but it wasn't enough to keep reading. Everything was convoluted. I won't be picking up the sequel.
