Origin of the Sphinx

Sphinx #0.5

by Raye Wagner

An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.

Origin of the Sphinx is a prequel novella in the Curse of the Sphinx series.

In Ancient Greece, the invocation "May the Gods watch over you" was more than a spoken blessing. It was an entreaty for divine benevolence.

Phoibe, daughter of Hera, is content. Raised by her aunt, her life is quiet, filled with milling grain and spinning wool. But after her Hestia celebration, Eros, god of love, visits the small town of Belen.

And now Phoibe will have to choose—

If she marries a mortal, she risks eternal solitude for a moment of love.

If she follows her heart, she risks spurning a god.

The gods are enormously powerful, but they don’t fix problems.

They make bigger ones.

Uncover the curse. . .

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Romance

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2016

About the author

RAYE WAGNER is the USA Today Bestselling author of young adult fantasy books, but she hates writing bios. She’d much rather tell you a story. She’s partial to fantasy, with dragons or magic or something so she can lie and not feel guilty. She also has an obsession with sweets (all the bakery goodies), nerf wars, wigs, and occasionally tutus.

When she isn’t writing, shenanigating (I’m sure that’s a word), or lying, Raye is with her family . . . preferably at the beach.

Come chat with me! I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me via Facebook (Raye Wagner), Twitter (@rayewagner), Instagram (rayewagnerauthor), or her website: rayewagner.com

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q:
On this night, and in this land
Hear the curse, How it will stand.
Your body and your beauty be
Touched and marked eternally of me
And when your family is complete
Then Death will visit on swift feet
And rob you of the joy divine
The joy that should be yours and mine
Until we wed, and love and more
This shall stand forevermore. (c)

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a prequel to a fabulous series and gaining some HUGE background information is just like getting your favorite hot fudge sundae with real whipped cream on top! Origin of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner tells the history of how an innocent baby is cursed to become the Sphinx because her mother married for love, spurning one self-centered god. This is a love story that will taint future generations in the Sphinx series without giving too much away!

Phoibe was the daughter of Hera, rejected by her stepmother and raised by her aunt. She grew up living a simple, hard-working life when her heart was captured by a handsome and kind mortal man. At that same time, she meets the god, Eros, and misunderstands the consequences of spurning his attentions.

Once again, Raye Wagner knocks this little gem out of the ballpark. Filled with sweet romance, young innocence and the wrath of a selfish god, the Origin of the Sphinx is the perfect tale that adds depth and that special slice of information that makes The Sphinx series even more riveting!

Read before the series or after, makes no difference, it will still be a fascinating eye-opener!

I received this copy from Raye Wagner in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Sphinx - Book 0.5
Publisher: R. Wagner; 1 edition (June 6, 2013)
Publication Date: June 6, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy
Print Length: 70 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Inge 🌻 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Little slow sometimes bit a very quick read.
It was great to see the true story of the curse.To anyone who read 'Curse of the Sphinx' I would definitly recommend leaving an hour or so to read this book.

[JohnnyBoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic prequel! Now getting ready to dive into the story!

[Sienna Logan (Lost to Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more of my reviews visit http://losttobooks.blogspot.com

I love ancient history, especially ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. I also love the mythology that comes alongside it all so when I first saw the description for this novella I was excited to start reading it and see what the author did with it all.

Being a novella Origin of the Sphinx was a quick read that I finished in just over an hour. I was surprised by how much Raye Wagner managed to fit into the small amount of pages though. There wasn't plenty of detail but there was quite a bit of action and things moved at a swift pace and for once they weren't disjointed. I have read many novellas that skip from here to there and it makes the writing jumpy and irritating. Origins of the Sphinx didn't do this which I was glad about. The author timed the breaks well, where it felt natural to have a pause or shift in time period and it flowed effortlessly into the next section.

As I'm more into history that mythology I'm not sure how closely the novella follows the truth, yet for me I really enjoyed reading it. Normally I find it hard to connect with characters in a novella due to feeling there isn't enough time to learn anything about them or create a relationship and even though I didn't fully connect with the characters, it is definitely better than any other novella I have read previously. It was also a nice surprise that we got a back story for Damon and found out snippets of information on other characters throughout. There really was quite a lot of information in such a short story which was great.

My only complaint, and it's not really a complaint, is that I wish it were longer. I would love to see it developed into a full length novel with a detailed back story for most characters, and vivid description of actions, landscapes and relationships so I could picture everything and connect with the characters. However this is part 1 of a series so I hope to find out more in part 2.

Overall Origin of the Sphinx is a short and quick novella that is an enjoyable summer read which will keep you turning pages. I would recommend it to those interested in mythology or just a light-hearted read to relax with.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story about (maybe a retelling of, but I don't know my Greek mythology well enough to know) the demigod Phoebe and the origins of the Sphinx. I liked it but the dialogue felt quite stiff, names and endearments used too often to be natural. I also thought the language was too modern for ancient Greece, with phrases like, "reality check" and "Please!" Beyond that I thought it was a good one. It captured the feel of a truly Greek tragedy while allowing Phoebe's pure, shining heart to come through. I also liked the idea of immortality leading to moral ambiguity since the Gods tend to outlive the consequences of their actions. That's a rather deep thought. The first and last chapters seemed a little anomalous. I think the two characters, Athan and Hope, might be who the rest of the series is about but they played no role in this story.

[Misty's Book Space · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars


This is the prequel to The Curse of the Sphinx which I also own and after reading this I really want to read the next book.

This was a really quick read and you begin to care for the characters just enough to want to continue on and see how things work out for them.

I will say the author skips forward a lot which for the most part worked fine but there was and instance at the very beginning where it didn't work very well and it took me a few pages to realize what had happened and to not be confused.

This is a short review but I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. I did enjoy it and I want to continue on with the series.

[Katelyn Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great prequel since the curse wasn't really spoken about in the first book, and throughout that story I was wondering why Hope was cursed and how it happened. But now that I've read this prequel... Apollo is a jerk and the ending was tragic!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest this is more of a 1.5 star review. With a short novella like this there is always going to be a danger of a thinly written narrative but even so this prequel is particularly superficial. At times the narrative doesn't make sense and there are definitely structural issues with the text. There are also basic proof reading errors such as 'you're' instead of 'your'. Origin of the Sphinx is a bit of a shame really because although Wagner's 'Curse of the Sphinx' series certainly had issues, the world that she built deserved better than this rather basic prelude.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origin of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner is a prequel novella to the series, The Sphinx. It tells the story of Phoibe, daughter of Hera, and how her daughter (Hope’s grandmother) became cursed as the Sphinx. To fans of the series it is an absolute must read! While it doesn’t have any bearing on the plot of the series (so you could read it before starting the series or after the first book), it does give some important background, namely the events that led up to the curse.

Phoibe is a young girl when her father has to make the decision between raising her and having a family with his wife. Ultimately he makes the decision to send Phoibe to live with Priska, a wise woman in the village, another demigod. She is only 6 when this happens and it affects her more that I think she realized. Phoibe is naive with a heart of gold. She’s kind, sweet, and all to trusting.

During the festival of Hestia, the summer Phoibe becomes of age, she meets and falls in love with another mortal. However she also catches the eye of the arrogant god Apollo. Apollo claims he wants only friendship and as Phoibe is lonely living with her “aunt” she finds comfort in the god’s attention. As she ages, she realizes her mistake and must chose between her mortal and the sun god.

This is the crux of the story, Phoibe’s choice. Does she choose a moment of happiness and love in her immortal life with a mortal? OR does she choose to be a consort of Apollo? I really enjoyed this short novella. It gives such insight into Hope’s curse and really is a heart-breaking tale. Phoibe’s choice is pure and of the heart, but Apollo tugged at my heart as well. He wooed me as he wooed Phoibe. Overall this is insight for the series and things to come. I can’t wait!

[Kaitlin Bevis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the framing of the novel made clear, The Origin of the Sphinx is a prequel to Raye Wagner's upcoming novel Curse of the Sphinx. If you've got a free hour or three, I'd recommend devoting it to reading this novella to get a better look at this little known myth. A lot of people don't know that the Sphinx wasn't just an Egyptian thing. They were Greek monsters as well.

The difference between the Egyptian and Greek Sphinx was gender. The Greek Sphinx was female. The origin of the Sphinx varied widely depending on the myth. In most tales the are yet more children of Echidna and Typhus, but their parentage varies with the myth, which is why I really love the direction Wagner took this story because Apollo's temples were often decorated with Sphinx statues, so there's room for a connection there and her's captures the spirit of the Greek gods perfectly.

The Greek gods were petty, and jealous, and a lot like Tinkerbelle. Whatever emotion they were experiencing in any given myth took them over completely. But they were also complex, and wise, and charismatic. Wagner manages to capture that essence along with the mixed feelings of respect, awe, and fear the mortals living among them would have likely experienced.

In terms of tone, this story reminded me of Rita Webb's Daughter of the Goddess. Reading it is like being told a fairytale. I'm really looking forward to where this series is going to go.

[Yelle Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greek Gods At Their Finest!
Raye Wagner’s take on the Origin of the Sphinx blew me away. As a lover of Greek Mythology, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. I’ll try not to give out spoilers.

As with most Greek tragedies, there is a curse by the gods and a curse that is given out unfairly. Gods, demigods and mortals sometimes do not mesh and this novella put it all together as a true tragedy should.

I recommend this read for those who are familiar with GM and for those who are new. It involves love, betrayal, secrets, hard choices and a couple of “wows” from me. I really appreciate how this author has kept to the true tales of GM, while entertaining the reader with her own brand on the Sphinx.

[Marianna Beadles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun little escape into the world of the Gods. As a fan of Greek mythology, I'd have to say the story felt pretty darn authentic to that world. This was much better written than a lot of the young adult fiction that is being churned out lately, with more to offer than repetitive titillating physical descriptions that feel insulting to your intelligence after a while. This was substitive, thoughtful, and rich with good storytelling. The author is weaving a tale that is much larger than this slim novella, and I was excited to see this is just the teaser for a new series! More Sphinx? Yes, please!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I don't know anything about mythology but this was a nice little story of how the Sphinx came to be. I don't know how closely it follows the myth but it was an enjoyable quick read. The story was easy to understand and you fell for the characters. It would have been an awesome novel if it went into more detail but like I said, it was an enjoyable quick read.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a nice little summer read you're in for a treat with this one. Well written, enjoyable and an easy read book it is quick to pull you in and keep you there. I look forward to finishing Origin of the Sphinx and see how this well woven tale plays out. I also look forward to more stories from Raye Wagner in the future.

[Mollie! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more!!! This novella was such a tease. ;) I LOVE how well written this was, and yet the dialogue stayed true to the genre. It's definitely YA and a great, fun little read. There's only one part that I hated: It ended! I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series. Five stars for this little read, and in anticipation for the rest of the series. :)

[Sepia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella. It was light and easy read.I liked the different characters and found them to be fun. I haven't actually read Curse of the Sphinx but this has made me want to.

Spoilery

This is the first Greek Mythology book I've read after Trials of Apollo and it's weird seeing Apollo as the villain here. I don't like Apollo in this novella.

[Kelly Stepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short prequel that really gives the reader insight into the Sphinx's family history and Apollo's curse. I read it after reading books 1 & 2 in the series. I actually preferred reading it after I'd gotten to know the main characters and some of the story, but did find it moved slow at times. I'd recommend it for those who enjoy the series.

[Tanja Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

First novella from a new YA voice that I believe will resonate with YA readers and be around for a long time. She writes dialogue quite well. If you like mythology you will enjoy this book. Anxious to read her full novel.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great novella. I enjoyed the story and I look forward to more from this author.

[Melonie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It! You could not help but love the characters! I am excited about reading the series!!!
Hope it is out soon!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah! This novella was so awesome to read, so enjoyable! I need to know more, what's going to happen next!

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ace little novella that tells you exactly what it say on the cover!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have preferred to learn more of the backstory between Damon and Hera, and how Phoibe's birth came about, but one can't have everything, eh?

For such a short novella (so short my Kindle didn't even show the page numbers), this had quite a few textual errors, listed as follows: loc 160, for you Phoibe / for you, Phoibe; loc 166, Hush now child / Hush now, child ; loc 173, She may not be able / She might not be able ; loc 187, Thank you Uncle / Thank you, Uncle ; loc 203, stole a glance not wanting / stole a glance, not wanting ; loc 207, or hetera / or hetaerae ; loc 209, create for misunderstandings / create misunderstandings ; loc 213, rest of the Priska's herbs / rest of Priska's herbs ; loc 283, Come on Phoibe / Come on, Phoibe ; loc 287, or worse a public fountain / or worse, a public fountain ; loc 296, Perhaps, I was off / Perhaps I was off ; loc 321, Disappointment chaffed at her heart / Disappointment chafed at her heart ; loc 349, Are you hetera? / Are you hetaera? ; loc 352, you look like hetera / you look like hetaera ; loc 358, if I was hetera / if I was hetaera ; loc 451, the space separating them shrunk / the space separating them shrank ; loc 507, With the wool dyed both women / With the wool dyed, both women ; loc 509, clicking of the wheels, drove the disquiet / clicking of the wheels drove the disquiet ; loc 509, as she said it she knew / as she said it, she knew ; loc 511, The god's have / The gods have ; loc 518, But, it doesn't happen / But it doesn't happen ; loc 527, Phoibe finally glance up / Phoibe finally glanced up ; loc 532, Priska's continued to spin / Priska continued to spin ; loc 537, Initially, filled with fun / Initially filled with fun ; loc 609, her shoulders dropped / her shoulders drooped ; loc 611, With a "harrumph" she began / With a "harrumph," she began ; loc 616, the tale-tell signs / the tell-tale signs ; loc 671, of discussion now is it / of discussion, now is it ; loc 695, You're brother / Your brother ; loc 716, Thank you Isaak / Thank you, Isaak ; loc 719, she snuck back / she sneaked back ; loc 732, By late afternoon her work completed / By late afternoon, her work completed ; loc 738, your endless consort / your endless concern (?- best guess) ; loc 756, and creamy lentil dish / and a creamy lentil dish ; loc 774, Perhaps, you should / Perhaps you should ; loc 785, the eldest of her two / the elder of her two ; loc 785, Dimetrios, was eight / Dimetrios was eight ; loc 787, Hi Dimetri / Hi, Dimetri ; loc 794, Hello Father / Hello, Father ; loc 800, Go you two / Go, you two ; loc 803, she didn't know how? / she didn't know how. ; loc 848, Once he's conquered; he'll very likely / Once he's conquered, he'll very likely ; loc 867, Why so shy my kitten / Why so shy, my kitten ; loc 893, There, there my love / There, there, my love ; loc 904, I love you Isaak / I love you, Isaak ; loc 907, But Phoibe / But, Phoibe ; loc 910, constantly chaffing / constantly chafing ; loc 912, will let take me / will take me ; loc 922, mixed feeling for / mixed feelings for ; loc 933, of witnesses I give / of witnesses, I give ; loc 949, her daughter perfect button / her daughter's perfect button ; loc 1009, I'm here child / I'm here, child ; loc 1011, she sunk into the chair / she sank into the chair ; loc 1011, later that morning it was / later that morning, it was ; loc 1013, her mind cleared she reeled / her mind cleared, she reeled ; loc 1018, Priska stroked, what could only be / Priska stroked what could only be ; loc 1028, he would need to her what the Fates / he would need to hear what the Fates ; loc 1030, She promised Phoibe / She had promised Phoibe ; loc 1058, goddess that spoke, hardly looked up / goddess that spoke hardly looked up ; loc 1058, since the Fates arrival / since the Fates' arrival ; loc 1073, Cloth said / Clotho said ; loc 1077, further questions ask them now / further questions, ask them now ; loc 1105, in his eyes he practically begged / in his eyes, he practically begged ; loc 1142, only her cherubic face showed / only her cherubic face showing ; loc 1293, woman watched her eyes / woman watched, her eyes ; loc 1314, quick trip the grocery / quick trip to the grocery .

[Juliet Minerva Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un'altra novella carina da parte di Raye Wagner, penso che il mio voto sia un 3.5.
Questa serie mi piace, ma tutti i libri, e anche le novelle, sono sempre meno belli di quello che mi aspetto. Come dire, l'idea generale della storia è molto interessante, ma quando si tratta di metterla in pratica, l'autrice ha sempre qualcosa che manca. è difficile trovare esattamente il problema, forse nella scrittura di alcune scene, o nei personaggi, non saprei dire.

Lo stesso vale per questa novella. è stato bello avere il background sulla madre della prima sfinge. Credo il problema sia che, essendo una novella, i dettagli sono molto vaghi. Però, anche nei libri alcune scene erano molto difficili da immaginare.
Un'altra cosa che non ho ben capito è perché, quando Phoibe ha incontrato Apollo, Priska non la ha messa in guardia. O meglio, le ha detto di stare attenta, ma attenta a che cosa? Non poteva dirle chiaramente di stare alla larga dagli dei perché fanno casini? E perché nessuno le ha detto che possono vendicarsi su di te? Forse anche nei libri normali la cosa che mi dava fastidio era l'assenza di comunicazione fra i personaggi, non si spiegano bene a vicenda, rendendomi infastidita nel leggere di tutte le incomprensioni che sorgono.

La cosa bella di questa novella è però che è abbastanza breve, e il tempo vola leggendola.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Start to Series

When I bought the original three books of the series I had no idea this book existed. No had to read the first book before learning about this one. I definitely recommend reading this book first! The so called gods certainly act no better, but most of the human adults act much better here and you get a much better understanding about what happened to bring about the Phoenix. My only wish is that I could understand how our modern conviences could have ever been developed with the horrible so called gods having any level of control over the earth. In my mind, the gods of previous cultures are a big reason as to why people lose faith and hope, because they give no reason to have such feelings, only causing people to assume all creatures of so called higher advancement would act the way they were written.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://fallenoverbookreviews.blogspot...

I received this book in a newsletter and I am glad I did. I do enjoy reading mythology if it is written out really good. With this story I was kind of worried on if I would like it because I wasn't sure where it would be headed. I am glad I gave it a try as I was impressed. We follow Phoibe as she find out who she truly is and falls in love. Though it seems that one God named Apollo will not take no for an answer. Phoibe has a choice but the choice she picks will have a consequence. As this is a prequel I am not sure how the other books in the series follows but it makes a good short book. It seems that Hope will be cursed and it will be up to Priska to help guide her in the best way.

[Heather De Los Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting prequel

I think the prequel really was able to add to what caused the curse to happen. I understand now Apollo wanted her to carry his child but only for that and nothing more. The fact that Phoibe had fallen in love with another didn't matter to Apollo. I loved how true she stayed to Isaak even though it would have been easy to appease Apollo. I also enjoyed hear how Priska came to be in charge of the Sphinx and who exactly the mother was to them.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I really enjoy the writing style of this author. I would recommend her to friends and family. I gladly give my 5 star rating.