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Dark Olympus #1
Neon Gods
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Romance (2021)He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.
Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…
A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.
Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…
A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.
380 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2021
About the author
Katee Robert
159 books32.3k followersKatee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over two million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 29,766 reviews
January 2, 2022
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I've been wanting to read NEON GODS ever since I first heard about the book. I'm a sucker for stories about Greek gods and dark romances and this book even had the word "dark" in its title. How could little ol' me pass up the chance on a series called Dark Olympus?
Now that I've finally read the book, I have a lot of THOUGHTS. Thoughts that are conflicted and numerous, so I have decided to bullet point my likes and dislikes for my convenience and yours.
LIKES:
👍 Making Zeus a sinister Bluebeard kind of figure. Zeus is a jerk, okay? Disney's Hercules has made a lot of people picture him as some sort of benevolent Santa figure, but he was a real jerk. It's way too easily to imagine a twisted Bizarro universe where Zeus kills off all his consorts. He's just a major creep.
👍 Hermes and Dionysus. They were great. Loved the idea to gender-flip Hermes and her bromance (girlmance?) with Dionysus. The two of them were great and I wish them nothing but the best.
👍 The emphasis on consent. I like consent in books. Which is weird because I also like books that have dub-con. But fantasy is fantasy and for those who like consent, I am very happy that there are an increasing number of options trying to put the "sensual" in consensual. Especially in books that are more kink-forward.
👍 Persephone unapologetically owning her sexuality. Just this.
DISLIKES:
👎 The world building. What even is this? Is Olympus in the U.S.? Is it in its own dimension? Is this fantasy? It feels like it is kind of its own thing, but then there's all these weird references, like Persephone wanting to go to Berkeley, or Hades having a Princess Leia fetish, or Hermes stuffing her mouth with Cheetos. And then it's mentioned that some of the gods have social media accounts, and they're kind of a cross between society folk and a mafia, so who gave them all this power and how were the thirteen created and DO THEY HAVE MAGIC? Are they gods? Because at one point they're described as human, but they seem to have these preternatural talents that mark them as gods, and some of them are born to the role but others are elected and others inherit AND I AM JUST SO CONFUSED.
👎 This is not a dark romance. Which I would not have a problem with if it weren't being packaged as a dark romance. It's like ordering a dark chocolate cake and cutting it open and having all these rainbow sprinkles and gumballs come flying out. Like, yes this is a nice cake you made here ma'am BUT I DID NOT ORDER THIS FROM YOUR MENU. From a story that is supposed to be so dark, I would like some real stakes. But apart from a sinister beginning, it was just mostly, well, fluff.
👎 There's no real conflict. Persephone and Hades lust after one another at first sight. She's not at all weirded out by his exhibitionism kink and they're just magically in tune with one another in all ways. The Zeus thing and the treaty had some promise but everything gets tied off so neatly at the end that it felt like all build up and no pay-off. It was very anticlimactic, especially given all the hype.
👎 EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK IS SO STUPID. People literally think Hades is a myth because they never bothered to cross the river. Hades has public sex parties and social media is a thing. Did nobody ever find Hades's OnlyFans or something? That's like me assuming my neighbors don't exist because they don't cross the street. ESPECIALLY since one of the ways Zeus gets revenge is by cutting off the supply chain to Hades's territory. There's obviously accounting and paperwork going on and this was never addressed to my nitpicky satisfaction.
👎 It's basically porn with plot. This book wears what little plot it has like a see-through nightie. If you're picking it up for the fantasy, you're going to be disappointed. I went into this expecting something like Ilona Andrew's Hidden Legacy series and ended up with something more like FIFTY SHADES OF HADES meets A COURT OF GODS AND SMUT. Which is fine if that's what you're into, but that's not really what I'm into.
👎 Calling this grumpy vs. sunshine is an overstatement. Persephone is pretty angsty and not really a sunshiney character and Hades is just a little bit brooding but he's clearly a good guy. There's no hard or icy shell to crack away at. He is basically a chocolate-coated marshmallow. Which ties into my fluff complaint. DON'T SELL ME BROODY AND GIVE ME A MARSHMALLOW. Marshmallows don't brood. They fluff. Unless you put them in a microwave and then they explode (which I guess technically happened at the end of this book but we're not sailing on the S.S. Spoilers here).
So in short, this book wasn't what I expected but it could have been worse. There were some really great quotes and spicy scenes and I didn't hate it but I also really don't understand the hype.
2.5 stars
August 3, 2022
Jesus Christ. I don't even know where to begin. First of all, is anyone surprised that this is one of the most recommended books in the history of overhyped books? I am not. lmao
Second of all, Hades and Persephone? Again? How many more do we need? You know we have other Gods right? There are over twelve gods to chose from. At this point I'd read a medusa retelling. Any originality, for the love of ALL THAT IS SACRED I AM STARVING OVER HERE.
You guys were like: yeah, I know. At least the smut is good...
THE SMUT IS GOOD? WHERE? WHERE IS THE SMUT GOOD?
After the first time he makes her c*m, she literally says: "the orgasm was good" with the same enthusiasm someone would say: the chicken is ready. LMAO
And Hades? The simp, the limp noodle we have as a character here, who shows her HIS PLAYROOM on chapter 7 like he's a wish copy of Christian Grey.
Followed by the sentence: "I LIKE KINKY STUFF" It has the same level of cringe as Christian's: I DON'T MAKE LOVE, I FCK HARD.
You incompetent swine, if you have to tell me you like it kinky or if you have to tell me how good you are in bed instead of actually showing, you are making me drier than the Sahara desert.
Let's start with the fact that this book is supposed to be a MODERN RETELLING of Hades and Persephone. Where for some reason Olympus has Starbucks, Persephone has a trust fund and she wants to go to CALIFORNIA TO GET A PHD AT BERKLEY... because that is the way she can...WAIT FOR IT... ESCAPE HER ARRANGED MARRIAGE WITH ZEUS.
IN WHAT WORLD!!! IN WHAT FREAKING WORLD DO THOSE GO TOGETHER?
Like, it's totally normal for an arranged marriage with Zeus and going to college to exist in the same universe and make sense. lmao So yes, the world building was nonexistent and absolute garbage.
I wish she had kept the regular fantasy/magic system instead of destroying her own book like this by making it laughable.
Just because you decided to use the word neosporin in your book, it doesn't mean it's a modern retelling Katee. However, for some UNKNWON reason, the characters talk to each other like it's the 1800s.
She could have changed their names and turned this book into a mafia romance for all I care, anything else would have been better.
You know something else that pisses me off? HADES IS A PRE-MADE CHARACTER. He is literally a 3 minute microwavable meal. The characters traits are there.
The God of the Dead and keeper of the Underworld. Pop him in the oven and BAM you got yourself a morally grey character. It is the easiest thing in the world to get it right and they turn Hades into this whiny, weak, insecure, pathetic, cringe character that lacks self control and becomes a lovesick puppy within six chapters. It is SO UNDERWHELMING.
It is INSULTING.
The day you give me a Hades worth reading about is the day I will be reading another Hades and Persephone tale. (Probably never)
Honorable mentions to this particular Hades having a FOOT FETISH because he spends 20 chapters obsessed over the fact she twisted her ankle in chapter 2 and he never got over it, you'll get to hear him yell at her about her foot 16 times. He is also the guy who yells are her to eat, yells at her to remember to breathe... it's that disingenuous concern that came from an insta-love relationship.
Anyways, she crosses the river to where Hades is and they decide to start sleeping together because she believes Zeus would no longer want her if she was damaged goods and that way she could escape the arranged marriage.
In this world Zeus is a perv, an ugly old man, who kills all his wives when he gets bored of them.
The way this world building was put together, he will be the next California serial killer SINCE OLYMPUS IS THAT CLOSE.
LMAO GET IT? Anyways...
As for Persephone? She gets one line from me: waste of space. Another goddess people butcher when they write their books. Y'all really skipped History. These guys were brutal, selfish, unyielding, mischievous and you give me a white girl with a Starbucks addiction. lol
This book does NOT DESERVE THIS MUCH TIME from me.
Awful, Jesus Christ. The worst copy/fanfic inspired by 50 shades of grey you could possibly read.
My first and last Katee book, sorry.
July 16, 2022
Oh my... Tempting, sexy as hell, addictive, stimulating! This book is pure sin! Most delicious, irresistible, incendiary sin you full heartedly and voluntarily like to commit!
Hades and Persephone can put the entire Olympus on fire with their pant melting, hyperventilating chemistry! In the bed they can start the earthquake which may rock the entire universes !
I’m telling you my dears, if Katee Robert plans to rewrite entire Greek mythology, please let her do! With her amazing touch, everything about the myths turn into something desirable, magical and soooo freaking intense!
Hades she recreated is pure definition of walking talking breathing charisma! And guess what? He can be also compassionate, caring, devoted! I am hundred percent sure: this version of Hades will steal entire romance readers’ hearts!
And Persephone is bold, smart, cunning siren who slowly destroys the walls surrounded Hades’ heart and sees his true self, making him fall for her hard! She’s brilliant seducer! And she also enjoys voyeurism like her dark king! Yes, they like having sex at public places! Those naught MCs never stop surprising you, don’t they?
Story starts with unexpected engagement party of Persephone who finds out her mother forces her to marry with reincarnation of Bluebeard a. k.a. Zeus. Of course she cannot say no to a vicious and one of the most dangerous man of Olympus!
After putting a plastered smile on her face, she runs back to her room, making a quick plan to escape because she has no intention to marry with a dangerous man to be pawn of her mother’s power games. She runs away, followed by Zeus’ guards, passing the forbidden side of the river which leads her to underworld with help of mysterious man. But as soon as she finds out that man is Hades! As everybody thinks he’s a myth at the upper city, it seems like he’s so alive, governing the underworld more peacefully and fairly than Zeus does in upper city!
Persephone has no intention to go back to the upper city! So she forms an offer to Hades they can both get benefitted. For 3 months Persephone will belong to Hades, sharing his bed to guarantee to be ruined by him so Zeus won’t demand her presence when his favorite toy turned into damaged goods! For proving their point the couple has to make tons of sex !
Sexy, charismatic, magnetic underworld Lord accepts the offer which also help him to avenge the man who took his parents’ lives. ( he reminds us of secluded dark knight Bruce Wayne, isn’t he? )
So as you may guess, this book presents us a creative retelling of Greek mythology where the gods like to eat gyro platters and goddesses like shopping, running away from paparazzis’ gossip columns!
This is entertaining , seductive , wild ride you shouldn’t miss earned my 5 unputdownable, enchanting, blasting chemistry stars!
I need another book ASAP! I need more journey at Greek Islands!
Special thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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Hades and Persephone can put the entire Olympus on fire with their pant melting, hyperventilating chemistry! In the bed they can start the earthquake which may rock the entire universes !
I’m telling you my dears, if Katee Robert plans to rewrite entire Greek mythology, please let her do! With her amazing touch, everything about the myths turn into something desirable, magical and soooo freaking intense!
Hades she recreated is pure definition of walking talking breathing charisma! And guess what? He can be also compassionate, caring, devoted! I am hundred percent sure: this version of Hades will steal entire romance readers’ hearts!
And Persephone is bold, smart, cunning siren who slowly destroys the walls surrounded Hades’ heart and sees his true self, making him fall for her hard! She’s brilliant seducer! And she also enjoys voyeurism like her dark king! Yes, they like having sex at public places! Those naught MCs never stop surprising you, don’t they?
Story starts with unexpected engagement party of Persephone who finds out her mother forces her to marry with reincarnation of Bluebeard a. k.a. Zeus. Of course she cannot say no to a vicious and one of the most dangerous man of Olympus!
After putting a plastered smile on her face, she runs back to her room, making a quick plan to escape because she has no intention to marry with a dangerous man to be pawn of her mother’s power games. She runs away, followed by Zeus’ guards, passing the forbidden side of the river which leads her to underworld with help of mysterious man. But as soon as she finds out that man is Hades! As everybody thinks he’s a myth at the upper city, it seems like he’s so alive, governing the underworld more peacefully and fairly than Zeus does in upper city!
Persephone has no intention to go back to the upper city! So she forms an offer to Hades they can both get benefitted. For 3 months Persephone will belong to Hades, sharing his bed to guarantee to be ruined by him so Zeus won’t demand her presence when his favorite toy turned into damaged goods! For proving their point the couple has to make tons of sex !
Sexy, charismatic, magnetic underworld Lord accepts the offer which also help him to avenge the man who took his parents’ lives. ( he reminds us of secluded dark knight Bruce Wayne, isn’t he? )
So as you may guess, this book presents us a creative retelling of Greek mythology where the gods like to eat gyro platters and goddesses like shopping, running away from paparazzis’ gossip columns!
This is entertaining , seductive , wild ride you shouldn’t miss earned my 5 unputdownable, enchanting, blasting chemistry stars!
I need another book ASAP! I need more journey at Greek Islands!
Special thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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February 17, 2022
someone wake me up when there's a good hades and persephone retelling thanks
July 12, 2022
Thank you Katee Robert, I will be thinking about the “tarnish me” scene until the day I die
July 30, 2021
one thing is for sure, i’m a whore for both Hades and Persephone! i really did not expect to enjoy this as much as i did. it was captivating from the start. a whole ass page turner. the writing, the intricate plot, the diverse fucking characters??? say less
July 13, 2021
This is a Hades/Persephone retelling in a contemporary setting and it's just...super lackluster and boring. That and the only "retelling" about this is that their names are Hades and Persephone. Like, they could have easily have just been Todd and Cathy and the story would have been the exact same.
I know the ~plot~ is not really the focal point here, but geez, I'm leaving this book with so many questions and I don't really care if I ever get the answers.
I know the ~plot~ is not really the focal point here, but geez, I'm leaving this book with so many questions and I don't really care if I ever get the answers.
December 14, 2021
I want my time back. happy for the girlies who enjoyed it, wish that could’ve been me
This is the exact same book katee has been putting out for years I’m so tired of reading the same thing katee plsss do something different than this fake underdeveloped mafiaesque whatever tf this is
This is the exact same book katee has been putting out for years I’m so tired of reading the same thing katee plsss do something different than this fake underdeveloped mafiaesque whatever tf this is
February 28, 2024
Greek gods + dark romance? I don't even know what that means, but sure, sign me up!
So, I don't know about you guys, but I almost never read blurbs thoroughly before picking up books. I don't want to be spoiled, so I usually peek at the first sentence or two, vaguely recognize some key words, and call it good.
In this case, I saw something about Persephone being forced into an engagement with Zeus, and thought I got the gist. Well, I almost had a heart attack when Zeus was introduced as an old guy with white hair, and I thought I had signed up to read a steamy romance between him and Persephone. At that point, I decided to give the blurb a more thorough purview, and was never more relieved to find out that they weren't the pairing. Phew! It's actually supposed to be Persephone and Hades, who she runs to for help. Ahh.
With this book, I think it's important to set correct expectations right off the bat. This isn't a Greek mythology retelling of any sort. Most of the similarities it has with Greek mythology are around the naming of places and characters, along with their approximate positions of power. That's about it. To think otherwise would lead straight to disappointment.
However, the little that it does draw from mythology, I really enjoyed and wished there was more of. Are the gods in this world just regular people or magical/supernatural beings? Why is there resistance crossing the River Styx? Where is the city of Olympus? The book seems to hint at many possibilities, but retreated before exploring them further.
Another thing I enjoyed is the development of the relationship between Persephone and Hades. They seem like an interesting pairing, with her being the carefree socialite and him being the serious leader of the shadow world. It's your typical grumpy/sunshine trope, and I just can't get enough. And the premise is so interesting, with Hades offering Persephone refuge during her time of need and her slowly thawing his frozen heart. I can totally get on board with that. But there just wasn't enough of it.
Instead, it feels like the majority of this book is taken up with LOTS of sex. I enjoy an appropriately-placed, well-done sex scene as much as the next person, and they can add much sizzle and spark to a romance. But the ones in here seem to come out of nowhere, with hardly any setup. At times, every other scene is a sex scene, and they're so over-the-top that it feels like I'm being whacked in the face by them. After a while, they start to blend together, becoming repetitive and almost mechanical, as if the author was trying to fulfill a sex scene quota before being able to call it good.
I spent a while debating between 3 and 4 stars for this book, and settled on a 3 in the end. While I thought it was a fast and diverting read, there just wasn't enough of the parts I enjoyed the most. I found the beginning and end chapters to be the most fascinating because those are the ones that most advanced the story and the couple's relationship.
Since I already grabbed the next book in the series, I guess I'll continue with it. I'm really hoping to see this version of Olympus and its gods built out a bit more. It certainly is an interesting interpretation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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So, I don't know about you guys, but I almost never read blurbs thoroughly before picking up books. I don't want to be spoiled, so I usually peek at the first sentence or two, vaguely recognize some key words, and call it good.
In this case, I saw something about Persephone being forced into an engagement with Zeus, and thought I got the gist. Well, I almost had a heart attack when Zeus was introduced as an old guy with white hair, and I thought I had signed up to read a steamy romance between him and Persephone. At that point, I decided to give the blurb a more thorough purview, and was never more relieved to find out that they weren't the pairing. Phew! It's actually supposed to be Persephone and Hades, who she runs to for help. Ahh.
With this book, I think it's important to set correct expectations right off the bat. This isn't a Greek mythology retelling of any sort. Most of the similarities it has with Greek mythology are around the naming of places and characters, along with their approximate positions of power. That's about it. To think otherwise would lead straight to disappointment.
However, the little that it does draw from mythology, I really enjoyed and wished there was more of. Are the gods in this world just regular people or magical/supernatural beings? Why is there resistance crossing the River Styx? Where is the city of Olympus? The book seems to hint at many possibilities, but retreated before exploring them further.
Another thing I enjoyed is the development of the relationship between Persephone and Hades. They seem like an interesting pairing, with her being the carefree socialite and him being the serious leader of the shadow world. It's your typical grumpy/sunshine trope, and I just can't get enough. And the premise is so interesting, with Hades offering Persephone refuge during her time of need and her slowly thawing his frozen heart. I can totally get on board with that. But there just wasn't enough of it.
Instead, it feels like the majority of this book is taken up with LOTS of sex. I enjoy an appropriately-placed, well-done sex scene as much as the next person, and they can add much sizzle and spark to a romance. But the ones in here seem to come out of nowhere, with hardly any setup. At times, every other scene is a sex scene, and they're so over-the-top that it feels like I'm being whacked in the face by them. After a while, they start to blend together, becoming repetitive and almost mechanical, as if the author was trying to fulfill a sex scene quota before being able to call it good.
I spent a while debating between 3 and 4 stars for this book, and settled on a 3 in the end. While I thought it was a fast and diverting read, there just wasn't enough of the parts I enjoyed the most. I found the beginning and end chapters to be the most fascinating because those are the ones that most advanced the story and the couple's relationship.
Since I already grabbed the next book in the series, I guess I'll continue with it. I'm really hoping to see this version of Olympus and its gods built out a bit more. It certainly is an interesting interpretation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
June 12, 2021
leave it to katee robert to write the only hades/persephone romance i've given 5 stars
June 22, 2021
the pitch that this is ‘a touch of darkness’ meets ‘50 shades’ is 100% accurate.
as with most retellings, im always curious as to how an author is going to make the story their own, and i really appreciate KRs version of hades and persephone. i enjoyed how olympus and the underworld are portrayed as different sides of a city, with a feud between two mobs kind of storyline mixed in with high society.
and dont get me started on the steam. holy cow, this book will have you fanning yourself. but its definitely more than just the physical attraction. i loved reading about hades’ growing feelings and how he copes with them. hes too precious.
overall, a very solid retelling and i cant wait to continue the series!
thank you so much sourcebooks casablanca for the ARC!
↠ 4 stars
as with most retellings, im always curious as to how an author is going to make the story their own, and i really appreciate KRs version of hades and persephone. i enjoyed how olympus and the underworld are portrayed as different sides of a city, with a feud between two mobs kind of storyline mixed in with high society.
and dont get me started on the steam. holy cow, this book will have you fanning yourself. but its definitely more than just the physical attraction. i loved reading about hades’ growing feelings and how he copes with them. hes too precious.
overall, a very solid retelling and i cant wait to continue the series!
thank you so much sourcebooks casablanca for the ARC!
↠ 4 stars
December 26, 2021
maybe i’m just not into retellings
June 16, 2021
Got lured in by a few tweets and tiktok videos promising a smoking hot modern day retelling of Hades/Persephone heavy on erotica. Yes, I will clickbait Persephone + Hades + erotica anytime.
I finished this book with the feeling I had just read a poorly plotted mafia romance, the only greek mythology elements being the characters names and the only gods those Persephone would implore during a screaming orgasm. Sigh.
World building fail is my first grip with Neon Gods. It was so vague. So blurry.
I couldn't with the lack of on page character growth given to Persephone. One chapter she's this fake sunshiny and docile daughter, the next she's proposing Hades with a whole sex scheme to get back at Zeus. Speaking of which, I can't remember the number of tweets congratulating this book for the quality erotica and I guess I need something more than two half assed exhibitionism scenes and a cute safe-word to pass muster as D/s to wow me. I think the chemistry never truly sparked between Hades and Persephone for me so their few and many interactions between the sheets or on the throne failed to grab my interest. There just wasn't any heat between them. I can't believe I'm saying this but the sex was boring.
I thought I'd love a anti hero but... sigh, Hades was just so sweet. TOO sweet. I like sweet, I do, but I would have liked some true grit given to his character and not just this shrouding misunderstood hero vibe. There wasn't any heat behind his threats either.
The whole plot about Zeus war threats... dragged. His whole purposed as a villain was a complete loss on me, he was just not THERE. Not a real threat, never. I was not impressed with the rushed ending.
For some reason this is tagged as fantasy/fantasy romance/fantasy paranormal, please explain. If you come looking for the greek mythology lore, you'll be sorely disappointed. The only "gods" in this story where the many implored by an orgasming Persephone. If you enjoy mafia romance though, this was very mafia romance lite.
I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either. Everything was just too surface for me I guess, this wasn't a memorable read. Except maybe for the puppies. The puppies were adorb :)
More reviews and book talk at :
You can find me here too ☞
I finished this book with the feeling I had just read a poorly plotted mafia romance, the only greek mythology elements being the characters names and the only gods those Persephone would implore during a screaming orgasm. Sigh.
World building fail is my first grip with Neon Gods. It was so vague. So blurry.
I couldn't with the lack of on page character growth given to Persephone. One chapter she's this fake sunshiny and docile daughter, the next she's proposing Hades with a whole sex scheme to get back at Zeus. Speaking of which, I can't remember the number of tweets congratulating this book for the quality erotica and I guess I need something more than two half assed exhibitionism scenes and a cute safe-word to pass muster as D/s to wow me. I think the chemistry never truly sparked between Hades and Persephone for me so their few and many interactions between the sheets or on the throne failed to grab my interest. There just wasn't any heat between them. I can't believe I'm saying this but the sex was boring.
I thought I'd love a anti hero but... sigh, Hades was just so sweet. TOO sweet. I like sweet, I do, but I would have liked some true grit given to his character and not just this shrouding misunderstood hero vibe. There wasn't any heat behind his threats either.
The whole plot about Zeus war threats... dragged. His whole purposed as a villain was a complete loss on me, he was just not THERE. Not a real threat, never. I was not impressed with the rushed ending.
For some reason this is tagged as fantasy/fantasy romance/fantasy paranormal, please explain. If you come looking for the greek mythology lore, you'll be sorely disappointed. The only "gods" in this story where the many implored by an orgasming Persephone. If you enjoy mafia romance though, this was very mafia romance lite.
I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either. Everything was just too surface for me I guess, this wasn't a memorable read. Except maybe for the puppies. The puppies were adorb :)
More reviews and book talk at :
You can find me here too ☞
January 12, 2022
idk this entire book was just a big ick to me😭
ick #1: hades having a long beard😪
ick #2: “yes sir” girl i can’t handle this fifty shades of gray bs🙄
ick #3: literally no character development whatsoever. none. how was persephone so scared of her mom and then 2 pages later she’s mr. tough guy like wtf
ick #4: first sex.... in PUBLIC??? girl bye💀(i’m not kink shaming- like you do you but for me personally i hate it🤢)
ick #5: WHERE WAS THE TENSION???? THEY LIKE ADMITTED THEY LOVED EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST 100 PAGES!! I HATE HATE HATEEEE INSTA LOVE THEY BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER
ick #6: i’m sorry but wtf is this world building?? maybe i snoozed how during the explanation but where is olympus located in the real world? why is there modern day reference??
ick #7: this is probably my fault but i realized after i bought this that there was absolutely NO GREEK MYTHOLOGY!!! besides the names (which were very weird like wut i thought gods were immortal not jobs🤔) there was nooo powers or anything that involved what a good greek mythology retelling NEEDSSS
anyway sorry for the rant but if i messed up any info in my review please tell me because i skimmed through most of the book because i hated it sm😄
ick #1: hades having a long beard😪
ick #2: “yes sir” girl i can’t handle this fifty shades of gray bs🙄
ick #3: literally no character development whatsoever. none. how was persephone so scared of her mom and then 2 pages later she’s mr. tough guy like wtf
ick #4: first sex.... in PUBLIC??? girl bye💀(i’m not kink shaming- like you do you but for me personally i hate it🤢)
ick #5: WHERE WAS THE TENSION???? THEY LIKE ADMITTED THEY LOVED EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST 100 PAGES!! I HATE HATE HATEEEE INSTA LOVE THEY BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER
ick #6: i’m sorry but wtf is this world building?? maybe i snoozed how during the explanation but where is olympus located in the real world? why is there modern day reference??
ick #7: this is probably my fault but i realized after i bought this that there was absolutely NO GREEK MYTHOLOGY!!! besides the names (which were very weird like wut i thought gods were immortal not jobs🤔) there was nooo powers or anything that involved what a good greek mythology retelling NEEDSSS
anyway sorry for the rant but if i messed up any info in my review please tell me because i skimmed through most of the book because i hated it sm😄
July 23, 2021
ah yes another cheap and corny Hades/Persephone retelling. at this point i can tell when an author uses this specific retelling only to get readers’ attention and doesn’t do 80% of the homework 😷 shame…
July 8, 2021
This was fun, but I don't think that it quite delivered what I was looking for in a Hades/Persephone retelling. I REALLY loved the dynamic between Hades and Persephone when it was just the two of them together, but I struggled to care about the story as a whole? I never felt truly compelled to believe the stakes of the story so I never really connected to the characters beyond the surface level. With that being said, this book was still HOT AS HECK and a very fun audiobook listen, but I'm not sure if I will carry on with the series beyond this point. We shall see!
November 2, 2023
I fucking loved this book. Its smutty and simple and made my 🐱 clench. So what else can I ask for?
I couldn’t put it down. The sex scenes were chef’s kiss and the characters??? I usually ignore personalities in most smutty books because we’re not here for that. But in this book? Absolutely nicely done. The plot was intriguing but I still have questions which I guess will be answered in the future.
The modern day Hades is exactly what I needed. Can’t wait for book 2. I’m on my knees.
I couldn’t put it down. The sex scenes were chef’s kiss and the characters??? I usually ignore personalities in most smutty books because we’re not here for that. But in this book? Absolutely nicely done. The plot was intriguing but I still have questions which I guess will be answered in the future.
The modern day Hades is exactly what I needed. Can’t wait for book 2. I’m on my knees.
April 25, 2022
Hades is everything Christan Grey wished he was
I fucking love this book. I dont care if you didnt. This is my guilty pleasure. Hades is my guilty pleasure.
I love Hades, I mean how can you not when he says stuff like this :
minor spoilers i guess?? Just of hades being overprotective and cute. They will be prominent with being bold. Other than that no spoilers
”In that moment, i'd do it again a hundred times. No matter the cost. It's all worth it for her. Fucking anything for her”
”You and everyone else in your life might be willing to play fast and lose for you health but i am not”
”I would commit unforgivable acts to keep Persephone safe”
”You should know by now that I can't say no to you, Persephone. You turn those big hazel eyes on me and i'm putty in your hands”
”Little Siren. Do you think there's a price I wouldent willingly pay for your happiness and safely?”
SCREAMING CRYING AND THROWING UP WHEN CAN I HAVE THIS??
”For the duration of this scene, it's my body.” He motions to the low stage in the centre of the room.”Up”
I am a feminist but oh my my my what i would do to be with this man.
He is literally the definition of the ‘I hate everyone but you trope’ ‘am secretly cute and soft but everyone thinks i am a monster’ and ‘ i will simp for you.’
And you know what I am here for it, those are some of my favourite tropes and I am a whore for them and I am not ashamed to admit it.
He sort of reminds me of Rhysand if you know what I mean
I also really liked Persephone, she was not like the damsel in distress like you hear in the Greek myths but she was a badass and knew what she wanted. To be honest she kinda reminded me of Jude from The Cruel Prince and Emilia from Kingdom of the Wicked.
But if i'm being honest with you, for a book that has been hyped up about how smutty it is its not the smuttiest book ive ever read you know? There was some plot in there. And dont get me wrong i am not complaining about that no no no. But I sort of wished that there was more smut because what we were given was GOOD. Does that make me a whore? Probably. But do i actually give two fucks? No Sir I do not.
The one issue I had was when the author described a PoC as Black with a capital letter on black. Like it was her offical title. Ya know? Like Queen Elizabeth has capital letters because it is a title and name? Yeah well being a PoC is not a title or name. I just think that she could have represented her PoC characters a little bit better.
Other than that I absolutely adore this book!! I love Greek retellings and I love the modern spin on it. It was just so intriguing and I really enjoyed learning about it.
{previous review}}
I LOVE THIS BOOK SM
Hades is everything Christan Grey wished he was
We stan Hades.
rtc about me loving Hades aha
I fucking love this book. I dont care if you didnt. This is my guilty pleasure. Hades is my guilty pleasure.
I love Hades, I mean how can you not when he says stuff like this :
minor spoilers i guess?? Just of hades being overprotective and cute. They will be prominent with being bold. Other than that no spoilers
”In that moment, i'd do it again a hundred times. No matter the cost. It's all worth it for her. Fucking anything for her”
”You and everyone else in your life might be willing to play fast and lose for you health but i am not”
”I would commit unforgivable acts to keep Persephone safe”
”You should know by now that I can't say no to you, Persephone. You turn those big hazel eyes on me and i'm putty in your hands”
”Little Siren. Do you think there's a price I wouldent willingly pay for your happiness and safely?”
SCREAMING CRYING AND THROWING UP WHEN CAN I HAVE THIS??
”For the duration of this scene, it's my body.” He motions to the low stage in the centre of the room.”Up”
I am a feminist but oh my my my what i would do to be with this man.
He is literally the definition of the ‘I hate everyone but you trope’ ‘am secretly cute and soft but everyone thinks i am a monster’ and ‘ i will simp for you.’
And you know what I am here for it, those are some of my favourite tropes and I am a whore for them and I am not ashamed to admit it.
He sort of reminds me of Rhysand if you know what I mean
I also really liked Persephone, she was not like the damsel in distress like you hear in the Greek myths but she was a badass and knew what she wanted. To be honest she kinda reminded me of Jude from The Cruel Prince and Emilia from Kingdom of the Wicked.
But if i'm being honest with you, for a book that has been hyped up about how smutty it is its not the smuttiest book ive ever read you know? There was some plot in there. And dont get me wrong i am not complaining about that no no no. But I sort of wished that there was more smut because what we were given was GOOD. Does that make me a whore? Probably. But do i actually give two fucks? No Sir I do not.
The one issue I had was when the author described a PoC as Black with a capital letter on black. Like it was her offical title. Ya know? Like Queen Elizabeth has capital letters because it is a title and name? Yeah well being a PoC is not a title or name. I just think that she could have represented her PoC characters a little bit better.
Other than that I absolutely adore this book!! I love Greek retellings and I love the modern spin on it. It was just so intriguing and I really enjoyed learning about it.
{previous review}}
I LOVE THIS BOOK SM
Hades is everything Christan Grey wished he was
We stan Hades.
rtc about me loving Hades aha
December 29, 2021
This didn’t do it for me. The fact that I put this book down not once but twice and had to push myself to finish the rest…
The world building wasn’t good - it took me forever to figure out if it was contemporary or fantasy. Honestly, I wish it was fantasy because the 'gods' here are boring. And Hades is wayyyy too nice. I like my H&P retellings with a darker kind of Hades, please and thank you.
The world building wasn’t good - it took me forever to figure out if it was contemporary or fantasy. Honestly, I wish it was fantasy because the 'gods' here are boring. And Hades is wayyyy too nice. I like my H&P retellings with a darker kind of Hades, please and thank you.
January 7, 2022
sadly, this just wasn't for me - but there was a lot of good and healthy things in this book that i really appreciated! maybe i'm just being a little more harsh because i'm such a hades and persephone fan, and i just thought this fell a little flat. and truthfully, this just didn't do much for me romance wise. but i really did enjoy the aspect of the greek gods and seeing the 13 rule this version of olympus! i would love to read another book by this author in the future - so please let me know if you have a better place for me to start! (or even if i should go on to book two!)
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Blog | Instagram | Youtube | Ko-fi | Spotify | Twitch
April 3, 2024
This could have been an excellent book. Emphasis on COULD HAVE.
Had KR put more effort into story creation, world building and character development and less in sex scenes this would have been an amazing original book. As it is, this book was somewhat entertaining, mildly boring but mostly frustrating. If you’ve spent any time studying the Greek Classics or mythology you will hate this book. It was a completely inauthentic, unresearched retelling of the Persephone and Hades fable. The names of the characters and places were drawn from Greek myth but that’s pretty much where it ends. So throw away any prior knowledge you have of the old story if you want to get any enjoyment out of this. I’m not going to go into any detail of why this story didn’t follow the real one and give the author the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she intentionally went off book and didn’t intend to stick to the original.
The real issue with this story was the lack of effort put into world building and plot development. A ton of crucial detail was omitted by Roberts leaving so many questions as to what was actually going on in the world she had built.
For example:
1. What and where exactly is Olympus? The characters have Greek names, have modern technology like cell phones and computers, and there are sky scrapers and cars and we are told that it’s a city, so I’m guessing it’s not the magical mountain where the mythical Zeus is said to have reigned. We do have a grounding moment at the beginning when Persephone mentions she wants to attend Berkeley in California for her PhD, so the real world does exist but we are never informed how Olympus fits into this world. It is mentioned that it takes a lot of effort and money to LEAVE Olympus, which has me thinking that there are magical elements at play (like why it’s difficult to cross the river Styx without an invitation from Hades) but nothing is ever clarified and everything is crazy vague. So Olympus is a city somewhere on planet earth maybe. But the people living there, including the characters named for gods, are human, as the book does tell us they are human a few times. I was entirely frustrated by the setting of the book. Giving us a few details would have grounded the place and allowed me to better immerse myself in the story.
2. Who and what are the 13? So these all powerful rulers of Olympus, named for the Greek Gods, rule this city. Some by heritage, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon are titles handed down from father to son, and the remaining are appointed somehow with the details as to how never specified. So are they rulers? Are they criminals or mafia type people who control the city through nefarious means? Do they have magical powers? It seems that Hermes might? Again never specified. As this was a huge component of the story I really needed more information on who these people were and what exactly made them powerful. We kept getting told that if Hades broke the treaty they would all come down on him, but we are never told how. It didn’t seem like they had any means to harm him as he operated in a completely separate area of the city and had no real dependence on them. So all their threats seemed to lack any real power to me. Demeter cut off supplies to the lower city and it didn’t effect them one bit, so why do we even care that the 13 can come down on Hades? Clarification was badly needed here.
3. Why was Hades forced to stay in the lower city and what exactly was the treaty? This treaty that made Hades unable to cross the Styx into the upper city was never clarified…we just keep hearing ‘don’t break the treaty’ blah blah but why and what is this treaty? No info is given.
4. Why was Hades a myth? It seemed that everyone knew about him so his myth was the worst kept secret in Olympus. That whole part of the plot made little sense. It seemed that his existence was only really not known by Persephone and her sisters. And what was the point of it anyway? It didn’t really drive the plot except maybe offering some mystery to him at the beginning.
There are more holes in the plot but I think the above are the major ones.
So I was quite captivated at the beginning of the book because I felt that all this information was going to reveal itself over time, answering all these interesting questions for me. But as I got to the middle of the book I started to realize that I was going to get no further details at which point my interest in the story fell off significantly. It didn’t help that the middle of the book mainly consisted of many, many sex scenes between Hades and Persephone, some public, during sex parties meant to piss off Zeus, and the rest just the sex they were having on an hourly basis around his home. It got to be so that the sex was repetitive and mundane (yes public sex at sex parties was boring) so I just skimmed most of it.
The character development in this book could have also been much better, I think this author just isn’t good at relaying detail. Whether it’s in her head and she has trouble getting it on page or its that she hasn’t even thought it out at all is unclear. Regardless, the characters and their motivation were one dimensional and, as a result, uninteresting.
Demeter, Persephone’s mother, engages her to the wife murdering Zeus, and then acts as a pseudo villain in the book, but it’s never clarified as to why she did this and who she really is as a person. There was an opportunity to make her a very interesting villain with a complex backstory but that wasn’t done. She was basically just a pushy overly ambitious mother who’s only allegiance was to herself… she had the complexity of an early Bond villain.
Persephone, the heroine, was never fully fleshed out. She was beautiful and sweet and horny. Other than that nothing is ever really developed in her. It says she wanted to pursue her PhD and leave the city but no details beyond that were given. PhD in what? What were her life goals? What was she going to do with herself when she ends up with Hades (not a spoiler, it’s a romance, they end up together). I guess she will just be his live in sex doll as the epilogue was just one long sex scene.
Hades was probably the best developed thing in this book. His character had decent backstory, and he was fairly complex. I would have preferred if he wasn’t described as having long hair and a long beard, as I pictured Gandalf in my head, and would have preferred a more clean cut devil type character like Tom Ellis in Lucifer. But that’s preference so didn’t effect my rating.
So this book was ok but greatly disappointing for me. The cover is amazing, the idea so intriguing and the start was killer but after about chapter five it lost momentum and just limped it’s way to the ending. Even the big vengeful finish was a cop out. It could have been so good but alas, the author didn’t have the imagination to take it there.
Had KR put more effort into story creation, world building and character development and less in sex scenes this would have been an amazing original book. As it is, this book was somewhat entertaining, mildly boring but mostly frustrating. If you’ve spent any time studying the Greek Classics or mythology you will hate this book. It was a completely inauthentic, unresearched retelling of the Persephone and Hades fable. The names of the characters and places were drawn from Greek myth but that’s pretty much where it ends. So throw away any prior knowledge you have of the old story if you want to get any enjoyment out of this. I’m not going to go into any detail of why this story didn’t follow the real one and give the author the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she intentionally went off book and didn’t intend to stick to the original.
The real issue with this story was the lack of effort put into world building and plot development. A ton of crucial detail was omitted by Roberts leaving so many questions as to what was actually going on in the world she had built.
For example:
1. What and where exactly is Olympus? The characters have Greek names, have modern technology like cell phones and computers, and there are sky scrapers and cars and we are told that it’s a city, so I’m guessing it’s not the magical mountain where the mythical Zeus is said to have reigned. We do have a grounding moment at the beginning when Persephone mentions she wants to attend Berkeley in California for her PhD, so the real world does exist but we are never informed how Olympus fits into this world. It is mentioned that it takes a lot of effort and money to LEAVE Olympus, which has me thinking that there are magical elements at play (like why it’s difficult to cross the river Styx without an invitation from Hades) but nothing is ever clarified and everything is crazy vague. So Olympus is a city somewhere on planet earth maybe. But the people living there, including the characters named for gods, are human, as the book does tell us they are human a few times. I was entirely frustrated by the setting of the book. Giving us a few details would have grounded the place and allowed me to better immerse myself in the story.
2. Who and what are the 13? So these all powerful rulers of Olympus, named for the Greek Gods, rule this city. Some by heritage, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon are titles handed down from father to son, and the remaining are appointed somehow with the details as to how never specified. So are they rulers? Are they criminals or mafia type people who control the city through nefarious means? Do they have magical powers? It seems that Hermes might? Again never specified. As this was a huge component of the story I really needed more information on who these people were and what exactly made them powerful. We kept getting told that if Hades broke the treaty they would all come down on him, but we are never told how. It didn’t seem like they had any means to harm him as he operated in a completely separate area of the city and had no real dependence on them. So all their threats seemed to lack any real power to me. Demeter cut off supplies to the lower city and it didn’t effect them one bit, so why do we even care that the 13 can come down on Hades? Clarification was badly needed here.
3. Why was Hades forced to stay in the lower city and what exactly was the treaty? This treaty that made Hades unable to cross the Styx into the upper city was never clarified…we just keep hearing ‘don’t break the treaty’ blah blah but why and what is this treaty? No info is given.
4. Why was Hades a myth? It seemed that everyone knew about him so his myth was the worst kept secret in Olympus. That whole part of the plot made little sense. It seemed that his existence was only really not known by Persephone and her sisters. And what was the point of it anyway? It didn’t really drive the plot except maybe offering some mystery to him at the beginning.
There are more holes in the plot but I think the above are the major ones.
So I was quite captivated at the beginning of the book because I felt that all this information was going to reveal itself over time, answering all these interesting questions for me. But as I got to the middle of the book I started to realize that I was going to get no further details at which point my interest in the story fell off significantly. It didn’t help that the middle of the book mainly consisted of many, many sex scenes between Hades and Persephone, some public, during sex parties meant to piss off Zeus, and the rest just the sex they were having on an hourly basis around his home. It got to be so that the sex was repetitive and mundane (yes public sex at sex parties was boring) so I just skimmed most of it.
The character development in this book could have also been much better, I think this author just isn’t good at relaying detail. Whether it’s in her head and she has trouble getting it on page or its that she hasn’t even thought it out at all is unclear. Regardless, the characters and their motivation were one dimensional and, as a result, uninteresting.
Demeter, Persephone’s mother, engages her to the wife murdering Zeus, and then acts as a pseudo villain in the book, but it’s never clarified as to why she did this and who she really is as a person. There was an opportunity to make her a very interesting villain with a complex backstory but that wasn’t done. She was basically just a pushy overly ambitious mother who’s only allegiance was to herself… she had the complexity of an early Bond villain.
Persephone, the heroine, was never fully fleshed out. She was beautiful and sweet and horny. Other than that nothing is ever really developed in her. It says she wanted to pursue her PhD and leave the city but no details beyond that were given. PhD in what? What were her life goals? What was she going to do with herself when she ends up with Hades (not a spoiler, it’s a romance, they end up together). I guess she will just be his live in sex doll as the epilogue was just one long sex scene.
Hades was probably the best developed thing in this book. His character had decent backstory, and he was fairly complex. I would have preferred if he wasn’t described as having long hair and a long beard, as I pictured Gandalf in my head, and would have preferred a more clean cut devil type character like Tom Ellis in Lucifer. But that’s preference so didn’t effect my rating.
So this book was ok but greatly disappointing for me. The cover is amazing, the idea so intriguing and the start was killer but after about chapter five it lost momentum and just limped it’s way to the ending. Even the big vengeful finish was a cop out. It could have been so good but alas, the author didn’t have the imagination to take it there.
June 13, 2022
Pro Tip: when you're casting narrators for an audiobook, they should be good at both female and male voices in all scenarios if that's what they'll be doing for the actual recording.
The female narrator for this book used a Voldemort voice for the male character during sex scenes.
It was hard to tell if the scenes were poorly written or if it was the narration that really
Avada Kedavra'ed the mood, but I basically just skimmed the second half of the book and what was left was really meh.
I probably won't bother with the rest of the series.
I would recommend this book for people who empathize with Bellatrix Lestrange and would not recommend this audiobook for a road trip.
The female narrator for this book used a Voldemort voice for the male character during sex scenes.
It was hard to tell if the scenes were poorly written or if it was the narration that really
Avada Kedavra'ed the mood, but I basically just skimmed the second half of the book and what was left was really meh.
I probably won't bother with the rest of the series.
I would recommend this book for people who empathize with Bellatrix Lestrange and would not recommend this audiobook for a road trip.
May 26, 2022
I really love Hades and Persephone the most but I don't know why none of their retellings ever fulfilled my expectation. And in all honestly, this book has an almost nonexistent plot with 85% smut scenes. Like, I love me some steamy romance book but this felt overdone that I get tired of reading them sometimes, ngl.
However, owing to the wonderful embodiments of Hades and Persephone, I find myself enjoying this ♡ And I think your reason, feeling as well as circumstances when reading the book all play a part in considering whether you'll like it more or not. Because this book just quenches my romance thirst ass that was deprived after reading dreadful after dreadful books with lousy romance. Hence, the four stars.
What I love the most about this book is definitely: Hades and Persephone . I love the excellent development in their romance. The banter between the two and how complimentary they are with one another. Like how excited Persephone was when Hades went and brought her to discover his places or just the moment they spent time together and Hades realized he is in love. That moment of realization!!! I AM IN LOVE WITH HADES IN LOVE!!!! Their relationship just strikes a mix between hot moments, kinky goodness, real love and compassion. And their chemistry?? Out of this world. I enjoy every bit of it (Just tone down a bit the horniness is all) but they're still so endearing.
Also, this book offers me a new take where this is not really the magical Greek God retelling but mere ordinary people in the modern world. It still feels nice and interesting how Katee Robert tried to attribute what is often associated with these Godswho are not exactly a God such when Hades went to the pet shop and named the three dogs he adopted as Cereberus. Or Demeter whose position is to provide the food supply in Olympus parallel to the real Goddess Demeter.
Although Persephone's character probably did not truly enhance as the real Goddess Persephone, if we were to look in a figurative manner, I think Persephone here is still well represented as goddess of spring growth. Seeing how much she has supported Hades and let him grow from his past and earning his place in the Thirteen Houses.
It's just still a bit bummer because there were no magical powers to inflate the characters' potential to make the book more captivating and engaging. And the plot is still not adequate to carry the whole novel , added the lack of world-building which was kind of a letdown. I know this supposed to be a book that is heavy with romance as its focus but if they could balance out all the conflicts, plot and world-building, I think this book would've been perfect. And maybe just the right Hades and Persephone I'm looking for.
Still a good and sinful read, if you need one 😉
However, owing to the wonderful embodiments of Hades and Persephone, I find myself enjoying this ♡ And I think your reason, feeling as well as circumstances when reading the book all play a part in considering whether you'll like it more or not. Because this book just quenches my romance thirst ass that was deprived after reading dreadful after dreadful books with lousy romance. Hence, the four stars.
What I love the most about this book is definitely: Hades and Persephone . I love the excellent development in their romance. The banter between the two and how complimentary they are with one another. Like how excited Persephone was when Hades went and brought her to discover his places or just the moment they spent time together and Hades realized he is in love. That moment of realization!!! I AM IN LOVE WITH HADES IN LOVE!!!! Their relationship just strikes a mix between hot moments, kinky goodness, real love and compassion. And their chemistry?? Out of this world. I enjoy every bit of it (Just tone down a bit the horniness is all) but they're still so endearing.
Also, this book offers me a new take where this is not really the magical Greek God retelling but mere ordinary people in the modern world. It still feels nice and interesting how Katee Robert tried to attribute what is often associated with these Gods
Although Persephone's character probably did not truly enhance as the real Goddess Persephone, if we were to look in a figurative manner, I think Persephone here is still well represented as goddess of spring growth. Seeing how much she has supported Hades and let him grow from his past and earning his place in the Thirteen Houses.
It's just still a bit bummer because there were no magical powers to inflate the characters' potential to make the book more captivating and engaging. And the plot is still not adequate to carry the whole novel , added the lack of world-building which was kind of a letdown. I know this supposed to be a book that is heavy with romance as its focus but if they could balance out all the conflicts, plot and world-building, I think this book would've been perfect. And maybe just the right Hades and Persephone I'm looking for.
Still a good and sinful read, if you need one 😉
Shelved as 'dnf-lost-interest'
February 9, 2021I'm a simple gal. If you tell me there is a Hades and Persephone retelling written by Katee Robert available for request via NetGalley, I will run downstairs in my shower cap and towel to request it immediately.
July 22, 2021
Her safe word is Pomegranate!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👨🏻👱🏻♀🧔🏻👩🏻
The heroine: Persephone - Daughter to Demeter, one of the thirteen who rule the upper city. The Thirteen are the most powerful people in Olympus, they take on the names of the original Gods. Zeus is the most powerful. He is over 50 years old, cruel and has killed his previous 3 wives. Demeter and Zeus worked together to push Persephone into an engagement of Zeus. She couldn’t say no without angering both, but as soon as the engagement is announced she escapes the party and takes off.
The Hero(es): Hades - He was one of the thirteen but many think he died. He rules the lower city on the other side of the river Styx. There is a treaty which says that anyone that makes it across one of the bridges over the river Styx belongs to Hades.
The Story: While running from Zeus, Persephone finds that two of his minions are following her, and she makes it over one of the bridges to Hades. He captures her and brings him to his home.
Let’s start with the narration. I absolutely hated the man’s voice. First it was a man with an British accent. I could be biased, because I am American, but British accents sound a bit too proper for the Lord of the Underworld. His voice isn’t deep enough either. If his voice was deep enough, I wouldn’t mind the accent but he sounded a bit foppish as is. Also his female voice was horrendous.
The female narrator had a perfect voice for Persephone. She also had a British accent and sounded a bit like Felicity Jones. I liked her quite a lot, but her voice for Hades was also horrendous. I wish when they have dual narrators, they would have the males read all the male lines and female all the female lines no matter whose POV the chapter is in.
The story was good, the romance was both romantic and super steamy. Though I did think it was odd that Hades was such a good guy and Zeus such a bad guy (though he wasn’t all that different in the myths). I was expecting Hades to be much darker than he was. Though I did like Hades as a person.
The only real criticism I have with the story is the fact that it wasn’t really clear about the fact that when each of the thirteen die, someone eventually takes their place and name. For instance Persephone grew up on a farm until her mother became Demeter and with that she owned a high rise in the upper city of Olympus. So how do they get to be one of the thirteen and are they Gods in some way or just the richest & most powerful (which is what I thought), but then if that is true, how are they chosen?
I did like how the author pieced in different parts of the myth into the story. Like the River Styx, the pomegranate (in the myth Persephone is not supposed to eat in the underworld and she eats six pomegranate seeds), the bargain with Demeter (where because Persephone ate six seeds she ends up spending six months with her mother and six with Hades every year), Charon (the ferryman to the underworld) and Cerberus (the three headed dog). I won’t tell how any of these things are incorporated into the story, but I loved that these and more were included.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👨🏻👱🏻♀🧔🏻👩🏻
The heroine: Persephone - Daughter to Demeter, one of the thirteen who rule the upper city. The Thirteen are the most powerful people in Olympus, they take on the names of the original Gods. Zeus is the most powerful. He is over 50 years old, cruel and has killed his previous 3 wives. Demeter and Zeus worked together to push Persephone into an engagement of Zeus. She couldn’t say no without angering both, but as soon as the engagement is announced she escapes the party and takes off.
The Hero(es): Hades - He was one of the thirteen but many think he died. He rules the lower city on the other side of the river Styx. There is a treaty which says that anyone that makes it across one of the bridges over the river Styx belongs to Hades.
The Story: While running from Zeus, Persephone finds that two of his minions are following her, and she makes it over one of the bridges to Hades. He captures her and brings him to his home.
Let’s start with the narration. I absolutely hated the man’s voice. First it was a man with an British accent. I could be biased, because I am American, but British accents sound a bit too proper for the Lord of the Underworld. His voice isn’t deep enough either. If his voice was deep enough, I wouldn’t mind the accent but he sounded a bit foppish as is. Also his female voice was horrendous.
The female narrator had a perfect voice for Persephone. She also had a British accent and sounded a bit like Felicity Jones. I liked her quite a lot, but her voice for Hades was also horrendous. I wish when they have dual narrators, they would have the males read all the male lines and female all the female lines no matter whose POV the chapter is in.
The story was good, the romance was both romantic and super steamy. Though I did think it was odd that Hades was such a good guy and Zeus such a bad guy (though he wasn’t all that different in the myths). I was expecting Hades to be much darker than he was. Though I did like Hades as a person.
The only real criticism I have with the story is the fact that it wasn’t really clear about the fact that when each of the thirteen die, someone eventually takes their place and name. For instance Persephone grew up on a farm until her mother became Demeter and with that she owned a high rise in the upper city of Olympus. So how do they get to be one of the thirteen and are they Gods in some way or just the richest & most powerful (which is what I thought), but then if that is true, how are they chosen?
I did like how the author pieced in different parts of the myth into the story. Like the River Styx, the pomegranate (in the myth Persephone is not supposed to eat in the underworld and she eats six pomegranate seeds), the bargain with Demeter (where because Persephone ate six seeds she ends up spending six months with her mother and six with Hades every year), Charon (the ferryman to the underworld) and Cerberus (the three headed dog). I won’t tell how any of these things are incorporated into the story, but I loved that these and more were included.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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December 18, 2021This is complicated.
The tl;dr is that, while I really loved elements of this, I didn’t like it as much as the first three Wicked Villain books.
The not tl;dr is … it’s complicated.
One of the things I admire about KR as an author is she’s super … mindful, I think, about what she’s doing. Or, y’know, most things that she’s doing. Nobody can be mindful about everything because then they’d be omniscient. But basically there are things she’s focused on—things she’s interested in and, I assume, thinks are important—and everything else can kind of go fuck itself.
I can’t deny that I admire this as an approach to one’s own work.
Although it does mean as a reader you can either get on the KR train or you can be smooshed by the KR train as it steams past. With Neon Gods, I sort of felt like I was running alongside the KR train, desperate to get on board, but somehow I didn’t quite make it? And I can’t quite figure out whether that’s because I was late at the station or because the, err, KR book train only opened its doors for, like, 3.5 seconds.
I need to drop this metaphor.
Basically, there’s zero point banging on about the world-building here. One does not read KR for the world-building. In a KR book, the plot is ONLY (and kind of explicitly) there to facilitate the emotional and sexual connection of the characters. And, y’know, that’s fine. That’s what I mean about getting on the KR train. However, I think this is where I first began struggling with Neon Gods: the world-building is flimsy and nonsensical (and that’s what I was prepared for) but it’s also … it also takes up a lot of page count. And I don’t mean in a “this reader is only here for the kinky sexing" sense, but it was a bit weird to find myself spending so much time wading through something that not only I wasn’t super interested in, it felt like the author wasn’t super interested in either.
Although this might also be a “first book in a series” issue, because first books in a series have to bear the double-weight of their own story AND establishing the framework for a bunch of other stories too.
Whinging aside, all of the things I really adore about KR’s work are present in Neon Gods. As ever, her approach to consent is fucking immaculate. Exhibitionism is sort of the kink du jour here (and it’s especially interesting because the heroine is more about it than the hero, but he’s into it because she is, which is not a dynamic I see explored very often) and the heroine gives her verbal consent to intense public sex, that—in the moment—neither of them decide they want to go through with on that particular occasion. I just really appreciate this sort of stuff: the reminder that consent is a spectrum and can (and should) be withdrawn at any time, and even the idea that you can consent to something fully meaningfully in abstract, but that doesn’t mean you also have to consent to the reality of it if you aren’t feeling it.
That’s just … so hot to me. And feels like such a necessary pushback to the toxic and annoyingly persistent idea that consent isn’t or can’t be sexy.
Similarly—and I’ve seen in this in Wicked Villains too—I really love how much flexibility KR builds into her sex scenes, and this carries through into Neon Gods. A lot of romances tend to a portray kink as kind of a … static thing? Like the dom/me says “Imma do this thing to you” and the sub is “ooh, yay” and then the dom does that thing, and then there’s aftercare. But in a KR book scenes shift, adapt and sometimes stop altogether in response to the in-the-moment needs of her characters.
Again. That’s just … so hot to me.
Plus, you’ve got the usual KR themes: active submission, heroines with agency, in this particular book the notion that allowing yourself to be cared for isn’t weakness, it’s a strength. All that stuff I am so very very into. Except I still didn’t quite connect to Neon Gods as much as I wanted to. I think due to the world-building issue I mentioned above, an unsatisfying conclusion (from both a plot and romantic perspective) and wanting—of all things—a bit more from Persephone. There’s lots to like about her, she’s strong, and determined, and not an idiot, and there’s a wonderful twist where the Hades/Persephone bargain is her initiative, not his (thus subverting the romance sex-bargain trope, which is usually insisted upon by the man, and therefore, frankly, more than a little problematic) but I never really felt I knew who she was.
We’re told who she is, a fair bit. Hades keeps comparing her to sunshine, and her backstory is very much about pretending to be Demeter’s “perfect” daughter in the eyes of the press. To the extent that I was eventually imagining her as a Greek Blake Lively. But none of this felt narratively real and so it was hard to engage with her actual, y’know, arc? The way she changes—how she grows, finds herself and is empowered—through her choices and her connection with Hades.
Hades, though. What an utter darling. I’ll take five.
Seriously, though. He’s one of KR’s … I hesitate to use the word “soft” because of its negative connotations. How about … more human doms? Which is to say, he has more in common with Hook in A Worthy Opponent than Hades in Learn My Lesson—although he’s still very much his own person and, perhaps, one of KR’s more emotionally vulnerable heroes? Again, we’re told he’s grumpy and brooding and whatever, but he’s clearly a complete melt from the second he’s on page (right down to the fact that Hermes and Dionysus, who I very much enjoyed, are basically treating his house, and his fridge, like their own). There’s even puppies later. Actual puppies.
Something I sincerely loved about the book was that both Hades and Persephone have reciprocal arcs around allowing themselves to *be* cared for and *be* protected. The scenes where Persephone demonstrates to Hades that she’s as alert to, and preoccupied with, his needs as he is with hers are absolutely feels-hitting. Plus there’s a “hero reveals his literal scars” scene that is tender and didn’t seem to be focused on milking the ol' manpain. So that was nice. And I did appreciate that Hades was allowed to seek, need and accept this kind of sweetness / care-taking from Persephone without it negatively impacting either his masculinity or his domliness. Again, this is something I’d like to see more of in general.
Something that should not feel subversive but nevertheless always does.
Anyway: I think, having babbled about this for ages now, I wish there’d been more space on page for Hades and Persephone to be who are they are, instead of pushing them towards a tropey grumpy/sunshine dynamic that, actually, served to diminish the strength of their connection and the nuances of their characterisation. Plus I wonder if the myth backdrop (and let me very clear, I am absolutely not getting into whether I feel this was a “fair” or “accurate” re-telling of a myth, it’s a bloody myth, it can be re-told however) was meant to act much like Disney movies do in Wicked Villains, only with less likelihood of severe and immediate legal action from a large and evil corporation. Because obviously when it comes to a character like Jasmine (for example) it’s the easiest thing in the world to make the imaginative leaps the author is expecting: I mean, OBVIOUSLY she has Daddy issues, OBVIOUSLY she feels trapped by her life (she literally has a song about it in Aladdin). I just don’t think myths work quite as effectively for providing that background: partly because they belong to a different cultural context and partly because there’s so many versions of them. I think, if I squint, I can get to the idea that Persephone as a mythical archetype could be seen as the daughter of an overbearing mother forced into a mould of public perfection. But it doesn’t feel as natural as or as obvious to me as, say, Meg is a damaged switch and Hercules is an adorable sub.
The other thing that left me a bit quizzical was the role, or lack of role, queerness played in the book. Now, this is one is really difficult because I think it’s a given of any KR universe that all characters are bisexual. And, on the one hand, that’s great. We live in a default-heterosexual universe right now, and it, frankly, sucks. So, yes, I love the idea of a default-queer universe (to be honest, I think I tend to write default-queer universes myself) and I think it’s valuable to have a writer (to have writers) just occupy that kind of space without fanfare or explanation. It’s normalising and inclusive and positive. Yay. The problem is though (and this is a ‘complexity of representation’ problem, not a KR problem) that it can also feel … tokenistic. And I honestly don’t know how to navigate that.
I think Neon Gods has been the most heteronormative-seeming book of KR’s that I’ve read, since Desperate Measures, when I was grumpy that Jafar wasn’t more queer-coded (though Jasmine is, of course, enthusiastically bisexual as fuck). Both Persephone and Hades are, we can assume, bisexual both by dint of living in a KR universe, but also because she references an ex-girlfriend, and he references an ex-boyfriend. However, they’re also pretty much each other-sexual for the entire duration of the book. And this is fine. This should be fine.
After all, not like every couple needs to be having a multi-gender 5some every Tuesday evening to prove their queerness. And queer attraction is not … just one thing. A sexuality that is primarily partner-focused is neither queer nor straight, and it’s messy to insist that queer sexuality is always addressed through explicit on page attraction to multiple genders. I mean, if pansexual characters go around constantly lusting after everyone then you’re straying perilously close to the spiked pit of the “slutty pansexual” stereotype. On top of which, it’s perfectly possible—perfectly normal—to experience queer attraction without queerness feeling like much of your identity. And that too is fine. This should be fine.
So the minimal bisexuality of Hades and Persephone should also be fine. And rationally I think it is. Not that I am the arbiter of fine for other people’s depiction of queerness. But it still felt … odd. And that is not me saying the book is bad, or the author has done a bad (that’s not my call to my make), or that bisexuality has to be portrayed a certain way, or that it only counts as bisexuality if both characters are genitals deep in every possible gender-identity available to them. But I think there’s a really narrow line between a character’s queerness being irrelevant in a way that feels positive and affirming, and a character’s queerness being irrelevant in a way that just feels … irrelevant.
And I don’t know where that line is. And I think it’s probably different for different people.
Plus, there’s a really odd bit where Hades is getting all romance-possessive on Persephone and he says:
Which just seems like a really …I’ll stick with odd … thing to say to a woman you know is bisexual when you are bisexual yourself. I mean, I appreciate that it’s a non-gendered cock she’s riding in this hypothetical scenario. But, like, surely if you’re that possessive you would care about ANY lover, not just a lover with a penis? Because otherwise it kind of seems like Hades is saying love/sex between people of matching genitals doesn’t … um … count in the same way? Or, indeed, sex where Persephone might be the one inside her lover?
Come on, Hades. This is nonsense. Stop being weird
In any case, while this wasn’t my favourite KR, I still got a lot out of Neon Gods. In particular, there’s a scene on the throne, which I won’t spoil, that is worth the price of admission alone. It is very much KR at the top of her game and an absolutely gorgeous moment. *chef’s kiss*.
The tl;dr is that, while I really loved elements of this, I didn’t like it as much as the first three Wicked Villain books.
The not tl;dr is … it’s complicated.
One of the things I admire about KR as an author is she’s super … mindful, I think, about what she’s doing. Or, y’know, most things that she’s doing. Nobody can be mindful about everything because then they’d be omniscient. But basically there are things she’s focused on—things she’s interested in and, I assume, thinks are important—and everything else can kind of go fuck itself.
I can’t deny that I admire this as an approach to one’s own work.
Although it does mean as a reader you can either get on the KR train or you can be smooshed by the KR train as it steams past. With Neon Gods, I sort of felt like I was running alongside the KR train, desperate to get on board, but somehow I didn’t quite make it? And I can’t quite figure out whether that’s because I was late at the station or because the, err, KR book train only opened its doors for, like, 3.5 seconds.
I need to drop this metaphor.
Basically, there’s zero point banging on about the world-building here. One does not read KR for the world-building. In a KR book, the plot is ONLY (and kind of explicitly) there to facilitate the emotional and sexual connection of the characters. And, y’know, that’s fine. That’s what I mean about getting on the KR train. However, I think this is where I first began struggling with Neon Gods: the world-building is flimsy and nonsensical (and that’s what I was prepared for) but it’s also … it also takes up a lot of page count. And I don’t mean in a “this reader is only here for the kinky sexing" sense, but it was a bit weird to find myself spending so much time wading through something that not only I wasn’t super interested in, it felt like the author wasn’t super interested in either.
Although this might also be a “first book in a series” issue, because first books in a series have to bear the double-weight of their own story AND establishing the framework for a bunch of other stories too.
Whinging aside, all of the things I really adore about KR’s work are present in Neon Gods. As ever, her approach to consent is fucking immaculate. Exhibitionism is sort of the kink du jour here (and it’s especially interesting because the heroine is more about it than the hero, but he’s into it because she is, which is not a dynamic I see explored very often) and the heroine gives her verbal consent to intense public sex, that—in the moment—neither of them decide they want to go through with on that particular occasion. I just really appreciate this sort of stuff: the reminder that consent is a spectrum and can (and should) be withdrawn at any time, and even the idea that you can consent to something fully meaningfully in abstract, but that doesn’t mean you also have to consent to the reality of it if you aren’t feeling it.
That’s just … so hot to me. And feels like such a necessary pushback to the toxic and annoyingly persistent idea that consent isn’t or can’t be sexy.
Similarly—and I’ve seen in this in Wicked Villains too—I really love how much flexibility KR builds into her sex scenes, and this carries through into Neon Gods. A lot of romances tend to a portray kink as kind of a … static thing? Like the dom/me says “Imma do this thing to you” and the sub is “ooh, yay” and then the dom does that thing, and then there’s aftercare. But in a KR book scenes shift, adapt and sometimes stop altogether in response to the in-the-moment needs of her characters.
Again. That’s just … so hot to me.
Plus, you’ve got the usual KR themes: active submission, heroines with agency, in this particular book the notion that allowing yourself to be cared for isn’t weakness, it’s a strength. All that stuff I am so very very into. Except I still didn’t quite connect to Neon Gods as much as I wanted to. I think due to the world-building issue I mentioned above, an unsatisfying conclusion (from both a plot and romantic perspective) and wanting—of all things—a bit more from Persephone. There’s lots to like about her, she’s strong, and determined, and not an idiot, and there’s a wonderful twist where the Hades/Persephone bargain is her initiative, not his (thus subverting the romance sex-bargain trope, which is usually insisted upon by the man, and therefore, frankly, more than a little problematic) but I never really felt I knew who she was.
We’re told who she is, a fair bit. Hades keeps comparing her to sunshine, and her backstory is very much about pretending to be Demeter’s “perfect” daughter in the eyes of the press. To the extent that I was eventually imagining her as a Greek Blake Lively. But none of this felt narratively real and so it was hard to engage with her actual, y’know, arc? The way she changes—how she grows, finds herself and is empowered—through her choices and her connection with Hades.
Hades, though. What an utter darling. I’ll take five.
Seriously, though. He’s one of KR’s … I hesitate to use the word “soft” because of its negative connotations. How about … more human doms? Which is to say, he has more in common with Hook in A Worthy Opponent than Hades in Learn My Lesson—although he’s still very much his own person and, perhaps, one of KR’s more emotionally vulnerable heroes? Again, we’re told he’s grumpy and brooding and whatever, but he’s clearly a complete melt from the second he’s on page (right down to the fact that Hermes and Dionysus, who I very much enjoyed, are basically treating his house, and his fridge, like their own). There’s even puppies later. Actual puppies.
Something I sincerely loved about the book was that both Hades and Persephone have reciprocal arcs around allowing themselves to *be* cared for and *be* protected. The scenes where Persephone demonstrates to Hades that she’s as alert to, and preoccupied with, his needs as he is with hers are absolutely feels-hitting. Plus there’s a “hero reveals his literal scars” scene that is tender and didn’t seem to be focused on milking the ol' manpain. So that was nice. And I did appreciate that Hades was allowed to seek, need and accept this kind of sweetness / care-taking from Persephone without it negatively impacting either his masculinity or his domliness. Again, this is something I’d like to see more of in general.
Something that should not feel subversive but nevertheless always does.
Anyway: I think, having babbled about this for ages now, I wish there’d been more space on page for Hades and Persephone to be who are they are, instead of pushing them towards a tropey grumpy/sunshine dynamic that, actually, served to diminish the strength of their connection and the nuances of their characterisation. Plus I wonder if the myth backdrop (and let me very clear, I am absolutely not getting into whether I feel this was a “fair” or “accurate” re-telling of a myth, it’s a bloody myth, it can be re-told however) was meant to act much like Disney movies do in Wicked Villains, only with less likelihood of severe and immediate legal action from a large and evil corporation. Because obviously when it comes to a character like Jasmine (for example) it’s the easiest thing in the world to make the imaginative leaps the author is expecting: I mean, OBVIOUSLY she has Daddy issues, OBVIOUSLY she feels trapped by her life (she literally has a song about it in Aladdin). I just don’t think myths work quite as effectively for providing that background: partly because they belong to a different cultural context and partly because there’s so many versions of them. I think, if I squint, I can get to the idea that Persephone as a mythical archetype could be seen as the daughter of an overbearing mother forced into a mould of public perfection. But it doesn’t feel as natural as or as obvious to me as, say, Meg is a damaged switch and Hercules is an adorable sub.
The other thing that left me a bit quizzical was the role, or lack of role, queerness played in the book. Now, this is one is really difficult because I think it’s a given of any KR universe that all characters are bisexual. And, on the one hand, that’s great. We live in a default-heterosexual universe right now, and it, frankly, sucks. So, yes, I love the idea of a default-queer universe (to be honest, I think I tend to write default-queer universes myself) and I think it’s valuable to have a writer (to have writers) just occupy that kind of space without fanfare or explanation. It’s normalising and inclusive and positive. Yay. The problem is though (and this is a ‘complexity of representation’ problem, not a KR problem) that it can also feel … tokenistic. And I honestly don’t know how to navigate that.
I think Neon Gods has been the most heteronormative-seeming book of KR’s that I’ve read, since Desperate Measures, when I was grumpy that Jafar wasn’t more queer-coded (though Jasmine is, of course, enthusiastically bisexual as fuck). Both Persephone and Hades are, we can assume, bisexual both by dint of living in a KR universe, but also because she references an ex-girlfriend, and he references an ex-boyfriend. However, they’re also pretty much each other-sexual for the entire duration of the book. And this is fine. This should be fine.
After all, not like every couple needs to be having a multi-gender 5some every Tuesday evening to prove their queerness. And queer attraction is not … just one thing. A sexuality that is primarily partner-focused is neither queer nor straight, and it’s messy to insist that queer sexuality is always addressed through explicit on page attraction to multiple genders. I mean, if pansexual characters go around constantly lusting after everyone then you’re straying perilously close to the spiked pit of the “slutty pansexual” stereotype. On top of which, it’s perfectly possible—perfectly normal—to experience queer attraction without queerness feeling like much of your identity. And that too is fine. This should be fine.
So the minimal bisexuality of Hades and Persephone should also be fine. And rationally I think it is. Not that I am the arbiter of fine for other people’s depiction of queerness. But it still felt … odd. And that is not me saying the book is bad, or the author has done a bad (that’s not my call to my make), or that bisexuality has to be portrayed a certain way, or that it only counts as bisexuality if both characters are genitals deep in every possible gender-identity available to them. But I think there’s a really narrow line between a character’s queerness being irrelevant in a way that feels positive and affirming, and a character’s queerness being irrelevant in a way that just feels … irrelevant.
And I don’t know where that line is. And I think it’s probably different for different people.
Plus, there’s a really odd bit where Hades is getting all romance-possessive on Persephone and he says:
“Someday, when you let some asshole seduce you and you’re riding their cock, remember tonight and know that they will never compare to me. You think of me when they’re inside you.”
Which just seems like a really …I’ll stick with odd … thing to say to a woman you know is bisexual when you are bisexual yourself. I mean, I appreciate that it’s a non-gendered cock she’s riding in this hypothetical scenario. But, like, surely if you’re that possessive you would care about ANY lover, not just a lover with a penis? Because otherwise it kind of seems like Hades is saying love/sex between people of matching genitals doesn’t … um … count in the same way? Or, indeed, sex where Persephone might be the one inside her lover?
Come on, Hades. This is nonsense. Stop being weird
In any case, while this wasn’t my favourite KR, I still got a lot out of Neon Gods. In particular, there’s a scene on the throne, which I won’t spoil, that is worth the price of admission alone. It is very much KR at the top of her game and an absolutely gorgeous moment. *chef’s kiss*.
June 10, 2021
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Neon Gods is a contemporary romance retelling of Hades and Persephone. Olympus is a modern city that is ruled by the Thirteen and Zeus is the most powerful member of the Thirteen. When Demeter forces Persephone's betrothal to Zeus, Persephone escapes from the upper city of Olympus and crosses the River Styx to the lower city, where Hades rules.
I finished this book with a thousand questions about the world building and character motivations.
World Building
It sounds as if some members of the Thirteen are elected, whereas others are born into their role. The political structure of Olympus makes zero sense. It seems that Olympus is a city located in the United States of America. The reason I make this assumption is because Persephone mentioned she had plans to escape from Olympus to California. At the same time, Olympus seems to exist as a city outside of America. The world building is so vague. Where exactly does the City of Olympus fit in modern day America? What does the political structure look like? How does this city operate democratically when leaders are born into their roles? Is there a criminal justice system in place? Does the rule of law apply? It is hinted that Ares operates the military and police side of things, but once again, it is an assumption I am making.
Characters
Neon Gods is marketed as a sunshine and grump romance, but I honestly did not see it that way. We are told that Hades is a grump, but he does not come across as a grump at all. Broody? Yes. Grumpy? No. Hades is a misunderstood hero who has built a fearsome reputation for himself. We are told Hades is intimidating and that he has a presence, but I didn't feel any of that. There is no danger or intrigue, which, in my opinion, kind of defeats the purpose of Hades. We are also told that Persephone has a sunshine disposition, which is a fake mask she wears in society. But we only get to see Persephone out in society for like 2 chapters, so we rarely see her as this "sunshiny" person. In my opinion, this version of Hades and Persephone just didn't fit their original mythological roles. Take out the one-dimensional mythology and you are left with a light mafiaeseque romance.
The characters, especially the villains, have little to no depth. Why does Zeus hate Hades's parents so much? We never actually get an answer from Zeus, beyond his statement that Hades's father deserved to suffer. I was expecting a solid backstory to provide an explanation/motivation for Zeus's hatred toward Hades's parents. We are also told that Zeus is the most powerful member of the Thirteen. What exactly distinguishes him from the other members of the Thirteen? How did Zeus get powerful enough to get away with murder? How did Zeus get powerful enough to banish Hades from the rest of Olympus? Is there no rule of law in a city that is presumably located in America?
Honestly, this book feels like a first draft. The world building is weak and has zero depth. The characters also leave a lot to be desired. The romance developed too quickly and the chemistry was lackluster. Neon Gods was very disappointing. I'm hoping the next book is better.
Neon Gods is a contemporary romance retelling of Hades and Persephone. Olympus is a modern city that is ruled by the Thirteen and Zeus is the most powerful member of the Thirteen. When Demeter forces Persephone's betrothal to Zeus, Persephone escapes from the upper city of Olympus and crosses the River Styx to the lower city, where Hades rules.
I finished this book with a thousand questions about the world building and character motivations.
World Building
It sounds as if some members of the Thirteen are elected, whereas others are born into their role. The political structure of Olympus makes zero sense. It seems that Olympus is a city located in the United States of America. The reason I make this assumption is because Persephone mentioned she had plans to escape from Olympus to California. At the same time, Olympus seems to exist as a city outside of America. The world building is so vague. Where exactly does the City of Olympus fit in modern day America? What does the political structure look like? How does this city operate democratically when leaders are born into their roles? Is there a criminal justice system in place? Does the rule of law apply? It is hinted that Ares operates the military and police side of things, but once again, it is an assumption I am making.
Characters
Neon Gods is marketed as a sunshine and grump romance, but I honestly did not see it that way. We are told that Hades is a grump, but he does not come across as a grump at all. Broody? Yes. Grumpy? No. Hades is a misunderstood hero who has built a fearsome reputation for himself. We are told Hades is intimidating and that he has a presence, but I didn't feel any of that. There is no danger or intrigue, which, in my opinion, kind of defeats the purpose of Hades. We are also told that Persephone has a sunshine disposition, which is a fake mask she wears in society. But we only get to see Persephone out in society for like 2 chapters, so we rarely see her as this "sunshiny" person. In my opinion, this version of Hades and Persephone just didn't fit their original mythological roles. Take out the one-dimensional mythology and you are left with a light mafiaeseque romance.
The characters, especially the villains, have little to no depth. Why does Zeus hate Hades's parents so much? We never actually get an answer from Zeus, beyond his statement that Hades's father deserved to suffer. I was expecting a solid backstory to provide an explanation/motivation for Zeus's hatred toward Hades's parents. We are also told that Zeus is the most powerful member of the Thirteen. What exactly distinguishes him from the other members of the Thirteen? How did Zeus get powerful enough to get away with murder? How did Zeus get powerful enough to banish Hades from the rest of Olympus? Is there no rule of law in a city that is presumably located in America?
Honestly, this book feels like a first draft. The world building is weak and has zero depth. The characters also leave a lot to be desired. The romance developed too quickly and the chemistry was lackluster. Neon Gods was very disappointing. I'm hoping the next book is better.
March 31, 2022
to all the greek mythology girlies……..this was simply not good
January 18, 2024
[reread jan. 2024] Yep I still fucking love this book and it's still my favorite in the series
January 13, 2023
I suddenly, desperately want this winter never to end, want spring never to come, want to stay with her here forever.
But there is no forever. Not for us.
🦩𝗡𝗘𝗢𝗡 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗦 - 𝗕𝗬 𝗞𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧🦩
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅰️/🅽🅰
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙺 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴, 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝙾𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂, 𝙶𝚁𝚄𝙼𝙿𝚈𝚡𝚂𝚄𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴, 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙳𝙸𝙴, 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/5 (𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙰 𝙵𝙴𝙸𝚂𝚃𝚈 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙸𝙽𝙴)
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/5
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜📜/5
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦: 💀💀💀/5 (𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴, 𝚆𝙴𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝚄𝚂𝙰𝙶𝙴)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 (𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙺𝚈 𝙰𝙵 - 𝙿𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙲 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 & 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒🚒🚒/5
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐🤐🤐/5 (*pants* 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚂𝙴 𝚃𝚆𝙾 𝙲𝙰𝙽 𝙳𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈 𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙺. 𝙲𝚄𝚁𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶, 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/5 (𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚂 𝙸𝚂 𝙰 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙾𝙳𝚈 𝙶𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙻𝙴𝙼𝙰𝙽)
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗥𝗘𝗣: 𝙱𝙾𝚃𝙷 𝙼𝙲𝚂 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝙱𝙸 𝙸𝙸𝚁𝙲? 𝙸'𝙼 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙸'𝙼 𝟿𝟶% 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙴𝙳 𝙾𝚁 𝙷𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚂 𝙸𝚂 𝙰𝚂 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙻
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤/5 (𝙸𝙽𝚂𝚃𝙰-𝙰𝚃𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽, 𝙰𝚁𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿)
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
this was way smuttier than I thought it'd be -very very very filthy indeed. Surprise, surprise, I'm not complaining, because it was so well done it made my stomach twist.
I recommend maybe not reading this around your family and definitely not on Christmas day.
I loved this version of Hades and the way the writer handled the retelling side of the story.
Persephone stole the show, though. What a babe.
🚩𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙻𝙴𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚁𝚃!*🚩
*𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌/𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.
𝙸, 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗��𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎:
-𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢;
-𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎;
-𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 "𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌" 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜/𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜/𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗;
-𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂, 𝚢'𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠?
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