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Girl, Goddess, Queen
To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...
Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.
Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.
But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .
A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok superstar.
Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.
Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.
But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .
A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok superstar.
496 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,971 reviews
August 10, 2023
Perhaps one of the sweetest depictions of hades I’ve ever read, I just love him 💔
July 29, 2023
it’s been way too long since I rated a book 5 stars so I’m insanely happy this book entered my life 🥹
June 4, 2023
I seem to be in the minority with this review but I didn’t really enjoy this book and I at times, found it quite dull. I adore a Hades and Persephone retelling and I have read my fair share of them in my time but this just felt a bit flat. I think the premise was there but the execution just didn’t work for me.
I think the books main issue was it’s length. It had no business being as long as it was and it was bogged down with a lot of filler. I felt like every scene was dragged out between chapters and it would have worked better if it was dual perspective for this.
I also don’t think there was much chemistry between Hades and Kore. Hades basically warmed up to Kore at around 35% of the book and after that he was just boring. The God of Death and the King of the Underworld is meant to have some kind of bite to him and this guy was the equivalent to a fluffy rabbit. I wanted more from him and from Kore. There was little banter, tension or even believability.
I did like the writing and I would pick something up from this author again which is why I gave this two stars.
Not a recommendation from me, sadly.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think the books main issue was it’s length. It had no business being as long as it was and it was bogged down with a lot of filler. I felt like every scene was dragged out between chapters and it would have worked better if it was dual perspective for this.
I also don’t think there was much chemistry between Hades and Kore. Hades basically warmed up to Kore at around 35% of the book and after that he was just boring. The God of Death and the King of the Underworld is meant to have some kind of bite to him and this guy was the equivalent to a fluffy rabbit. I wanted more from him and from Kore. There was little banter, tension or even believability.
I did like the writing and I would pick something up from this author again which is why I gave this two stars.
Not a recommendation from me, sadly.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2024
DNF-ed @32%
Did I dnf this because I'm not (always) into mythology, or was it because I couldn't connect with the characters? The world will never know.
Did I dnf this because I'm not (always) into mythology, or was it because I couldn't connect with the characters? The world will never know.
August 5, 2023
2.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the setting and the idea of the reimagining of the greek gods, the execution left me feeling disappointed. I felt frustrated with the storyline itself and its characters. Hades and Persephone just felt too different from what we associate them with, and the main focus of the story revolved around marriage for some ungodly reason. Portrayed as a romance with a sexy love interest, this book was supposed to be romantic with dreamy characters but my god was it slow and none of the characters riveting. Never mind a slow burn, more like trying to coax a fire to life during a rainstorm.
So Persephone needs to get married because apparently that's all that matters to gods (why have we gone down this road?) and she has a controlling mother, Demeter, who has told her how to act and how to be all of her entire life. Persephone decides enough is enough and manages to escape to the Underworld so she doesn't have to marry (though she still does, she has just delayed it a bit because she didn't think things through). I liked how she had a plan and took control and she utilised her power over flowers to achieve this. The beginning was promising.
Enter Hades who comes across quite intriguing at first - a brooding god of the Underworld who wants this flower-growing girl gone and resents her presence. I really liked Hades to start with but then he just turns into this sort of boring character who just lets Persephone do whatever she wants and doesn't really seem to have an opinion half the time, or any objection to her changing his realm. It's from here where Persephone enters the Underworld, starts changing things and discovers the true Hades that the story started to go downhill for me.
I really don't like what was done to Hades's character and how Persephone takes over the Underworld like it's hers to do whatever she pleases with when she has been there for all of five minutes, and Hades doesn't care. There needed to be more of a foundation for Persephone to grow to love the place she escaped to and want to make it better. Instead, it all happens so swiftly - her moving in and changing the place - it felt unbelievable and quite rude.
Zeus is an interesting character but we don't see much of him and there is just a glimpse of the other gods, though Styx makes more of an appearance than most. Demeter is annoying because she just wants what's best for her daughter though she never once actually listens to her daughter and what she wants, and then Persephone goes through a rebellious phase, all the while coming to terms with how she has been treated by her mother which gets mentioned. A. Lot.
It felt like I was constantly being told that Demeter has been horrible to her daughter and Hades loves art. Okay I get it, can we please see some characters actually talk to each other about how they're feeling rather than telling other people or themselves?! A lack of communication is what drives most the plot forward which is very frustrating. Things could have moved much more quickly if Hades or Persephone had just talked, ironic because that seems to be the only thing they do with each other.
Persephone and Hades felt too much like friends in this story so when a romance does finally develop, it felt weird like they shouldn't be doing this. The romance felt forced and didn't sit right with me - their relationship didn't feel natural and it was quite cringey at times.
There needed to be more of a personality to Hades, actual communication, and a more believable development of the romance. Maybe some chapters from Hades's point of view would have worked better than just hearing from Persephone, or having it written in the third person. It didn't work well only hearing Persephone's view all the time.
For me, it's a disappointing book because I was hoping for so much more and I felt like we are delivered something completely bizarre and unexpected, and not in a pleasantly surprising way. I liked it enough to carry on reading, hoping it would improve, but I wasn't keen on the characters and how they were written. The romance came in too late and wasn't convincing.
So Persephone needs to get married because apparently that's all that matters to gods (why have we gone down this road?) and she has a controlling mother, Demeter, who has told her how to act and how to be all of her entire life. Persephone decides enough is enough and manages to escape to the Underworld so she doesn't have to marry (though she still does, she has just delayed it a bit because she didn't think things through). I liked how she had a plan and took control and she utilised her power over flowers to achieve this. The beginning was promising.
Enter Hades who comes across quite intriguing at first - a brooding god of the Underworld who wants this flower-growing girl gone and resents her presence. I really liked Hades to start with but then he just turns into this sort of boring character who just lets Persephone do whatever she wants and doesn't really seem to have an opinion half the time, or any objection to her changing his realm. It's from here where Persephone enters the Underworld, starts changing things and discovers the true Hades that the story started to go downhill for me.
I really don't like what was done to Hades's character and how Persephone takes over the Underworld like it's hers to do whatever she pleases with when she has been there for all of five minutes, and Hades doesn't care. There needed to be more of a foundation for Persephone to grow to love the place she escaped to and want to make it better. Instead, it all happens so swiftly - her moving in and changing the place - it felt unbelievable and quite rude.
Zeus is an interesting character but we don't see much of him and there is just a glimpse of the other gods, though Styx makes more of an appearance than most. Demeter is annoying because she just wants what's best for her daughter though she never once actually listens to her daughter and what she wants, and then Persephone goes through a rebellious phase, all the while coming to terms with how she has been treated by her mother which gets mentioned. A. Lot.
It felt like I was constantly being told that Demeter has been horrible to her daughter and Hades loves art. Okay I get it, can we please see some characters actually talk to each other about how they're feeling rather than telling other people or themselves?! A lack of communication is what drives most the plot forward which is very frustrating. Things could have moved much more quickly if Hades or Persephone had just talked, ironic because that seems to be the only thing they do with each other.
Persephone and Hades felt too much like friends in this story so when a romance does finally develop, it felt weird like they shouldn't be doing this. The romance felt forced and didn't sit right with me - their relationship didn't feel natural and it was quite cringey at times.
There needed to be more of a personality to Hades, actual communication, and a more believable development of the romance. Maybe some chapters from Hades's point of view would have worked better than just hearing from Persephone, or having it written in the third person. It didn't work well only hearing Persephone's view all the time.
For me, it's a disappointing book because I was hoping for so much more and I felt like we are delivered something completely bizarre and unexpected, and not in a pleasantly surprising way. I liked it enough to carry on reading, hoping it would improve, but I wasn't keen on the characters and how they were written. The romance came in too late and wasn't convincing.
August 10, 2023
4.5⭐️
Full review to come but goodness, this was wonderful
Full review to come but goodness, this was wonderful
January 5, 2023
Pure joy and fun in book form. Girl, Goddess, Queen takes Hades and Persephone's tale and creates the ultimate rom-com drama with Persephone's growth and journey at its heart.
The romance was also so refreshing beginning with Hades as our dark and brooding love interest, and Persephone (Kore) as a witty match and a thorn in his side. After running away from the only home she's ever known, she seeks refuge in the Underworld. After tricking Hades into letting her stay in his home, she takes it upon herself to explore Hades' realm of the Underworld (without his permission) and then proceeds to suggest improvements (lol, Persephone, intrusive guest much). I loved the arc of their romance and how they grew from almost enemies to cautious friends to real friendship and then undergoing a 'fake' marriage situation, all the while they have the most insane chemistry and banter. If you enjoy pining and characters that try to hide their feelings even though everyone knows you both should be together, this is it!
Persephone's story from little girl to chaos bringer was done really well and you see her really grow into her own. She's a badass main character while we get a more soft boy Hades which I adored with my whole heart. I would do anything for that man. They had me giggling into the book and kicking my feet in the air.
I had such a fun time with this book. If you enjoyed Lore Olympus, this would be the perfect read for you! It's equal parts rom-com and fantasy while effortlessly weaving in Greek mythology elements and characters.
I have some more thoughts that I'll share closer to the release!
3/1/23:
I've only read chapter 1 but I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favourite books this year.... and it's only January 3rd. THE WRITING, THE HUMOUR, THE GREEK GODS AND THE PURE VIBES, KORE <3 Stay tuned for when I meet Hades.
The romance was also so refreshing beginning with Hades as our dark and brooding love interest, and Persephone (Kore) as a witty match and a thorn in his side. After running away from the only home she's ever known, she seeks refuge in the Underworld. After tricking Hades into letting her stay in his home, she takes it upon herself to explore Hades' realm of the Underworld (without his permission) and then proceeds to suggest improvements (lol, Persephone, intrusive guest much). I loved the arc of their romance and how they grew from almost enemies to cautious friends to real friendship and then undergoing a 'fake' marriage situation, all the while they have the most insane chemistry and banter. If you enjoy pining and characters that try to hide their feelings even though everyone knows you both should be together, this is it!
Persephone's story from little girl to chaos bringer was done really well and you see her really grow into her own. She's a badass main character while we get a more soft boy Hades which I adored with my whole heart. I would do anything for that man. They had me giggling into the book and kicking my feet in the air.
I had such a fun time with this book. If you enjoyed Lore Olympus, this would be the perfect read for you! It's equal parts rom-com and fantasy while effortlessly weaving in Greek mythology elements and characters.
I have some more thoughts that I'll share closer to the release!
3/1/23:
I've only read chapter 1 but I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favourite books this year.... and it's only January 3rd. THE WRITING, THE HUMOUR, THE GREEK GODS AND THE PURE VIBES, KORE <3 Stay tuned for when I meet Hades.
April 15, 2023
People of Earth, may I present to you the most fun Greek mythology book you’ll ever read (so sorry Percy Jackson, I still love you with all my heart). I can’t tell you exactly how much I laughed while reading this one, I mean I also swooned a fair bit, but mostly I was just laughing at the sheer audacity of our badass Persephone and the banter between her and Hades (and Styx). The other thing I loved the most about this brilliant book, was that we got to see an author execute a perfect enemies to barely tolerate each other to friends to fake relationship to lovers character development and I was LIVING FOR IT. Fun? Yes. Cute? Yes. Dark? Sure. Badass goddess living her own life? YAS QUEEN.
This will forever and always be my favourite book about Hades and Persephone (because I’m a little sick of the smutty or all serious no-fun ones on the market at the moment), so if you want a bomb ass fun book about fake dating and trying to take down a parthenon then please pick this one up.
Did I mention this was Bea’s debut? I can't believe it's a debut because it felt like a seasoned pro wrote this, so Bravo Bea and welcome to my instant buy author list.
Thank you so much to Stevie at Penguin UK for sending me a stunning proof of this amazing book.
This will forever and always be my favourite book about Hades and Persephone (because I’m a little sick of the smutty or all serious no-fun ones on the market at the moment), so if you want a bomb ass fun book about fake dating and trying to take down a parthenon then please pick this one up.
Did I mention this was Bea’s debut? I can't believe it's a debut because it felt like a seasoned pro wrote this, so Bravo Bea and welcome to my instant buy author list.
Thank you so much to Stevie at Penguin UK for sending me a stunning proof of this amazing book.
January 26, 2023
Super fun read its a Hades and Persephone retelling that gives a different view of the story we all know but it’s lighthearted and enjoyable
February 14, 2024
ೃ༄ ➳ 4 stars
the plot⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
okay so... it started a bit slowly, but when we got to the "marriage of convinience" part the story got so juicy and entertaining😋 I really liked how the author changed the original story and I appreciated the feminism in the book!
❝We know the world is terrible. That’s why we’re making all these changes to the afterlife. I don’t want any more girls to be raised on islands and told to dress a certain way, act a certain way and take precautions so that they don’t “provoke” men into violence. We’re creating our own consequences. We’re changing everything.❞
Hades⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
he was such a softie🤭 he paints, sculpts, makes jewelery... I loved how artistic he was and how caring and sweet he always was towards Persephone. and all the gifts he made for her?! so cute
get yourself a guy that appreciates how strong you are and supports you😌
❝‘Fine, then I’ll hold your flowers while you tear the world apart,’ he says.❞
➴ this quote>>>😮💨
Persephone⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
aaaaa, she was the badass of the story and she knew it💪 I honestly really loved her🥹
❝Gone is little girl. Kore. I am chaos bringer. Persephone.❞
Styx⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
she was definitely the one who made this book so fun! such a nice side character and she made the story more entertaining. I loved how she was always making jokes and acting silly 🤩
Zeus and Demeter⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
bombastic side eye to both of them😒
the banter & the sweet moments⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
I just ADORED them constanly bickering, it was so fun and giggle-worthy🤭🤭
❝‘You’re a king– I thought we covered this. What memories do you have of suffering?’
For a second, he hesitates. Then he sputters: ‘I was eaten!’
‘Oh, you can’t even remember it. You are not playing that card again.’
‘Playing that card? I was bloody eaten!’❞
and omg their love for each other was so cuteeee🥹
❝I like that you come annoy me when I’m reading, and that you think you’re far funnier than you are, and that you fill the house with flowers without asking. I like all of that.❞
❝Every love someone can have for another being, I have them all for you.❞
❝I can’t imagine a future where I’m not in love with you.❞
❝No matter how busy or how tired I am, around him there’s always happiness to be found.❞
❝I merely hope I may be there to catch you whenever you fall.❞ ughh he's so cute💗
why wasn't this a 5 star read⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
as I already mentioned, the beggining was a bit slow. also, it took the two main characters such a loooong time to admit their feeling and sometimes I just wanted to vigorously shake them because it was obvious they were both in love.
BUT this was such a fun read and I really enjoyed it🥰
playlist 🎧⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
• the archer by Taylor Swift
• affection by Cigarettes After Sex
I was literally listening to this song while reading this quote:
❝‘I’m much more comfortable when we insult each other to show affection.’ ‘That’s because you have no idea what to do with affection.’ ‘And you do?’ ‘No, not at all. You laugh it off and I refute it and together we’re delightfully, dysfunctionally in love.’❞
so perfect🤌
• do I wanna know? by Arctic Monkeys
• where's my love by SYML
• my love mine all mine by Mitski
• god is a woman by Ariana Grande
the plot⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
okay so... it started a bit slowly, but when we got to the "marriage of convinience" part the story got so juicy and entertaining😋 I really liked how the author changed the original story and I appreciated the feminism in the book!
❝We know the world is terrible. That’s why we’re making all these changes to the afterlife. I don’t want any more girls to be raised on islands and told to dress a certain way, act a certain way and take precautions so that they don’t “provoke” men into violence. We’re creating our own consequences. We’re changing everything.❞
Hades⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
he was such a softie🤭 he paints, sculpts, makes jewelery... I loved how artistic he was and how caring and sweet he always was towards Persephone. and all the gifts he made for her?! so cute
get yourself a guy that appreciates how strong you are and supports you😌
❝‘Fine, then I’ll hold your flowers while you tear the world apart,’ he says.❞
➴ this quote>>>😮💨
Persephone⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
aaaaa, she was the badass of the story and she knew it💪 I honestly really loved her🥹
❝Gone is little girl. Kore. I am chaos bringer. Persephone.❞
Styx⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
she was definitely the one who made this book so fun! such a nice side character and she made the story more entertaining. I loved how she was always making jokes and acting silly 🤩
Zeus and Demeter⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
bombastic side eye to both of them😒
the banter & the sweet moments⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
I just ADORED them constanly bickering, it was so fun and giggle-worthy🤭🤭
❝‘You’re a king– I thought we covered this. What memories do you have of suffering?’
For a second, he hesitates. Then he sputters: ‘I was eaten!’
‘Oh, you can’t even remember it. You are not playing that card again.’
‘Playing that card? I was bloody eaten!’❞
and omg their love for each other was so cuteeee🥹
❝I like that you come annoy me when I’m reading, and that you think you’re far funnier than you are, and that you fill the house with flowers without asking. I like all of that.❞
❝Every love someone can have for another being, I have them all for you.❞
❝I can’t imagine a future where I’m not in love with you.❞
❝No matter how busy or how tired I am, around him there’s always happiness to be found.❞
❝I merely hope I may be there to catch you whenever you fall.❞ ughh he's so cute💗
why wasn't this a 5 star read⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
as I already mentioned, the beggining was a bit slow. also, it took the two main characters such a loooong time to admit their feeling and sometimes I just wanted to vigorously shake them because it was obvious they were both in love.
BUT this was such a fun read and I really enjoyed it🥰
playlist 🎧⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
• the archer by Taylor Swift
• affection by Cigarettes After Sex
I was literally listening to this song while reading this quote:
❝‘I’m much more comfortable when we insult each other to show affection.’ ‘That’s because you have no idea what to do with affection.’ ‘And you do?’ ‘No, not at all. You laugh it off and I refute it and together we’re delightfully, dysfunctionally in love.’❞
so perfect🤌
• do I wanna know? by Arctic Monkeys
• where's my love by SYML
• my love mine all mine by Mitski
• god is a woman by Ariana Grande
July 15, 2023
Im so conflicted on this one. It has really good aspects but also really bad ones.
Good:
- Persephone discovering her power and literally just being power hungry and finding love along the way
- Styx was such a cool addition
- Hades loving arts and crafts and not being a dark dude
- being the first retelling I have seen incorporate the 6 months of the year part of the myth
- Some banter
- Use of Xenia was nice to read about
Bad:
- Why the fuck was the book so long. It could’ve been 300 pages max cause so much of it was filler.
- Hades went from being respectful to a fucking horndog. Like she is talking about how stressed she is and he is like oh yea but sex tho. This flip happened in one chapter
- Weird uses of slang like bestie and get it girl
- Portrayal of Aphrodite
- That one weird line about hades taking about Persephone’s father (Zeus) to her and making a “compensation” joke to her
- This book was legit just the miss communication trope on steroids. Tell me why it took 400 pages to finally admit you like each other with only 75 pages left. Like the last but was so fucking rushed.
- Too much was happening, honestly would’ve rather it been split into too books cause it felt cramped
- Why does Persephone forgive Demeter straight away. Fuck no.
- Just Demeter in general
- So much repetitive dialogue and scenes and scenarios. It genuinely feels like I’m reading the same stuff over and over again
There were way more things that rubbed me the wrong way at certain points but the overall gist is despite some goods there were way more critical bads that prevented me from loving this book
Sadly, this will probably end up being a forgotten read as ai dont see it being that memorable or standing out to me in the future
Don’t get me wrong, I so see the appeal of this and it could be a good introduction to the myth for a YA audience who has never read. I would certainly not judge someone for loving this book. But younger or older, this book feels stark and even though I am in the minority for that I cant get past it personally.
Good:
- Persephone discovering her power and literally just being power hungry and finding love along the way
- Styx was such a cool addition
- Hades loving arts and crafts and not being a dark dude
- being the first retelling I have seen incorporate the 6 months of the year part of the myth
- Some banter
- Use of Xenia was nice to read about
Bad:
- Why the fuck was the book so long. It could’ve been 300 pages max cause so much of it was filler.
- Hades went from being respectful to a fucking horndog. Like she is talking about how stressed she is and he is like oh yea but sex tho. This flip happened in one chapter
- Weird uses of slang like bestie and get it girl
- Portrayal of Aphrodite
- That one weird line about hades taking about Persephone’s father (Zeus) to her and making a “compensation” joke to her
- This book was legit just the miss communication trope on steroids. Tell me why it took 400 pages to finally admit you like each other with only 75 pages left. Like the last but was so fucking rushed.
- Too much was happening, honestly would’ve rather it been split into too books cause it felt cramped
- Why does Persephone forgive Demeter straight away. Fuck no.
- Just Demeter in general
- So much repetitive dialogue and scenes and scenarios. It genuinely feels like I’m reading the same stuff over and over again
There were way more things that rubbed me the wrong way at certain points but the overall gist is despite some goods there were way more critical bads that prevented me from loving this book
Sadly, this will probably end up being a forgotten read as ai dont see it being that memorable or standing out to me in the future
Don’t get me wrong, I so see the appeal of this and it could be a good introduction to the myth for a YA audience who has never read. I would certainly not judge someone for loving this book. But younger or older, this book feels stark and even though I am in the minority for that I cant get past it personally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2024
I found this book on Tiktok, and I immediately knew I had to read it. I'm a sucker for a Greek myth retelling, and this was such a refreshing one. It's an incredibly fun read, and perfect for fans of Lore Olympus.
While this is a romance, it's mostly Persephone's story of taking her life into her own hands, empowering herself, and taking agency. She makes the choice to go to the Underworld to avoid having to get married, and she boldly decides to redecorate and make herself at home, which was inspiring and hilarious in equal measures. Persephone is a main character who will steal your heart and who will make you root for her.
While this is a romance, it's mostly Persephone's story of taking her life into her own hands, empowering herself, and taking agency. She makes the choice to go to the Underworld to avoid having to get married, and she boldly decides to redecorate and make herself at home, which was inspiring and hilarious in equal measures. Persephone is a main character who will steal your heart and who will make you root for her.
January 26, 2024
If you look up the word 'dull' in the dictionary, a picture of this book comes up.
June 10, 2023
ARC provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own
For me personally, this was a 2 star read. However, there are some touches here that would easily raise it to four stars if the execution was better. Ergo three stars because it was mostly quite readable and I'm not really the target audience for a lot of YA fantasy anymore.
The good:
- even though the author has gone in a direction that at times I found twee and unbelievable, she clearly has done her research. I think she's probably aware that Persephone and Demeter predate most of the Olympians by about a thousand years, that we have pretty compelling evidence for this and that Hades was added on as an after thought much later when a more patriarchal religion subsumed those early goddess worship cults. (Fun fact but there is nothing in the earliest records to suggest that Persephone - who had another name which was secret because she was so feared and respected as goddess of death and destruction - was ever Demeter's daughter. They may have been sisters; Persephone may have been the mother; they may have been the same goddess in different guises.)
- all that aside, this was a fairly fun retelling of the (much later) Hades and Persephone myth.
- Fitzgerald has tried hard not to fall into the trap of feminist retellings whereby she imports modern sexism and then tears all the male characters to shreds in order to make the female characters interesting and strong. It hasn't entirely worked but she does acknowledge that sexism cuts both ways and those who inherit a corrupt system are also its victims.
- certain bits of banter between Hades and Persephone were very funny.
- This is story first, political issues second which is the way it always ought to be done. However it's also a pretty intelligent look at power, the desire for it and what it costs to be truly free.
- I had fun with this book.
The less good:
- this Hades just doesn't fit my head canon. (Neither do any of the romantasy alpha Hades variants either before anyone yells at me. So far only Punderworld has got it right as far as I'm concerned.)
- Persephone has way too much 'candy' in narrative terms and the plot does not offer her enough hardship to compensate.
- The book is 200 pages longer than it needed to be, and much of that is filler.
- Much of that filler is just repetitive and appalling dialogue. Ie exposition heavy, circular, not really communicating anything, clearly there because the author wants to use a certain line. It was also clunky with phrases you'd expect to see on a modern teen drama or TikTok which considering the context was very jarring. You really can say more and far more meaningfully with less dialogue.
- Persephone's hang-up over sex = rape might be slightly justified (thanks Demeter etc) but it's boring as hell to read.
- Making Hades 'age appropriate' smacked of intellectual cowardice - the same kind that people who rewrite Arthurian myths and skate over the incest seem to possess. You don't have to use every part of a myth but there was a reason for it to be presented that way in the first place; find out why before you say 'yuck' and yeet it into the sun. I mean, these are gods. They are personifications of aspects of the natural world and human nature. Immortality should change your perspective on time. At the point the story is happening, Persephone could have been hundreds of years old and still the youngest of the gods. It weirdly depowers Hades to remove the context of his experience and the centuries he ruled the underworld alone. (Since you're going for the patriarchal fanfic of the original myth.)
- Sometimes the discussion on political aspects of real life thinly veiled in the narrative are thrust forward a bit too much and interrupt the flow of the story. (Although still a million times more deftly than Babel by R F Kuang manages it.)
Overall, if you like retellings of this myth and you want something sweet and low stress, you'll probably really enjoy this. If you know a lot about Greek myth and having the original context and meaning drained out annoys you, give this a miss.
For me personally, this was a 2 star read. However, there are some touches here that would easily raise it to four stars if the execution was better. Ergo three stars because it was mostly quite readable and I'm not really the target audience for a lot of YA fantasy anymore.
The good:
- even though the author has gone in a direction that at times I found twee and unbelievable, she clearly has done her research. I think she's probably aware that Persephone and Demeter predate most of the Olympians by about a thousand years, that we have pretty compelling evidence for this and that Hades was added on as an after thought much later when a more patriarchal religion subsumed those early goddess worship cults. (Fun fact but there is nothing in the earliest records to suggest that Persephone - who had another name which was secret because she was so feared and respected as goddess of death and destruction - was ever Demeter's daughter. They may have been sisters; Persephone may have been the mother; they may have been the same goddess in different guises.)
- all that aside, this was a fairly fun retelling of the (much later) Hades and Persephone myth.
- Fitzgerald has tried hard not to fall into the trap of feminist retellings whereby she imports modern sexism and then tears all the male characters to shreds in order to make the female characters interesting and strong. It hasn't entirely worked but she does acknowledge that sexism cuts both ways and those who inherit a corrupt system are also its victims.
- certain bits of banter between Hades and Persephone were very funny.
- This is story first, political issues second which is the way it always ought to be done. However it's also a pretty intelligent look at power, the desire for it and what it costs to be truly free.
- I had fun with this book.
The less good:
- this Hades just doesn't fit my head canon. (Neither do any of the romantasy alpha Hades variants either before anyone yells at me. So far only Punderworld has got it right as far as I'm concerned.)
- Persephone has way too much 'candy' in narrative terms and the plot does not offer her enough hardship to compensate.
- The book is 200 pages longer than it needed to be, and much of that is filler.
- Much of that filler is just repetitive and appalling dialogue. Ie exposition heavy, circular, not really communicating anything, clearly there because the author wants to use a certain line. It was also clunky with phrases you'd expect to see on a modern teen drama or TikTok which considering the context was very jarring. You really can say more and far more meaningfully with less dialogue.
- Persephone's hang-up over sex = rape might be slightly justified (thanks Demeter etc) but it's boring as hell to read.
- Making Hades 'age appropriate' smacked of intellectual cowardice - the same kind that people who rewrite Arthurian myths and skate over the incest seem to possess. You don't have to use every part of a myth but there was a reason for it to be presented that way in the first place; find out why before you say 'yuck' and yeet it into the sun. I mean, these are gods. They are personifications of aspects of the natural world and human nature. Immortality should change your perspective on time. At the point the story is happening, Persephone could have been hundreds of years old and still the youngest of the gods. It weirdly depowers Hades to remove the context of his experience and the centuries he ruled the underworld alone. (Since you're going for the patriarchal fanfic of the original myth.)
- Sometimes the discussion on political aspects of real life thinly veiled in the narrative are thrust forward a bit too much and interrupt the flow of the story. (Although still a million times more deftly than Babel by R F Kuang manages it.)
Overall, if you like retellings of this myth and you want something sweet and low stress, you'll probably really enjoy this. If you know a lot about Greek myth and having the original context and meaning drained out annoys you, give this a miss.
July 22, 2023
Well, this was certainly something!
I finished this book super quickly, it reads fast because of the snappy dialogue. The writing style is easy to follow and despite the very modern style of talking (I just assumed this was an AU), I enjoyed this aspect reminiscent of fanfiction which can go either way with readers. I didn't mind it so much and again, the fanfiction style aspect showed up in the lack of plot this novel presented. This was basically fluff upon fluff and even more fluff. Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you're in the mood for. Personally, I was taking a break from high-stakes epic fantasy and this was a refreshing, witty romance to read with none of the crudeness you'd get from adult novels.
The pace was fast, the scenes cute and I found myself engaged in the will they - won't they shenanigans you'd expect from a romance book. So why 3*?
#1 - Hades himself deserves a star of his own. I am a sucker for softboys and grumpy, yet cinamonroll type of characters. He was exactly that and I was very glad Fitzgerald focused so much on him and had him be an active participant of the story.
#2 The things that went wrong:
-Persephone/Kore and how this book tries to be 'feminist'
- I find it more cute than funny, although the dialogues were certainly snappy
- Persephone (ugh I felt so bad for Hades at one point, I thought this man might jump in the Styx or something)
Persephone is an annoying, self-centered, entitled b*tch. There, I said it. She spends about 75% of the novel complaining how everyone just goes around and takes things out of pure entertainment things that are not theirs, and yet, she does exactly this! She barges in to Hell, forces Hades to give her food and shelter and is surprised that Hades is not so fond of this, and somehow he is the d*ck for not being excited about helping her. As a fellow introvert, Hades, I totally got you. I would have wanted to kick Kore out too, especially how she manages to do everything against the rules in a fellow god's court, because gods forbid a MAN has rules for a woman *eyeroll*. She is even going for the crown for the Underworld (that's fair enough) but keeps telling Hades how now he could be made redundand and how he is basically worthless without her. Great character, who is soooooo likeable. *cough cough*.
She spends the majority of the novel talking about how she doesn't want to get married and how she doesn't want a man to touch her. Again, that's fair, I'm all for body autonimity. But. She voices this on multiple occasion, takes offence at the slightest implication, at the first chance a man even looks in her direction - but then! she is utterly confused and hurt even that when she actually wants it, a man is scared she's gonna call r3pe on him. I mean girllll! How is he supposed to know you now want it if you don't explicitly consent? Or even better, how is he supposed to know when all she does is lie to everyone and be proud of it, but the first instance she doesn't get told something, she is outraged and threatens to burn the world down. Boys/men, if you ever read this, and find a woman who fits this description irl, do not walk, RUN! This is a huge red flag and Hades should have ran too. He deserved better.
I think this book was supposed to be about female empowerment and all the 'down with the patriarchy' sort of things, but I personally just find it hard to relate to problems such as having men lining up to court me, let alone men who are so gorgoeus, no beauty as such existed before. Maybe I'm just ugly or not a goddess or both, but really, that's her biggest problem???
I also find it hardly an empowerment that when she is asked what she wanted, she says 'the world' but then when Hecate asks her what she'd give for it, she says: 'NOTHING' but still gets it is just a bit ??? Really, we are teaching kids that they don't have to do anything to get what they want? Great messaging, lol, as if we didn't have enough entitled people in the world already.
Anyways, this book has been waaay too tryhard feminist for me, so It is a pass. Otherwise, if that's your cup of tea and you're not too fussed about rather toxic female tropes, and enjoy fluff, it will be the book for you.
I finished this book super quickly, it reads fast because of the snappy dialogue. The writing style is easy to follow and despite the very modern style of talking (I just assumed this was an AU), I enjoyed this aspect reminiscent of fanfiction which can go either way with readers. I didn't mind it so much and again, the fanfiction style aspect showed up in the lack of plot this novel presented. This was basically fluff upon fluff and even more fluff. Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you're in the mood for. Personally, I was taking a break from high-stakes epic fantasy and this was a refreshing, witty romance to read with none of the crudeness you'd get from adult novels.
The pace was fast, the scenes cute and I found myself engaged in the will they - won't they shenanigans you'd expect from a romance book. So why 3*?
#1 - Hades himself deserves a star of his own. I am a sucker for softboys and grumpy, yet cinamonroll type of characters. He was exactly that and I was very glad Fitzgerald focused so much on him and had him be an active participant of the story.
#2 The things that went wrong:
-Persephone/Kore and how this book tries to be 'feminist'
- I find it more cute than funny, although the dialogues were certainly snappy
- Persephone (ugh I felt so bad for Hades at one point, I thought this man might jump in the Styx or something)
Persephone is an annoying, self-centered, entitled b*tch. There, I said it. She spends about 75% of the novel complaining how everyone just goes around and takes things out of pure entertainment things that are not theirs, and yet, she does exactly this! She barges in to Hell, forces Hades to give her food and shelter and is surprised that Hades is not so fond of this, and somehow he is the d*ck for not being excited about helping her. As a fellow introvert, Hades, I totally got you. I would have wanted to kick Kore out too, especially how she manages to do everything against the rules in a fellow god's court, because gods forbid a MAN has rules for a woman *eyeroll*. She is even going for the crown for the Underworld (that's fair enough) but keeps telling Hades how now he could be made redundand and how he is basically worthless without her. Great character, who is soooooo likeable. *cough cough*.
She spends the majority of the novel talking about how she doesn't want to get married and how she doesn't want a man to touch her. Again, that's fair, I'm all for body autonimity. But. She voices this on multiple occasion, takes offence at the slightest implication, at the first chance a man even looks in her direction - but then! she is utterly confused and hurt even that when she actually wants it, a man is scared she's gonna call r3pe on him. I mean girllll! How is he supposed to know you now want it if you don't explicitly consent? Or even better, how is he supposed to know when all she does is lie to everyone and be proud of it, but the first instance she doesn't get told something, she is outraged and threatens to burn the world down. Boys/men, if you ever read this, and find a woman who fits this description irl, do not walk, RUN! This is a huge red flag and Hades should have ran too. He deserved better.
I think this book was supposed to be about female empowerment and all the 'down with the patriarchy' sort of things, but I personally just find it hard to relate to problems such as having men lining up to court me, let alone men who are so gorgoeus, no beauty as such existed before. Maybe I'm just ugly or not a goddess or both, but really, that's her biggest problem???
I also find it hardly an empowerment that when she is asked what she wanted, she says 'the world' but then when Hecate asks her what she'd give for it, she says: 'NOTHING' but still gets it is just a bit ??? Really, we are teaching kids that they don't have to do anything to get what they want? Great messaging, lol, as if we didn't have enough entitled people in the world already.
Anyways, this book has been waaay too tryhard feminist for me, so It is a pass. Otherwise, if that's your cup of tea and you're not too fussed about rather toxic female tropes, and enjoy fluff, it will be the book for you.
April 2, 2024
Eh bah j’ai kiffé ?! J’ai déjà lu moult et moult réécritures du mythe d’Hadès et Perséphone et celle-ci est clairement une de mes préférées. C’est original tout en reprenant les codes classiques de l’histoire, les personnages sont ouuuuf et j’ai beaucoup aimé l’univers et les messages qu’il permet de faire passer. Ok, ok, ok, il y a quelques trucs moins crédibles que d’autres, notamment dans la relation amoureuse dont un des tournants ne m’a pas totalement convaincue (il passe de la repousser à l’adorer en deux pages, what ?) mais c’est finalement secondaire face à mon ressenti général sur ce livre. Et vraiment, les personnages… 🤌🤌🤌 Ils font toute la force du roman, gros coeur sur eux.
August 1, 2023
DNF at page 120.
Hades goes from absolutely wanting nothing to do with her, trying to trick her into breaking an oath that would have huge consequences… to then falling all over himself to apologise and grovel and make life long vows of the River Styx for her in the span of a few pages?… like that’s it? Less than 100 pages of rude arrogant hades and then he’s her lap dog jumping to do her bidding? Why? There was no development.
Hades goes from absolutely wanting nothing to do with her, trying to trick her into breaking an oath that would have huge consequences… to then falling all over himself to apologise and grovel and make life long vows of the River Styx for her in the span of a few pages?… like that’s it? Less than 100 pages of rude arrogant hades and then he’s her lap dog jumping to do her bidding? Why? There was no development.
April 15, 2024
Wattpad is Better
Sooooo, I have to say this was one of the biggest disappointments I have ever encountered. When I got this book, I expected a love story between two likable characters - I did not read a love story between two likable characters. I wished for an engaging quick-witted protagonist - but I did not get one. I wished for the author to show me the story - the author told me the story. S.P.E.L.L.E.D. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. O.U.T. as if I was not able to take a hint, think for myself.
Girl, Goddess, Queen, - or how I like to call it - Unbearable, Annoying, Hatted, - is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. One that did not contain incest - one of the few positive points in the book. We start off strongly - interesting magic, interesting rituals, and a main character we did not know close enough to understand how terrible her personality is. And it is. Believe me.
Either way, to escape an unwanted marriage she, the young goddess of Flowers, whom I will call Kore in the following because I want to disrespect her, flees to the underworld and threatens Hades, god of the underworld, the lord and savior, only light of this god abandoned book, to give her shelter.
And this is where the problem with this book starts. Kore apparently was repressed her whole life, she held back, and never rebelled against her mother, even if it meant being married off to a stranger. Well, do you think we see any of this? I will spoil it for you - No. We are told. Told, that Kore exceeds at everything she does, everything, except taking care of her outer appearance.
And anyone who tells me that I´m against strong female protagonists, let me remind you: I´m a woman myself AND this book has literally a whole freaking chapter dedicated to telling us, the pitiful readers, how great Kore is. Oh, but she sucks at fighting. Or does she? Later in the book we find out she knows how to threaten Hades with a selfmade-weapon, so yeah. No, really - two pages, where the following is said: Kore is better at planning and sewing than Athena. Like, she is literally portrayed as someone with no flaws, character-wise, power, or any other attribute-wise. Well, she does have a flaw - she will never be liked or respected by me. Never.
To summarise the freaking 400 pages filled with the thoughts of a terrible protagonist, no really at some point I just wanted to take the matches and burn this piece of literature on an altar in honor of Hades that was done SO DIRTY in this book, Kore is like Captain Marvel, always right, can never make the wrong decision, everyone else is wrong in this book. Yeah, she isn´t the problem, everyone else is. At least that is what the author tries to present it that way. And fails. Fails miserably.
Hades is the only good thing in this. He is charming, caring, and honestly, too good for Kore. And the author does not give him any power. No really, she doesn´t. To spoil you, because I do not encourage you to read this pile of used greasy bedsheets full of bedbugs, Hades isn´t the god of the underworld - he is the god of illusions. And guess what - he never, like really, never uses his powers - I want to cry.
And to make it worse - Kore isn´t just the goddess of flowers - no she is the goddess of life.
...
Thanatos, you don´t have to take me Tartaros, I´m already there.
Either way, as someone who freaking is actually quite informed about Greek mythology I can tell you the following - It makes no sense. The Greeks didn´t have the same understanding of life as we have now, okay. Plants as a being of life were only true to such extent - Human eats animals - if animals have nothing to eat, aka plants, humans have nothing to eat, so no food = human dead -> food=plants -> human lives. But that is not the way the author takes it or represents it in the book. Kore gives life to more than just plants. She gives it to the Underworld and Upperworld because guess what - she is the center of the world. The author doesn't even ask, if there may be a reason for the absence of a god of life in Greek mythology. (By the way, I wouldn´t be surprised if initially Kore was designed to be the goddess of creation, because that would make a whole more sense - even if that would still not solve the issue I have with her.)
But if you thought, Kore is the only reason for the one-star review, I´m sorry to say - there is more. The other characters are so bland. I´m telling you - you can just delete every other character from this (except Zeus since we need to have an antagonist) and this book would have been 100 pages shorter (a great improvement) and well, still shit but, like I would not have felt as betrayed like now.
Hades at some point becomes an accessory there to be insulted by Kore for the joke of it, Demeter is... I don´t even know why she appears more than two times in this, and Styx, why do you even exist. Zeus is the big enemy in this story, Thanos if you want so, but what the actual f***. Kore is supposed to trick him in the big finale - and I´m asking: why. If you knew how my despair when I read the following quote - believe me, you would write a 1,000-word review yourself.
"Zeus is stupid" - Zeus, please strike me with lightning. So the Kore is smart because - well Zeus is stupid. You are telling me, I have read 400 pages, got to the showdown, and - The Big THREAT, THE BOOGYMAN - is S.T.U.P.I.D.
... I´m speechless.
I have read really bad writing okay. I have read books, where the characters describe themselves, and I quote, as "I am bad." I´m telling you: this writing was worse. Hell, Wattpad is better. This book spells out everything. From the fact, that forced marriages are bad to the fact, that Hades and Kores S*x sounds funny (the latter by the way broke me bad).
Listen, dear author - have you ever heard of the quote - Show don´t tell? Well - you should listen to it.
The Worldbuilding is OK, but seriously, it plays such a small role, that I don´t care anymore. This book sucked. And I didn´t even talk about the bland romance and banter, that didn´t even try to be nice to read (don´t even get me started on that.)
In Conclusion - I rate this book 1-star. If I could give less - I would (and did on another platform.) One of the worst fantasy reads, reads in general I ever had. Don´t read it for your own sanity, peace and anger management.
Sooooo, I have to say this was one of the biggest disappointments I have ever encountered. When I got this book, I expected a love story between two likable characters - I did not read a love story between two likable characters. I wished for an engaging quick-witted protagonist - but I did not get one. I wished for the author to show me the story - the author told me the story. S.P.E.L.L.E.D. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. O.U.T. as if I was not able to take a hint, think for myself.
Girl, Goddess, Queen, - or how I like to call it - Unbearable, Annoying, Hatted, - is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. One that did not contain incest - one of the few positive points in the book. We start off strongly - interesting magic, interesting rituals, and a main character we did not know close enough to understand how terrible her personality is. And it is. Believe me.
Either way, to escape an unwanted marriage she, the young goddess of Flowers, whom I will call Kore in the following because I want to disrespect her, flees to the underworld and threatens Hades, god of the underworld, the lord and savior, only light of this god abandoned book, to give her shelter.
And this is where the problem with this book starts. Kore apparently was repressed her whole life, she held back, and never rebelled against her mother, even if it meant being married off to a stranger. Well, do you think we see any of this? I will spoil it for you - No. We are told. Told, that Kore exceeds at everything she does, everything, except taking care of her outer appearance.
And anyone who tells me that I´m against strong female protagonists, let me remind you: I´m a woman myself AND this book has literally a whole freaking chapter dedicated to telling us, the pitiful readers, how great Kore is. Oh, but she sucks at fighting. Or does she? Later in the book we find out she knows how to threaten Hades with a selfmade-weapon, so yeah. No, really - two pages, where the following is said: Kore is better at planning and sewing than Athena. Like, she is literally portrayed as someone with no flaws, character-wise, power, or any other attribute-wise. Well, she does have a flaw - she will never be liked or respected by me. Never.
To summarise the freaking 400 pages filled with the thoughts of a terrible protagonist, no really at some point I just wanted to take the matches and burn this piece of literature on an altar in honor of Hades that was done SO DIRTY in this book, Kore is like Captain Marvel, always right, can never make the wrong decision, everyone else is wrong in this book. Yeah, she isn´t the problem, everyone else is. At least that is what the author tries to present it that way. And fails. Fails miserably.
Hades is the only good thing in this. He is charming, caring, and honestly, too good for Kore. And the author does not give him any power. No really, she doesn´t. To spoil you, because I do not encourage you to read this pile of used greasy bedsheets full of bedbugs, Hades isn´t the god of the underworld - he is the god of illusions. And guess what - he never, like really, never uses his powers - I want to cry.
And to make it worse - Kore isn´t just the goddess of flowers - no she is the goddess of life.
...
Thanatos, you don´t have to take me Tartaros, I´m already there.
Either way, as someone who freaking is actually quite informed about Greek mythology I can tell you the following - It makes no sense. The Greeks didn´t have the same understanding of life as we have now, okay. Plants as a being of life were only true to such extent - Human eats animals - if animals have nothing to eat, aka plants, humans have nothing to eat, so no food = human dead -> food=plants -> human lives. But that is not the way the author takes it or represents it in the book. Kore gives life to more than just plants. She gives it to the Underworld and Upperworld because guess what - she is the center of the world. The author doesn't even ask, if there may be a reason for the absence of a god of life in Greek mythology. (By the way, I wouldn´t be surprised if initially Kore was designed to be the goddess of creation, because that would make a whole more sense - even if that would still not solve the issue I have with her.)
But if you thought, Kore is the only reason for the one-star review, I´m sorry to say - there is more. The other characters are so bland. I´m telling you - you can just delete every other character from this (except Zeus since we need to have an antagonist) and this book would have been 100 pages shorter (a great improvement) and well, still shit but, like I would not have felt as betrayed like now.
Hades at some point becomes an accessory there to be insulted by Kore for the joke of it, Demeter is... I don´t even know why she appears more than two times in this, and Styx, why do you even exist. Zeus is the big enemy in this story, Thanos if you want so, but what the actual f***. Kore is supposed to trick him in the big finale - and I´m asking: why. If you knew how my despair when I read the following quote - believe me, you would write a 1,000-word review yourself.
"Zeus is stupid" - Zeus, please strike me with lightning. So the Kore is smart because - well Zeus is stupid. You are telling me, I have read 400 pages, got to the showdown, and - The Big THREAT, THE BOOGYMAN - is S.T.U.P.I.D.
... I´m speechless.
I have read really bad writing okay. I have read books, where the characters describe themselves, and I quote, as "I am bad." I´m telling you: this writing was worse. Hell, Wattpad is better. This book spells out everything. From the fact, that forced marriages are bad to the fact, that Hades and Kores S*x sounds funny (the latter by the way broke me bad).
Listen, dear author - have you ever heard of the quote - Show don´t tell? Well - you should listen to it.
The Worldbuilding is OK, but seriously, it plays such a small role, that I don´t care anymore. This book sucked. And I didn´t even talk about the bland romance and banter, that didn´t even try to be nice to read (don´t even get me started on that.)
In Conclusion - I rate this book 1-star. If I could give less - I would (and did on another platform.) One of the worst fantasy reads, reads in general I ever had. Don´t read it for your own sanity, peace and anger management.
August 6, 2023
*Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book!*
I don’t think I’ve ever read a Hades and Persephone retelling before, and I have no real idea on the original story of either of the characters so I can’t say much about this as an adaptation but I can review it as it stands. And for the record, I think this was really good. Its aim was a fun feminist ya reimagining, and from what I can see it ticked all of those boxes.
Sometimes with fantasy, especially Greek myth, it can be easy to dive into a book and immediately lose your footing. I don’t think this was the case with this one, and I think Fitzgerald did a really great job of making the world, the characters, the politics etc really easy to digest and follow along with. I think the writing was well done, and suited to the audience. It was quite ‘YA’ in tone at times for me, but then again that’s literally the point of the book. It was an easy read, it was fast paced, I stayed engaged throughout, and it made the mythology very accessible.
The romantic relationship we get given is both a hit and a miss for me. On the one hand, they were really sweet and I loved the on page communication they had. They were so open verbally about boundaries, the definitions of their relationships, and very vocal about their sexual relationship which was so refreshing to see in a book about young people figuring things out for the first time. It was informative and raw and honest without being weird or awkward (which would’ve been fine too!) but I really liked it. They were very adorable.
The only issue is they really just gave me more of a friendship vibe than lovers/soulmates. I really liked Hades and Persephone as individual characters, and they had a powerful dynamic together but better platonically for me. There was an attempt at a grumpy angle from Hades but his gump evaporated so quickly. I wanted the hostility and the animosity between then to last a little bit longer, Their relationship developed so quickly and they went from strangers to having a quite intimate friendship so quickly and being so trusting toward one another that I wasn’ really buying it. I was expecting more tension and a slow burning longing, and gradual development/realisation of feelings. It was still sweet, but could’ve been done a little better.
I liked the plot enough, but I didn’t care for it. I was way more focused on the character elements of the story and persephone’s personal growth, and I actually didn’t really care for the actual plot of the book weirdly. It could have been full of plot holes and terribly boring, but I didn’t really notice it. I was too interested in the different relationships at play.
Anyway this was good! And fun! And if it sounds good to you, you should give it a go. I think this will be a very welcome addition to the ya market.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a Hades and Persephone retelling before, and I have no real idea on the original story of either of the characters so I can’t say much about this as an adaptation but I can review it as it stands. And for the record, I think this was really good. Its aim was a fun feminist ya reimagining, and from what I can see it ticked all of those boxes.
Sometimes with fantasy, especially Greek myth, it can be easy to dive into a book and immediately lose your footing. I don’t think this was the case with this one, and I think Fitzgerald did a really great job of making the world, the characters, the politics etc really easy to digest and follow along with. I think the writing was well done, and suited to the audience. It was quite ‘YA’ in tone at times for me, but then again that’s literally the point of the book. It was an easy read, it was fast paced, I stayed engaged throughout, and it made the mythology very accessible.
The romantic relationship we get given is both a hit and a miss for me. On the one hand, they were really sweet and I loved the on page communication they had. They were so open verbally about boundaries, the definitions of their relationships, and very vocal about their sexual relationship which was so refreshing to see in a book about young people figuring things out for the first time. It was informative and raw and honest without being weird or awkward (which would’ve been fine too!) but I really liked it. They were very adorable.
The only issue is they really just gave me more of a friendship vibe than lovers/soulmates. I really liked Hades and Persephone as individual characters, and they had a powerful dynamic together but better platonically for me. There was an attempt at a grumpy angle from Hades but his gump evaporated so quickly. I wanted the hostility and the animosity between then to last a little bit longer, Their relationship developed so quickly and they went from strangers to having a quite intimate friendship so quickly and being so trusting toward one another that I wasn’ really buying it. I was expecting more tension and a slow burning longing, and gradual development/realisation of feelings. It was still sweet, but could’ve been done a little better.
I liked the plot enough, but I didn’t care for it. I was way more focused on the character elements of the story and persephone’s personal growth, and I actually didn’t really care for the actual plot of the book weirdly. It could have been full of plot holes and terribly boring, but I didn’t really notice it. I was too interested in the different relationships at play.
Anyway this was good! And fun! And if it sounds good to you, you should give it a go. I think this will be a very welcome addition to the ya market.
September 2, 2023
"You once asked for the world, Persephone. Congratulations, you just created one."
hades >>>>>>>>>
hades >>>>>>>>>
July 9, 2023
Bea Fitzgerald’s YA Fantasy Rom-Com debut is a swoon-worthy and utterly feminist take on Greek mythology (and the Hades & Persephone myth) that lured me in with it’s bold and refreshingly assertive approach to Persephone’s tale —which sees her take on the might of Olympus (and her own mother) for the right to RULE HELL … by marrying Hades of course. And I can genuinely say, I didn’t want it to end!
As a self-confessed Hades and Persephone fan girl I knew I needed to get my grabby, Greek Myth-loving hands on a copy of this ASAP! It took awhile but I finally managed to win a copy in a giveaway (thanks again @imysbookshelf) and I’m glad to report that it lived up to all of my expectations.
Our Persephone, traditionally portrayed as sweet tempered and kind, is transformed into a daring and fabulously fierce (Ancient Greek) Girl Boss, determined to seek out happiness by any means necessary—even if it means taking on the patriarchy in all its toxic, oppressive forms.
Her emotional journey and growth from dutiful daughter into a confident, formidable Queen was really satisfying to watch, as was her fury and defiance regarding Zeus and Demeter’s plans for her future.
She does end up of inconveniencing Hades a little in the process, but the enemies to lovers dynamics that we see in their first encounter was utterly delicious. And the achingly romantic, slow burn tension that develops between Hades and Persephone (taking them from enemies- to friends and beyond) was beautifully written and really gave us a chance to explore the nuances of the trust, respect and love that gradually grows between them.
I also really liked Fitzgerald’s depiction of Hades, who is portrayed as a kind, gentle and introverted person with a love of art and heaps patience and compassion for Persephone. I loved how supportive he was and really enjoyed how his sensitive personality subverts not only traditional gender stereotypes, but pretty much every recent portrayal I’ve seen of Hades (which usually casts him in the brooding, alpha male role.)
His openness about his innermost thoughts/ vulnerabilities and the lighthearted banter he loves to partake in with Persephone (and his closest friends) was a surprisingly refreshing aspect that, when paired with the depth and emotion we see in (the brief exploration into) his backstory, really made this my favourite retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth.
I also loved river goddess Styx (one of the supporting characters) the best and sassiest wing woman a Goddess (or God) could ask for! Her enthusiastic support for Hades and Persephone’s relationship was super entertaining and her overly dramatic, OTT asides into her own romantic endeavours kinda have me eager for a Styx-related spinoff—hopefully with cameos from Charon and Thanatos.
It does explore some heavier topics and briefly mentions topics such as misogyny, sexual assault and the trauma of War, so I definitely suggest checking TWs beforehand.
Overall, a vibrant, fun and thoroughly refreshing Hades and Persephone retelling that YA loving, Romantasy fans should definitely be adding to their TBRs (and Suitcases) this summer!
As a self-confessed Hades and Persephone fan girl I knew I needed to get my grabby, Greek Myth-loving hands on a copy of this ASAP! It took awhile but I finally managed to win a copy in a giveaway (thanks again @imysbookshelf) and I’m glad to report that it lived up to all of my expectations.
Our Persephone, traditionally portrayed as sweet tempered and kind, is transformed into a daring and fabulously fierce (Ancient Greek) Girl Boss, determined to seek out happiness by any means necessary—even if it means taking on the patriarchy in all its toxic, oppressive forms.
Her emotional journey and growth from dutiful daughter into a confident, formidable Queen was really satisfying to watch, as was her fury and defiance regarding Zeus and Demeter’s plans for her future.
She does end up of inconveniencing Hades a little in the process, but the enemies to lovers dynamics that we see in their first encounter was utterly delicious. And the achingly romantic, slow burn tension that develops between Hades and Persephone (taking them from enemies- to friends and beyond) was beautifully written and really gave us a chance to explore the nuances of the trust, respect and love that gradually grows between them.
I also really liked Fitzgerald’s depiction of Hades, who is portrayed as a kind, gentle and introverted person with a love of art and heaps patience and compassion for Persephone. I loved how supportive he was and really enjoyed how his sensitive personality subverts not only traditional gender stereotypes, but pretty much every recent portrayal I’ve seen of Hades (which usually casts him in the brooding, alpha male role.)
His openness about his innermost thoughts/ vulnerabilities and the lighthearted banter he loves to partake in with Persephone (and his closest friends) was a surprisingly refreshing aspect that, when paired with the depth and emotion we see in (the brief exploration into) his backstory, really made this my favourite retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth.
I also loved river goddess Styx (one of the supporting characters) the best and sassiest wing woman a Goddess (or God) could ask for! Her enthusiastic support for Hades and Persephone’s relationship was super entertaining and her overly dramatic, OTT asides into her own romantic endeavours kinda have me eager for a Styx-related spinoff—hopefully with cameos from Charon and Thanatos.
It does explore some heavier topics and briefly mentions topics such as misogyny, sexual assault and the trauma of War, so I definitely suggest checking TWs beforehand.
Overall, a vibrant, fun and thoroughly refreshing Hades and Persephone retelling that YA loving, Romantasy fans should definitely be adding to their TBRs (and Suitcases) this summer!
July 23, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Sadly, this book is not for me. This book has all the right ideas. It's a fun retelling of Hades and Persephone, and the author tries to put a fresh new spin on the myth. It's evident the author has done her research and I applaud her for that.
However, the whole book felt like a mess. The writing style felt very juvenile and the constant 'girl bossiness' felt forced and tedious to read. Hades and Persephone have a complex story, and it felt like this was completely lost. The romance didn't interest me and I found Persephone very annoying. The whole thing just felt very unbelievable, and probably needed another edit. I don't think the phrase 'bestie' should have made the cut...
This isn't a bad novel by any means. It's fun and light, and I think YA fans will eat this up! This just wasn't my cup of tea, and I do think the writing style needs work.
Sadly, this book is not for me. This book has all the right ideas. It's a fun retelling of Hades and Persephone, and the author tries to put a fresh new spin on the myth. It's evident the author has done her research and I applaud her for that.
However, the whole book felt like a mess. The writing style felt very juvenile and the constant 'girl bossiness' felt forced and tedious to read. Hades and Persephone have a complex story, and it felt like this was completely lost. The romance didn't interest me and I found Persephone very annoying. The whole thing just felt very unbelievable, and probably needed another edit. I don't think the phrase 'bestie' should have made the cut...
This isn't a bad novel by any means. It's fun and light, and I think YA fans will eat this up! This just wasn't my cup of tea, and I do think the writing style needs work.
December 27, 2023
1⭐️ My phone crashed at my first attempt of writing a long review, and it’s right, this book isn’t worth it. A “feminist” book that falls into the trap of soft=weak and harsh=strong. Persephone is everyone’s wildest desire and has all the strong magical powers *cough pick me*, and other women are victims, weak, sluts, or evil. This was insultingly bad to the myths of every god mentioned in this book
Read
September 2, 2023dnf at 29%, i know it's marked as young adult but it just made me realize that most of the time i can't resonate with teenagers anymore
September 4, 2023
Bea Fitzgerald heeft met Koningin van de onderwereld een tof boek geschreven! Spannend, duister, meeslepend én met een vleugje romantiek. What do you need more?
Gehele recensie binnenkort op mijn blog: http://jenniferleest.wordpress.com/
Gehele recensie binnenkort op mijn blog: http://jenniferleest.wordpress.com/
September 5, 2023
I have words to say about this book, but I will need to sleep on it.
What I can say is that, I equally hate and love this book in equal parts... So.... That's something I will need to think about if I were to write my thoughts on it.
RTC
Edited on 1/9/2023
There's so many things wright and wrong about this book. I didn't have the heart to hate it as I had loved some aspects of the story, but I also can't say that I fully loved it either. I'm maybe the minority in this one, but the one thing that I could say is that, this book can be half of its volume, and it will still be good. However, since its a debut novel, I do feel that the author has loads more potential for her next work so, I'm definitely going to be a look out for it. I think that's why it took me a while to actually put my thoughts into writing, as I had mixed feelings for this book. Hence, for those who really loved it, you can definitely skip my review.
Anyone who knows me would know that I love any retellings of Hades and Persephone. And for this one, its a retelling with a bit of a mix where Persephone is the one who is smart and cunning whilst Hades is the soft one in this relationship. In this rendition, its an coming-of-age story of Persephone and of her finding her ways into her girlhood and adulthood, by running to Hell and making Hades protect her under his oath. A story of love, girlhood, womenhood and mostly of self-discovery.
Since I don't want to sound too ranty, I would divide my thoughts into two parts to make it not as long.
Part 1 : What I liked About The Book
1. The Theme
The theme of girlhood and womenhood for me was one of the strongest points of the book. I loved that the author had made it a centre of the story with the mix of so many strong female characters that makes the book very female-centric and empowering. I liked how Persephone was shown as a young girl who was trying to find her way into the world and mostly to discover herself as a person. Rather than going head over heels in love first, she had prioritized what she needed to do hence it was quite refreshing to read.
2. Breaking The Streotype
I liked how both Persephone and Hades had broken the streotype in this book. Its somewhat the fluidity in accepting that toxic masculinity and female oppression has made society had not be able to express what they like in the first place. I love how Hades was portrayed in here (soft Hades made me swoon) and Persephone was potrayed to be a stronger but is still feminine. I liked that the author had shown that it doesn't make you less of a man or less of a woman for liking something that didn't approve to the society's standards.
Part 2 : What I Didn't Like About The Book
1. The Romance
Funny how this story has a main romance sub-plot, but good lord was it so DRAGGY AND BORING. I was bored to death. Literally. There were parts where Persephone and Hades was just sweet but the slow-burn that I feel the author was aiming for... didn't work well in this story. It felt anticlimatic, and when they finally got together... I somehow ended up being super annoyed with Persephone when she was with Hades. Like I get it ... but I do want to slap you so there's that. I feel that whilst their friendship was explored well, the pining didn't really work out for me, which really made me dissapointed as I wanted to love it so much but I just couldn't.
2. The Fillers
I think that if the book didn't have too many fillers, I would actually bump the ratings to 4 stars. There were so many scenes that was way too long, and some scenes that was wayy too short. There were inconsistencies in some of the plot and that's what I felt most lacking for the book. One moment you're enjoying the story, and next you're just bored to death. It gave me a bit of whiplash.
Overall, was it a bad book?
No.
Do I hate it?
No.
But Do I love it?
Also a no.
However, I would also think that the author has more potential for her books to come. Her writing had definitely caught my heart at certain scenes. I would def read her next book. Overall, it was an okay read for me. I think I was just sad that I didn't like it as much because I had high hopes for it. But for those who is a first timer to read a Hades and Persephone retelling, this book might work out for you.
Personal Ratings: 3.5🌟
Biggest thanks to Times Reads and the publisher for this gorgeous copy!
What I can say is that, I equally hate and love this book in equal parts... So.... That's something I will need to think about if I were to write my thoughts on it.
RTC
Edited on 1/9/2023
There's so many things wright and wrong about this book. I didn't have the heart to hate it as I had loved some aspects of the story, but I also can't say that I fully loved it either. I'm maybe the minority in this one, but the one thing that I could say is that, this book can be half of its volume, and it will still be good. However, since its a debut novel, I do feel that the author has loads more potential for her next work so, I'm definitely going to be a look out for it. I think that's why it took me a while to actually put my thoughts into writing, as I had mixed feelings for this book. Hence, for those who really loved it, you can definitely skip my review.
"They made it your name, made it an insult, turned it into something it's not. There's nothing wrong with being a little girl, love. Little girls are fearless."
Anyone who knows me would know that I love any retellings of Hades and Persephone. And for this one, its a retelling with a bit of a mix where Persephone is the one who is smart and cunning whilst Hades is the soft one in this relationship. In this rendition, its an coming-of-age story of Persephone and of her finding her ways into her girlhood and adulthood, by running to Hell and making Hades protect her under his oath. A story of love, girlhood, womenhood and mostly of self-discovery.
Since I don't want to sound too ranty, I would divide my thoughts into two parts to make it not as long.
Part 1 : What I liked About The Book
1. The Theme
The theme of girlhood and womenhood for me was one of the strongest points of the book. I loved that the author had made it a centre of the story with the mix of so many strong female characters that makes the book very female-centric and empowering. I liked how Persephone was shown as a young girl who was trying to find her way into the world and mostly to discover herself as a person. Rather than going head over heels in love first, she had prioritized what she needed to do hence it was quite refreshing to read.
2. Breaking The Streotype
I liked how both Persephone and Hades had broken the streotype in this book. Its somewhat the fluidity in accepting that toxic masculinity and female oppression has made society had not be able to express what they like in the first place. I love how Hades was portrayed in here (soft Hades made me swoon) and Persephone was potrayed to be a stronger but is still feminine. I liked that the author had shown that it doesn't make you less of a man or less of a woman for liking something that didn't approve to the society's standards.
Part 2 : What I Didn't Like About The Book
1. The Romance
Funny how this story has a main romance sub-plot, but good lord was it so DRAGGY AND BORING. I was bored to death. Literally. There were parts where Persephone and Hades was just sweet but the slow-burn that I feel the author was aiming for... didn't work well in this story. It felt anticlimatic, and when they finally got together... I somehow ended up being super annoyed with Persephone when she was with Hades. Like I get it ... but I do want to slap you so there's that. I feel that whilst their friendship was explored well, the pining didn't really work out for me, which really made me dissapointed as I wanted to love it so much but I just couldn't.
2. The Fillers
I think that if the book didn't have too many fillers, I would actually bump the ratings to 4 stars. There were so many scenes that was way too long, and some scenes that was wayy too short. There were inconsistencies in some of the plot and that's what I felt most lacking for the book. One moment you're enjoying the story, and next you're just bored to death. It gave me a bit of whiplash.
Overall, was it a bad book?
No.
Do I hate it?
No.
But Do I love it?
Also a no.
However, I would also think that the author has more potential for her books to come. Her writing had definitely caught my heart at certain scenes. I would def read her next book. Overall, it was an okay read for me. I think I was just sad that I didn't like it as much because I had high hopes for it. But for those who is a first timer to read a Hades and Persephone retelling, this book might work out for you.
Personal Ratings: 3.5🌟
Biggest thanks to Times Reads and the publisher for this gorgeous copy!
August 9, 2023
1.5/5
i was lied to
i was lied to
June 23, 2024
WAUW! Wat een prachtig mooi verhaal!
Er zijn misschien wel tig verschillende hervertellingen van Hades & Persephone, maar deze is toch weer totaal anders.
Bea Fitzgerald heeft met dit prachtige feministische verhaal een super krachtige badass Persephone neergezet!
Ik vind het bijzonder hoe ze in dit eeuwenoude verhaal onderwerpen heeft verwerkt die ons in het dagelijkse leven veel bezighouden. Van PTSS tot psychische mishandeling & een negatief zelfbeeld; ze komen allemaal aan bod!
Een prachtig verhaal waarvan ik iedereen aanraad om het te lezen!
4/5 ⭐️
Favoriete quote:
- “Verdwenen is het kleine meisje. Kore. Ik ben de brenger van chaos. Persephone.”
- “Dus ik moet de goden iets geven om bang voor te zijn? Dan zal ik dat doen ook. Ik zal ze de hel zelf geven.”
Er zijn misschien wel tig verschillende hervertellingen van Hades & Persephone, maar deze is toch weer totaal anders.
Bea Fitzgerald heeft met dit prachtige feministische verhaal een super krachtige badass Persephone neergezet!
Ik vind het bijzonder hoe ze in dit eeuwenoude verhaal onderwerpen heeft verwerkt die ons in het dagelijkse leven veel bezighouden. Van PTSS tot psychische mishandeling & een negatief zelfbeeld; ze komen allemaal aan bod!
Een prachtig verhaal waarvan ik iedereen aanraad om het te lezen!
4/5 ⭐️
Favoriete quote:
- “Verdwenen is het kleine meisje. Kore. Ik ben de brenger van chaos. Persephone.”
- “Dus ik moet de goden iets geven om bang voor te zijn? Dan zal ik dat doen ook. Ik zal ze de hel zelf geven.”
August 28, 2024
4.5/5
Zarąbiste to było, ale trochę końcówka się ciągnęła 🙈
Zarąbiste to było, ale trochę końcówka się ciągnęła 🙈
May 6, 2024
4.5 Stars 🥰
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