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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would! Sure, it gets really cheesy at points and the lead character can be kind of annoying at times, but who doesn't love a good modern day twist on mythology?! I enjoyed getting to know the characters, though I wish I'd gotten a better idea of what they physically look like. There were a few points in the story where I thought is completely missed so wing (as in, I thought is somehow skipped a chapter?), when it turned out to just be a weird forward shift in the plot.
Anyway, I got sucked into the story and had to move straight in to the sequel, so you can definitely say I'm hooked!
Anyway, I got sucked into the story and had to move straight in to the sequel, so you can definitely say I'm hooked!
Mediocre with an irritating female protagonist
I love Hades and Persephone as a story generally and I love retellings but this one missed the mark massively for me.
The main character at the start seemed bubbly friendly and sweet but her personality didn’t seem stable, she didn’t seem stable. Within two minutes of being in the underground she was snarkily thinking “who are you to tell me what to do” she seemed to swing between sweet and innocent and charming to snarky and aggressive. She regularly lost her temper even attacking hades at one point. She acted unsure but then entitled. All of which I could put down to her age because the author drilled that she was 16 YEARS OLD over and over.
So like ok young but then pushed in this awkward love story between her and Hades who kept fighting it because she is so young and it almost felt like the author was trying to justify it saying well they are immortals and age is but a number SHES A MINOR !!! A child and she acts like one and is then pissed that hades treats her like one. So her behaviour anyway yep she’s a child and a freaking moron (I’ll get to that)
But hades moods were often erratic and would sometimes switch from endearing or sensual to aggressive and having a go, and then Cassandra went in a mood and I just assumed everyone in the underworld clearly is BIPOLAR
So too stupid to live, I’ve heard this phrase used but never seen it before until this book.
Persephone isn’t even in the underworld 3 months only just learning her powers and suddenly wants to take on a freaking GOD that’s been around a lot longer than her and with tonnes of powers,
Of course she does
And betrays everyone to do this and then suddenly has the power to beat a god
I love Hades and Persephone as a story generally and I love retellings but this one missed the mark massively for me.
The main character at the start seemed bubbly friendly and sweet but her personality didn’t seem stable, she didn’t seem stable. Within two minutes of being in the underground she was snarkily thinking “who are you to tell me what to do” she seemed to swing between sweet and innocent and charming to snarky and aggressive. She regularly lost her temper even attacking hades at one point. She acted unsure but then entitled. All of which I could put down to her age because the author drilled that she was 16 YEARS OLD over and over.
So like ok young but then pushed in this awkward love story between her and Hades who kept fighting it because she is so young and it almost felt like the author was trying to justify it saying well they are immortals and age is but a number SHES A MINOR !!! A child and she acts like one and is then pissed that hades treats her like one. So her behaviour anyway yep she’s a child and a freaking moron (I’ll get to that)
But hades moods were often erratic and would sometimes switch from endearing or sensual to aggressive and having a go, and then Cassandra went in a mood and I just assumed everyone in the underworld clearly is BIPOLAR
So too stupid to live, I’ve heard this phrase used but never seen it before until this book.
Persephone isn’t even in the underworld 3 months only just learning her powers and suddenly wants to take on a freaking GOD that’s been around a lot longer than her and with tonnes of powers,
Of course she does
And betrays everyone to do this and then suddenly has the power to beat a god
adventurous
lighthearted
easy reading, simple, mythology retelling
I read this bc I love Greek mythology based books so muchhh, however this wasn't exactly the best...
It was pretty unique as in it was actually about the goddess not reincarnated or about a demigod or based on the myth so that was pretty cool! I didn't really like the beginning maybe it's because the main character, Kora, is 16. She was acting pretty immature in some parts of the story and I guess that's part of her character bc of how old she is but it just annoyed the heck out of me.
I liked the way the underworld was described, it was pretty cool how it had stores but no currency and it was pretty peaceful and that's a pretty cool way to imagine it!
One thing I didn't really like is the romance between Persephone/Kora and Hades like that's the whole thing with the myth is that they are together but it didn't really work for me... like yeah they teased each other and all that but then Hades was all like omg ur too young for me get away and then Persephone is all like omg no I love you and I'm just like ughhh
First off, it didn't really show where Persephone fell in love with him, it just happened so when she said that it was kinda abrupt and didn't work. And then at the end of course they get together and it just didnt work for me lol //// so yeah anyways it was an okay book but I probably won't read the next one.
It was pretty unique as in it was actually about the goddess not reincarnated or about a demigod or based on the myth so that was pretty cool! I didn't really like the beginning maybe it's because the main character, Kora, is 16. She was acting pretty immature in some parts of the story and I guess that's part of her character bc of how old she is but it just annoyed the heck out of me.
I liked the way the underworld was described, it was pretty cool how it had stores but no currency and it was pretty peaceful and that's a pretty cool way to imagine it!
One thing I didn't really like is the romance between Persephone/Kora and Hades like that's the whole thing with the myth is that they are together but it didn't really work for me... like yeah they teased each other and all that but then Hades was all like omg ur too young for me get away and then Persephone is all like omg no I love you and I'm just like ughhh
First off, it didn't really show where Persephone fell in love with him, it just happened so when she said that it was kinda abrupt and didn't work. And then at the end of course they get together and it just didnt work for me lol //// so yeah anyways it was an okay book but I probably won't read the next one.
Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2013/02/persephone.html
Without exaggeration, this book had me hooked from the first page and didn't let go until I'd turned the last page! The writing style, the voice, of the whole book is so compelling, so engaging! The tone is witty and funny, as it takes an ancient myth and modernizes it. Having these ancient gods living and dealing with modern times is definitely interesting. The way Kaitlin has the personalities of the gods being "normalized" and correlating to real human personalities makes for interesting situations where, for example, Hades is dealing with shepherding the afterlives and souls but is also dealing with his relationship with Persephone and so reacts with very real annoyance, bickering, and ego. The grandiosity of the gods, though definitely still retained, becomes integrated into amusing and emotional situations. I love how Persephone's awkward attempt at a welcoming speech to the souls gets appropriated by Hades for his own speeches!
Besides for the personalities, the whole book is peppered with laugh-out-loud lines and twists. In part, the tone of the book is tied to Persephone's unique voice and personality, as the story is told in her voice. She's witty, snarky, full of verve, and a little self-deprecating. She's also a normal teenager who hates the position she's been forced into, doesn't trust adults, and is trying to figure out who she actually is. But she's smart and loyal, brave, courageous and daring. She's not afraid of what's happening to her so much as she's angry at the bad guys and frustrated with her imprisonment. Aside from the obvious good qualities when she acts against her orders and puts herself in extremely dangerous situations, the little things endeared me to her also - the way she interacts with the souls in the Underworld on a daily basis.
And then there's Hades. Oh, sigh, Hades. He's obviously gorgeous, in a dark and dangerous kind of way. And he is dark and dangerous, as Persephone had expected him to be when she pictured him during Latin class. But as she learns, he's so much more. He's sometimes more of an angsty teenager than Persephone is, and he's thousands of years old! But he's compassionate and kind, sweet and protective. As he struggles with his emotions for Persephone, it affects her own growth as she begins to understand his motives. In general, even without the romantic aspect, the relationship between Persephone and Hades is great to witness, as two strong, stubborn characters come together and alternate between going head-to-head and having deep conversations in comfortable companionship.
In short - I love love love this series!
Without exaggeration, this book had me hooked from the first page and didn't let go until I'd turned the last page! The writing style, the voice, of the whole book is so compelling, so engaging! The tone is witty and funny, as it takes an ancient myth and modernizes it. Having these ancient gods living and dealing with modern times is definitely interesting. The way Kaitlin has the personalities of the gods being "normalized" and correlating to real human personalities makes for interesting situations where, for example, Hades is dealing with shepherding the afterlives and souls but is also dealing with his relationship with Persephone and so reacts with very real annoyance, bickering, and ego. The grandiosity of the gods, though definitely still retained, becomes integrated into amusing and emotional situations. I love how Persephone's awkward attempt at a welcoming speech to the souls gets appropriated by Hades for his own speeches!
Besides for the personalities, the whole book is peppered with laugh-out-loud lines and twists. In part, the tone of the book is tied to Persephone's unique voice and personality, as the story is told in her voice. She's witty, snarky, full of verve, and a little self-deprecating. She's also a normal teenager who hates the position she's been forced into, doesn't trust adults, and is trying to figure out who she actually is. But she's smart and loyal, brave, courageous and daring. She's not afraid of what's happening to her so much as she's angry at the bad guys and frustrated with her imprisonment. Aside from the obvious good qualities when she acts against her orders and puts herself in extremely dangerous situations, the little things endeared me to her also - the way she interacts with the souls in the Underworld on a daily basis.
And then there's Hades. Oh, sigh, Hades. He's obviously gorgeous, in a dark and dangerous kind of way. And he is dark and dangerous, as Persephone had expected him to be when she pictured him during Latin class. But as she learns, he's so much more. He's sometimes more of an angsty teenager than Persephone is, and he's thousands of years old! But he's compassionate and kind, sweet and protective. As he struggles with his emotions for Persephone, it affects her own growth as she begins to understand his motives. In general, even without the romantic aspect, the relationship between Persephone and Hades is great to witness, as two strong, stubborn characters come together and alternate between going head-to-head and having deep conversations in comfortable companionship.
In short - I love love love this series!
Persephone is a young adult fantasy based on the Greek myth of Persephone, of course. The reader doesn't need to know any Greek mythology before reading the book; everything that needs to be explained is taken care of throughout the narrative. With some knowledge of the myths, you'll notice little references that aren't pointed out explicitly - for example, Persephone often snacks on pomegranate seeds, and her mother, Demeter, owns a flower shop. In addition, the book takes place in present-day Athens, Georgia.
I really enjoyed it and read it pretty quickly. I love stories that are modern versions or retellings of myths, and this was a good one. The plot was only semi-wrapped up; it leads directly into the second book in the Daughters of Zeus series, Daughter of the Earth and Sky. I don't think I'm going to continue the series, though. I would have preferred the book as a stand-alone novel, because at present, there are five books and I'm not sure that I'll devote the time to reading them.
I will say, because this is a huge pet peeve of mine, that there was one sentence in the book that made me cringe, reread it to make sure I'd read it properly, and cringe again. The sentence in question is a quote from Hades: "Her soul returned to her body, and she's alive enough to where I can't reach her."
The author has a Masters Degree in English, according to Goodreads, so I'm not sure why she allowed that "alive enough to where" to slip in there. What's wrong with the word "that"? A much less clunky (and much more specific, precise) way to say it is "She's alive enough that I can't reach her." The whole "to where" thing just drives me up the wall.
The book didn't grip me enough to convince me to keep reading the series, but for me, that's not unusual. (I've also only read the first book of the Jackaby, Red Queen, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Wrath and the Dawn series.) That, and the previously mentioned "to where" phrasing (it just REALLY bothers me!) led me to rate this book 3 stars. It was a good, solid book.
I really enjoyed it and read it pretty quickly. I love stories that are modern versions or retellings of myths, and this was a good one. The plot was only semi-wrapped up; it leads directly into the second book in the Daughters of Zeus series, Daughter of the Earth and Sky. I don't think I'm going to continue the series, though. I would have preferred the book as a stand-alone novel, because at present, there are five books and I'm not sure that I'll devote the time to reading them.
I will say, because this is a huge pet peeve of mine, that there was one sentence in the book that made me cringe, reread it to make sure I'd read it properly, and cringe again. The sentence in question is a quote from Hades: "Her soul returned to her body, and she's alive enough to where I can't reach her."
The author has a Masters Degree in English, according to Goodreads, so I'm not sure why she allowed that "alive enough to where" to slip in there. What's wrong with the word "that"? A much less clunky (and much more specific, precise) way to say it is "She's alive enough that I can't reach her." The whole "to where" thing just drives me up the wall.
The book didn't grip me enough to convince me to keep reading the series, but for me, that's not unusual. (I've also only read the first book of the Jackaby, Red Queen, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Wrath and the Dawn series.) That, and the previously mentioned "to where" phrasing (it just REALLY bothers me!) led me to rate this book 3 stars. It was a good, solid book.
I LOVE a good mythology retelling! This book was fantastic and I am trying my hardest to get my hands on the second book in the series. The characters were believable and very well developed, not to mention the incredible world building and storyline. This is one series I will be adding to my personal book collection. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology and a love story that will make you swoon.
I suggest starting this book early in the day if you enjoy getting a full night's sleep! It is very hard to put down!
I suggest starting this book early in the day if you enjoy getting a full night's sleep! It is very hard to put down!