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ammie116's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, and Sexual content
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the development of Hades and Persephone’s relationship in this book. I also really enjoyed the world building. I was worried this would be too much like the Touch of Darkness series but it’s not. The spice is delectable. 🥵
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Death, War, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Misogyny
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Cheers, I finally finished my first book of the year!
Neon Gods is a romance novel (erotica. it's erotica, I know I'm usually not a huge fan of erotica, but hear me out - the new year is about trying new things!). It's a modern retelling of the greek myth of Hades and Persephone, a myth that I've always been fascinated by, so when I heard some friends talking about the book on a livestream a few months ago, I added it to my TBR. I have mostly good and neutral feelings toward this, so let's talk about the positives first.
I appreciate that this book does not pretend to be something it isn't. It knows that you're here for "unspeakably hot" as the blurb on the cover puts it - romance, and it does deliver on all of those fronts. It doesn't pretend that it isn't melodramatic, it doesn't pretend that it isn't corny or cheesy - because if you're picking this up, I feel like that's what you're expecting. I feel like if that isn't what you're down for, that's when you'll be disappointed.
For me, personally, I am not generally a fan of erotica because the dynamics are often questionable, but I was impressed with the relationship between Hades & Persephone in the sense that there was total consent at all times and I never felt like I was reading a borderline r*pe scene the way I have felt reading other romances in the past. I also just thought that they had scenes together that were both sweet and laugh-out-loud funny, which I didn't expect going into it at all. Hades is a big ole simp and I'm here for it. Also, shout out to the world building and to the entire character of Hermes - she's my hero.
Some things that weren't so great...well, there was a lot of repetition throughout the narrative that I really thought could've been edited down. I can't exactly say what it's in regards to without spoilers though. Additionally, I thought Persephone could've used a little more personality. I feel like I was told in the narrative that she had a lot of personality, but when she opened her mouth, it didn't always come across that way. It also kind of irked me that he was constantly carrying her around like a child, but that is more of a personal gripe than a critique on the work itself.
Neon Gods is a romance novel (erotica. it's erotica, I know I'm usually not a huge fan of erotica, but hear me out - the new year is about trying new things!). It's a modern retelling of the greek myth of Hades and Persephone, a myth that I've always been fascinated by, so when I heard some friends talking about the book on a livestream a few months ago, I added it to my TBR. I have mostly good and neutral feelings toward this, so let's talk about the positives first.
I appreciate that this book does not pretend to be something it isn't. It knows that you're here for "unspeakably hot" as the blurb on the cover puts it - romance, and it does deliver on all of those fronts. It doesn't pretend that it isn't melodramatic, it doesn't pretend that it isn't corny or cheesy - because if you're picking this up, I feel like that's what you're expecting. I feel like if that isn't what you're down for, that's when you'll be disappointed.
For me, personally, I am not generally a fan of erotica because the dynamics are often questionable, but I was impressed with the relationship between Hades & Persephone in the sense that there was total consent at all times and I never felt like I was reading a borderline r*pe scene the way I have felt reading other romances in the past. I also just thought that they had scenes together that were both sweet and laugh-out-loud funny, which I didn't expect going into it at all. Hades is a big ole simp and I'm here for it. Also, shout out to the world building and to the entire character of Hermes - she's my hero.
Some things that weren't so great...well, there was a lot of repetition throughout the narrative that I really thought could've been edited down. I can't exactly say what it's in regards to without spoilers though. Additionally, I thought Persephone could've used a little more personality. I feel like I was told in the narrative that she had a lot of personality, but when she opened her mouth, it didn't always come across that way. It also kind of irked me that he was constantly carrying her around like a child, but that is more of a personal gripe than a critique on the work itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Confinement, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
lennatheunicorncat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Stalking, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
emfass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Two weeks after finishing it, and this keeps hovering between a 3 and a 3.5 for me...but I don't think I can round up, even after sitting with it.
I liked the relationship between Hades and Persephone, how gone they were for each other from the beginning. However, at times the characterization felt unfounded. We're told Hades is this Big Dark Baddie but there was literally never any evidence for it. On page, he's a big softie who cares about the people he leads and shows it. He is a wonderful Stern Brunch Daddy, and is absolutely gone for Persephone from the jump (like a good romance MC). I find, sadly, that a lot of Katee Robert's characters across her books lack specificity - they always come across as general outlines to me, but I don't feel like I have a solid grasp of them as people. They instead feel like really solid archetypes/outlines which serve to delve into the fantasy.
Relatedly, fairy tale/mythology retellings are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE, and I was so excited for this, and...it fell so flat. The world-building was barely there, and I just didn't have a good grasp of what the rules of this place were. I kept waiting for the story to ground (i.e. to really get a sense of the setting), but it never did. I almost wish Katee had put this in a completely original setting rather than try to invoke Greek mythology without any real teeth behind the interpretation or something truly refreshing to say about the myth of Hades & Persephone. (Edited 10/20/21 to add: Jess in our Bad Bitch Book Club meeting today for this book gave me the word I'd be looking for: this particular invocation of these characters as part of Greek mythology feels lazy.)
One thing I do love about the Katee Robert books I've read so far is that in each book I've read where she's portraying a D/s dynamic, she explores a slightly different aspect of that dynamic. In this one, though Hades is generally more dominant, Persephone does a lot of topping from the bottom (and a little bit of bratting). And like so many of Katee's books, I didn't know how into it I'd be until she showed me. Delicious. Also loved Persephone holding her own amidst the shitty circumstances she kept finding herself in, and Hades watching her soften as she was finally somewhere she felt safe and cared for.
I liked the relationship between Hades and Persephone, how gone they were for each other from the beginning. However, at times the characterization felt unfounded. We're told Hades is this Big Dark Baddie but there was literally never any evidence for it. On page, he's a big softie who cares about the people he leads and shows it. He is a wonderful Stern Brunch Daddy, and is absolutely gone for Persephone from the jump (like a good romance MC). I find, sadly, that a lot of Katee Robert's characters across her books lack specificity - they always come across as general outlines to me, but I don't feel like I have a solid grasp of them as people. They instead feel like really solid archetypes/outlines which serve to delve into the fantasy.
Relatedly, fairy tale/mythology retellings are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE, and I was so excited for this, and...it fell so flat. The world-building was barely there, and I just didn't have a good grasp of what the rules of this place were. I kept waiting for the story to ground (i.e. to really get a sense of the setting), but it never did. I almost wish Katee had put this in a completely original setting rather than try to invoke Greek mythology without any real teeth behind the interpretation or something truly refreshing to say about the myth of Hades & Persephone. (Edited 10/20/21 to add: Jess in our Bad Bitch Book Club meeting today for this book gave me the word I'd be looking for: this particular invocation of these characters as part of Greek mythology feels lazy.)
One thing I do love about the Katee Robert books I've read so far is that in each book I've read where she's portraying a D/s dynamic, she explores a slightly different aspect of that dynamic. In this one, though Hades is generally more dominant, Persephone does a lot of topping from the bottom (and a little bit of bratting). And like so many of Katee's books, I didn't know how into it I'd be until she showed me. Delicious. Also loved Persephone holding her own amidst the shitty circumstances she kept finding herself in, and Hades watching her soften as she was finally somewhere she felt safe and cared for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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