Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Lore Olympus, Season 1

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Lore Olympus, Season 1 by Rachel Smythe

18 reviews

adoto's review

dark emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Lots of mixed feelings about this story.

This is a fantastic concept with amazing worldbuilding, and even more breathtaking art to go with it. I love the way the Greek gods have been reimagined in this story. I think the series is a masterclass in how to communicate a plot and characters visually.

The main romance is shallow and difficult to like. It doesn't feel like either of them know very much about each other, but have fallen in love very fast over nothing. This is all while the story takes a long time to get going -- little happens in each episode, and there are over 100 in this season. It does give me time to warm up to the side characters, who are all very cool and far more interesting than the main characters.

I wish I liked this story a lot more than I did. The art and concept has kept me reading.

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jesthemess's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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mollydollydoodah's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I can’t say enough amazing things about this story. I just re-read most of the story & read the rest that hadn’t come out when I was originally reading it. Therefore, I’ve read it in its entirety as to what is out on Webtoon as of 8/3/22, which is Ep. 206 (with using one fastpass to complete Season 2), and I alum in complete and utter awe with Rachel Smythe as I always have been. This story has made me cackle, swoon, fume, and sob too many times to count within the past 24 hours of reading the entire thing. The way that the characters are developed is SO amazing, especially for what originally started out as a little Webtoon. The characters you love, you love wholeheartedly, and those you hate, it’s the same, but there are backstories and psychological reasons and details and so many amazing things that Rachel has done in order to make us see these characters and understand them more. My heart breaks for so many reasons because of this story, and Persephone is so extremely strong. Everything in this story is so well-balanced and well-done, between the romance and the heartache/slow burn and the complications of it all, all the trauma and having to work to move on after that, mental health problems and toxic relationships and therapy and healing to looking at all of Hades’ dogs and just going ‘aww’. I absolutely adore the relationship between Kore & Hades and the author and how she’s conveyed such a magnificent, touching, heartbreakingly beautiful story.

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glen3's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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sarahaurora628's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I would like to start by saying, I read the first two printed volumes and left pretty harsh reviews of them. The first got 1 star from me and the second 2 stars. Some of my issues were…
⁃its inconsistent drawings where all of the characters have the same face
⁃the pacing (in the first volume nothing happened in 350 pages)
⁃the instalove between Persephone and Hades (and also the age gap between them)
⁃romanticizing the myth of Persephone’s kidnapping

That being said, at some point reading the rest of season 1 I was completely sucked in. I’m writing this caught up to season 2 episode 200 so some of my opinions of season 2 might trickle into this review. I still have those critiques of the beginning episodes, but after reading the whole thing I have a different view of the series as a whole.
⁃I don’t care about the inconsistencies in the art or the characters having similar faces anymore. The art style and color palette is what made me pick up the first volume to begin with and it only gets more beautiful as the series progresses. With the use of color its easy to distinguish the characters 99% of the time. The setting was a world I kept finding myself wanting to spend more and more time in.
⁃After some thought, I also don’t care that it isn’t accurate to mythology. The series never promised a history lesson, although the plot isn’t always rooted in accepted mythology there are tons of other lessons throughout the story. Lessons on the importance of communication, health vs. toxic relationships, and how to be there for someone dealing with trauma are only a few examples. I think it’s fantastic when taken for what it is.
⁃I like that events are often shown from multiple character’s perspectives
⁃Persephone shows so much personal growth and I love watching her find herself
⁃I love the growth of the relationship between Persephone and Hades
⁃Trauma, domestic abuse, sexual assault, gaslighting, and seeking help are difficult topics but I think they were handled well and depicted accurately (at least to my experience and feelings, I cannot speak for how another person may feel). I thought it had good representations and appreciated the consistent message of “its not your fault”.

There are definitely problems with this series, it isn’t perfect, but to be honest… I like it. If you’re looking for a lesson in mythology this series isn’t for you, but if you’re interested in a creative myth retelling about friendship, coming of age, romance, and figuring yourself out, and can stick out the slow beginning you might like it. (check trigger warnings first)

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