Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - A Touch of Darkness

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

44 reviews

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This cold dark winter, heavy interact-with-other-people, Holiday time of year always makes me want to pick up this sort of book: a quick, fast, steamy, magical romance. This is around when I started the “Psy-Changeling” series last year, and I wanted something like that again (though potentially much less of a commitment than that 15-book series). I’ve had this one on my radar for a while, waiting for just that mood-reading-vibe.

A Touch of Darkness is set in a magical alternate world in which the Greek gods of mythology are real, and live on earth among the people. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, but Goddess of Spring only in name really, since not only does she have no magic of her own, just touching anything alive (flowers, etc.) causes it to wither and die. Hades is…Hades, God of the Dead/Underworld. One of the most powerful gods, owner of a chain of exclusive clubs and gambling halls, known for making impossible deals with anyone daring enough to challenge him to a game of poker. Not much is known about him other than that, but when a chance outing brings Persephone and Hades together, Persephone finds herself facing an impossible contract: create life in the Underworld, or be trapped there forever. Though as she spends more time around Hades and in his Underworld, she realizes that perhaps that wouldn’t be as bad as it sounds…but her freedom is important to her and she is done with everyone playing around with her.

Well this retelling of Hades and Persephone’s famous story is not literary fiction in the vein of Miller’s Circe or Gornichec’s The Witch’s Heart, but it was never advertised as such. This fairly smutty retelling leans heavily into the smoldering lust and fiery sex vibes, and in that way, it was everything I wanted. The pull between Hades and Persephone is strong from their very first looks at each other and only gets more intense from there. The build in their interactions is steady but consistent, paced out well. I enjoyed (and I get that there’s unhealthy aspects to this, but I can’t help what gets me excited reading a romance novel), the dark and kinda-bad/secretly-better-than-people-think vibes Hades gives off. And I was thrilled with the way that Persephone was able to enjoy his controlling-ness when it worked for her (*cough*cough*) and stood up to him when she felt like it crossed a line IRL (and how it pretty much brought him to a halt/reset every time). Though I felt like some things could have been explained clearer/sooner to Persephone (and Hades would have made his life a lot easier by doing that), it did give them some time to grow together at the more reasonable, if not slow, pace…and I see the argument that Hades has a lot of previous years of habit to overcome too. Overall, for a timeless being/young female relationship – that most classic of fantasy romance tropes – I thought it was well done.

There were some very cool aspects to the world-building too. I mean, it was nothing too complex, but the concept that the gods live among people on Earth, integrating into contemporary life, but without losing their powers. Like, Hades and Aphrodite owning exclusive (if very different in atmosphere) clubs, Dionysus owning a major wine business, Zeus leading a marketing conglomerate, etc. was a creative spin. And all the magic and cameos from different gods and famous historical places/figures/names, from Hermes to gorgons to Adonis to satyrs to Hecate to Tartarus, it was fun trying to spot all the easter eggs. Similarly, the parallels to the original Hades and Persephone myth that created the framework for this retelling were good – clear and present, but adapted as necessary and not so overbearing as to intrude on the “believability” of this version. There were some more serious topics that are introduced (parental manipulation/gaslighting, sexual harassment/violence against women), they were mostly smaller side-aspects of the story, to provide some dimension and other focal points.

I enjoyed that part of this story was not just Persephone coming of age as a person and sexually, but into her power as well. I thought it was lovely that her sexual awakening was part of what set her magic free (I am here for a woman claiming her own sexuality as a very real taking back of power; it’s a metaphor I can get behind). I very much sped through this, basically in one sitting, and I enjoyed every steamy and cheesy and mythological second of it.

“Respect could build an empire. Trust could make it unbreakable. Love could make it last forever.”

“People found love in all sorts of ways.”

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saurahsaurus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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georgiaisreading's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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amanda_reads13's review

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medium-paced

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

2.0

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74laura74's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

"But it was harder than that. Obeying meant she could stay in the mortal world, and that was what Persephone wanted, even if it wasn't fun."
This was a fun, original retelling of the Hades x Persephone myth and many Greek myths in general. It was nice seeing a variety of gods - Thanatos (yay, he's getting attention!), Aphrodite, Hermes, and so on. It was also fun seeing a couple of the mortals featured in the myths, particularly Adonis and Tantalus. Lexa supported Persephone throughout this book, which I 100% loved. Demeter's character was well fleshed out, although I am pretty much worn by how many retellings (novels, fanfiction, etc.) portray her as the controlling mother. (Yes, this is how she appears to be in the original myths, but I feel like authors can take a bit of creative license on the Demeter & Persephone relationship at this point in the game.) I did really enjoy this book. There were parts of it that had me asking "really?" - such as all the ups and downs Hades and Persephone had at the end of the book (maybe the last 50-75 pages) and all the almost/sort of neutral chaos that was attached to those ups and downs. I understand why it happened, and it fit well within the book. I just wish it maybe had another 100 pages so the ending didn't feel rushed.

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vinnyvee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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catherinedsharp's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

2.75

Let me say this first, I did enjoy this book. It is that kind of read that you will enjoy if you want something easy, fun and fantastical. That being said, I do not think the writing style was particularly good; I could easily have read this on Wattpad or similar.

The plot was simplistic but fun and the tension and romance was entertaining. There is a large amount of sexual content and intimacy so be aware of it. This book is for a mature audience.

Overall I enjoyed it but I'm not sure if I would continue the series or re-read.

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thecatconstellation's review

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adventurous emotional relaxing fast-paced

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

3.25

This book was fun for a quick read. I’ll probably read the follow up books. It’s not amazing, but engaging enough. The sex scenes do get a bit repetitive and the pacing goes a bit too quick at times.

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annieisawesome's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

I didn’t realize that this was technically erotica going into it. And man there is a lot of sex. So just a heads up. It’s a pretty nice retelling of the myth. Some parts felt extremely basic.

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