Scan barcode
flee03's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.5
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Did someone say Greek Mythology? Yes? Well, you can already guess that I did whatever I could to get an ARC of this book and I can very happily say that I got it! Twice. I got the ARC e-mailed after I found it on Booksprout. Well, I was a double happy kiddo! I was very curious how this story would work out. Because, the thing with being a Greek mythology nerd is that something either works for me or it doesn't work at all. So, a little bit nervous I started reading this morning.
And, to start with the most important thing, I loved the Greek Mythology part. I was very happy to see Hades not as the bad guy, but as a lonely guy with a heavy job who is slightly stuck in time. On top of that I was quite surprised that so much mythology made it into the book. Persephone, Cerberus (and his nickname), Apollo, Thanos, Zeus, the Underworld and so on. And most of it was kind of how I always imagined this world and those characters.
On top of that, Stephanie had a quite natural reaction to all of it, which is also a rarity in books. Of course, she gets a hold of herself much sooner than any real person would, but else the story wouldn't be interesting anymore. And although I wouldn't say that she and Hades have this all consuming passionate relationship, I did enjoy them together. Because, they did respect each other, did understand each other and didn't attempt to change the other into something they were not. And I personally think that's way more important than burning passion.
Plot wise the story isn't too heavy or deep. The biggest part of the book is used to get Hades and Stephanie to spend time together and there's a small side plot that leads to a few exciting action scenes. However, this makes the book a perfect light read for this summer. Now we're all stuck at home and can't go that far, this book is a nice little vacation to Corfu and the Underworld. And, from what I've seen of Apollo in this book, I'm really excited to read the next one in the series!
And, to start with the most important thing, I loved the Greek Mythology part. I was very happy to see Hades not as the bad guy, but as a lonely guy with a heavy job who is slightly stuck in time. On top of that I was quite surprised that so much mythology made it into the book. Persephone, Cerberus (and his nickname), Apollo, Thanos, Zeus, the Underworld and so on. And most of it was kind of how I always imagined this world and those characters.
On top of that, Stephanie had a quite natural reaction to all of it, which is also a rarity in books. Of course, she gets a hold of herself much sooner than any real person would, but else the story wouldn't be interesting anymore. And although I wouldn't say that she and Hades have this all consuming passionate relationship, I did enjoy them together. Because, they did respect each other, did understand each other and didn't attempt to change the other into something they were not. And I personally think that's way more important than burning passion.
Plot wise the story isn't too heavy or deep. The biggest part of the book is used to get Hades and Stephanie to spend time together and there's a small side plot that leads to a few exciting action scenes. However, this makes the book a perfect light read for this summer. Now we're all stuck at home and can't go that far, this book is a nice little vacation to Corfu and the Underworld. And, from what I've seen of Apollo in this book, I'm really excited to read the next one in the series!
cdmue's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars I struggled to read this book, while the synopsis was intriguing it was not executed very well. I liked that it was set in the modern world but the pop references kinda killed some of the vibes and will not make this book long-lasting.
chlostersays's review
2.25
I usually love Hades x Persephone stories, but this one didn't do it for me
milicasbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Somehow these two stars are too much for this story.
Let me not start a tirade and I will just say that absolutely nothing here was convincing to me.
Nothing.
H/h both are so annoying, plot nonexistent and so on on on.
I finished reading only because of a readable writing style.
Let me not start a tirade and I will just say that absolutely nothing here was convincing to me.
Nothing.
H/h both are so annoying, plot nonexistent and so on on on.
I finished reading only because of a readable writing style.
thereaderofbooks89's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a mythology retelling....in a way.
It's not a Hades/Persephone retelling, but it is in a way?
Hades is newly divorced from Persephone and isn't looking for love or a new Queen.
Enter Stephanie, a digital forensics expert on a trip to Greece. She's hoping to have an exciting week away from work, not expecting to fall in love with a brooding stranger, who claims to be the God of the Underworld????
The story had just enough romance and plot to keep me excited and not wanting to put the book down. While I was disappointed in the fact that Hades and Persephone weren't together, I enjoyed Stephanie enough that I was rooting for her to take her place.
The ending felt a bit rushed and a bit too predictable, but I fully enjoyed this story nonetheless!
There is just enough spice and sexual tension to keep even the pickiest reader interested.
The sub plots are entertaining and feel like they add to the story more than detract from it.
I can't wait to read the next one, which is about Apollo, the God of the Sun posing as a Rockstar.
Carly Spade is one of my new favorite mythology authors and I'm excited to read more from her!
I give this book 5/5 stars!
It's not a Hades/Persephone retelling, but it is in a way?
Hades is newly divorced from Persephone and isn't looking for love or a new Queen.
Enter Stephanie, a digital forensics expert on a trip to Greece. She's hoping to have an exciting week away from work, not expecting to fall in love with a brooding stranger, who claims to be the God of the Underworld????
The story had just enough romance and plot to keep me excited and not wanting to put the book down. While I was disappointed in the fact that Hades and Persephone weren't together, I enjoyed Stephanie enough that I was rooting for her to take her place.
The ending felt a bit rushed and a bit too predictable, but I fully enjoyed this story nonetheless!
There is just enough spice and sexual tension to keep even the pickiest reader interested.
The sub plots are entertaining and feel like they add to the story more than detract from it.
I can't wait to read the next one, which is about Apollo, the God of the Sun posing as a Rockstar.
Carly Spade is one of my new favorite mythology authors and I'm excited to read more from her!
I give this book 5/5 stars!
megsss's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
angelofthetardis's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Dragged on holiday to Corfu by her best friend, Stephanie struggles to switch off from her job as a digital forensics expert. But drawn to a lonely soul sat at the hotel bar by the strange nature of his aura, she quickly finds herself with a new puzzle to solve. He calls himself Hades, but the Greek gods are just myths. He can't be the actual King of the Underworld, can he?
Ah, yet again we find ourselves with a lead male character that has a dark soul, pointy ears, a ripped body and a ginormous wingspan... Not complaining! I even like the southern drawl thing he's got going on! But seriously, as with many of these modern retellings Hades is more than just the stereotypical torturer of Tartarus - in this case, all he wants is a short holiday from his day job and for someone to see 'the real him'. His character is perhaps not as detailed as in other retellings, but he's definitely still the character the reader will be drawn to. I did enjoy the development of his relationship with Stephanie and his slipping into Godly thoughts while in his human disguise; it gives him a little bit of an adorable but clueless vibe in places.
However, I found Stephanie didn't really have enough character development early on for me to come to properly like her; she's given traits and abilities with very little explanation or back story, which I thought detracted from the overall effect. For example, her ability to see auras should be quite important to the plot, but it's not really followed through enough to give it the emphasis it deserves, nor is it explained in any great detail. As she is meant to be 'normal' apart from this, it just comes across as a little bit of a convenient plot device.
The plot itself is relatively simple, but it does feel like a bit of a mish-mash of ideas. You go from trying to solve a murder to Dirty Dancing to Greek mythology, and while it does hold up there is very little depth to the story and ai thought the balance was a bit 'off'. I think it would have been more interesting if the author had focused on either the darker elements and had Hades appear as part of the police investigation, or conversely omitted that element altogether and made it more of a lighthearted 'beach read' romance. Similarly, the attempted sub-plots involving the secondary characters Stephanie meets on holiday don't really lead anywhere and are pretty superfluous as they stand. Again, with a little more thought and detail they could have added a good few layers to the story.
Enjoyable enough read if you like Hades and Persephone retellings, but there are better out there.
Ah, yet again we find ourselves with a lead male character that has a dark soul, pointy ears, a ripped body and a ginormous wingspan... Not complaining! I even like the southern drawl thing he's got going on! But seriously, as with many of these modern retellings Hades is more than just the stereotypical torturer of Tartarus - in this case, all he wants is a short holiday from his day job and for someone to see 'the real him'. His character is perhaps not as detailed as in other retellings, but he's definitely still the character the reader will be drawn to. I did enjoy the development of his relationship with Stephanie and his slipping into Godly thoughts while in his human disguise; it gives him a little bit of an adorable but clueless vibe in places.
However, I found Stephanie didn't really have enough character development early on for me to come to properly like her; she's given traits and abilities with very little explanation or back story, which I thought detracted from the overall effect. For example, her ability to see auras should be quite important to the plot, but it's not really followed through enough to give it the emphasis it deserves, nor is it explained in any great detail. As she is meant to be 'normal' apart from this, it just comes across as a little bit of a convenient plot device.
The plot itself is relatively simple, but it does feel like a bit of a mish-mash of ideas. You go from trying to solve a murder to Dirty Dancing to Greek mythology, and while it does hold up there is very little depth to the story and ai thought the balance was a bit 'off'. I think it would have been more interesting if the author had focused on either the darker elements and had Hades appear as part of the police investigation, or conversely omitted that element altogether and made it more of a lighthearted 'beach read' romance. Similarly, the attempted sub-plots involving the secondary characters Stephanie meets on holiday don't really lead anywhere and are pretty superfluous as they stand. Again, with a little more thought and detail they could have added a good few layers to the story.
Enjoyable enough read if you like Hades and Persephone retellings, but there are better out there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Grief, and Sexual harassment
leamartho's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Cheesy
adelie_wants_books_and_snacks's review against another edition
2.0
I have so much to say and I don’t know where to start!
I think the premise of the book was great.
There were scenes that had be dying of laughter.
The funniest moments were when you have Hades thrown into situations where you wouldn’t imagine the god of the underworld finding himself in. Zeus’ scenes too were funny because he’s such a scumbag.
But overall i feel the plot was lacking. It felt like there was something missing. There could have been more intrigue regarding Rupert for example. The plot itself felt a bit flat with these brilliantly written comedic gems sprinkled throughout. And it’s so frustrating because the scenes that weee good were SO good. Like the Patrick Swayze arriving in the underworld. It could have been so much funnier and explored further.
Another thing also is that I loved how much wisdom and empathy Hades showed. I mean that’s what you’d expect from someone who has lived that long and judges souls. But then there was that scene where he just storms off and leaves the FMC sobbing in about halfway through the book. It felt so out of character because he had been patient up until this point. It was something I would have expected of Zeus not Hades. I didn’t like that inconsistency.
Overall I would say I did not like the book but there were great scenes that I absolutely loved. I definitely think the book could have been amazing.
I think the premise of the book was great.
There were scenes that had be dying of laughter.
The funniest moments were when you have Hades thrown into situations where you wouldn’t imagine the god of the underworld finding himself in. Zeus’ scenes too were funny because he’s such a scumbag.
But overall i feel the plot was lacking. It felt like there was something missing. There could have been more intrigue regarding Rupert for example. The plot itself felt a bit flat with these brilliantly written comedic gems sprinkled throughout. And it’s so frustrating because the scenes that weee good were SO good. Like the Patrick Swayze arriving in the underworld. It could have been so much funnier and explored further.
Another thing also is that I loved how much wisdom and empathy Hades showed. I mean that’s what you’d expect from someone who has lived that long and judges souls. But then there was that scene where he just storms off and leaves the FMC sobbing in about halfway through the book. It felt so out of character because he had been patient up until this point. It was something I would have expected of Zeus not Hades. I didn’t like that inconsistency.
Overall I would say I did not like the book but there were great scenes that I absolutely loved. I definitely think the book could have been amazing.