Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - A Touch of Ruin

This series so far is really, really good. I love Hades and Persephone so much. Their story, no matter the person retelling it, is a story I can't help but have a special place for it in my heart. I've really enjoyed Scarlett's take on their story so far.

The author has managed to not just write a retelling of Hades and Persephone, but she's put so many other wonderful God's, Goddesses, and mortals in this series.... which has only made it that much better. Of course both A Touch of Darkness and A Touch of Ruin ended with cliffhangers. Thankfully the first three books are already published so I don't have to wait to read what comes next, but I'm sad knowing that after I read A Touch of Malice, I'll have to wait for A Touch of Chaos. 😫

I really enjoyed this book because it showed such a wide variety of challenges Persephone faced whether it be emotionally, physically or magically. She struggled with every aspect of her life especially in her relationship with Hades, but even with all her struggles and mistakes, she still went through a lot of character growth and maturity. Unfortunately that didn't stop her from all the pain and anxiety she experienced but it did make her more relatable. I've really enjoyed seeing her grow and become stronger against her mother. She's learning how to control her magic and wield it without hurting herself.

I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book as well. I couldn't believe so much happened and I was literally on the edge of my seat, biting my nails at certain points because so many disasters could have been averted but weren't. I definitely appreciate how well the author paced the story and let things fall into place without rushing the process Persephone and Hades had to go through. I think it shows that even though they're God's, they're still capable of doing things like mortals.

I highly recommend this series to all my Greek Mythology lovers as well as fantasy lovers. This book has revenge, death, pain, love, sex, passion, heartbreak, forgiveness, and growth. There's something for everyone.

Content Warnings

dontwritedown's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

This book did not survive the second book curse.

Did this book go through an editing process? This further deep dive into Hades and Persephone's story feels incredibly rushed or lacking a direct narrative.

It feels like the author couldn't figure out how to end a scene and was like "oh just let them have sex!" That was her solution and if they were good sex scenes I wouldn't complain but no they are at max maybe a page worth of foreplay before it fricks us over for lack of imagination.

Speaking about lack of imagination, I feel like that also leans heavily into the major plot issues and pacing issues this book has. Like St. Claire needed a way for Persephone to get out of the New Athens building but couldn't figure it out so had the whole unrequited love thing that ultimately went nowhere and served no real point to the plot. Or my real favorite is

Persephone's best friend dying, merting said best friendnin the Underworld where we learn she's committed suicide and will never remember her again to just pointless sex within three paragraphs.

And then we could get into the whole abusive relationship and how neither seem to grow despite using therapy lingo to seem like they ubderstand the topic, but I don't have the spoons to fully divulge into that conversation.

Honestly just sticking to the series, it's bad when a D plot about a mother figure is the most interesting part about your smutty book.

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