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julshakespeare's review
2.0
2.4/5 stars
Plot: 3/5 - Okay look, the premise of this story is really fun and spicy. The main character is a descendant of Hades and Persephone (apparently not their daughter though? thanks for lying to me, title) and is apparently the next in line to become ~queen of the underworld~. She meets three sexy guys who are supposed to guard her (they're like Cerberus but... not conjoined. Also they shapeshift into giant hellhounds which makes sense on the literal side of things but isn't something I'm a fan of). It's all very dramatic and there's sexual tension all over the place.
BUT HERE'S THE THING. It's like there was.. somehow, in this short little book... too much plot? There's a ghost where the guys live that only Poppy can see? Alrighty then... I'm sure she's relevant later but she did absolutely nothing in this first book and I don't understand why she's here or has such strong opinions about the guys' cooking. Also it's brought up that other underworlds from non-greek mythology are real too, so Hel is real, and probably others. It just seemed like the world was getting way too big to expand beyond one realm of mythology. There's also a point in the story where a FOURTH guard/dogman is introduced and...... why? Like Cerberus has three heads so I get why there's already three guys. Why do we need another one? That's so many guys. And whatever vague nonsense was going on with her friend at the end of this book... just let Roxy be a person. Just let her be a normal person who was Poppy's friend and that's it. Don't go dragging her into any of this tomfoolery.
And for very specific small complaints that are probably relevant to only me:
1) This book does my Least Favorite Thing where the characters take a blood oath by cutting open their hands and smushing them together. Y'all really have no fear of bloodborne pathogens, huh? Enjoy your hepatitis.
2) I get that you're going for A Concept but at the same time... this is just a smutty romance book. Like enough with all the drama, the near-death experiences, just bust your nut and get out of here.
Characters: 2/5 - Poppy was very blah. I can't tell you anything about her personality other than she's not a "party girl" like whatever that means... I'm not a "party girl" but I'm certainly not the same as Poppy so that's NOT A CHARACTER TRAIT. She's shy, but also spicy. She'll fall in love with you after like two days. The girl is an enigma to me. I wish this book was ACTUALLY about Persephone reincarnated, because then I'd have a better sense of who our protagonist is.
The men are all interchangeable. One is supposed to be the smart one... I think it was Knox? Emmett is... there. Nolan is also there, but later. Hunter (I think??) was the ~broody~ one because (gasp) he didn't want to have sex with Poppy. God forbid one man doesn't lose his ever-loving mind over the next queen of the underworld. I actually really liked the concept of Hunter being still in love with. Too bad that plot was 100% told and NOT shown. It would have been way more interesting for that to have been given it's time to develop instead of there being this sudden trust and a big ole sob story.
Pacing: 2/5 - This book is short and yet it was all over the place. One minute Poppy was learning the truth and just accepting it SO SUDDENLY, and then things were all sexy-sexy, and then there was a car accident, and then we were talking to a ghost, and then we were having a heart-to-heart, and then we were trying on dresses.... it's like, I don't understand why so many things happened. If she wanted to go for this BIG plot she should have cut the outfit descriptions and spent time dedicated to the big issues.
Writing: 2/5 - Well, it was written! Most of the story is told from Poppy's POV with like one chapter for each of the guy's POV and... again, why? Their perspective added nothing except info-dumps. A lot of the writing was telling, not showing. Like maybe instead of saying Poppy could sense so-and-so's lust she could just... read their body language? Lust is a pretty dang easy feeling to interpret imo.
Enjoyment: 3/5 - The sex scenes were pretty spicy and I loved making fun of this book. I doubt I'll continue the series, but this cover is BEAUTIFUL.
Plot: 3/5 - Okay look, the premise of this story is really fun and spicy. The main character is a descendant of Hades and Persephone (apparently not their daughter though? thanks for lying to me, title) and is apparently the next in line to become ~queen of the underworld~. She meets three sexy guys who are supposed to guard her (they're like Cerberus but... not conjoined. Also they shapeshift into giant hellhounds which makes sense on the literal side of things but isn't something I'm a fan of). It's all very dramatic and there's sexual tension all over the place.
BUT HERE'S THE THING. It's like there was.. somehow, in this short little book... too much plot? There's a ghost where the guys live that only Poppy can see? Alrighty then... I'm sure she's relevant later but she did absolutely nothing in this first book and I don't understand why she's here or has such strong opinions about the guys' cooking. Also it's brought up that other underworlds from non-greek mythology are real too, so Hel is real, and probably others. It just seemed like the world was getting way too big to expand beyond one realm of mythology. There's also a point in the story where a FOURTH guard/dogman is introduced and...... why? Like Cerberus has three heads so I get why there's already three guys. Why do we need another one? That's so many guys. And whatever vague nonsense was going on with her friend at the end of this book... just let Roxy be a person. Just let her be a normal person who was Poppy's friend and that's it. Don't go dragging her into any of this tomfoolery.
And for very specific small complaints that are probably relevant to only me:
1) This book does my Least Favorite Thing where the characters take a blood oath by cutting open their hands and smushing them together. Y'all really have no fear of bloodborne pathogens, huh? Enjoy your hepatitis.
2) I get that you're going for A Concept but at the same time... this is just a smutty romance book. Like enough with all the drama, the near-death experiences, just bust your nut and get out of here.
Characters: 2/5 - Poppy was very blah. I can't tell you anything about her personality other than she's not a "party girl" like whatever that means... I'm not a "party girl" but I'm certainly not the same as Poppy so that's NOT A CHARACTER TRAIT. She's shy, but also spicy. She'll fall in love with you after like two days.
Spoiler
She can't have an orgasm unless there are a minimum of two men involved.The men are all interchangeable. One is supposed to be the smart one... I think it was Knox? Emmett is... there. Nolan is also there, but later. Hunter (I think??) was the ~broody~ one because (gasp) he didn't want to have sex with Poppy. God forbid one man doesn't lose his ever-loving mind over the next queen of the underworld. I actually really liked the concept of Hunter being still in love with
Spoiler
the previous potential next queen of the underworld who I guess died but I forget howPacing: 2/5 - This book is short and yet it was all over the place. One minute Poppy was learning the truth and just accepting it SO SUDDENLY, and then things were all sexy-sexy, and then there was a car accident, and then we were talking to a ghost, and then we were having a heart-to-heart, and then we were trying on dresses.... it's like, I don't understand why so many things happened. If she wanted to go for this BIG plot she should have cut the outfit descriptions and spent time dedicated to the big issues.
Writing: 2/5 - Well, it was written! Most of the story is told from Poppy's POV with like one chapter for each of the guy's POV and... again, why? Their perspective added nothing except info-dumps. A lot of the writing was telling, not showing. Like maybe instead of saying Poppy could sense so-and-so's lust she could just... read their body language? Lust is a pretty dang easy feeling to interpret imo.
Enjoyment: 3/5 - The sex scenes were pretty spicy and I loved making fun of this book. I doubt I'll continue the series, but this cover is BEAUTIFUL.
jdeternal's review
4.0
An interesting take on Greek mythology. I enjoy new takes like this and like the idea of Cerberus being a team of hell hounds. And Hunter's reasons for reluctance are refreshing, though it took some time to learn he's not just an ass.
natalie_grace's review
4.0
2020 Review
Poppy was just a normal person working to scrape by in life. But everything changed in the most unexpected way. It all started with a magical necklace. Her powers are awoken, her heritage revealed, and her hounds find her. Poppy is not just a normal human. She is the descendant of Hades and Persephone, and the next queen of the underworld. Now all they have to do is find her judges and get to the underworld while dodging a goddess's army who is hellbent on killing the next queen of the Underworld. Simple right?
I was, once again, excited to read a book about Greek Mythology. But once again, I realized that there was pretty much nothing about mythology in the book. In fact, there was nothing in the book other than sex basically. I need at least some plot with my smut ya know? ;)
There always seems to be that one broody dude that is a total jerk to the girl. And this time it was Hunter. I really don't like him. His "im better than everyone and know everything" attitude was super annoying, and he was always whining about betraying Katherine for thinking Poppy would be a good queen.
Anyways, I still liked it as a quick fun read :)
__________________________________________________________________
Since she found a magical necklace in a thrift store, you could say Poppy's life has been turned upside down. Now she is the next queen of the underworld, has three, no four hot hellhound shifters to "bond" with, then add some really creepy white haired blued eyed somethings that is trying to kill her, Poppy's life just got a little bit more complicated. Will she be able to survive longer than the last queen did?
I love Greek mythology YA. And this book didn't disappoint. While I would have wished there was more of the actual mythological side to the story, I still liked it. I never read a book about hellhounds and I'm really excited to read the next book about them. ;) I wonder what is special about Nolan with his acid saliva and green eyes. I loved the guy's relationship with Poppy. It was hot, but they actually cared about her and were really protective. But I didn't really like Hunter. He was kind of a jerk to her. But he might be making up for that. At least he has a reason to be a jerk with what happened to the last queen and all. Can't wait to see more of Poppy's powers. Wonder what they are? And where are they going on the road trip? I think they are going to look for her judges. But it didn't actually specify. Oh well. Guess I'll have to read the second book to find out. Can't wait. :)))))
Poppy was just a normal person working to scrape by in life. But everything changed in the most unexpected way. It all started with a magical necklace. Her powers are awoken, her heritage revealed, and her hounds find her. Poppy is not just a normal human. She is the descendant of Hades and Persephone, and the next queen of the underworld. Now all they have to do is find her judges and get to the underworld while dodging a goddess's army who is hellbent on killing the next queen of the Underworld. Simple right?
I was, once again, excited to read a book about Greek Mythology. But once again, I realized that there was pretty much nothing about mythology in the book. In fact, there was nothing in the book other than sex basically. I need at least some plot with my smut ya know? ;)
There always seems to be that one broody dude that is a total jerk to the girl. And this time it was Hunter. I really don't like him. His "im better than everyone and know everything" attitude was super annoying, and he was always whining about betraying Katherine for thinking Poppy would be a good queen.
Anyways, I still liked it as a quick fun read :)
__________________________________________________________________
Since she found a magical necklace in a thrift store, you could say Poppy's life has been turned upside down. Now she is the next queen of the underworld, has three, no four hot hellhound shifters to "bond" with, then add some really creepy white haired blued eyed somethings that is trying to kill her, Poppy's life just got a little bit more complicated. Will she be able to survive longer than the last queen did?
I love Greek mythology YA. And this book didn't disappoint. While I would have wished there was more of the actual mythological side to the story, I still liked it. I never read a book about hellhounds and I'm really excited to read the next book about them. ;) I wonder what is special about Nolan with his acid saliva and green eyes. I loved the guy's relationship with Poppy. It was hot, but they actually cared about her and were really protective. But I didn't really like Hunter. He was kind of a jerk to her. But he might be making up for that. At least he has a reason to be a jerk with what happened to the last queen and all. Can't wait to see more of Poppy's powers. Wonder what they are? And where are they going on the road trip? I think they are going to look for her judges. But it didn't actually specify. Oh well. Guess I'll have to read the second book to find out. Can't wait. :)))))
lrn_af62693's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars out 5
I enjoyed this book. A lot!
I finished this book in three days, I've started the second book. I couldn't put this book down, it was a wonderful read. In no way is this a re-telling or recreation of the Hades/Persephone story. Nope, not that at all.
There is sexual content so please be aware of that.
I enjoyed this book. A lot!
I finished this book in three days, I've started the second book. I couldn't put this book down, it was a wonderful read. In no way is this a re-telling or recreation of the Hades/Persephone story. Nope, not that at all.
There is sexual content so please be aware of that.
rachelcus's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This book was better than I thought it was going to be when I first started it. I liked that Poppy didn't just forget about her best friend in the end, although at times it felt like she wasn't as attentive about that relationship as I think a good friend would be. I liked that all of the men didn't just go "yeah, I want to have sex with you" and that at least one of them was super human in that he had hang ups (Hunter is my favorite even if Poppy wasn't a fan of him). I'm actually looking forward to seeing what happens in this series.
ghostams's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
3.5
A quick, steamy read...The plot moves fast, and you get a real close look at the main's inner turmoil.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood and Sexual harassment
valsbrainhurts's review
2.0
Lackluster...
Poppy is nothing special... and neither is this book. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible... okay, at best. Personally I just wouldn’t waste my time unless you’re looking for something average. Nothing really grabbed my attention, which was disappointing to say the least. I’m one to love a good supernatural romance based off Greek mythology, so this book immediately caught my eye. I liked the cover and the concept of her being the daughter of not one, but two Greek gods. Then I started the book... I truly wanted to like it so bad I read the whole thing hoping it would have that “spark” and it just didn’t...
The romantic relationships go from 0 to 100 real quick. Sometimes it works for the story, but not in this case. Poppy’s relationship with the men just felt out of place, I suppose. I didn’t feel any connection with the men and found my self not caring about them at all. When it came to the more “heated” scenes I didn’t feel anything either. Nothing. I skimmed through and skipped most of it.
Poppy’s acceptance as her new role of the future queen of the Underworld was unrealistic. It only took her a moment to completely settle with the idea. She never asked questions (at least not the right ones) and never seemed to be curious whatsoever. Does she seriously not even wonder what the position of “Queen of the Underworld” entails or is everything just going over her head?
The whole story is fast paced but feels slow at the same time. I felt like I never really learned anything meaningful about any of the characters or developed any emotion regarding them. The author could have killed any of them off and I wouldn’t have bat an eye. I won’t be continuing the series, but in the end of the day I could see how some may still enjoy it. Personally, I just didn’t “feel it” with this one and am hoping the author will improve when it comes to character development.
Poppy is nothing special... and neither is this book. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible... okay, at best. Personally I just wouldn’t waste my time unless you’re looking for something average. Nothing really grabbed my attention, which was disappointing to say the least. I’m one to love a good supernatural romance based off Greek mythology, so this book immediately caught my eye. I liked the cover and the concept of her being the daughter of not one, but two Greek gods. Then I started the book... I truly wanted to like it so bad I read the whole thing hoping it would have that “spark” and it just didn’t...
The romantic relationships go from 0 to 100 real quick. Sometimes it works for the story, but not in this case. Poppy’s relationship with the men just felt out of place, I suppose. I didn’t feel any connection with the men and found my self not caring about them at all. When it came to the more “heated” scenes I didn’t feel anything either. Nothing. I skimmed through and skipped most of it.
Poppy’s acceptance as her new role of the future queen of the Underworld was unrealistic. It only took her a moment to completely settle with the idea. She never asked questions (at least not the right ones) and never seemed to be curious whatsoever. Does she seriously not even wonder what the position of “Queen of the Underworld” entails or is everything just going over her head?
The whole story is fast paced but feels slow at the same time. I felt like I never really learned anything meaningful about any of the characters or developed any emotion regarding them. The author could have killed any of them off and I wouldn’t have bat an eye. I won’t be continuing the series, but in the end of the day I could see how some may still enjoy it. Personally, I just didn’t “feel it” with this one and am hoping the author will improve when it comes to character development.