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feralpoodles's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible book. This book already had an advantage over me because 1. I love modernized folk/fairy tale retellings 2. I love Greek mythology 3. I love books that touch on motherhood/womanhood/mother daughter bonds, which is everything this book is, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Excellent reinterpretation of the myth, really well done. I love romantic Persephone retellings where Hades is a misunderstood bad boy of course, but there are so many that it was refreshing to read a take on the myth that was closer to the original in that it really focused on the complicated but strong relationship between mother and daughter and on the fact that Persephone is a innocent teenager that’s being taken advantage of. The pomegranate seeds being painkillers and her addiction to them being the reason she is cursed to return is such a perfect choice. I picked up on so many clever little references and nuances with just my semi-cursory knowledge of the original myth, so I’m sure there was even more that I didn’t get. Also worked really well on its own as a story. Super dark and gut wrenching, lot of heavy emotions and hard to deal with shit, but really well done. Characters felt really realistic and nuanced. Cory especially was a super accurate portrayal of a naive teenage girl with the kind of feelings and problems that would understandably get her into that kind of situation, even if it was infuriating at times. I absolutely loved the mom too, I loved her story and her perspective was a perfect contrast to Cory’s teenage view of things. Beautifully written, the style really complements the story. Minor thing but I love when books have dialogue without quotation marks and the author does this masterfully. Hard to read (emotionally, narrative-wise it’s extremely engaging and hard to put down), but well worth it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Rape
jdanderson16's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emilycm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gripping modern retelling that has its successes in the prose effortlessly done by rachel lyon. emer and cory's chapters and perspectives balanced rivetingly, and rolo as the looming overlord of the island was a violating rift in the complexity of their relationship, very well done -- not overdone at all as far as the myth goes. "fear, reversed, is rage" after all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
read up on the myth itself of demeter, persephone, and hades before reading! prepares you for content but also informs the subtle points of the prose.mkylm's review against another edition
As an adult women who thankfully never made reckless mistakes in her teens and early twenties, but witnessed peers making those very mistakes, this was hard to read. At some points I felt like a mother watching her children spiral. At other points, I enjoyed every second of the drama. As a Black woman, I found Kore completely unrelatable. There are some things my family and peers would have never considered doing that she does so willfully.
shesometimesreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nessa_booknook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
joreadslow's review against another edition
3.75
Loved the prose and story. The characters were not likable which I could cope with because there was a morbid, anxiety-inducing intrigue about what would happen next, that kept pushing me along but I so wished for more character development from Corey by the end? Or greater depth on the subjects of of class, race and mother daughter dynamics that the author touches on but doesn’t really expand upon. It was a gripping story though and I enjoyed listening to it
raincloudreads's review
4.5
Persephone has always been my favourite mythological character so this Persephone and Demeter retelling???? Yessssss I love complex mother daughter relationships this was mwah
miranda_is_currently_reading's review against another edition
5.0
The best retelling of a Greek myth since Circe, imo.
rbk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0