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c100's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
meliroo's review
dark
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
abbylee28's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
librarianlayla's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A reimagined take on the old God's of Greek mythology.
Fast paced and filled with spicy moments perfect for anyone looking for a tobasco pepper level of smut to their stories.
It has certainly paved the way for many more future stories set in this intriguing political world of Greek Gods.
Moody dark boys included.
Fast paced and filled with spicy moments perfect for anyone looking for a tobasco pepper level of smut to their stories.
It has certainly paved the way for many more future stories set in this intriguing political world of Greek Gods.
Moody dark boys included.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
thereadinghammock's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A steamy, spicy, and kinky Hades/Persephone retelling. This was my first jump into audio books, and it was fun, but definitely helped me learn what I can and can't do while listening to audio books. They're not my preferred method of book consumption, but when you've got plenty of time to just listen, it's perfect.
The narrators were good, a bit "too British" for me at times, if only because that's not what I think of when I hear Hades and Persephone. But overall, I greatly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading/listening to more in this world.
The narrators were good, a bit "too British" for me at times, if only because that's not what I think of when I hear Hades and Persephone. But overall, I greatly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading/listening to more in this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Death
anwhitebooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The first 150 pages were great, I was hooked. But it took me three times as long to finish the book and I skimmed basically the entire second half.
First, what I loved: focus on consent (and enthusiastic, continuing consent), character agency, communication about what they want and don't want, diversity.
As for what I didn't love: They fell in love really fast. Also, I think this book probably could've been a hundred pages shorter. In between the action and the "action" (wink) was a lot of internal monologuing that slowed everything down. Soooo much telling instead of showing. So much of it was the characters interrupting scenes to tell the reader what was happening and how they felt about it--over and over and over. There was about a hundred pages in the middle where they kept on being like, "Zeus is gonna retaliate" constantly and he NEVER DOES. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and instead I was reading about them going on cutesy dates and buying puppies, and other stuff I just could not care less about. By the end I didn't care at all about them or their circumstances and got no great satisfaction from the ending.
Also, just a pet peeve: there were some really damn good sentences...that were later cheapened when they were basically repeated. And not just repeated, but used by the other POV. For example, I loved when Persephone was running and said "My fear gave me wings." I could really envision her practically "flying" down the street because she's running so fast. But then later, Hades said, "Her screaming gave me wings." UGH. So much for distinctive character voices.
First, what I loved: focus on consent (and enthusiastic, continuing consent), character agency, communication about what they want and don't want, diversity.
As for what I didn't love: They fell in love really fast. Also, I think this book probably could've been a hundred pages shorter. In between the action and the "action" (wink) was a lot of internal monologuing that slowed everything down. Soooo much telling instead of showing. So much of it was the characters interrupting scenes to tell the reader what was happening and how they felt about it--over and over and over. There was about a hundred pages in the middle where they kept on being like, "Zeus is gonna retaliate" constantly and he NEVER DOES. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and instead I was reading about them going on cutesy dates and buying puppies, and other stuff I just could not care less about. By the end I didn't care at all about them or their circumstances and got no great satisfaction from the ending.
Also, just a pet peeve: there were some really damn good sentences...that were later cheapened when they were basically repeated. And not just repeated, but used by the other POV. For example, I loved when Persephone was running and said "My fear gave me wings." I could really envision her practically "flying" down the street because she's running so fast. But then later, Hades said, "Her screaming gave me wings." UGH. So much for distinctive character voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and War
rosegoes3's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I love a good Greek retelling, and this book definitely satisfied the urge. It's very visual and open-door, but I really like the world Robert created, if it is a little confusing. The city appears to be somehow on this earth, as Persephone mentions wanting to leave Olympus and go to grad school at Berkley, which is in present-day California, so I did find there to be some plot holes, but nothing too major. The book sets up nicely a future for sequels - the next one drops this month and I can't wait!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Blood, and Death of parent
venetiana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mirandahedvik's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Sexual content
Very graphic sexual content. Might not cater to everyone’s tastesmichellemaas's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
* Beware of minor spoilers
First read: 3.5 - ⭐⭐⭐💫
Second read: 3 - ⭐⭐⭐
First Installment in the Dark Olympus series, which is a series of interconnected standalone novels retelling our favorite Greek myths. Adult Mythological Retelling featuring the "forbidden love", "fake dating", "grumpy X sunshine", "dead parent", "forced proximity", and "hurt/comfort" tropes.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert. It was not what I expected in the least, I'll give her that.
“You’ve ruined me, Persephone. Forgive the f*ck out of me if I want to return the favor.”
Neon Gods is a Hades and Persephone retelling from a completely modernized perspective. Persephone, a 24-year-old socialite, wants nothing more than to escape Olympus. She and her 3 sisters are constantly scrutinized by the media for being the daughters of Demeter and she just wants to build a life of her own outside of the boundaries of the city. You can imagine her surprise when her mother sets up her engagement to Zeus as a power-move and is forced to accept or face the wrath of her mother, but also potentially endanger her sisters. After meeting Hades, who runs the "bad" part of town, they start working together to take down Zeus: if Hades ruins Persephone's reputation Zeus will no longer want her and she can walk free, and Hades gets the satisfaction of taking away something Zeus wanted as revenge for the murder of his parents. It's a win-win situation until they start developing real feelings and the stakes get raised.
“You’re beautiful to me. The scars are part of that, part of you. They’re a mark of everything you’ve survived, of how strong you are."
The SMUT was good (I know that's why most of us are here) if somewhat repetitive (keep in mind that I'm pretty immune to SMUT so it might not be that way for you). And despite being a little info-blurby and slow at times, I would still say that this was a good book but I'm mostly excited for the sequel. The world is intriguing, my main thing was just that Hades and Persephone's love story has been done so much that it's hard to do it better than everyone else (I hope that makes sense). The BDSM element was a different addition to the classical story though.
“You and everyone else in your life might be willing to play fast and loose with your health, but I am not.”
The main thing I enjoyed in Neon Gods was how well Hades took care of Persephone. Yeah, this book is a lot of sex and kink, but it's more varied than the usual smut and Hades truly is an amazing partner to Persephone. He is undoubtedly protective, but it's a different kind of protective than that of normal dark romances. He's not handling Persephone this way as some sort of power trip about controlling her life, but rather because he genuinely cares for her and he can see that no one else takes the liberty to do so. He wants her safe and healthy and I think it's really cute!
"We didn’t choose this life. We’re just trying to survive it."
Furthermore, during my reread I've come to realize that reading this right after Scarlett St. Clair's Hades X Persephone series and underestimating Katee Robert's writing style as an erotica author first, retelling author second, has coloured my experience of this the first time round. It still isn't my favorite Hades and Persephone retelling, but it is quite a bit better than I remembered it being. However, I am someone who lives for a good plot and her sacrificing her plot in the name of erotica wasn't my favorite and led to its middle-of-the-line rating.
“If their sins happen in the dark, do they even count?”
Before I end off, I want to use this platform to express my eternal, indistinguishable love for this version of Hermes. She. Was. GREAT!!! You read that right: she. Not only was she female as the 12 Olympians are only titles that represent certain positions (Demeter is in charge of food supply, Poseidon is in charge of the docks, Aphrodite plans weddings, etc.) but her personality was just *chef's kiss*. I also liked that Katee Robert explored a little of the morality of people placed within positions of power. For example, Hermes and Dionysus are Hades' friends, but they warned him that they would side with the rest of the Olympians if it came down to a fight. Morally grey characters are trending in the book world and, like athleisure, I hope it's a trend that never goes out of style!
“I’m going to have you, little siren. In every position, in every way.”
I understand why Katee Robert chose to start the "Dark Olympus" series with the story of Hades and Persephone. It is the most well-known tale and that gives her the perfect opportunity to introduce the series and ease us into the fictional world of Dark Olympus. That being said, I feel that because Hades and Persephone have been done so many times before, it does lose a little of its charm and I'm really excited for "Electric Idol" where we can see her tackle a lesser-known story within the same world. Katee Robert's retellings are always golden and I know that she will knock this series out of the park! Also more Hermes!
“Power is as much about perception as it is about the resources one has at their disposal.”
Overall I would recommend this if you like retellings and erotica. This is also one of those reads who would be perfect for people who enjoy some fantastical elements but can't stomach extensive world-building.
* Please note that while this is an Adult Dark Romance and is not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check content warnings on the author's website before reading. Your entertainment is not worth risking your mental health for!
First read: 3.5 - ⭐⭐⭐💫
Second read: 3 - ⭐⭐⭐
First Installment in the Dark Olympus series, which is a series of interconnected standalone novels retelling our favorite Greek myths. Adult Mythological Retelling featuring the "forbidden love", "fake dating", "grumpy X sunshine", "dead parent", "forced proximity", and "hurt/comfort" tropes.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert. It was not what I expected in the least, I'll give her that.
“You’ve ruined me, Persephone. Forgive the f*ck out of me if I want to return the favor.”
Neon Gods is a Hades and Persephone retelling from a completely modernized perspective. Persephone, a 24-year-old socialite, wants nothing more than to escape Olympus. She and her 3 sisters are constantly scrutinized by the media for being the daughters of Demeter and she just wants to build a life of her own outside of the boundaries of the city. You can imagine her surprise when her mother sets up her engagement to Zeus as a power-move and is forced to accept or face the wrath of her mother, but also potentially endanger her sisters. After meeting Hades, who runs the "bad" part of town, they start working together to take down Zeus: if Hades ruins Persephone's reputation Zeus will no longer want her and she can walk free, and Hades gets the satisfaction of taking away something Zeus wanted as revenge for the murder of his parents. It's a win-win situation until they start developing real feelings and the stakes get raised.
“You’re beautiful to me. The scars are part of that, part of you. They’re a mark of everything you’ve survived, of how strong you are."
The SMUT was good (I know that's why most of us are here) if somewhat repetitive (keep in mind that I'm pretty immune to SMUT so it might not be that way for you). And despite being a little info-blurby and slow at times, I would still say that this was a good book but I'm mostly excited for the sequel. The world is intriguing, my main thing was just that Hades and Persephone's love story has been done so much that it's hard to do it better than everyone else (I hope that makes sense). The BDSM element was a different addition to the classical story though.
“You and everyone else in your life might be willing to play fast and loose with your health, but I am not.”
The main thing I enjoyed in Neon Gods was how well Hades took care of Persephone. Yeah, this book is a lot of sex and kink, but it's more varied than the usual smut and Hades truly is an amazing partner to Persephone. He is undoubtedly protective, but it's a different kind of protective than that of normal dark romances. He's not handling Persephone this way as some sort of power trip about controlling her life, but rather because he genuinely cares for her and he can see that no one else takes the liberty to do so. He wants her safe and healthy and I think it's really cute!
"We didn’t choose this life. We’re just trying to survive it."
Furthermore, during my reread I've come to realize that reading this right after Scarlett St. Clair's Hades X Persephone series and underestimating Katee Robert's writing style as an erotica author first, retelling author second, has coloured my experience of this the first time round. It still isn't my favorite Hades and Persephone retelling, but it is quite a bit better than I remembered it being. However, I am someone who lives for a good plot and her sacrificing her plot in the name of erotica wasn't my favorite and led to its middle-of-the-line rating.
“If their sins happen in the dark, do they even count?”
Before I end off, I want to use this platform to express my eternal, indistinguishable love for this version of Hermes. She. Was. GREAT!!! You read that right: she. Not only was she female as the 12 Olympians are only titles that represent certain positions (Demeter is in charge of food supply, Poseidon is in charge of the docks, Aphrodite plans weddings, etc.) but her personality was just *chef's kiss*. I also liked that Katee Robert explored a little of the morality of people placed within positions of power. For example, Hermes and Dionysus are Hades' friends, but they warned him that they would side with the rest of the Olympians if it came down to a fight. Morally grey characters are trending in the book world and, like athleisure, I hope it's a trend that never goes out of style!
“I’m going to have you, little siren. In every position, in every way.”
I understand why Katee Robert chose to start the "Dark Olympus" series with the story of Hades and Persephone. It is the most well-known tale and that gives her the perfect opportunity to introduce the series and ease us into the fictional world of Dark Olympus. That being said, I feel that because Hades and Persephone have been done so many times before, it does lose a little of its charm and I'm really excited for "Electric Idol" where we can see her tackle a lesser-known story within the same world. Katee Robert's retellings are always golden and I know that she will knock this series out of the park! Also more Hermes!
“Power is as much about perception as it is about the resources one has at their disposal.”
Overall I would recommend this if you like retellings and erotica. This is also one of those reads who would be perfect for people who enjoy some fantastical elements but can't stomach extensive world-building.
* Please note that while this is an Adult Dark Romance and is not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check content warnings on the author's website before reading. Your entertainment is not worth risking your mental health for!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting