Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Neon Gods

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

64 reviews

toofondofbooks_'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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Cheers, I finally finished my first book of the year!

Neon Gods is a romance novel (erotica. it's erotica, I know I'm usually not a huge fan of erotica, but hear me out - the new year is about trying new things!). It's a modern retelling of the greek myth of Hades and Persephone, a myth that I've always been fascinated by, so when I heard some friends talking about the book on a livestream a few months ago, I added it to my TBR. I have mostly good and neutral feelings toward this, so let's talk about the positives first.

I appreciate that this book does not pretend to be something it isn't. It knows that you're here for "unspeakably hot" as the blurb on the cover puts it - romance, and it does deliver on all of those fronts. It doesn't pretend that it isn't melodramatic, it doesn't pretend that it isn't corny or cheesy - because if you're picking this up, I feel like that's what you're expecting. I feel like if that isn't what you're down for, that's when you'll be disappointed.

For me, personally, I am not generally a fan of erotica because the dynamics are often questionable, but I was impressed with the relationship between Hades & Persephone in the sense that there was total consent at all times and I never felt like I was reading a borderline r*pe scene the way I have felt reading other romances in the past. I also just thought that they had scenes together that were both sweet and laugh-out-loud funny, which I didn't expect going into it at all. Hades is a big ole simp and I'm here for it. Also, shout out to the world building and to the entire character of Hermes - she's my hero.

Some things that weren't so great...well, there was a lot of repetition throughout the narrative that I really thought could've been edited down. I can't exactly say what it's in regards to without spoilers though. Additionally, I thought Persephone could've used a little more personality. I feel like I was told in the narrative that she had a lot of personality, but when she opened her mouth, it didn't always come across that way. It also kind of irked me that he was constantly carrying her around like a child, but that is more of a personal gripe than a critique on the work itself.

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decklededgess's review

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dark emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

trigger warnings: manipulative parents, violence, sexual content, alcohol, drugs mention, gun violence

This is a fine interpretation of Hades-Persephone tbh. I'm not mad about people romanticizing and turning Hades into a torn and misunderstood hero. It's an entirely different story with the same names. No biggie. I definitely enjoyed this one. A bit wordy, a bit cheesy, a bit insta-love-y but meh not shabby. It definitely underdelivered on the dark smut part. Other than a couple of scenes where they fucked with spectators it's pretty par for course in any other romance. Hades calls himself a dom I call him a deluded simp. It's cool.

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lennatheunicorncat's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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andeng's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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maddyontheoffbeat's review

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dark fast-paced

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

3.0

I really liked how Roberts incorporated the mythology into the corporate setting, but the inaccuracies did bug me just a little. We didn't see a lot of gods outside of Persephone's circle, and I would have liked to. I didn't really like the smut, which is disappointing, because that is why you are reading this book. But, to be fair, exhibitionism is not my thing, and she seems to have a recurring theme of sex dungeons being owned by Hades in her books. Again, not really a fan of sex dungeons. The sexual tension seems a little forced as well, but I love Hades and Persephone's thing. I am also a little tired of the Mafia boss thing. I never really liked it in fanfic, and I can't say I love it now that it's being published. All in all, I would have liked to see more of the plot of this book, as the smut was not my cup of tea. Not necessarily Robert's fault. There is a lot of 'Daddy/Baby Girl' talk going on, which again, I'm not a huge fan of. I feel like she had a chance to explore the captive situation a little more( which I am a fan of) but she didn't. I feel that if I'm more interested in the plot that in the smut, than it's not that great of an erotica.

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michellemaas's review against another edition

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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!

Content Warnings