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ambylynn's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I would be hard pressed to list something I liked about this book. For one, it was barely a Hades and Persephone retelling at all. If the names and minor references to the world had been changed or altered slightly, I honestly do not think I would have been able to tell what this was supposed to have been. To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of modern retellings in the first place, but I think a lot more could have been done to make this aspect of the book more apparent.
Secondly, the characters were flat and boring. Their motivations were weak and mostly uncompelling, and the plot borderline did not exist, which could be forgiven since this was clearly a thin smokescreen for what this book was really about. The smut.
Which brings me to my third point, the smut, to me, was just not very good. It was awkwardly timed, blatantly forced into existence, and every time the playroom was brought up I physically cringed. The kink, what little there was, was mostly exhibitionism and was somehow both over and under negotiated all at once. The overuse of 'cock' and 'pussy' had me begging for a thesaurus paired with the clinical way Hades talks about being 'kinky' made me want to either laugh or cry. Maybe both.
This book could be it for someone, but that someone was not me.
Secondly, the characters were flat and boring. Their motivations were weak and mostly uncompelling, and the plot borderline did not exist, which could be forgiven since this was clearly a thin smokescreen for what this book was really about. The smut.
Which brings me to my third point, the smut, to me, was just not very good. It was awkwardly timed, blatantly forced into existence, and every time the playroom was brought up I physically cringed. The kink, what little there was, was mostly exhibitionism and was somehow both over and under negotiated all at once. The overuse of 'cock' and 'pussy' had me begging for a thesaurus paired with the clinical way Hades talks about being 'kinky' made me want to either laugh or cry. Maybe both.
This book could be it for someone, but that someone was not me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Blood
mrs_bear1230's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
As amazing the second time as it was the first. Definitely worth the read. Such a fun take on the story of Hades and Persephone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
truemyth's review
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? No
4.0
The modern setting was interesting with humans in the roles of Greek gods in a sort of mafia-styled world, but with references to our own. I’m not sure how it actually all works, but it internally consistent and engaging. The sex was hot with lots of dominance and submissive play. I plan to continue this series, particularly as I’m curious to see the storylines of side characters play out in their own novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Alcohol
linnea_tornblom's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
sophisticatedreader's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ending felt rushed, things happened so quickly it was like a slap in the face and idk where it came from
hades isn't who I expected him to be especially in a book like this, he seemed more like twinky tall white man on TikTok than a mysterious cool hot dude.
I wouldn't recommend tbh
hades isn't who I expected him to be especially in a book like this, he seemed more like twinky tall white man on TikTok than a mysterious cool hot dude.
I wouldn't recommend tbh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
melliel21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, War, and Classism
devinjai6655's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.0
This was a fun read. Katee Robert never disappoints. Before this I read her Wicked Villians books and I gotta say, she really knows how to tell a good, sexy story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
casdelvo's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
melodyw386's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Always love a good Hades x Persephone retelling. Is it the best retelling? No. Is it the worst? Also no. If you’re looking for a smutty retelling then this is the one for you. This book does contain voyeurism, which I’m not a fan of, but I was able to push past it. Some of the plot seemed rushed but it’s also easy to follow if you understand the general idea of Hades & Persephone’s story. I’m curious to see how Demeter’s character develops over the next few books. The ending with her seemed too good to be true. I also wish we got more of the rest of the 13…Poseidon, Apollo, Aphrodite, etc.
My rating would be slightly higher but I just could not stand the voice of one of the narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown. I know this is trivial but it made me at times not want to finish the book. Persephone’s pov was fine until she attempted to do “Hades’” voice. It was honestly terrible. Everyone has their perception of what characters sound like in their head when they read & audiobook narrators can sound different than what you expect but in this case, it was horrible. She gave pauses in his sentences that made zero sense & it made Hades sound unsure of himself half the time. The way she perceived his character versus how the male narrator perceived his character were drastically different. And the way she pronounced Zeus…”zeeeeooooosss”…highly irritating to my ears.
Overall the book was okay…I’d highly suggest reading it over listening to it though.
My rating would be slightly higher but I just could not stand the voice of one of the narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown. I know this is trivial but it made me at times not want to finish the book. Persephone’s pov was fine until she attempted to do “Hades’” voice. It was honestly terrible. Everyone has their perception of what characters sound like in their head when they read & audiobook narrators can sound different than what you expect but in this case, it was horrible. She gave pauses in his sentences that made zero sense & it made Hades sound unsure of himself half the time. The way she perceived his character versus how the male narrator perceived his character were drastically different. And the way she pronounced Zeus…”zeeeeooooosss”…highly irritating to my ears.
Overall the book was okay…I’d highly suggest reading it over listening to it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
obrittuary's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
It’s definitely a fun and spicy read. A fun twist on Greek Mythology in the modern world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Classism
there is a lot of scenes that involve club kink, and it’s very sexually explicit. Overall is a fun, easy read, but it is a dark romance so keep that in mind!