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beatrice_apetrei's review
1.0
That Fatal Kiss retells one of the most complex and old love stories known in Greek mythology, which is Persephone and Hades’ myth. Hades, the God of the Underworld – death – falls in love with the joyful Goddess of Vegetation and Spring Persephone – life. To have her, Hades steals and brings her with him to the Underworld, where they get married and learn to love each other.
Sound delighting, right?
Now, I had the luck of reading the well-known retelling [b:For the Love of Hades|13600791|For the Love of Hades (Loves of Olympus, #2)|Sasha Summers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436895384s/13600791.jpg|19193076] by author[a:Sasha Summers|5759214|Sasha Summers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1538584764p2/5759214.jpg], which was an extraordinary novel, I highly recommend it. After finishing it, I couldn’t wait to dive right into another beautiful story. I should have stopped there and not try to find similar works, because, as I learned the hard way, there is little chance to accomplish that.
I disliked That Fatal Kiss to such an extent that I did not manage to finish the book, for I don’t believe it was worth my time. I might sound extreme but there is seriously no other way to describe my exact feelings regarding this book.
Before reading the following paragraphs, keep in mind that I will write spoilers.
The plot
As expected from a retelling, the novel focuses on the growth of Persephone and Hades’ relationship from the moment he enters her life to bringing her to the Underworld and loving one another. That Fatal Kiss is faithful to the basic idea, presenting the abduction of the Goddess of Vegetation and her delivery to Hades’ home.
The characters
Here is where things went off for me.
I disliked every single character written by this author.
Let’s start with our heroine. Persephone is a confident young woman and, being the hopelessly romantic that she is, she believes in a love-driven marriage. She is strong and determined. Until Hades happens. When the God of the Underworld travels to the upper land, Persephone knows why he came. So she lets him take her, being fully aware for what purpose. On the other hand, when they arrive together in his home, Persephone suddenly becomes aware that she has been stolen away and grows furious. She couldn’t fight, or at least try, before letting herself swept away? It seems no.
So Hades is crazily in love with this woman and so he tries to physically have her, right away. To which Persephone says no, of course. But he tries to rape her! Twice! In time (short. period. of. time.) our goddess somehow forgets about this abusive behavior and pities Hades for being a virgin.
Wait, what.
Hades seems to be a very confident male, who knows what he is doing… until they become intimately engaged. Guess what? It seems that our decades, perhaps centuries, old protagonist is actually a virgin while his lover (decades younger than him) is not.
Are you telling me that Hades did not have sex until then? *sigh*
Oh, let’s not forget that Persephone doesn’t actually find it creepy that her lover had a mirror showing him her every move. The goddess was quite fascinated by the matter.
??
Going on to Hades. In the short description of the novel, Hades is described as being extremely powerful and hated for it, but I can’t see any trace of that in his attitude or personality. I can only see one arrogant teenager.
At the beginning of the novel he seems to be the perfect example of an alpha male, anti-feminist, with the strong beliefs of medieval men: women should listen to the men in their lives and do what they are told. Alright, might be understandable considering the setting and time of the action in the novel. But what I couldn’t grasp was why a man with such strong beliefs would be enjoyed by his lover’s challenging attitude. Hades constantly told her how no matter her wishes, Persephone will do as he commands, but she rarely listens to him, because our all-mighty God continuously approves of her “ill-mannered” personality.
Keep in mind that while enjoying, laughing, and accepting her denials of listening to him, Hades still believes women should listen to their men. Did I miss something?
Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I’ve read and seen even in modern times, men who truthfully believe in the superiority of men do not accept a challenging behavior. They grow mad and tired of it, to the point of becoming abusive. These two are the most bipolar characters I have ever had the chance (or bad luck) of reading.
I was extremely curious to see how Lobo would deal with changing Hades mind about “the role of women” and making her fall in love despite their differences and his stealing of Persephone in the beginning. I found myself disappointed because I got a teenager drama instead of a mature read.
The writing is not necessarily bad. It had a nice proportion of description / dialogue, which I enjoyed, but that is all. It doesn’t save the utterly revolting characters or bad plot.
If it is not obvious, I don’t recommend That Fatal Kiss, not when there are a lot of better versions of Persephone and Hades’ love to read.
Sound delighting, right?
Now, I had the luck of reading the well-known retelling [b:For the Love of Hades|13600791|For the Love of Hades (Loves of Olympus, #2)|Sasha Summers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436895384s/13600791.jpg|19193076] by author[a:Sasha Summers|5759214|Sasha Summers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1538584764p2/5759214.jpg], which was an extraordinary novel, I highly recommend it. After finishing it, I couldn’t wait to dive right into another beautiful story. I should have stopped there and not try to find similar works, because, as I learned the hard way, there is little chance to accomplish that.
I disliked That Fatal Kiss to such an extent that I did not manage to finish the book, for I don’t believe it was worth my time. I might sound extreme but there is seriously no other way to describe my exact feelings regarding this book.
Before reading the following paragraphs, keep in mind that I will write spoilers.
The plot
As expected from a retelling, the novel focuses on the growth of Persephone and Hades’ relationship from the moment he enters her life to bringing her to the Underworld and loving one another. That Fatal Kiss is faithful to the basic idea, presenting the abduction of the Goddess of Vegetation and her delivery to Hades’ home.
The characters
Here is where things went off for me.
I disliked every single character written by this author.
Let’s start with our heroine. Persephone is a confident young woman and, being the hopelessly romantic that she is, she believes in a love-driven marriage. She is strong and determined. Until Hades happens. When the God of the Underworld travels to the upper land, Persephone knows why he came. So she lets him take her, being fully aware for what purpose. On the other hand, when they arrive together in his home, Persephone suddenly becomes aware that she has been stolen away and grows furious. She couldn’t fight, or at least try, before letting herself swept away? It seems no.
So Hades is crazily in love with this woman and so he tries to physically have her, right away. To which Persephone says no, of course. But he tries to rape her! Twice! In time (short. period. of. time.) our goddess somehow forgets about this abusive behavior and pities Hades for being a virgin.
Wait, what.
Hades seems to be a very confident male, who knows what he is doing… until they become intimately engaged. Guess what? It seems that our decades, perhaps centuries, old protagonist is actually a virgin while his lover (decades younger than him) is not.
Are you telling me that Hades did not have sex until then? *sigh*
Oh, let’s not forget that Persephone doesn’t actually find it creepy that her lover had a mirror showing him her every move. The goddess was quite fascinated by the matter.
??
Going on to Hades. In the short description of the novel, Hades is described as being extremely powerful and hated for it, but I can’t see any trace of that in his attitude or personality. I can only see one arrogant teenager.
At the beginning of the novel he seems to be the perfect example of an alpha male, anti-feminist, with the strong beliefs of medieval men: women should listen to the men in their lives and do what they are told. Alright, might be understandable considering the setting and time of the action in the novel. But what I couldn’t grasp was why a man with such strong beliefs would be enjoyed by his lover’s challenging attitude. Hades constantly told her how no matter her wishes, Persephone will do as he commands, but she rarely listens to him, because our all-mighty God continuously approves of her “ill-mannered” personality.
Keep in mind that while enjoying, laughing, and accepting her denials of listening to him, Hades still believes women should listen to their men. Did I miss something?
Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I’ve read and seen even in modern times, men who truthfully believe in the superiority of men do not accept a challenging behavior. They grow mad and tired of it, to the point of becoming abusive. These two are the most bipolar characters I have ever had the chance (or bad luck) of reading.
I was extremely curious to see how Lobo would deal with changing Hades mind about “the role of women” and making her fall in love despite their differences and his stealing of Persephone in the beginning. I found myself disappointed because I got a teenager drama instead of a mature read.
The writing is not necessarily bad. It had a nice proportion of description / dialogue, which I enjoyed, but that is all. It doesn’t save the utterly revolting characters or bad plot.
If it is not obvious, I don’t recommend That Fatal Kiss, not when there are a lot of better versions of Persephone and Hades’ love to read.
revengelyne's review
4.0
Hades, the lonely ruler of the Underworld, seeks the light to bring into his world of darkness. The only thing is that Persephone is that light and he goes to Zeus for help. Of course, Zeus gives his blessing and Hades sets off to take Persephone from the world above.
Out of the few Hades/Persephone books out there, this one has become a favorite of mine. Not because it was written for one of my favorite myths but it is one that does not make Persephone a total bitch from hell like the other books written on this particular mythology. I have grown rather wary when it comes to reading any sort of book containing the Hades/Persephone myth since most tend to lean toward the whole Hades/OC because Persephone is a bitch.
Although a bit naive, Persephone still gave Hades a chance to prove himself to her and that spoke volumes of her character. When it was also revealed that she poured water over the other Gods who were making fun of Hephaestus, it showed that Persephone did not like seeing other people being treated poorly by others and tried to make others understand that it was not right.
I really liked Persephone. She was much tougher and sympathetic than other versions of her that I have read and I really liked her a lot. She was a rather interesting character.
Hades was also interesting too. He was not the dark and brooding as other incarnations have him as and he seemed to be just as powerful as his brother, Zeus. This is the kind of hero I rather like. I want him to be able to hold himself up and on his own and not depend so heavily on other people to be the one to hold him up. This Hades was much more than anything I have seen in other incarnations.
I really recommend this book to others. I think you will enjoy it just as much as I have. :D
Out of the few Hades/Persephone books out there, this one has become a favorite of mine. Not because it was written for one of my favorite myths but it is one that does not make Persephone a total bitch from hell like the other books written on this particular mythology. I have grown rather wary when it comes to reading any sort of book containing the Hades/Persephone myth since most tend to lean toward the whole Hades/OC because Persephone is a bitch.
Although a bit naive, Persephone still gave Hades a chance to prove himself to her and that spoke volumes of her character. When it was also revealed that she poured water over the other Gods who were making fun of Hephaestus, it showed that Persephone did not like seeing other people being treated poorly by others and tried to make others understand that it was not right.
I really liked Persephone. She was much tougher and sympathetic than other versions of her that I have read and I really liked her a lot. She was a rather interesting character.
Hades was also interesting too. He was not the dark and brooding as other incarnations have him as and he seemed to be just as powerful as his brother, Zeus. This is the kind of hero I rather like. I want him to be able to hold himself up and on his own and not depend so heavily on other people to be the one to hold him up. This Hades was much more than anything I have seen in other incarnations.
I really recommend this book to others. I think you will enjoy it just as much as I have. :D
nesasaenz81's review
4.0
I need to 'fess up, I didn't remember reading this book. The cover looked familiar, but as I was reading it, aside from the traditional tropes and storyline, it felt fresh. I liked it even better this time. (I'd originally given it 3🌟s.
Does it get a little cheesy sometimes? Yes.
Is some of the dialogue a little anachronistic? Yes.
Do these things ruin the story? Nope.
Why would I recommend it?
Cuz Hades is a big ol' (sexy) softie when it comes to our girl Persephone. He's all growly, then like: "Just kidding, sweetie, whatever you want."
Cuz Persephone, although attracted to him, doesn't go all Insta-lust/love on us. She makes him work for affection, but not in a TSTL fashion.
Does it get a little cheesy sometimes? Yes.
Is some of the dialogue a little anachronistic? Yes.
Do these things ruin the story? Nope.
Why would I recommend it?
Cuz Hades is a big ol' (sexy) softie when it comes to our girl Persephone. He's all growly, then like: "Just kidding, sweetie, whatever you want."
Cuz Persephone, although attracted to him, doesn't go all Insta-lust/love on us. She makes him work for affection, but not in a TSTL fashion.
mollyringle's review
5.0
Well done! Many of us, when retelling the Persephone/Hades myth, end up re-envisioning it without all its non-consensual elements, because those things, while perfectly true to the myths, can be hot-button issues for modern readers. However, Mina Lobo finds a way to stick very closely to the mythology and to still make it a lighthearted love story. I am impressed!
Yep, Hades kidnaps Persephone, and tries some other naughty tricks on her too. But this is a goddess we're dealing with. She's not helpless--as we all must have wondered when reading the myth. She fights right back, and soon sees he's not malicious really; just clueless about courtship (also a possibility I considered in my youth, when thinking about the myth), and that he honestly does love her and doesn't want to hurt her. In short, the author makes it work, even with all the consent problems the mythology comes packaged with, because now we get to see the in-between scenes that weren't mentioned in, say, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. (But which still could fit into the framework of the original mythology.)
And for mythology fans, there are many other excellent references woven into Hades and Persephone's adventures, all surprisingly faithful to the old stories. The dialogue even has a stately feel that would fit into the afore-mentioned Homeric Hymn, but with more modern sparkles of wit thrown in, giving the whole thing a fun and whimsical mood.
Amen on Ares being "kind of a douche". I mean, seriously.
Yep, Hades kidnaps Persephone, and tries some other naughty tricks on her too. But this is a goddess we're dealing with. She's not helpless--as we all must have wondered when reading the myth. She fights right back, and soon sees he's not malicious really; just clueless about courtship (also a possibility I considered in my youth, when thinking about the myth), and that he honestly does love her and doesn't want to hurt her. In short, the author makes it work, even with all the consent problems the mythology comes packaged with, because now we get to see the in-between scenes that weren't mentioned in, say, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. (But which still could fit into the framework of the original mythology.)
And for mythology fans, there are many other excellent references woven into Hades and Persephone's adventures, all surprisingly faithful to the old stories. The dialogue even has a stately feel that would fit into the afore-mentioned Homeric Hymn, but with more modern sparkles of wit thrown in, giving the whole thing a fun and whimsical mood.
Amen on Ares being "kind of a douche". I mean, seriously.
maegan_kk's review
3.0
This cover doesn't do the book justice, and I wish it did because I really think this book deserves to be at least a little more popular.
The writing is solid and you can tell that Mina Lobo has made a great effort to do research on all the Greek myths. There are many more characters and myths that are intertwined in the story beyond Hades and Persephone.
My only complaints about this book, beyond the twilightesque cover, are that there is a certain moment in the book when the story drags. The book could easily have been about 70 pages shorter and would not have detracted from the story, it would have, in fact, done it a real favor.
On the other hand, as the story progressed I could not get rid of the repulsion I felt toward Hades, as he tried to rape Persephone in the very beginning.
Kudos to Mina Lobo for not creating a defenseless Persephone, but one that can punch Hades in the face a couple of well deserved times. However, she could have gone a little further and omitted the rape. I know that the Greeks loved it and that if there is not at least one case of incest or rape, it is not a true Greek myth, but this is the 21st century and anyone can afford to transform these horrific events into something in which human rights play a major role.
In short, the story has its shortcomings but I was overall thoroughly entertained.
The writing is solid and you can tell that Mina Lobo has made a great effort to do research on all the Greek myths. There are many more characters and myths that are intertwined in the story beyond Hades and Persephone.
My only complaints about this book, beyond the twilightesque cover, are that there is a certain moment in the book when the story drags. The book could easily have been about 70 pages shorter and would not have detracted from the story, it would have, in fact, done it a real favor.
On the other hand, as the story progressed I could not get rid of the repulsion I felt toward Hades, as he tried to rape Persephone in the very beginning.
Kudos to Mina Lobo for not creating a defenseless Persephone, but one that can punch Hades in the face a couple of well deserved times. However, she could have gone a little further and omitted the rape. I know that the Greeks loved it and that if there is not at least one case of incest or rape, it is not a true Greek myth, but this is the 21st century and anyone can afford to transform these horrific events into something in which human rights play a major role.
In short, the story has its shortcomings but I was overall thoroughly entertained.
siareen's review
3.0
This was ok. I didn't know what I expected but this was pretty good. A good retelling of the story.
niidz's review
4.0
a nice light hearted retelling of the myth of Hades/Persephone, i liked that the author kept it as close to the myth as she could, not completely taking away all the noncon as some retellings usually do, i very much enjoyed this book