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sarahlopod's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
verysarahbennett's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Honestly, this book had WAY more smut in in than I expected it to. I was under the impression it was an awesome story, but boy was I wrong. It felt like 50 Shades of Grey meets the Greek gods and goddesses (sex room and everything, except it was public in this book...). Which, if that's your thing, then this is a great book for you (and it's a series!). However, that's not really my thing. Especially because just about everything in this book fell flat: plot, writing, characters... It's really only a good read if you want the smut and kink.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
wickeddelights's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
So I read this book for my book club.
There were characters I liked, Hermese was quite pleasant and I truly wish she had been a bigger part of the overall story. But the romance in this book felt unbelievable to me
Persephone was transfixed by the myth of Hades before she ever met him. And when she runs from a marriage forced onto her by her mother to Zeus, she runs to the undercity and finds out he is more than a myth.
But he certainly wasn't what I think anyone was expecting.
He was beloved to his people, kind hearted, but infuriatingly blind to how others perceive him. Persephone on the other hand has spent her entire life learning to be keen and manipulative. Initially she presses him into the arrangement they form, though quite literally in a matter of days they are both head over heels for each other.
The story has BDSM themes, and even a safeword, though it is never used. The author handles consent and protection really well. But there are so many little things that felt like they should have been a much bigger deal that either never happened or were glossed over.
Like the collomns for example. They are mentioned several times and sometimes with snippets of lore that might suggest a further connection to the myth this story was based off of. But that is about it.
We never get the full answers we want from Zeus about what he did to Hades. We never learn why these regular humans are named after Greek gods even if they aren't a member of the thirteen. Etc.
But I think what bothered me the most was her description of side characters. Rather than using descriptive words we are instead told their ethnicity. Example being "A black woman, a White man, A Latino woman"
And the sexuality of Persephone and Hades felt so thrown out there in one random chapter, and as a Bisexual woman myself I would have loved if the author expanded on that more, so it felt like an actual part of the characters rather than a footnote.
I liked the concept of the book and a take on modern day Olympus. But I just wanted more.
There were characters I liked, Hermese was quite pleasant and I truly wish she had been a bigger part of the overall story. But the romance in this book felt unbelievable to me
Persephone was transfixed by the myth of Hades before she ever met him. And when she runs from a marriage forced onto her by her mother to Zeus, she runs to the undercity and finds out he is more than a myth.
But he certainly wasn't what I think anyone was expecting.
He was beloved to his people, kind hearted, but infuriatingly blind to how others perceive him. Persephone on the other hand has spent her entire life learning to be keen and manipulative. Initially she presses him into the arrangement they form, though quite literally in a matter of days they are both head over heels for each other.
The story has BDSM themes, and even a safeword, though it is never used. The author handles consent and protection really well. But there are so many little things that felt like they should have been a much bigger deal that either never happened or were glossed over.
Like the collomns for example. They are mentioned several times and sometimes with snippets of lore that might suggest a further connection to the myth this story was based off of. But that is about it.
We never get the full answers we want from Zeus about what he did to Hades. We never learn why these regular humans are named after Greek gods even if they aren't a member of the thirteen. Etc.
But I think what bothered me the most was her description of side characters. Rather than using descriptive words we are instead told their ethnicity. Example being "A black woman, a White man, A Latino woman"
And the sexuality of Persephone and Hades felt so thrown out there in one random chapter, and as a Bisexual woman myself I would have loved if the author expanded on that more, so it felt like an actual part of the characters rather than a footnote.
I liked the concept of the book and a take on modern day Olympus. But I just wanted more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Death of parent
josie1999's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
ginalucia's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
I’m going to be honest, it took me a while to get into this book. But once I did, I raced through.
We’ll get one thing out of the way first. Yes, this book is spicy. If it weren’t for the Greek Myth themes, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. I’m not really mad about that though.
So let’s get into the plot. The concept of the 13 and their position in the world was pretty confusing to me. It takes a backseat to the spice in the book, which is probably why it doesn’t have time to develop. But in general, I’d love some more world-building.
I also got the ick from a few questionable bits of dialogue and actions. Some red flags were raised. Look at the content warnings if you want specifics.
It’s hard to suspend disbelief when the characters in this world aren’t actually Greek deities. Instead, they’re kind of normal people, just with a lot of power and money.
Aside from that, Neon Gods offers a fun ride. It’s fast-paced and entertaining, and you can get lost in it pretty quickly. A good read if you can set aside misgivings and let go.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
fmt23's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
chaoticking15's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Something fun to read if you really like Hades and Persephone. Cute retelling with an interesting world build, and pretty decent smut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Stalking
naeara's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
readbyjaimes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was so boring???
I was kind of excited to read this because I've heard mixed reviews but I came out feeling really underwhelmed. The characters were half-baked, and so was the magic system. Literally, what is this world? It all felt very random and poorly strung together. Anyways it ended my book slump so 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I knew going in that Neon Gods is a dark romance, and I knew the basics of the story of Hades and Persephone and the rest of the Greek Gods of Olympus that I knew that this wasn't going to be a lighthearted romance novel. However, I did not know that the story involved three kinks from my "hard no" list, meaning that I skipped a good half of the book because I found the sex scenes more than squicky. Will not be reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Body horror, Sexual violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Misogyny