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meeklovestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly, I didn't think it was going to go back to this series, considering I read "Neon Gods" over a year ago. And it's not because Neon Gods wasn't good, but it was just too steamy for me. Plus, I was unaware that there were more books in the series. My reading taste has involved from when I started reading again to now and this series did peak my curiosity considering I was a Percy Jackson kid growing up so I decided to give the second book a try. And my gosh it was worth it!
This book is so fast-paced and the world-building (while faulty) is very easy to follow considering that's not really the point of her books as I'm starting to be aware. 😅 I LOVE Pysche! She's one of the few characters in a book that I really related to. Sometimes she would literally say the things that I would be thinking. I love the relationship she and her sisters have and it was great to see their dynamic again in this book. I really hope each individual sister gets their book, especially Calypso. Love her too! And honestly, Eros was such a delight as well. I feel like they balance each other out so nicely. I love how he would literally travel to the ends of the Earth for her and even before they admitted their feelings for one another he was still concerned with keeping her (and her family) safe. And I adored his friendship with Helen! (also love how consent and condom usage was prioritized in this bookalthough they did have sex without a condom once😬
Now as much as I love this couple, I honestly do feel like Hermes stole the show in this book. I LOVE her! I really really REALLY hope she gets her own book!
Honestly, this book was creeping up to be a 5 ⭐, but there were a few discrepancies that bothered me.One is that although I know the world-building isn't really the point of these books which is why they're written so loosely, I really do wish the author would expand on the world-building a little more. I find the lore of these books so fascinating. How does the 13 work? What exactly is their purpose? And how does the "magic" system work there?
And this relates to the main reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5 ⭐. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. The main plot of Aphrodite having Psyche killed was dealt with, but I feel like the aftermath of what happened was just brushed through with a few sentences. Like Helen's sister being the newly appointed Aphrodite is a big deal considering her other brother is already Zeus. The power imbalance will be crazy! I hope that's expanded upon in the next book.
And also I wish we got to see more of Eros and Perseus/Zeus's friendship. I feel like we were TOLD and not SHOWN that they used to be very great friends which in my opinion made their interaction of Eros asking for "Zues"/Perseus's help less impactful.
i also so wish we got a little more context as to how Eros became his mother's wepaon.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to continue on with the series!
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5 (about six sex scenes in here)
This book is so fast-paced and the world-building (while faulty) is very easy to follow considering that's not really the point of her books as I'm starting to be aware. 😅 I LOVE Pysche! She's one of the few characters in a book that I really related to. Sometimes she would literally say the things that I would be thinking. I love the relationship she and her sisters have and it was great to see their dynamic again in this book. I really hope each individual sister gets their book, especially Calypso. Love her too! And honestly, Eros was such a delight as well. I feel like they balance each other out so nicely. I love how he would literally travel to the ends of the Earth for her and even before they admitted their feelings for one another he was still concerned with keeping her (and her family) safe. And I adored his friendship with Helen! (also love how consent and condom usage was prioritized in this book
Now as much as I love this couple, I honestly do feel like Hermes stole the show in this book. I LOVE her! I really really REALLY hope she gets her own book!
Honestly, this book was creeping up to be a 5 ⭐, but there were a few discrepancies that bothered me.
And this relates to the main reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5 ⭐. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. The main plot of Aphrodite having Psyche killed was dealt with, but I feel like the aftermath of what happened was just brushed through with a few sentences. Like Helen's sister being the newly appointed Aphrodite is a big deal considering her other brother is already Zeus. The power imbalance will be crazy! I hope that's expanded upon in the next book.
And also I wish we got to see more of Eros and Perseus/Zeus's friendship. I feel like we were TOLD and not SHOWN that they used to be very great friends which in my opinion made their interaction of Eros asking for "Zues"/Perseus's help less impactful.
i also so wish we got a little more context as to how Eros became his mother's wepaon.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to continue on with the series!
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5 (about six sex scenes in here)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Gun violence
Minor: Murder
ambaright's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
jxsslouise's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Fatphobia
icy_queen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
viktoriann's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Gun violence and Violence
emmaprobasco's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
This was my first fantasy book and I really enjoyed the theme of living in Olympus and having the characters be modern greek mythology but when I was actually reading the book I got a little bored in the middle because there were a lot of “spicy” scenes/chapters. I also feel like most of the book was just leading up to the ending that was only two pages long (if that makes any sense) Even though it was kind of slow in the middle it picked back up again in the end and the ending made me really happy :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Murder, Gun violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Death, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, and Gaslighting
behindherpages's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Well, I liked this second book better than the first. Though I can say a lot of that probably comes down to my own personal preferences for reading types of romance and sex, rather than any major difference in the writing itself.
Persephone’s younger sister, Psyche, is center stage for this book. After a throwaway meet-cute (on her end, anyways) with Eros that is caught on camera and posted on tabloids, Aphrodite’s well-known jealousy comes out and she sends Ero (her son and fixer) to “take care of” Psyche. Instead, he hatches the only plan he can come up with to save her from his mother’s wrath: a fake marriage. Faced with no other options, Psyche says yes. But their ploy takes some major turns with they start to develop real feelings for each other, from sexual pull to the protectiveness born of love, they throw everything on the line to protect each other from Aphrodite’s wrath and cold-hearted parenting and revenge.
I enjoyed seeing the world of Olympus developed more here, with cameos from some first-book-favs (looking at you Hermes), as well as greater development of some other side characters, like Demeter and Aphrodite and the new Zeus. Plus, the overall inter-god/goddess machinations, a central part of Greek mythology, are all strong here.
The romance itself though was much more insular, as the effects of the relationship this time were more intra-family, as opposed to having effects on the whole of the “world” (as Hades and Persephone’s did). This book is hyper-focused on the internal struggles of Psyche and Eros – their transition into the limelight with “non-traditional” beauty and being raised by the cold and emotionally-manipulative Aphrodite, respectively – and how they have to work through those issues, separately and together, to make their connection work. I do love a “he falls first and harder” story, so that was really sweetly done here. And some combo of that type of relationship and their personalities more broadly, but this was just overall a more light/wholesome romance vibe. That being said, the steaminess factor was still high AF, and so good. Not really any kinks here, just more straightforward sex, but well-written and (once we got there) a lot of it.
There are some attempts so far to be inclusive in these romances. Some are less impressive to me, like the bit mentions of previous non-hetero relationships/attractions that feel more like checking a box. And some are more pervasive, like Psyche’s plus-size figure, in this case. Not sure how successful the overall impression is, and I recognize the work.
Very solid second book – quick and sexy and a little bit sweet here – exactly the vacay vibes I needed. And now I’m on the long hold-list for the third book. Cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence
dancers_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Death of parent, Gun violence, Stalking, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Murder, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
nykolereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Fatphobia