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michaelpolk01's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Violence, Gun violence, Body shaming, and Murder
midnacine'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
All in all, I really enjoyed this! The villain in this story was a lot more well-developed than the villain in the first book, like I had a reason to be scared of them. But I did give this one half a star less than the first for two main reasons:
1. While there's distinction between Eros and Psyche's voices in the book itself, they weren't much different from Hades and Persephone's in the first one. Hades and Eros sounded the same, and so did Persephone and Psyche. Also there were a lot of recycled analogies or statements that didn't necessarily fit between both characters, but were used anyways.
2. There's a lot of inconsistencies between this book and the first, from small details to the whole timeline, and it was really hard for me to ignore. In the first, Demeter had 4 marriages, each daughter being from a different one. In this, Demeter had 3 marriages, Persephone and Psyche sharing a father.
The timeline issues are a lot harder to figure out. I swear I was doing mental gymnastics trying to pin point when exactly this book was set. In Neon Gods, we meet Persephone and Hades in mid January, 3 months before Persephone's 25th birthday in April. Their romance blossoms over the course of 6 weeks and we see their story end roughly around late February, early March. In this book, we're told that it's been 2 months since the events of the last, which would logically put us in late April or early May. However, it's still cold outside, and at some point Eros says it's been barely 2 months since Christmas. It was really confusing for me and hard to ignore.
Aside from those, the character development, plot, and spice were fantastic. I'd like to see a little more world building in the next one, but I doubt it'll happen. Still looking forward to reading it!
1. While there's distinction between Eros and Psyche's voices in the book itself, they weren't much different from Hades and Persephone's in the first one. Hades and Eros sounded the same, and so did Persephone and Psyche. Also there were a lot of recycled analogies or statements that didn't necessarily fit between both characters, but were used anyways.
2. There's a lot of inconsistencies between this book and the first, from small details to the whole timeline, and it was really hard for me to ignore. In the first, Demeter had 4 marriages, each daughter being from a different one. In this, Demeter had 3 marriages, Persephone and Psyche sharing a father.
The timeline issues are a lot harder to figure out. I swear I was doing mental gymnastics trying to pin point when exactly this book was set. In Neon Gods, we meet Persephone and Hades in mid January, 3 months before Persephone's 25th birthday in April. Their romance blossoms over the course of 6 weeks and we see their story end roughly around late February, early March. In this book, we're told that it's been 2 months since the events of the last, which would logically put us in late April or early May. However, it's still cold outside, and at some point Eros says it's been barely 2 months since Christmas. It was really confusing for me and hard to ignore.
Aside from those, the character development, plot, and spice were fantastic. I'd like to see a little more world building in the next one, but I doubt it'll happen. Still looking forward to reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual content, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Stalking, Murder, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, and Pregnancy
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