Reviews with content warning for Rape - Lore Olympus: Volume Four

I love getting to read this series in print book format. The colors and images are so beautiful, and I love how carefully crafted each moment is. I cannot wait for the next publication!

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diamondforeva25's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

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nadalien's review

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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hq_reads's review against another edition

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challenging funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Still so great and so beautifully illustrated!

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infectiousreading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? N/A

5.0

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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a slow burn for Persephone and Hades! It felt like they barely had any time together in this volume and I want more!

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

And I'm caught up! Though it looks like Volume Five will be published later this year and I will definitely be continuing with this series, because after the first two volumes it has really picked up! I definitely sped right through this in a single (possibly less than an hour) sitting. And it hit the spot.

This is just a continuous story carried over volumes, so this picks up right where the third left us. But, with a major perspective switch to start. This installation opens with the background on and character development for Hades that I have been waiting for (perhaps why I liked it so much, tbh). We get to see deeper into some of his insecurities, stemming from wanting something serious but (due to his position) tamping it down or taking what he can get, because he assumes no one would want to be with him. Between that and the trivialization of his romantic dreams from both his brothers (Zeus and Poseidon), it all very much explains why he is in (and stays in) such an unhealthy - really emotionally abusive - relationship with Minthe. Really, all that elaboration on his history is really kinda heartbreaking (and as a reader, I have all the more emotional investment in his successful outcome with Persephone now - a perfect opposites attract).

I also remain thrilled to see the ever more fully dimensional Persephone. Her emotional range and standing up for herself and just generally having more and varied feelings was everything I thought she was missing earlier and love it here. Like you go girl, with the shutting down of Apollo's horrific emotional manipulation. The entire flashback to her first meeting with Ares, and then "re-meeting" in real time here, was similarly good, as far as building that dimension and flushing out her story. I also have to say that, while fairly heartbreaking, it was great development writing to see her trying to deal with everything (specifically related to Apollo and her future with TGOEM) on her own and keeping it on the DL. I mean, I hope over time she finds a way to talk to more people about it and get support, but it's a very realistic emotional journey and I'm glad she's getting that.

And of course, the centerpiece relationship: Hades and Persephone together. *Big* yes on that front here. It is a deliciously slow burn, first of all. Alongside that, they are talking (at least a bit more openly) about their feelings and concerns, but still with their own shit they're playing more close to the chest. It's a great balance. And the playful and yearning interactions are too sweet. Plus, Persephone is already making Hades work on himself more, which is awesome because he deserves that in general, but it's also leading him towards benevolence and respect elsewhere because he sees goodness and a reason to in her and just...oh my heart.

A last few thoughts... This is like candy for the eyes, color wise. It's just so fun, stylistically. Though, there are still some panels where the characters' features change enough (or resemble another’s so much) that I can’t pinpoint who they are for a bit. It's slightly disconcerting but overall doesn't take away too much - the context of the words and interactions helps place them reasonably quickly. The story arc is really coming into its own and feeling much less scattered and disconnected and confusing. So that's awesome. And I'm personally looking forward to more on the secret fertility goddess plot line and how that plays out. Plus, all the bonus side plot stories (because when talking about Mount Olympus and the gods, there is *so much* drama to choose from and adapt), Smythe does a great job keeping all that ridiculous (and careless) sleeping around and family drama, but doing it in a way that doesn’t make you hate *all* of them (exceptions being Apollo, and Zeus, of course), or at least complicates the hate with other reaction and dimension.

Unputdownable fourth volume. Really looking forward to the fifth now!

“Joking aside, being optimistic doesn’t make you naive. / You see things not for what they are, but for what they could be.”

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bribreez's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

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Back with the latest volume in the world of Lore Olympus. (Sigh) I love this series so much, and again having the physical copy in my hands always makes me happy. Crazy to think that just a few years ago, I stumbled upon this story randomly and became obsessed like many others. This volume was still somewhat in the early stages of Persephone and Hades story. From Hades dealing with his insecurities, his toxic relationship with Minthe to Persephone still adjusting to her new life among everyone. Plus, the added bit of awkward yet sweet and funny moments between Persephone and Hades.

Within the first few pages, I was reminded of why I hated certain characters such as, Minthe. In case you missed or forgot, Minthe once upon a time “dated” Hades. I say “dated” with quotations around the word since it was more along the lines of Minthe and Hades hooking up and being on again/ off again especially with Minthe being so wishy washy. Minthe wasn’t a character I liked especially in the beginning and the way she treated Hades was not only unfair, but downright despicable! With the panels showing Minthe in a very unflattering light, you could see just how much of a toxic character she was and unkind towards Hades. Made me mad seeing that panel when Minthe slapped Hades, but thankfully Hecate stepped in!

Aside from the whole Minthe thing at the beginning, there was still the sweet shared moments between Persephone and Hades. The beginning of this story, mainly of Persephone and Hades focused on them continuing their friendship but also their mutual attraction towards each other. Hades, feeling unsure if Persephone could ever see him as more or whether or not his feelings were worth mentioning later on to her. For Persephone, she never expected to have feelings for someone let alone the king of the Underworld. Alas, Persephone and Hades had a budding friendship bordering on the lines of flirtatious that had me smiling and wishing for them to fast forward to where we’re currently at in the WEBTOON series! I liked the conversations between Persephone and Hades, how they both acknowledged their attraction but also tried to maintain some boundaries especially since Hades was still seeing Minthe (ugh). The wheels were still going in this romance and it reminded me just how much of a long road ahead in the books we have to seeing Persephone and Hades finally reaching their happy ending together.

This volume had a lot of depth once again, diving deep into the characters and exploring their stories. Obviously, Persephone and Hades are the main characters of the series, but getting to see the other characters such as, Hera, Zeus, Ares, and Eros let me see what they had going on. Zeus being Zeus was once again being unfaithful to Hera, and it was an ongoing problem especially since Hera believed that maybe Zeus would try not to cheat on her anymore. With Ares coming into the fold of the story, it allowed some backstory on how he met Persephone and why he just loved pushing her buttons. Sorry Ares, but the only God in Persephone’s eyes was, Hades. I also loved seeing Eros coming in strong to help Persephone out against Apollo and just being there for her. Eros is and always will be a great friend to those closest to him, love him!

Overall, with each new volume, I’m thrusted back to the beginning parts of the story that I may have forgotten, but not completely. In a way, reading this volume was like a refresher for me, getting to go back and see some key moments within the story that hold significance specifically in the way the art was drawn to further reveal some tantalizing details! From the scenes that revealed Persephone’s red eyes to past moments that highlighted memories for Demeter or Persephone, etc. Even though I know what has happened in the beginning of this series, it’s always a joy to go back and read the story from the beginning and be reminded of how Persephone and Hades got to where they currently are in the ongoing series. A must read for fans of Greek mythology/ reimagining, plus humor, depth, beauty, and a variety of amazing artwork to captivate you all while following along Persephone and Hades’s story!

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