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A review by savage_book_review
A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the finale of the Hades x Persephone series. And as I'm going to RARE24 in Edinburgh next month where the author is making an appearance, I had to get it read before I go!
I would firstly say that this book needs to be read straight off the back of 'A Touch of Malice'/'A Game of Gods' for the first section impact properly. There's no on-ramp - you're straight into the thick of the story. Where I was reading it a few months after picking up the last one, this did throw me a little bit as I had to try and remember exactly who was who and what was going on. But once all the pieces had put themselves together in my head, we were good to go!
It's an incredibly fast paced book IMO, which does mean that it feels like it's sacrificed some depth for the sake of drawing the various plot strands together. The story itself is great and really delivers on what has been building in the six previous books, but at the same time there are so many moments that could have been more detailed, drawn out or descriptive. Everything you need is there, but your imagination just has to work that little bit harder with this one to bring it to life. There are also a fair number of plot points left hanging - I'm hoping these might get picked up on in the follow up Aphrodite and Hephestus book/series that's coming, otherwise to me it doesfeel like the series has been left open-ended.
I do like that we get to see Hades and Persephone's PoVs side by side in this book, and Persephone's character feels much more mature than she does in previous books; I guess the threat of war and losing the one you love will do that to a character! The spicy scenes are still here, but they are somewhat toned down compared to the rest of the series. Still got sexy Hades though! Add to that the Theseus and Dionysius POVs and you get a great overview of all that's going on and a genuine disgust at Theseus's character and actions. Indeed, how I feel about him in this book is how I wanted to feel about him when reading Natalie Haynes' 'Stone Blind'.
There were some elements I was expecting in the conclusion that didn't appear, which left me slightly disappointed as it felt like elements of the story have been subtly stressed throughout the series to lead to a great conclusion. Where they haven't materialised, I'm feeling a bit hollow. But again, that's what my imagination (and fanfic) is for! Overall, it's not the greatest ending to a series I've ever read, but the series as a whole is one of my favourite versions of this myth. I do hope the author chooses to continue the series, even if Hades and Persephone take a back seat a la Feyre and Rhys in ACOSF. Need more of this particular brand of retelling in my life!
I would firstly say that this book needs to be read straight off the back of 'A Touch of Malice'/'A Game of Gods' for the first section impact properly. There's no on-ramp - you're straight into the thick of the story. Where I was reading it a few months after picking up the last one, this did throw me a little bit as I had to try and remember exactly who was who and what was going on. But once all the pieces had put themselves together in my head, we were good to go!
It's an incredibly fast paced book IMO, which does mean that it feels like it's sacrificed some depth for the sake of drawing the various plot strands together. The story itself is great and really delivers on what has been building in the six previous books, but at the same time there are so many moments that could have been more detailed, drawn out or descriptive. Everything you need is there, but your imagination just has to work that little bit harder with this one to bring it to life. There are also a fair number of plot points left hanging - I'm hoping these might get picked up on in the follow up Aphrodite and Hephestus book/series that's coming, otherwise to me it doesfeel like the series has been left open-ended.
I do like that we get to see Hades and Persephone's PoVs side by side in this book, and Persephone's character feels much more mature than she does in previous books; I guess the threat of war and losing the one you love will do that to a character! The spicy scenes are still here, but they are somewhat toned down compared to the rest of the series. Still got sexy Hades though! Add to that the Theseus and Dionysius POVs and you get a great overview of all that's going on and a genuine disgust at Theseus's character and actions. Indeed, how I feel about him in this book is how I wanted to feel about him when reading Natalie Haynes' 'Stone Blind'.
There were some elements I was expecting in the conclusion that didn't appear, which left me slightly disappointed as it felt like elements of the story have been subtly stressed throughout the series to lead to a great conclusion. Where they haven't materialised, I'm feeling a bit hollow. But again, that's what my imagination (and fanfic) is for! Overall, it's not the greatest ending to a series I've ever read, but the series as a whole is one of my favourite versions of this myth. I do hope the author chooses to continue the series, even if Hades and Persephone take a back seat a la Feyre and Rhys in ACOSF. Need more of this particular brand of retelling in my life!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Infidelity, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Alcohol