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A review by anwhitebooks
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
adventurous
dark
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? No
2.0
The first 150 pages were great, I was hooked. But it took me three times as long to finish the book and I skimmed basically the entire second half.
First, what I loved: focus on consent (and enthusiastic, continuing consent), character agency, communication about what they want and don't want, diversity.
As for what I didn't love: They fell in love really fast. Also, I think this book probably could've been a hundred pages shorter. In between the action and the "action" (wink) was a lot of internal monologuing that slowed everything down. Soooo much telling instead of showing. So much of it was the characters interrupting scenes to tell the reader what was happening and how they felt about it--over and over and over. There was about a hundred pages in the middle where they kept on being like, "Zeus is gonna retaliate" constantly and he NEVER DOES. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and instead I was reading about them going on cutesy dates and buying puppies, and other stuff I just could not care less about. By the end I didn't care at all about them or their circumstances and got no great satisfaction from the ending.
Also, just a pet peeve: there were some really damn good sentences...that were later cheapened when they were basically repeated. And not just repeated, but used by the other POV. For example, I loved when Persephone was running and said "My fear gave me wings." I could really envision her practically "flying" down the street because she's running so fast. But then later, Hades said, "Her screaming gave me wings." UGH. So much for distinctive character voices.
First, what I loved: focus on consent (and enthusiastic, continuing consent), character agency, communication about what they want and don't want, diversity.
As for what I didn't love: They fell in love really fast. Also, I think this book probably could've been a hundred pages shorter. In between the action and the "action" (wink) was a lot of internal monologuing that slowed everything down. Soooo much telling instead of showing. So much of it was the characters interrupting scenes to tell the reader what was happening and how they felt about it--over and over and over. There was about a hundred pages in the middle where they kept on being like, "Zeus is gonna retaliate" constantly and he NEVER DOES. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and instead I was reading about them going on cutesy dates and buying puppies, and other stuff I just could not care less about. By the end I didn't care at all about them or their circumstances and got no great satisfaction from the ending.
Also, just a pet peeve: there were some really damn good sentences...that were later cheapened when they were basically repeated. And not just repeated, but used by the other POV. For example, I loved when Persephone was running and said "My fear gave me wings." I could really envision her practically "flying" down the street because she's running so fast. But then later, Hades said, "Her screaming gave me wings." UGH. So much for distinctive character voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and War