A review by mikaylay
Neon Gods by Katee Robert

adventurous funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 Series: Dark Olympus Book 1
Publisher: Sourcebooks (2021)
Genres: Romance with sub-genres of Mythology, Retellings, Fiction, and Fantasy.
Page count: 380
Intended age category, book format: Adult, novel, physical- paperback
Recommended age: 18+
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice Level: 4/5 🌶 – explicit/ tantalizing depictions of sexual content, 18+ only
Profanity: 3/5 – medium level, 10 or more instances of curse words
Synopsis:
 A modern retelling of Persephone and Hades that is both sweet, mysterious and a bit spicy. Society beauty Persephone Dimitriou had big plans for her future that included escaping away from the ever-consuming and backstabbing nature of politics that plagued her home of the Upper City. Her plans however hit a roadblock when her mother Demeter springs an announcement of Persephone’s engagement to Zeus effectively dashing all of Persephone’s hopes and dreams of escaping and creating a new life for herself or so she thought. When Persephone flees from her mother and the rest of the powerful thirteen to the forbidden undercity said to be full of darkness and despair, she ends up making a deal with the so-called dead devil himself Hades. The deal will open both their eyes and hearts to things they both had long since given up to the political nature and overwhelming haunting shadow hands of the thirteen. Will there be a happy ending for the two or will the rest of the thirteen led by the all-powerful Zeus bring war and destruction to their plans, people, and hearts?
Date Started: February 4, 2024    Date Finished: February 14, 2024
Review: 
 The consent in Persephone and Hades’s relationship was important, and I enjoyed reading a book where consent was an important topic and point in the relationship. Persephone’s relationship with her three sisters is adorable, relatable, and inspiring in the way of trying to love and protect one’s siblings amid backstabbing political and dangerous situations. The way the book showcased the various ways in which power can drive a person to do evil things such as killing one to three of their wives was well-done and intriguing to see. The blooming, quirky, and sassy banter and friendship between Persephone, Hades, Hermes, and Dionysus bring a relatable feature and human-like nature to the story and the characters that are quite enjoyable. The writing was easy to understand, read, and imaginative at points. The book could have used more information on the way the people were selected to take over as one of the thirteen and the powerful political system to help readers better understand the nature and hand that the thirteen and politics play in everyone’s lives in the book. While I enjoyed Persephone and Hades’s friendship and relationship, it did feel quite instant-lovey and the book seemed to focus more on the sexual side of their relationship than the emotional or mental side of it. I think the book would have benefitted from more of the emotional and mental connection between Persephone and Hades being shown more or well-balanced with the sexual side of their relationship in the way of allowing a better knowledge and connection of the readers to the characters and their relationship. The plot was intriguing and was good but did feel a bit lost and unorganized in the end which could have been done on purpose by the author to represent the chaos of the situations occurring in the book. Overall, the book was a good retelling of the Hades and Persephone relationship and story.
Recommended for anyone over the age of 18 looking for a somewhat similar but also unique Hades and Persephone retelling.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings