A review by cxrriemc
The Maiden and The Unseen by Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TLDR: If you’re looking for a HadesxPersephone retelling that’s all spice with a tiny dash of plot, then this might be the book for you. Just be mindful that both characters have terrible communication skills and, Hades especially, is written in a very childish way.

Definitely not my favourite retelling as I tend to like my books, even the spicy ones, with at least a half decent plot with some substance attached. This reads as a pretty generic office romance with a hint of greek gods.

We only really get to see Hades and Persephone despite the first half of the book showing quite a bit of Helios and Melinoe which was a nice break but becomes very clear that their appearance at the start is just to kick of a book about them which was pretty annoying as it was nice to see both our main characters interacting with other people and the world around them.

In retellings I’m used to seeing Persephone often portrayed as a bit of a bratty character or being the more immature in the relationship but both Hades and Persephone were heard to stand at many points in the story. This made Hades hard to read in particular as you just expect so much more from his character and, at points, he is written as a more serious and melancholy character before going back to being whiny and childish. Both characters definitely could have benefited from some mature writing.

My review is conflicted as there are definitely good bits of writing throughout The Maiden and The Unseen, the character writing just hinders it so much. I think it’s best suited for those that are mainly just here for the spice and smut and can easily read without expecting too much from the plot/ characters.