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nedjemet 's review for:
Lore Olympus: Volume Two
by Rachel Smythe
This book is leagues above the first in terms of almost everything. Book one was 400 pages of little more than pining, but here we have actual plot and character interactions! How refreshing. I'm actually writing this review after reading the first five books because I wanted to make sure that this change in quality stuck around and it does! I had a lot of fun reading books two to four though I will warn readers that the series is basically a soap opera. There's a ton of melodrama added to drag things out, meaning that the romance moves along at a snails pace, but there are lots of juicy side plots to keep you distracted from that issue.
This style of story isn't my usual cup of tea, so I doubt that I'll reread this series, but it does fit the Greek gods quite well and I can see why people are having fun with it. The only thing that I'll note as a negative is that art style is incredibly simplistic, which can make it quite hard to tell characters apart. The main way they're differentiated is through color, but some characters have the same color and outfits/hair styles change pretty regularly, so there were multiple times when I was confused as to who a character was. For example, Apollo and Zeus are both purple and there's a scene in one of the later books where Zeus randomly shows up to talk to Artemis and I thought that it was Apollo. Which is kind of a big deal given Apollo's role in the story which brings us to spoiler talk.
First, a trigger warning and spoilers for the ending of book one:
Vague discussions for how the above is handled lie within:
The other thing I should mention is that this book sees Persephone become which is not a dynamic that I enjoy since it only highlights the main couple's power imbalance. I'm not going to call them unhealthy because Hades is quite respectful and even but I did feel that it was worth mentioning since I know this dynamic is a hard no for some readers no matter how healthy the couple is.
Moving forward, I'll note any particularly good or bad elements of the individual books in this series, but don't expect a full review until I get to the last one because I don't think that there's much point in reviewing each book given the way this story is being told. I read the first five books yesterday and they all blur together because there's no true ending for any of them nor do any of them feel like they have a unique arc. The only reason they're broken up into separate volumes is because of the limits imposed by physical media. Functionally, they are one story and so I'm just going to wait and review that story assuming that I circle back to this once it's done.
This style of story isn't my usual cup of tea, so I doubt that I'll reread this series, but it does fit the Greek gods quite well and I can see why people are having fun with it. The only thing that I'll note as a negative is that art style is incredibly simplistic, which can make it quite hard to tell characters apart. The main way they're differentiated is through color, but some characters have the same color and outfits/hair styles change pretty regularly, so there were multiple times when I was confused as to who a character was. For example, Apollo and Zeus are both purple and there's a scene in one of the later books where Zeus randomly shows up to talk to Artemis and I thought that it was Apollo. Which is kind of a big deal given Apollo's role in the story which brings us to spoiler talk.
First, a trigger warning and spoilers for the ending of book one:
Spoiler
book one ends with Apollo raping Persephone in a very realistic "non-violent" manner. He comes into her room while she's asleep, wakes her up, and then pressures her into sex that she does not enjoy. She spends most of the scene dissociating from what's happening as she questions if she really does want this. This book starts right after that scene.Vague discussions for how the above is handled lie within:
Spoiler
It feels weird to say this, but it's nice to see this type of rape portrayed and portrayed so well. From an outsider's POV, this is clearly rape and I love the fact that the series does straight up call it that. No one but the rapist ever tries to paint it in shades of grey. But for the victim, it gets complicated in part because this type of rape is so rarely discussed even though it's the most common type. Victims think, "I didn't fight back" or "I didn't say stop" or "I said okay" or "but it wasn't violent like it is in the movies" and blame themselves because of that. It's so important to have media that validates these types of victims and that shows why enthusiastic consent is the rule and not just consent. Pressuring someone into a "yes" is not the same as getting an actual "yes." The fallout from this rape is still ongoing, so I can't give it my full seal of approval, but so far nothing has made me worry about the handling of this very sensitive plot line. It's the element of the story that I'm most looking forward to seeing play out as the romance isn't doing much for me.The other thing I should mention is that this book sees Persephone become
Spoiler
an intern in the underworld, making Hades her bossSpoiler
has a full-on meltdown once he learns Persephone age,Moving forward, I'll note any particularly good or bad elements of the individual books in this series, but don't expect a full review until I get to the last one because I don't think that there's much point in reviewing each book given the way this story is being told. I read the first five books yesterday and they all blur together because there's no true ending for any of them nor do any of them feel like they have a unique arc. The only reason they're broken up into separate volumes is because of the limits imposed by physical media. Functionally, they are one story and so I'm just going to wait and review that story assuming that I circle back to this once it's done.