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A review by thanmayi
Electric Idol by Katee Robert
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I absolutely devoured this book up in one sitting and I don't regret a single second of it.
This book follows Psyche and Eros who end up in a marriage of convenience in order to protect Psyche from Aphrodite.
The thing about this book is that it did wonderfully in all the parts that neon gods lacked but fell short on everything that I enjoyed more of in Neon gods. In order to make this easier, I'm going to break this down a bit.
Characters.
Psyche
I absolutely loved the portrayal of a fat protagonist who is confident in her skin while not being oblivious to the social norms and how she copes in general. I definitely had a better grasp on her character than I did on Persephone's and found her more relatable in general. There was a very subtle "She's not like other girls' thing going on but it was subtle enough for me to just move past it without gagging.
Eros
As much as I liked Eros in the romantic hero capacity, it felt like his only character point was being a 'monster' and hating himself? I do get where he was coming from but it did feel a little bit excessive.
The side characters
I loved the side characters, Hermes is definitely on the top of my list and I would do anything that woman asked of me. I enjoyed meeting Helen in this book and I'm excited to read more about her. I also really really want to read more of Eris (who is now aphrodite and I know for a fact that KR has a book coming out for her too)
The plot
I think that this is KR's more plot-driven books and I enjoyed this a lot because this meant that the book had better world-building comparatively. I liked the take on the marriage of convenience trope and the stakes were more believable than NG. Overall it had a pretty solid plot until the ending...the last 30 pages (not including the epilogue) did not make sense to me at all and felt underdeveloped.
The Romance
This is totally a personal preference thing but I'm not a fan of the insta love trope and how fast all of this played out, they were practically in love with each other within a week and somehow that did not sit right with me.
But putting that aside I did enjoy how cute both were and the idea of a conventionally attractive man being totally smitten by someone who isn't.
The smut, as usual, was really well written but I think that what gave Neon Gods the extra oomph was missing here. I think that this has more to do with the fact that this book didn't have kink involved like the rest of the books I've read by the author.
I will say though that certain parts of this book reminded me of Hook and Tink from the Wicked Villians series by KR while still being unique in its own way.
Conclusion
This was a really good read and makes me want to continue the series for sure and I like most of the book. I do have a teeny tiny issue with the queer representation in this book. Both the main characters are said to be queer in the book (as are Persephone and Hades in NG) but somehow doesn't impact them whatsoever? I'm not asking for ppl of the community to be miserable but there are certain nuances that come with being Queer especially when you're a part of such a high society filled with very judgemental people. I think that this somehow downplays the importance of them being queer especially as they end up in an m/f pairing.
This book follows Psyche and Eros who end up in a marriage of convenience in order to protect Psyche from Aphrodite.
The thing about this book is that it did wonderfully in all the parts that neon gods lacked but fell short on everything that I enjoyed more of in Neon gods. In order to make this easier, I'm going to break this down a bit.
Characters.
Psyche
I absolutely loved the portrayal of a fat protagonist who is confident in her skin while not being oblivious to the social norms and how she copes in general. I definitely had a better grasp on her character than I did on Persephone's and found her more relatable in general. There was a very subtle "She's not like other girls' thing going on but it was subtle enough for me to just move past it without gagging.
Eros
As much as I liked Eros in the romantic hero capacity, it felt like his only character point was being a 'monster' and hating himself? I do get where he was coming from but it did feel a little bit excessive.
The side characters
I loved the side characters, Hermes is definitely on the top of my list and I would do anything that woman asked of me. I enjoyed meeting Helen in this book and I'm excited to read more about her. I also really really want to read more of Eris (who is now aphrodite and I know for a fact that KR has a book coming out for her too)
The plot
I think that this is KR's more plot-driven books and I enjoyed this a lot because this meant that the book had better world-building comparatively. I liked the take on the marriage of convenience trope and the stakes were more believable than NG. Overall it had a pretty solid plot until the ending...the last 30 pages (not including the epilogue) did not make sense to me at all and felt underdeveloped.
The Romance
This is totally a personal preference thing but I'm not a fan of the insta love trope and how fast all of this played out, they were practically in love with each other within a week and somehow that did not sit right with me.
But putting that aside I did enjoy how cute both were and the idea of a conventionally attractive man being totally smitten by someone who isn't.
The smut, as usual, was really well written but I think that what gave Neon Gods the extra oomph was missing here. I think that this has more to do with the fact that this book didn't have kink involved like the rest of the books I've read by the author.
I will say though that certain parts of this book reminded me of Hook and Tink from the Wicked Villians series by KR while still being unique in its own way.
Conclusion
This was a really good read and makes me want to continue the series for sure and I like most of the book. I do have a teeny tiny issue with the queer representation in this book. Both the main characters are said to be queer in the book (as are Persephone and Hades in NG) but somehow doesn't impact them whatsoever? I'm not asking for ppl of the community to be miserable but there are certain nuances that come with being Queer especially when you're a part of such a high society filled with very judgemental people. I think that this somehow downplays the importance of them being queer especially as they end up in an m/f pairing.