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A review by mostlyshanti
Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis
4.0
I read this book in 2013. And then in 2016 I got twitter, and at some point I started following the author and then I was like 'I should reread these books I think I liked them' Recent rereading of my diary from ninth grade has confirmed that yes, I did like them. To be fair, it seems that every book mentioned in said diary was 'incredible' and 'so inspiring' and 'amazing'. Only some of said books have withstood the test of time. But you don't want to hear about that. You want to hear about how I read this book, mostly quite enjoyed it, got the next two books from the library, and am prepared to tear through them before school starts. I really liked this take on the Greek gods, and the different relationships in the book, though the writing leaves a bit to be desired.
So in creating this book, Bevis has essentially erased several Greek myths from the canon, leaving them until now to happen. Orpheus and Eurydice, Hades and Persephone--these stories take place within the book. Most of the gods are dead, and are living in the underworld, which is by all accounts quite a nice place to be. This is quite effective, though not really explained. The gods live off worship...but most of them died back in ancient times...but they still have some power even though they're dead? But tat's okay. Thanks to Percy Jackson, most people are fairly familiar with these myths, or at least versions of them. It didn't feel like a girlier (yeah, books shouldn't be gendered but their marketing sure is) version of Percy Jackson. Less sass for one thing, and a totally different interpretation of everything. There's definitely a lot more mythology to be explored in this world. Also, the gods are morally ambiguous, which I really like. It's one of the central conflicts Persephone faces in the novel.
I really like the relationships in this one, too. Hades and Persephone is a big one, and it's very hot and cold, because these guys have issues. Even though it was a straight romance, it went really slowly and they became friends first, and there was an age difference--the romance wasn't as big a deal as the friendship, and I really appreciated that. Because Demeter isn't around for most of the novel, that felt a bit empty on the development side, as did the relationship with Melissa which was limited to cheap words to justify action at the end of the story. Again, though, it didn't really bother me, because I wasn't reading this for depth. I really loved the characters of Cassandra and Thanatos, and the nuance of their relationship with Persephone. The ending set that up lots for future novels. These relationships had lots of room to grow, but were generally enjoyable. Persephone is just a downright likable character, and the whole discovering yourself arc is nothing new, but no less enjoyable for it.
And then there's the writing. It's not worse than most other YA books on the market, and it didn't really bother me, except for one thing: at the action parts, it becomes very tell-y, and I found those scenes really hard to follow. This troubled me somewhat, especially because it's paired with a meandering plot where nothing happens and then everything happens.
This is a fast read. It's fun. It's not that diverse, but it's a fresh take on Greek mythology with lots of potential that you can charge through pretty fast. It doesn't deserve as many superlatives as my less discerning ninth grade self would have given it, but who cares?
So in creating this book, Bevis has essentially erased several Greek myths from the canon, leaving them until now to happen. Orpheus and Eurydice, Hades and Persephone--these stories take place within the book. Most of the gods are dead, and are living in the underworld, which is by all accounts quite a nice place to be. This is quite effective, though not really explained. The gods live off worship...but most of them died back in ancient times...but they still have some power even though they're dead? But tat's okay. Thanks to Percy Jackson, most people are fairly familiar with these myths, or at least versions of them. It didn't feel like a girlier (yeah, books shouldn't be gendered but their marketing sure is) version of Percy Jackson. Less sass for one thing, and a totally different interpretation of everything. There's definitely a lot more mythology to be explored in this world. Also, the gods are morally ambiguous, which I really like. It's one of the central conflicts Persephone faces in the novel.
I really like the relationships in this one, too. Hades and Persephone is a big one, and it's very hot and cold, because these guys have issues. Even though it was a straight romance, it went really slowly and they became friends first, and there was an age difference--the romance wasn't as big a deal as the friendship, and I really appreciated that. Because Demeter isn't around for most of the novel, that felt a bit empty on the development side, as did the relationship with Melissa which was limited to cheap words to justify action at the end of the story. Again, though, it didn't really bother me, because I wasn't reading this for depth. I really loved the characters of Cassandra and Thanatos, and the nuance of their relationship with Persephone. The ending set that up lots for future novels. These relationships had lots of room to grow, but were generally enjoyable. Persephone is just a downright likable character, and the whole discovering yourself arc is nothing new, but no less enjoyable for it.
And then there's the writing. It's not worse than most other YA books on the market, and it didn't really bother me, except for one thing: at the action parts, it becomes very tell-y, and I found those scenes really hard to follow. This troubled me somewhat, especially because it's paired with a meandering plot where nothing happens and then everything happens.
This is a fast read. It's fun. It's not that diverse, but it's a fresh take on Greek mythology with lots of potential that you can charge through pretty fast. It doesn't deserve as many superlatives as my less discerning ninth grade self would have given it, but who cares?