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A review by plumpaperbacks
Electric Idol by Katee Robert
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
4.0
[second read, September-October 2023]
Rating raised from 3.5 stars to 4.
Me last year: Eros is being an asshole!!
Me now: Meh. I’ve suffered through a whole book of Dante Russo. This is nothing.
I was curious to see if my opinion would be different this time around, if this book still fell in last place in my Dark Olympus series ranking. While I can now say that I’m considerably fonder of Eros and Psyche—due largely to the parallels between them, Tink and Hook, and another of my favorite, unrelated fictional couples—that stance yet remains the same.
It really is interesting to me, how this pans out. That this is the Dark Olympus equivalent of A Worthy Opponent, my favorite Wicked Villains book and overall favorite Katee book, yet my least favorite in its own series. That, somehow, I just never formed an attachment to Eros and Psyche the way I did Tink and Hook, even though I should adore both ships.
Tastes really do be weird like that.
[first read, February 2022]
I was so excited for this book, both because I loved Neon Gods and because I haven’t seen any other retellings of the Eros and Psyche myth.
Unfortunately, though it was a quick read, Electric Idol wasn’t as entertaining to me as its predecessor. While I did really like Psyche, the same wasn’t true about Eros. His possessiveness toward Psyche was off-putting. I can’t say they had no chemistry, because they did, but I wasn’t really invested in their romance. In the last book, I was so distraught by the idea of Hades and Persephone not being together; in this one, I found myself mostly indifferent to the relationship and whether or not it lasted.
Similarly, in the last book, the final chapters were super intense; I sped through, needing to know if everything would work out. This time around, it felt very anticlimactic. There were a couple of impressive twists, but my point stands.
The best part was the side characters. I love the Dimitriou sisters, as well as Helen, Eris and Hermes. Every mention of Persephone and Hades made me ridiculously happy, and their cameos? I was through the freaking ROOF. To be honest, I kind of wish we’d seen a bit more of them. Also, I don’t think they got officially married in Neon Gods? So the fact that I didn’t get to see their wedding? RUDE.
I’m joking but also not.
(2023 Liv: I stand by this.)
Anyway, criticisms aside, Electric Idol wasn’t a bad book. I liked one of the protagonists, loved most of the side characters, and was living for the banter between Eros and Psyche. I’ll definitely be reading the next book, and also probably rereading the first because I miss Persephone and Hades. They’re the best.
Representation
Rating raised from 3.5 stars to 4.
Me last year: Eros is being an asshole!!
Me now: Meh. I’ve suffered through a whole book of Dante Russo. This is nothing.
I was curious to see if my opinion would be different this time around, if this book still fell in last place in my Dark Olympus series ranking. While I can now say that I’m considerably fonder of Eros and Psyche—due largely to the parallels between them, Tink and Hook, and another of my favorite, unrelated fictional couples—that stance yet remains the same.
It really is interesting to me, how this pans out. That this is the Dark Olympus equivalent of A Worthy Opponent, my favorite Wicked Villains book and overall favorite Katee book, yet my least favorite in its own series. That, somehow, I just never formed an attachment to Eros and Psyche the way I did Tink and Hook, even though I should adore both ships.
Tastes really do be weird like that.
[first read, February 2022]
I was so excited for this book, both because I loved Neon Gods and because I haven’t seen any other retellings of the Eros and Psyche myth.
Unfortunately, though it was a quick read, Electric Idol wasn’t as entertaining to me as its predecessor. While I did really like Psyche, the same wasn’t true about Eros. His possessiveness toward Psyche was off-putting. I can’t say they had no chemistry, because they did, but I wasn’t really invested in their romance. In the last book, I was so distraught by the idea of Hades and Persephone not being together; in this one, I found myself mostly indifferent to the relationship and whether or not it lasted.
Similarly, in the last book, the final chapters were super intense; I sped through, needing to know if everything would work out. This time around, it felt very anticlimactic. There were a couple of impressive twists, but my point stands.
The best part was the side characters. I love the Dimitriou sisters, as well as Helen, Eris and Hermes. Every mention of Persephone and Hades made me ridiculously happy, and their cameos? I was through the freaking ROOF. To be honest, I kind of wish we’d seen a bit more of them. Also, I don’t think they got officially married in Neon Gods? So the fact that I didn’t get to see their wedding? RUDE.
I’m joking but also not.
(2023 Liv: I stand by this.)
Anyway, criticisms aside, Electric Idol wasn’t a bad book. I liked one of the protagonists, loved most of the side characters, and was living for the banter between Eros and Psyche. I’ll definitely be reading the next book, and also probably rereading the first because I miss Persephone and Hades. They’re the best.
Representation
- fat bisexual protagonists
- pansexual protagonist
- queer side characters
- Black side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Fatphobia
Multiple explicit sex scenes. One protagonist was emotionally abused/manipulated by his mother as a child and is working past that in the novel. Mild gun violence in a few scenes. Death/murder discussed, committed in the past, but not really on-page.