Not really worth the hours I spent listening

this was a very interesting retelling of Hades and Persephone! I found many parts that I was getting angry with Persephone’s choices and thought processes and talking aloud. In this book Persephone spends most of it being very naive and sheltered and I’m hoping for more growth in the next book. I adored Hades. I do recommend this for someone who isn’t looking for too heavy of a read because it was enjoyable and light, and I’m looking forward to listening to the next book!
Edit: I got six hours into the second book and I’m just going to let you know that there is no growth except a steady downward spiral of Persephone. I stopped listening because her actions and thoughts were making me so angry. I’m confused about the demographic because the content suggests “new adult” but the actions of Persephone are that of a 14 year old. Her flagrant arrogance and callous actions are truly and remarkably stupid. I’m upset because I really liked the characters of Hades and Hermes and Hecate but it was not worth listening to that many hours of Persephone complaining and whining and being a total brat. I think this book might be good for people in their late teens I suppose? But honestly, it was a hard go to get through the first book and even harder to get through the second. It wasn’t worth it in my opinion.

8 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Left me quite disappointed

I had read so many good things about this book, and yet it has proven to be quite the disappointment. It feels more akin to a fanfic than a well thought out story. It felt like there was so much to be desired, from proper world building to complex character traits, to even just better descriptions of each scene. I loved the narrator at first but found her tone a bit incorrect in some places, but nonetheless she is very talented. Overall I would consider this book severely okay. Will not be reading the second one or anything else in the series.

4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Awakened

I have never been more sexually frustrated by a book haha. The story is compelling and addicting. I finished it in 2 days. And now I’m going to go get the rest of the series! Also the performance is *chefs kiss*

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Fun read

This is a book you can fall asleep to because the dialogue and characters are pretty predictable but the story is still addictive enough that you keep listening until you zzz...
The protagonist is pretty unlikeable however, she second guesses the motivation of her love interest in a way that makes you want to roll your eyes sometimes.
The narrator is amazing when it comes to voicing the female characters. Her voice goes from sweet to preppy to sexy seamlessly. But I can't say the same for her narration of the male characters. It took me some time to get use to it but eventually I did.
Anyways, I don't regret my purchase of the book since I remained interested to the end.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

amazing 👏

I wasn't sure if I would like this book going in but I got completely hooked. now I'm on to the second. I have always loved Greek mythology and the way the author brings these gods to life is addictive. cannot wait to read more from her.

Modernizing Greek myth

Modernizing the Rape of Persephone (note: in this context rape means to take without consent not to sexually assault) interest me. I was curious to see how the author would portray the gods and their relationships. At first I was okay with Persephone’s childish/selfish actions due to fact she is a naive goddess. Her character and actions did start to annoy me as the story progressed. The portrayal of Hades was pretty spot on for my liking. Story was good enough to keep me interested in what happens next. I will give the other books in this series a try before making a complete decision.

Virginial Retelling

Meg Sylvan was a fabulous narrator! Her voices for the male characters wasn't distracting, it added to the story!
There's graphic smut aplenty! I think that might be why I picked up this book. and they are good. well done!
I didn't like the character of Persephone though. I felt she was immature and quite irritating for her age. It was difficult to understand why Hades, a being millions of years old, would fall for someone who didn't make decisions for herself. I didn't feel the chemistry built organically nor did I think Persephone's arc was well balanced. I felt it focused too much on her immature self and breezed through her becoming independent and setting boundaries.
there were some cringey cliche points, but all in all, I enjoyed it even if it's not my preferred retelling.

wonderful read!

I really enjoyed this book! the narrator is one of the best I've yet experienced on Audible. the story was fast paced (in a good way). it moved with little padding. the romance was swoon worthy (and quite spicy!). My only criticism is that a few of the plot points near the end get wrapped up a little too quickly/neatly for my taste but it didn't diminish my overall enjoyment.

reminded me of reading fanfiction

this reminded me of reading stories on fanfiction websites in the early 2000's. that's not necessarily a bad thing but its a retelling of a classic story were the only thing that remains of the original character is their name recognition. I didn't feel like any of the gods matched what we would expect of them (with maybe the exception of Athena) and I don't feel as though the author tried very hard on that front. I'm totally fine with that, but then why not make up new characters?

Needed a cold shower afterwards.

At first I was quite irritated by what direction I thought the plot was going to take. I was happily surprised and relieved that I was very wrong. This retelling beautifully shows the lust, passion and love between Hades and Persephone. I loved the tidbits of other greek myths throughout the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Greek Mythology (and someone who doesn’t mind some “smutty” scenes) and to anyone who loves a good Romance. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.