Hello everyone!
Tonight's choice is no different.
I will say, though, that when I initially read the blurb for the book I was kind of expecting something else, though I don't inherently know why.
I'm pretty sure I just missed all the other signs before I read it LOL.
Don't get me wrong, it's an okay book, just not a book that I would usually find myself reaching for.
It does have one of my favourite mythological couples as it's focus point though, so it's not like I would have been mad either way.
Mythology, yo!
I may have books that fall into this same category (since there's so many of these retellings out there, it might as well be its own!) so if I do, I'll link them down below, as per usual.
The Maiden & The Unseen tells the modern day story of Hades and Persephone; the setting is legitimately modern day New York City, where Hades is the banker of the gods and Persephone works as a social media manager.
See the thing is, after Gaia gave the three brothers dominion over their three realms (also including Atlantis, Olympus and the like), she tied their life forces to it, so if one dies, the other thing dies too, something to remember for later on.
The gods have grown bored on Olympus and a lot of them have descended to mingle among mortals, but to do so they need funds, since none of them really want to work, and so Hades funds their existence. It's how he suddenly notices there's someone on his list that seems to be cloaked by a spell of some sort.
This is how he comes to freeze Persephone's accounts - she escaped the clutches of her controlling mother Demeter (under rules, but she's been breaking them ever since, even though every six months her mom has a check-in of a sorts) and really loves her life down on Earth.
So when she loses all her money, she goes to confront Hades, and ends up employed by him.
See, Hades is fated and cursed to find his queen, and all signs point to Persephone being the one, but if he has sex with her, he's binding her to the Underworld as much as he's bound, something he isn't prepared to do to her after hearing about the prison her mother fashioned for her to prevent this exact fate.
Instead, the two of them embark on a three quarters of a book long journey of lusting after the other, sexting, and Hades convincing Persephone to break up with the mortal boyfriend she has - because in his opinion she isn't free to do as she chooses - meanwhile Persephone is like PFFFT just bang me already, what do I care about this dude who I never even said was my boyfriend?
Yeah, her characterization is a bit on the naive/clueless side, because she's convinced Jackson IS NOT in fact her boyfriend because she never said he is, yet after six months he pops the question and totally shocks her. She makes a lot of assumptions along the lines of 'since I never defined x or y it's all good' but she never actually discusses these assumptions with the other person (namely Jackson really).
Either way, once it becomes clear she's never going to survive without having sex with Hades, she does in fact go to break up with Jackson, finding him banging his assistant (and also, there's something weird about the engagement ring he gets her that sort of wants to ... spell her or something?) and happily dumping him.
Then of course there's the issue of Hades not wanting to finish inside her because THAT will seal her fate, and she eventually brings it up, but he also can't talk about the fate or the curse because he's physically unable to.
Conundrum, right?
They make good on the rest of it, until Jackson appears back in Persephone's life and starts blackmailing her about telling Demeter what she's been up to, so she'd dump Hades, which prompts Hades to finally complete the curse, but what happens next surprises everyone: he wakes up buried in dirt with a tree root feeding off him, and Persephone gets whisked to the Underworld by Hekate, not understanding a thing (also, Jackson was Hermes in disguise).
Which is where we leave them!
Overall, I'd say this book is 70% smut and 30% plot. This isn't a BAD thing so much as it isn't a ME thing - I've moved on from purely smut books, I find, but I was drawn to this by its premise.
I love me a Hades/Persephone retelling.
This one had a lot of things I liked and that were unique:
- Hades the banker, this aspect is usually overlooked as Pluto was more the god of wealth later for the Romans but, thoroughly appreciate it
- Hades being shown as just a dark god is tossed out the window here and he gets agency and personality
- I loved seeing how vulnerable he could be
- the godly forms, wings, horns, EVERYTHING, it's rather unique and awesome
- the modern twists on the other gods made me laugh
Unfortunately, this book also had things I disliked:
- Persephone's character, because either she's sheltered to no end or plain stupid, head in the sand convinced Jackson and she aren't a thing after 6 months just because SHE didn't decide; it's kind of morbidly funny seeing her head implode over it
- Persephone clinging to Jackson but wanting to bone Hades; gurl, just no
- we don't really get a lot of info revealed about how much Demeter knows (we can assume EVERYTHING but we don't KNOW)
- I don't understand why the curse is still preventing Hades from speak after he basically fulfills it - this feels like a big miss
- so was Jackson always the trickster or just at the end?
- where do Helios and Mellie disappear off to?
- how does Persephone not get it's MINTHE who ratted her out
- okay so Hekate isn't happy Hades rules but, she can't be stupid enough to think everyone will just conveniently forget about their ruler in favour of Persephone dressed in just a shirt right? How does she imagine this will go?
- just Hekate in general annoyed me
There's a lot packed into the 30% we get that isn't smut, particularly given the ending with Hades. Hekate not being worried could imply she's the culprit, but my money is on Demeter - and really, unless Hekate is EXTRA stupid she needs to remember if the God of the Underworld dies, so does the world too. So she kinda needs Hades ...
I'm not big on the smut but, the plot itself has promise and I feel like I need a front row seat to when Persephone goes full-on scorched earth to find Hades and bring him back. So I'll probably read the sequel.
It's an okay book, but not my favourite. Gripping enough - if the smut drops down to 50 or 40 I may even say it's great!
Recommend if you want smut, sub/dom mechanics, and a rather original twist on the Hades/Persephone myth. You can pick it up at the end of September!
I love me a Hades/Persephone retelling.
This one had a lot of things I liked and that were unique:
- Hades the banker, this aspect is usually overlooked as Pluto was more the god of wealth later for the Romans but, thoroughly appreciate it
- Hades being shown as just a dark god is tossed out the window here and he gets agency and personality
- I loved seeing how vulnerable he could be
- the godly forms, wings, horns, EVERYTHING, it's rather unique and awesome
- the modern twists on the other gods made me laugh
Unfortunately, this book also had things I disliked:
- Persephone's character, because either she's sheltered to no end or plain stupid, head in the sand convinced Jackson and she aren't a thing after 6 months just because SHE didn't decide; it's kind of morbidly funny seeing her head implode over it
- Persephone clinging to Jackson but wanting to bone Hades; gurl, just no
- we don't really get a lot of info revealed about how much Demeter knows (we can assume EVERYTHING but we don't KNOW)
- I don't understand why the curse is still preventing Hades from speak after he basically fulfills it - this feels like a big miss
- so was Jackson always the trickster or just at the end?
- where do Helios and Mellie disappear off to?
- how does Persephone not get it's MINTHE who ratted her out
- okay so Hekate isn't happy Hades rules but, she can't be stupid enough to think everyone will just conveniently forget about their ruler in favour of Persephone dressed in just a shirt right? How does she imagine this will go?
- just Hekate in general annoyed me
There's a lot packed into the 30% we get that isn't smut, particularly given the ending with Hades. Hekate not being worried could imply she's the culprit, but my money is on Demeter - and really, unless Hekate is EXTRA stupid she needs to remember if the God of the Underworld dies, so does the world too. So she kinda needs Hades ...
I'm not big on the smut but, the plot itself has promise and I feel like I need a front row seat to when Persephone goes full-on scorched earth to find Hades and bring him back. So I'll probably read the sequel.
It's an okay book, but not my favourite. Gripping enough - if the smut drops down to 50 or 40 I may even say it's great!
Recommend if you want smut, sub/dom mechanics, and a rather original twist on the Hades/Persephone myth. You can pick it up at the end of September!
xx
*image not mine
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