Respect could build an empire. Trust could make it unbreakable. Love could make it last forever.

I'm reading this webtoon called Lore of Olympus and I like it so I decided to look up books about retellings on Persephone and Hades and that's how I stumbled on this one!

A goddess of spring who can't seem to grow anything, Persephone longs for freedom and to be able to be herself. She's in New Athens, is a graduating college student majoring in Journalism and has an internship with a news agency. Away from her mother (Who's someone that makes the word overbearing an understatement) she finally feels she's doing something she's good at. But the threat to her so-called freedom is ever looming as her mother has nymphs spy on her, waiting for her to make a grave mistake, so she can whisk Persephone to her greenhouse prison. A night out with her best friend leads her to meet Hades and struck a bargain with him. From there, it's a journey of discovering her powers, love, and place in the world of mortals and gods!

What I like about this book is that, even when Persephone didn't have powers. She wasn't a damsel in distress. When pushed, she stands up for herself and calls out people for their BS and has enough self-awareness to do the same for herself. The only hitch I have is that, to me, the ending seemed a bit too bland? Or maybe I'm just dramatic? Anyway, we have book 2 to look forward to and I hope it comes out real soon ♥️ ( )

I unexpectedly enjoyed this! I was expecting to be bored since it's another Hade x Persephone retelling but I liked the characters and enjoyed reading about them. The retelling itself is nothing special though, this is a book you read for the characters not the plot. Persephone could get annoying but Hades was a character I'd like to learn more about. ( )

Pretty good. a few things that I didn't like but it wasn't that big. I really liked it. ( )

ACOMAF but make it modern, trashy, and extremely smutty… instant five stars sorry I’m here for a good time not a long time. ( )

4128/2024 I deo sage

Objectively, I know this is bad. But did I have fun? Yes. ( )

High stakes, slightly cheesy, and super steamy. I absolutely loved this. As far as Romantasy goes, I'm not sure there's much more I can ask for than a King of Hades with a catchphrase that is essentially "Are you well?". Swoon. ( )

Arghh, I wanted to love this book so badly!! I adore Greek mythology, especially the Hades and Persephone one in particular. And I was really, really hankering for an adult fantasy romance after reading a slew of YA books and thrillers. This checked all my boxes.

Except it fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, I lapped up the whole premise of a goddess hiding her identity in a cosmopolitan city, where characters from Greek mythology lived and thrived, were journalists and owners of bars and clubs and were treated as celebrities in the fictional town of New Athens. And I loved all the mentions of the gods in this book.

I liked Hades a lot - I thought he was the most rounded and well written character in the book. He came off one way but there was something deeper, and though he first came off as an edgelord vs the scary god of the dead, I eventually grew a soft spot for him.

Persephone annoyed me to no end. I was confused about her age…was she 18 or 24? She behaved like a bratty rebellious teenager vs a grown woman. And her character was so inconsistent. One minute she’s naive and the next she’s making demands of a God. I liked her at first and grew to dislike her.

The relationship was too insta-lovey for me. I love myself some steamy scenes, but I also like my romances slow-burn style where the characters get to know and appreciate each other first before declaring their love and I want to root for them to hook up/kiss/say I love you. Perhaps I read the wrong book.

That didn’t happen here. I also didn’t feel the connection between them. Infatuation? Yes, definitely. Love? Nowhere to be found. I understood why Persephone loved Hades, but not the other way around. This was hardly an enemies-to-lovers story, as it was based on misunderstandings and she lusted for him from the very start. I also strongly dislike the trope where the woman is a virgin and the man is not. Also, their relationship seemed toxic since he came off as controlling and possessive instead of loving, and he’s constantly leaving bruises on her body after sex/kissing. This unfortunately isn’t the first romance I’ve read with this dynamic.

The side characters and villains were all one dimensional cardboard cutouts and only seemed like they were there to serve the MCs and move the plot forward.

I see that this book has a ton of great reviews, and it may just be that this story wasn’t for me.

I don’t think I’ll be moving forward with this series. I may check out the Adrian and Isolde series to see if that’s more my cup of tea.
( )

Arghh, I wanted to love this book so badly!! I adore Greek mythology, especially the Hades and Persephone one in particular. And I was really, really hankering for an adult fantasy romance after reading a slew of YA books and thrillers. This checked all my boxes.

Except it fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, I lapped up the whole premise of a goddess hiding her identity in a cosmopolitan city, where characters from Greek mythology lived and thrived, were journalists and owners of bars and clubs and were treated as celebrities in the fictional town of New Athens. And I loved all the mentions of the gods in this book.

I liked Hades a lot - I thought he was the most rounded and well written character in the book. He came off one way but there was something deeper, and though he first came off as an edgelord vs the scary god of the dead, I eventually grew a soft spot for him.

Persephone annoyed me to no end. I was confused about her age…was she 18 or 24? She behaved like a bratty rebellious teenager vs a grown woman. And her character was so inconsistent. One minute she’s naive and the next she’s making demands of a God. I liked her at first and grew to dislike her.

The relationship was too insta-lovey for me. I love myself some steamy scenes, but I also like my romances slow-burn style where the characters get to know and appreciate each other first before declaring their love and I want to root for them to hook up/kiss/say I love you. Perhaps I read the wrong book.

That didn’t happen here. I also didn’t feel the connection between them. Infatuation? Yes, definitely. Love? Nowhere to be found. I understood why Persephone loved Hades, but not the other way around. This was hardly an enemies-to-lovers story, as it was based on misunderstandings and she lusted for him from the very start. I also strongly dislike the trope where the woman is a virgin and the man is not. Also, their relationship seemed toxic since he came off as controlling and possessive instead of loving, and he’s constantly leaving bruises on her body after sex/kissing. This unfortunately isn’t the first romance I’ve read with this dynamic.

The side characters and villains were all one dimensional cardboard cutouts and only seemed like they were there to serve the MCs and move the plot forward.

I see that this book has a ton of great reviews, and it may just be that this story wasn’t for me.

I don’t think I’ll be moving forward with this series. I may check out the Adrian and Isolde series to see if that’s more my cup of tea.
( )

Very well written, you can tell how the author tries to write this book with suspense and love. The relationship between her and her mother also came across well. Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to many events, and regrettably, I didn't like the story towards the end. It was good at the beginning, but by the third book, the story lost its way. It's not a waste to read it once, but, unfortunately, it's not enough for a second time for me. ( )

Exactly the somewhat shallow and cheesy romance I expected. Not horrible but I still have no idea how this is so much more popular than many others of its kind. ( )

An innocent poker game traps Persephone into a contract with the Underworld--and the Lord of the Dead himself. What she didn't bargain for was the intense passion between them, or that his touch of darkness would awaken something dark and powerful in her.

Recommended for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses! ( )

Loved it!

This is my first Scarlett St. Clair book and won’t be the last. This was a wonderful modern telling of the Persephone and Hades mythology.

All the characters were believable and I loved Persephone, Hades, Lexa and Hecate. I can’t wait to read more of this series! ( )

3.5 the angst was great. lost points for persephone’s horrid 2011 taste in clothes and the one time she wore leggings and a messy bun ( )

Slow burn of my dreams. Loved it. ( )

In my opinion this book was very beautifully written, it was my first read since I was a child and I honestly fell in love with the story line, I loved the idea of putting the gods from ancient Greek mythology into a more modern world, and I especially loved that the main character Persephone would shift between the two worlds so easily.

Another huge thing I loved about the book was how much Persephone grew throughout it, and although her relationship with Hades seemed a little rushed, the chemistry between the two kept me enticed the entire time.

It was hard to put this book down. ( )

4⭐️ 3🔥

Tropes:
Slow burn 🔥
Fated mates
Enemies to Lovers

Rent free scene: the bath
Unforgettable quote: "Let me be your first." "Tell me I am the only one."

This was a great story. I stayed up until 3am reading it and I flew through it. I finished it in only 3 sittings. There wasn't a single time that I was bored throughout this book. And every time I put it down, I just wanted to pick it back up. Which is why I didn't really put it down!
It didn't meet all of my requirements for a 5 star but it was still really good! I've already started on the second book, A Touch of Ruin. The characters, atmosphere, pacing, and world building were good. The plot and writing was great! I never thought I'd fall in love with Hades, the God of the Underworld, but here I am. This is a pretty slow burn and there are a lot of questions and mystery behind certain things that you don't find out until near the end. Some of my questions are still unanswered. I'm hoping that they will be revealed in the next book.
There were some twists in the plot. The book did not leave on a cliffhanger and I feel like if you wanted to end the series here you could. But I'll continue on to the next book so I can get more of Hades and Persephone! And that's exactly what this book does, it makes you crave more.

This is like ACOMAF vibes.
Persephone = Feyre, Hades = Rhysand, Hermes = Cassian, Hecate = Mor, Demeter = Tamlin
At least I saw some similarities there.

Below are SPOILERS of my thoughts and reactions:

60%: I have a feeling that Hades will be nothing like anyone portrays him as. I'm getting Rhysand vibes. Dark and brooding but misunderstood by the mask they wear for the rest of the world. I can't tell if hades is playing with persephone or if he has some sort of attraction towards her. Or is it just because she's a goddess?
He can feel her? Just her? Or everyone?
I'm kind of annoyed with her journalism business. It seems to unimportant compared to the fact that she can be in the underworld whenever she wants. And i mean, if she wants him and he's egging it on, why doesn't she give in?
Well it's about time.
I love that they're fated.

100%: Something is going on. More than persephone knows. Something bigger.
Omg the god of Death, baking cookies 😂
What is Demeters deal? ( )

3.5 stars. This book was good, not grate. There were a few lines/sections that were a bit cringey. Some of the lauguage was just ick. That being said, I enjoyed the story. I love that it was insta-attaction, but not insta-love. This reworking of Persephone and Hades was different and fun. I loved the tension between them. And the spice was just spicey enough. I will definitely continue with the series. ( )

DNF at 8%

"The force of what she'd done hit her. She'd allowed Hades, the God of the Underworld, to instruct her, to touch her, to play her and question her. And he had won. But that wasn't the worst part. No. The worst part was that there was a side of her, a side that she'd never known existed until tonight, that wanted to run back inside, find him, and demand a lesson in the anatomy of his body."

AND. I. AM. OUT.

The Goddess of Spring, Persephone, just graduated college and has a job lined up as a journalist. Hades is a coldhearted god of the Underworld. When they meet, a contract is made: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom for eternity. Spending so much time around someone creates a lot of emotions.

I picked up this book at the recommendation of a patron. When I started reading it, I recognized the story! In fact, I own it. I absolutely did reread it and it was just as I remembered it. A second read might not have been the best idea for me. I became hypercritical and was left with many questions. This is absolutely a comfort book. ( )

This is the first book of Scarlett St. Clair's I've read, so maybe I'm just not used to her writing style, but there were many times the style wasn't jiving with me. That's the only thing that made me drop it to four stars.
Other than that, I loved it. Reimagining a modern world in which the gods of ancient Greek mythology walk among us seemed like a weird doomed-to-fail balance at first, but the more I read it, the more immersed I became. Hades and Persephone are both intriguing and complex characters, and though their romance feels a little rushed at moments, there is impeccable chemistry, steamy sex scenes, and, oddly enough, quite a bit of humor.
Looking forward to the second one! I'm probably gonna start it in a couple hours ( )

I have to say that I loved it. I loved how the author took the Hades and Persephone myth and made it her own. It has the right amount smut and I rarely read smut. I understand Persephone's character and the inner turmoil and her relationship with her mother.

Demeter is so much like my own. I am at the second book and I cannot wait to get my hands on the Hades saga after I am done with this series. ( )

I hate DNF-ing books but I forced myself to read 25% of it in the hopes that it would improve and then I just couldn’t bare to read anymore. Which is such a shame because I had high hopes for it! I love Greek mythology, especially Hades and Persephone plus the synopsis sounded interesting. However, I was sorely disappointed.

It was just bad. It was so cliche and read like a Wattpad fan fiction. It even had the scene where the best friend drags the studious main character out to party where they meet the love interest. I found Persephone annoying and honestly kind of dumb and also inconsistent? One moment she didn’t want to go to Nevernight because she feared her mom finding out so her friend had to drag her out there and then later she had no problem marching on in there to yell at the God of the Underworld?? Not to mention the insta-love or should I say insta-lust. Persephone was ready to jump Hades bones the moment she laid eyes on him. And I’m sorry, I can handle sex in books if I am otherwise enjoying the plot and/or characters but I didn’t so it made it even more intolerable especially since all of her interactions with Hades were sexed up. Where’s the build up? The growth of their relationship? Come on. Don’t just jump immediately to that. It’s so shallow. As for plot... well. That should have held promise but was just executed badly. Everything that happened felt disjointed and random and a lot of it just kind of happened conveniently to further the plot along. I really did hope it would improve in someway but it seemed to just get worse.

Overall: I found the entire 25% I read to be completely cringy and disappointing. I have no idea why it’s got such good ratings. ( )

You're going to need a fan after reading this because you'll need something to help you cool down. This book is *spicy* in the best way possible. I love a good Greek mythology retelling. It's also a fantastic audiobook. ( )

Surprisingly good and enchanting,
It's a pretty easy read and a creative retelling. Usually, retellings reuse everything but this one was different. I was skeptical due to mixed reviews but I enjoyed it ( )