My favorite Hades & Persephone retelling hands down. I read this in one day! It was really hot and really well done!

Neon Gods is a modern day retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone with a dark twist. Persephone is an Olympus socialite who is to be Zeus’s bride in a political move set in motion by her mother, Demeter. Persephone escapes to the Underworld and is taken in by Hades, a mysterious figure who does not make himself known in Olympus. Hades offers Persephone a place to hide out in the Underworld for 6 months, when she reaches the age of majority. Persephone comes to realize that the Underworld is very different from the stories she has been told and Hades is a very real figure that given the chance will consume her.

This is definitely my new favorite book from Katee Robert. It was so good. I was hooked from the beginning. If you like spicy romance, pick this up!

A decidedly spicy retelling of the classic Hades and Persephone love story, I enjoyed Persephone’s agency and Hades’ soft spot for Persephone. Though the writing was at times repetitive and Hades’ overprotectiveness a bit overblown, overall I enjoyed the story and found it to be an entertaining story of a women escaping social entrapment and finding freedom in love. A fluffy yet spicy read, this story is ideal for adult readers who enjoy retellings, banter, and protective partnerships.

I'm in awe of Kate's Robert's writing as always but this book especially, she outdid herself! What a creative spin on classic greek myths and of Olympus itself. I could not put this book down and I devoured it as quickly as possible. I am so excited for the rest of the Dark Olympus series and Electric Idol cannot be release soon enough! This mysterious world and the politics she created left me intrigued and only wanting more. Highly recommend!

I really enjoy retellings of the Greek Myths, and this was an interesting take on the popular story of Hades and Persephone. After reading Neon Gods, I can’t wait for a book #2 of this series!

I enjoyed the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, which stayed true to the common bad boy meets good girl trope, but put a fresh twist on it. Without spoiling anything, this Persephone gave the reader a taste of a modern woman, while this Hades remained a bad boy with an unexpected streak of goodness.

There were interesting ideas that made me think differently about the Gods: there are new associations made by allowing traditionally male gods to be female, and the idea that the gods could die and be replaced by new players was novel in my opinion. I also like the idea that Persephone went to Hades of her own accord, rather than Hades kidnapped her, which makes the tale more modern and put more power in the hands of the woman.

I had fun pricing together the mystery behind the treaty; it wasn’t spelled out directly, but the reader eventually gets enough information to understand how it works. From the replacement of Gods, to Zeus’ various new marriages, it is what brings a fresh perspective to the story—there had to be something new and different to set it apart from the traditional myths, which is what makes this such a fun and interesting version.

I also enjoyed the love story, and the erotic scenes, of course!

*4.5 stars

This was so much fun! Definitely one of my favorite Hades and Persephone retellings for sure!

At the beginning of this book, Persephone is essentially forced to say yes to a marriage proposal from Zeus. However, she is terrified because it is said that Zeus has killed all of his past wives. To escape this man, Persephone flees and ends up on the other side of the River Styx. She then comes across a man she thought was a myth, Hades. He saves her and ends up taking her to his home. They then start up a fake relationship in hopes of steering Zeus away. Through them faking this relationship, they might actually start feeling deeply for one another.

I loved this! This was super fun! I loved Hades and how caring he was! I love how Katee Robert rewrote these takes and mythological beings. I LOVED what she did with the Orpheus and Eurydice tale!

The reason why I did not give it 5 stars is because of Persphone. She is honestly not my favorite kind of character. I am a firm believer in taking care of yourself, and it made me so frustrated when Persephone did not care for her well-being.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series when they come out!!

TROPES: age gap, books with pets, brooding hero, caretaking scene (heroine's feet), damaged hero, fate dating, I hate everyone in the world but you, lgbtq+ (both characters are not straight), recluse, scarred character (hero's back)

Thank you to Soruce Books for giving me an eARC of this book.

This book was enjoyable but I think I was expecting more than I got.

Although the spicy scenes were extra spicy and delicious as the author is very well known to do, the romance felt a little too rushed for me. I was hoping for a little bit of angst in the beginning and may be a little bit of heat to love especially being a Hades and Persephone book but that was just not the case. I think it would be better if the beginning was stretched out a little longer and allow for the romance to build.

The story felt a little bit too long although the ending was very enjoyable and exciting to read.
If this book becomes a series I’m not sure if I will continue to read the series but I definitely will read more from this author.

I loved this book! Alternating between the audio and ebook, was a great experience. Katee Robert has always been amazing at worldbuilding and spice and Neon Gods is her best work yet! Persephone and Hades were so cute and their chemistry was amazing.

I adore Katee Robert’s books and I was so so excited for Neon Gods. It lived up to the hype! This was steamy perfection. I loved the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, THIS is a modern retelling done right! The plot wasn’t as steamy as Robert’s indie published titles, but that’s okay. I couldn’t get enough of this plot or these characters! I cannot wait for the second in the series! 4.5 stars (5 for netgalley)

NEON GODS is a masterpiece, y’all. Katee Robert strikes again!

I’m familiar with the Hades/Persephone story and love reading retellings based on the myth, but this might be the best one I’ve read yet. It’s hot, sexy, and full of heart. Persephone Dimitriou is a whip-smart ray of sunshine to Hades’s grumpy exterior. They spend the book denying their feelings for each other while simultaneously bringing out the best in each other. This is EXACTLY what I want from my romance novels.

That, and incredibly steamy scenes.

The writing is gorgeous, witty, and hilarious. I love every character so much, especially the side characters. Hermes is funny and cares deeply, but also mysterious and cunning. The Dimitriou sisters have distinct personalities that shine in the few scenes they’re in, and their love for one another is undeniable. I could tell how much detail and care Katee put into this series.

AND THE PUPPIES!!!! THERE ARE PUPPIES!!!!!! I was hoping Cerberus (and Charybdis and Scylla) would make an appearance lol.

I cannot wait for Eros and Psyche’s story in ELECTRIC IDOL! Katee Robert has quickly become one of my all-time faves, and the Dark Olympus series is everything I want in the dark romance genre.

Katee Robert writes the sexiest urban fantasy romance books. Alas, despite what everyone says, Neon Gods isn't her best. Can't wait for more from this world, though.

I was expecting so much more. Yes the sexy scenes were excellent but this has horrible world-building. I expected this to be gods and goddesses living in modern times. Other than their names, they didn’t feel like gods.

The world is more like political factions with the Upper City ruled by Zeus and the Lower City ruled by Hades. The 13 are the top gods/goddesses who are in charge. Demeter governs the food supply. Ares is in charge of military and law enforcement. It looks like the name Demeter, Hades, Ares are more like titles they get elected to? But there are some titles that are hereditary like Zeus and Hades? The world and political structure is not explained at all.

I wanted the gods/goddesses to have powers but they didn’t. It looks like their power comes from their authority, political influence, and wealth. At the same time, there seems to be a couple of instances of magic. For example Persephone is running away from Zeus’ men and she crossed the River Styx to the Lower City. There’s this force that prevents people from crossing because they feel this overwhelming force when they try to cross but Persephone gets through out of desperation. Also, Hermes is able to crawl walls and enter buildings despite high security, which could be explained with her perhaps being highly trained. But when she relays messages, the voice of the author of the message comes out from her mouth. Is this her power? Or is she just really good at imitating people?

I liked Persephone’s character but Hades was lackluster. Hades is also told that he’s scary and powerful but he really wasn’t at all. He’s a secret softie but for someone who wanted revenge for so long, he was too indecisive at key moments.

Overall, I feel like this story didn’t know what it wanted to be. Is it Hades & Persephone set in contemporary time? Or is it a retelling inspired by mythology? The only good aspect of the book is the smut.

Loved the whole retelling of the Greek myth it was always one of my favorites and she did a fabulous job! this is probably one of my favorite of her books to date. I can't wait for her next one.

Rating: 2.5 rounded up

Neon Gods is a retelling in characters' names only. When I hear Hades and Persephone retelling, I think of Greek mythology. So I was expecting there to be a fantastical element. What the author did with the gods' names was creative, but I was hoping there would be more to the names other than just being job titles.

There was no character development, and the relationship felt rushed; it was insta-love. I believed they had an initial attraction, but that attraction turned to love really fast.

I didn't care for the overall plot or characters, and there was no world-building other than a poorly explained barrier that divides the city. Even though I did not enjoy this book, I'd still be interested in reading more of the series as they sound more interesting.

Best Hades and Persephone story I have ever read and I hope she is able to publish every book planned in this scandalous and yet romantic series!

It is possible that the hype was too high with this one. While I enjoyed it I was definitely expecting something crazier in terms of the smut. Maybe I read too much romance but it wasn't that wild. Also, the world building was sorely lacking. I was very confused how about the rules of this world and how things worked. Why weren't people allowed to cross the River Styx and why did it feel difficult for them to do so? Also, it made sense that Hermes could cross but why could Dionysus. It felt like the author tried to make this greek myth a mix of modern day with magical elements but it didn't make sense.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! Always a sucker for a new Hades/Persephone retelling. After seeing the hype on TikTok for all of Katee Robert's other books, I had high hopes for this one. I will say, it started off strong and lost my interest a bit by the end. Interested to see her take on other retellings and read her Disney villains series.

3.5 stars

When I started this book, I had some mixed feelings. I know some people absolutely love this book while others have told me they were disappointed. I love Katee Roberts, so I was excited to read this. To start with the romance, I was surprised by how sweet it was. Hades truly falls head over heels for Persephone and that was definitely my favorite part of this book. That, though, was really the only thing I loved about this book. The plot was so slow and not a whole lot actually happened. Persephone was supposed to be deathly afraid of Zeus, but he could never cross the river to get to her, so I didn't really feel that much tension and anticipation of Zeus being the bad guy or villain of the story. Things only really start to pick up around the last 60 pages when Persephone finally decides to put a plan into action. I did like the tension there and the angst with Hades where he was trying to decide between the well being of his people and his relationship with Persephone. I do wish we got a bit more substance to all of the side characters, especially Persephone's sisters. We got to meet them, but they weren't really there a whole lot and I felt like we were told a lot more about them than actually shown who they were as characters. While I loved the romance, the plot was just meh for me. I don't want to say this is a disappointment because I'm still rounding up to a four star since this is a romance and that truly was the best part of this book, but those high expectations did let me down from those saying this is an all-time favorite book of theirs.

I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher through Netgalley. Thanks so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me the chance to review an early copy.
Oooh boy, this was HOT, HOT, HOT! Very addictive. I was hooked. I really liked this modern take on the Greek gods. Persephone and Hades really had that spark!
I was a tad confused in the beginning in how the Greek gods worked, but the more I read, the more I got it. It was an interesting angle to the world.
The black door. The BLACK DOOR! Wow. Once Hades enters that room, he really does become King of the Underworld. I'm blushing. It's not a book that I want someone peeking over my shoulder while reading. Adult Content Ahead.
I'm definitely interested in reading the next book. Neon Gods takes a new spin on the Greek gods, and I enjoyed it. I do think it could have explained Olympus a little more, like how it kept itself separate from the outside world, but it's a really minor issue.
If you're not afraid of some jaw dropping romance, get it.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5
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