4 Stars!

I am a longtime fan of this author. This was so good! I am obsessed with Greek mythology and especially Hades. This was a really interesting take on Hades, Persephone and the rest of the Greek Gods(although they’re not actually “Gods” in this book).

The love story between Hades and Persephone was absolutely epic! The smexy scenes were beyond hot. I don’t know that I will continue on with this series though because the other characters just didn’t have the same pull for me as H & P. But this book was great! I would highly recommend it!

adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional, mysterious, reflective, tense, fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This story is a dark and emotional retelling of Greek mythology with a strong focus on romance and erotica, set in a fast-paced, adventurous world. I really enjoyed this Hades and Persephone retelling.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental Illness, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Stalking, Eating disorder, and Sexual violence
Minor: Self-harm and Child abuse

This is a steamy, modern, retelling of the Hades and Persephone story. Persephone wants to get out of Olympus and start her life over, but her mother has other plans for her...namely a surprise engagement to Zeus. Instead, Persephone makes a bargain with Hades, who she'd always thought was just a myth, to escape the life her family has planned for her. What she doesn't expect is to fall for him.

If you're a die-hard Greek mythology fan this might be a little light for you, and there are certainly some liberties taken. It's fun, and certainly spicy, but could do with a little more actual plot I think. What works is that there is strong emphasis placed on the importance of consent, and Hades is a dark, brooding hottie for sure. It's got great themes of female empowerment and agency, and found family too.

The audiobook is performed by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock, and comes in at 10 hours and 39 minutes. Zara is a particular favorite of mine, having narrated not only a lot of Katee Robert's other books, but loads of my favorite romance novels as well.

Unfortunately Neon Gods was not for me. I dnfd 40% in. I love Katee Roberts and will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future. This story line just wasn’t for me.

Thank you for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I tried reading this a few times and did manage to make it through the audiobook eventually, but I really struggled with it. As someone with only the vaguest idea of the story of Hades and Persephone, Neon Gods was very hard for me to follow. It just sort of throws you into the story in this world that isn’t really fleshed out, but I think ties into other series of Katee Robert’s? and it makes it really hard it be invested in the outcome when there’s not a clear idea of the power dynamics of this world. There are also all these other Greek gods as side characters and again I have only the vaguest idea who some of them are supposed to be and it leaves me feeling like I’m missing something.

Narration: New to me narrators and they did a good job, but didn’t keep me engaged in a story I was otherwise uninterested in. The female narrator did sound younger than the male narrator which works for this story.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my copy to review.

I have never read a book by Kate Robert, so I didn’t really know what to expect. While I was expecting a romance novel based on star crossed lovers and Greek mythology, I was not expecting it to be an erotic novel that was essentially a drawn out, steamy sex scene. The introduction to the book set it up for an interesting read. Persephone escapes an arranged marriage to Zeus by crossing the bridge to an unknown/ forbidden area. On the other side, Hades is waiting for her. The story was interesting, but it wasn’t really my type of read.

This is such a creative series and Neon Gods is a great read for its originality mixing mythology, mafia and erotica that is very well written. The audiobook is a good alternative as long as you know what to expect (headphones are good idea).

Warning: Do not listen to this audiobook at full volume in traffic.

Steamy doesn't begin to cover it. Not that it's a bad thing, just that if you don't want your grandmother to clutch her pearls, make sure your headphones are plugged in all the way.

I've made three different people pick up this book because I needed someone to rave to.

Yes, the primary buzz about this book is how hot it is, but I also found the characters well fleshed out (pun completely intended) and Robert's take on Greek mythology fresh and exciting.

I can definitely understand the hype with this retelling. The modern vibes of Olympus and the steamy energy throughout. I binge read this and made sure to keep the audio private. I can't wait to continue this series.

You had me at Hades! Who doesn’t love the dark, brooding, alpha male that is hades? I loved Katees retelling I thought it was unique, angsty and oh so hot 🔥🔥🔥 the story kept me captivated and the steam kept me sweating. I can’t wait to read more in this series and Katees backlist as well

3.5 stars. Loved the creative idea of "modern" Greek gods set in a glittering, deadly world. Loved the Hades and Persephone characters, as well as the glimpses of Hermes and Dionysus. My one complaint was that I wanted more of the back story - both of Olympus and the "gods," and of Hades' and Persephone's personal lives. There were so many questions I had that never really got answered.

This was a great start to a new series. I love the mix of mythology, fantasy, and romance. This one was a surprise, and I'm so glad I read it. I will definitely be coming back for future installments.

Wow. THATS IT, that’s the review. This is an amazing take on Hades and Persephone and i’m so glad it’s an adult book because YESSSSS!! I am reawakened!!!

5 Stars (Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual assault, potential SA)

Katee Robert my favourite smut author writes a modern day Hades/Persephone retelling (my favourite greek myth that has always intrigued me)? Be still my beating heart!!! I did have my reservations because this trope/story retelling can be tricky because the original myth has abduction and is not necessarily a consensual relationship. But the story was done very well and didn't make Persephone into a weak dependent before or after meeting Hades. Also a new angle is that other goddesses are actually Persephone's sister's which will be who the other stories focus on.

This story includes Greek gods and goddesses but the vibe is an elite society/ almost mafia like. Power plays, forced arranged marriage, lovely dogs, some comic relief, brooding and some sexy times

I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley. The audiobook was really well narrated and I loved that we got different narrators for Hades and Persephone's pov chapters. I thought the sexy parts were sexy and I liked the approach to kink.

The 2.5 star review is for the poorly established plot, world building, and motivations of the characters. Is there magic in the world? What are the rules of said magic? Why did Zeus kill Hades' parents? I was left with so many questions and it was hard to feel like the villains were villians since they got like no screen time. I also felt like there was a lot of tell instead of show which is one of my pet peevs.

Hear me out!!!!!

This book was NOT FOR ME and that’s okay to say!

Unfortunately I should’ve known I wasn’t going to love this book - I didn’t hate it neither. I just couldn’t relate to the story and didn’t enjoy it as much as others. Of course take my review with a grain of salt because I was not the intended audience.

So happy to read a steamy book that also had a great plot! The heat and tension were great. Katee Robert never disappoints! This was the best Hades and Persophone retelling I can remember. 5 stars!

After hearing such glowing reviews of this, I was excited to read it. I'm no stranger to Katee Robert and her books are usually hit or miss for me. This one was hyped so much on BookTok and then when I got a copy to review, I was really excited.

The story was so lackluster. This is one of the worst Hades and Persephone retellings that I have ever read. There is not a single shred of similarity beyond the names. Overall, I did not have a fun time and will likely not be picking up a Katee Robert novel in the future.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for providing me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for approving my request!

This review is solely on the audiobook itself on NetGalley. I didn’t manage to get very far into the audiobook because the audiobook can only be listened to 1x to hear the narrator clearly. Anything over that, I usually listen at 2x, but even 1.5x here sounds all robot like and terrible. I’m just going to go get the audiobook through my library or something but this did not work.

An author that I like and follow recommended this book, and because the cover and premise were both so gorgeous, I couldn't resist.

However, this book wasn't quite for me -- and it's a "it's not you, it's me" type of thing. I don't typically read erotica (rarely even romance for that matter), so I definitely wasn't the target audience. However, for what it was, I thought it was quite enjoyable. The characters were interesting -- I'm a sucker for a bad boy with a heart of gold and a damsel in distress who actually is a badass and totally in charge of her own destiny -- and well fleshed out (pun intended?). The smut was quite smutty, but the character development and underlying story was also intriguing.

3.5/5 stars, but rounded up because this isn't my typical genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.