Do you think the author ever considered a romance with a fury instead? That might have been cool and had to be better than the almost non-existent thing with Hades.

This missed the mark for me and felt like not much happened overall. So many things in the book are described as dull, gray, barren, lifeless, and that's kind of how I felt while reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a beautifully written, but overall disappointing, book for me. Let me break it down by what I did and did not love.

Love: The writing style was beautiful and descriptive - I could see and feel and experience what Corey was describing. The emotion - similar to above, I really loved how much depth was given to the emotions and reactions. Hermes and the Oracle - loved them!

Did not love: The storyline, pacing, and length - this felt like a lot of really dramatic story for some very dramatic drama....is what Bree and Ali did awful? Yes. Worth all that happened....probably not. Plot (almost) holes and the (kinda) romance? This is pitched as a Persephone retelling and I see the VERY loose representation - but Demeter is never even mentioned, even though you can assume that's her mom if you know the lore; the love story between Persephone and Hades makes no sense as they barely spend any time together; and how on earth does the memory-leeching river only take some memories and not just make the whole town zombies?

Overall - beautiful writing and a really great plot and foundation, but the execution was really lacking for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Melinda Salisbury for the opportunity to read Her Dark Wings in exchange for an honest review.

On their isolated island, life seems simple. Corey lives a carefree life with her best friend Bree at her side. It has always been the two of them, but when Corey sees Bree kissing someone she shouldn't be, the betrayal brings Corey to wish her friend dead. To Corey's surprise, Bree drowns that very night.

With a glimpse of her friend entering the underworld, Corey finds herself taken from her island home to a world she doesn't expect. She searches for Bree while learning about the power she herself possesses to grow things. But how can that be? The furies goad Corey into succumbing to the dark aspects her power brings, causing Corey to rethink her own desires.

Speaking of desire, when Corey meets the lord of the Underworld from the myths told to her in childhood, Hades is not what she expected. Corey has a lot of choices to make, and hopefully she will make the best ones.

An enjoyable retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth and how she possibly becomes the queen of the underworld. The lore in the novel includes Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, the three furies that embody anger, jealousy, and revenge, easily manipulative to the darkness in Corey based on what she had previously experienced. The use of Greek mythology with just a hint of a modern twist made this novel feel both timeless and contemporary.

An excellent novel for lovers or Lore Olympus, Greek mythology, or the young adult genre in general.

Contains spoilers

Corey and Bree were best friends, until Corey's boyfriend and Bree got together while Ali was still dating Corey. Now heartbroken from losing two important people in her life, Corey kisses a boy (Hades) and wishes Bree dead... and oops it actually happens. Corey spends the book battling between being happy her friend is dead and guilty that she was the one who wished it. Eventually she ends up in the Underworld with the Furies and learns her power of plant magic.

This book was a very very modern take on the Persephone and Hades myth. There were only slight similarities between the two. I thought the biggest issue was that Corey chose to go back to the Underworld on her own because she no longer felt like she fit in with the mortal realm. Eating the food of the Underworld wasn't an issue like it was in the original myth. As someone who loves Greek mythology, this threw me off quite a bit.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the eArc!

Her Dark Wings
by Melinda Salisbury
Fantasy YA Myth
NetGalley ARC
Pub Date Dec. 12, 2023
Random House
Ages: 14+

Corey and Bree were best of friends until the day Bree betrayed Corey, taking all Corey held dear in her teenage mind and heart away in one action. Worse, everyone on the small island knew how inseparable the two girls were, and they knew what Bree did to Corey, but then Bree died and now Corey is torn between hating Bree and mourning her.

Trying to escape her torn emotions, Corey finds herself on the hill, and out of impulse looks over her left shoulder and sees Bree's spirit leaving for the Underworld.

Not wanting to believe what she just saw, she finds herself face to face with a God, who tells her to forget. But she can't, and a flower leads her to the Underworld, where the Furies take her, and all her anger, under their wings.

First off, one of the blurbs I read, the one that got me interested in the book is a little misleading, so it wasn't as scary or action-filled as I thought. And the cover designer took a few words from the story to create a really good cover that attracts more attention than the story.

It was a slow read as Corey raged over Bree's betrayal, and while I can't blame her, I don't feel it was presented with enough emotion, it was boring, and written with monotone feelings. The backstory of the island and its people wasn't there. The mainland was mentioned but there was nothing to explain why the people there and those from the island were different. There was no explanation of their rituals or lifestyle. Things were tossed out of nowhere and the reader was supposed to know what was going on.

I did like the spin on the tale of Persephone, but it needed a lot, and I mean a lot more emotions from the characters and descriptions. What there were, were flat, as monotone as the character's emotions. It was boring and I did a lot of skimming because there were pages where it was mostly rambling over Corey's feelings and betrayal.

I would have given this one more star if there were more descriptions and explanations of who, what, why, and etc, along with more emotions and less rambling.

2 Stars

3.25 Stars This was a very modern take on the Hades and Persephone myth and was very YA-friendly. I enjoyed the differences such as the furies being a main focus in the story, as not many flesh them out. Hermes played a bigger part in Her Dark Wings but not many more gods other than Hades. Other gods did have small parts but were more background and ones to move the story forward. The setting was a little hard to picture in the mortal world and the Underworld was more fleshed out. The betrayal of friends played a huge part in the story line so watch it if that can trigger.

This one wasn’t for me and that’s okay!! Giving it 3 stars; maybe others will enjoy it more than me. It could have been the writing or maybe the others plotline fell short.

Top 6 reasons to read this:

1. Persephone myth
2. Friendship
3. YA teen romance
4. Betrayal
5. How one deals with grief
6. Dark & vengeful

HOUGHTS

Well, this was a book, I guess. If you're wanting a dark Hades and Persephone romance, this isn't it. If you're wanting much of anything, this isn't it. There have been few reads so bland for me in this, the year 2023. But bland is about the best I can offer here.


PROS
Plant Magic: Who doesn't love a bit of plant magic? In an underworld as dreary, monotonous, and gray as the one Melinda Salisbury builds, having a touch of plant magic to liven it up is nice. And though Corey discovers her plant magic in this setting, there are hints at it all along. She's an avid gardener, after all, with a flourishing garden in the mortal world even as the winter is descending. And her mother was renowned for her ability to grow any- and everything--so this magic is hereditary. It's got a history.

Not-So-Furious Furies: The furies get a bad rap. It's not really their fault that they've got a job to do, right? And while Salisbury doesn't paint these monstrous mythological beings in an altogether rosy light, there is definitely the benefit of the doubt thrown their way. They're humanized (as ironic as that might be for monsters who aren't human), and I appreciated that twist on the mythos.

Vibrancy: The underworld setting is particularly drab (as I will go into more below), but Corey and her plant magic really do liven it up, as I've said. Not only is the plant magic a touch of brightness in this dreary setting, but it is absolutely magical, too. The setting feels so drab that it is easy to forget what a truly otherworldly place Corey has landed herself in... until she's summoning dripping, golden pomegranates from the black soil itself. Her garden is glittering and golden, flashy and exhilarating.


CONS
Persephone: This girl comes from an island that wholeheartedly believes in mythology. They don't just know it. They live and breathe it. They are quite devout. But for a girl who grew up on the mythos... why doesn't she have questions about Persephone? I have questions about Persephone, a lot of them. Hades and Persephone is, after all, one of the best known of the Greek myths. But Persephone just doesn't exist in this world? I get the fact that the mythology and the reality might not necessarily match up, but I would expect the question to come up, anyway. But this girl, raised to be devout when it comes to the old gods, doesn't seem to know anything about Persephone. And that just doesn't make sense to me.

Wavery Setting: I've called it "dreary" and "gray" above, and that description holds true. That's about the only description that holds true. Because if you're looking for a sense of the underworld itself, you're not getting it here. There's a cave where Corey and the furies spend most of their time, and that's about it. There's no real sense of what anything looks like, how anything is laid out. Even the cave itself doesn't quite feel real. It's like living in a Plato-style allegory--you've got the shadows of a setting but not an actual setting. It's hard to get invested in invigorating a landscape when you didn't even get the sense of a landscape in the first place. It's all so wavery and unreal. It's hard to care.

Nonsensical Worldbuilding: This world doesn't make sense. As I've pointed out above, the actual underworld descriptions are both nondescript and nonexistent. And the mortal world doesn't make a lot of sense, either. Even if we put aside Corey's glaring gap in knowledge, why does this island actually believe in this stuff? Where is this island actually located? It felt kind of British in general, but why are the gods situated here instead of, I don't know, the Aegean Sea? It just makes no sense to me. There were choices made for no obvious reason, and no unconventional reason was given in the book, either. We were just expected to buy it, and I really didn't.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/10
Fans of the splashy contemporary update to Greek mythology that Rick Riordan provides in The Lightning Thief will like this modern take on underworld living. Fans of Melissa Landers's Lumara will like the delicate magical balance to this island living.

loved this romance and how the journey stated and ended. loved the friends and all of the trials that they went through on the journey. loved the cast and i can't wait t read more.

Her Dark Wings is a modern day retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. The story does take some liberties and changes a bit of the story here and there, but overall, the elements are there.

Corey has been betrayed by her best friend, Bree, and her boyfriend. There group of three splits when Corey is dumped by her boyfriend for her best friend. Corey is infuriated by the betrayal. Reader's first introduction to the main character is filled with anger, and some celebration over the recent loss of Bree. This celebration is tainted with a degree of guilt as well. This leads to a journey of self discovery and trip into Hades' underworld. Salisbury blends this modern day tale with mythology in a really unique and interesting way. Woven in the story are strong themes of betrayal, friendship, self actualization and forgiveness.

Overall, it's a solid young adult fantasy read. Those with a working knowledge of mythology would be of some benefit to some degree. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more world building. The setting can be a bit vague at time as well as some of the more intricate parts of the modern day world that Salisbury creates. Of course this is a personal preference. Despite that, for me it was a fast read, fully entertaining, and one I think our young adult readers will enjoy.

Really imaginative and beautifully written. A feast for the senses!

Engaging retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, placing the Olympian world in the modern. I was wrapped up in the haunting imagery, the inner monologue of our main character. I’m dying to know more of her backstory and all about the rest of the world in which the story takes place.

Thank you to NetGalley, TBR & Beyond Tours, and the publisher. These opinions are my own.

A modern day, contemporary retelling of Hades and Persephone, HER DARK WINGS is a story of friendship and love, betrayal and loss. Corey and Bree were once inseparable…until they weren’t. Now Bree is dead, and Corey is left grappling with the friendship that once was, but will never be again. ⁣
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This book was like a story in 2 parts — the first part was dark and delicious and filled with seething anger and visceral hatred. Corey’s rage and need for vengeance was palpable and I wanted revenge just as much as she did. The second half takes Corey (and readers) to the Underworld, where Corey goes on a personal journey of sorts and comes to quite a few realizations, and eventually really grows into the person she’s meant to be. While each part is interesting on its own, I liked the full, cohesive picture they make together and how Corey grows and changes through the course of it all. ⁣
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All told, an interesting and compelling entry into the world of Hades and Persephone retellings, and certainly one that provides a unique and fresh take on the familiar tale. 4 stars.

Another Hades & Persephone retelling. But wait this one idk why but it felt different. I wanted to see everyone succeed and I love a good Greek mythology story. Most of the the hades books I’ve read have been pretty smutty and dark and yes this had spice but it wasn’t as dark and I loved that

A unique yet compelling retelling of Persephone and Hades. A duo everyone loves to read and it never disappoints. Keeping in mind that this book is entirely YA and does not venture at any point from that, I thought it was interesting! But don’t let that fool you because the first half of the book is most definitely the dark-esq romance you require. I think the authors writing is so smoothly done and had me rooting for our girl Corey the entire time. I wanted to see her succeed. Also I feel it has a surprising way of helping the reader come to the same mindset as the MC as well. Definitely try this one out!!

I'll be honest, the cover for this book is what drew me in! Melinda did not disappoint at all with this book. Once I started reading, I could not put this down. It felt so different from everything else I've been reading lately, and I was hooked. I appreciated how dark this ended up being and filled with lots of emotions. I also rather enjoyed it not being overly romantic, but I won't say that I didn't want a bit more of it! It's a strange predicament. I think, what I really wanted more of was Hades. His character was exactly what I'd imagine. A definite good read for the Hades, Persephone myth. I loved the unique take on it. I'll be rereading this one again!

I really enjoyed reading this!! This was an entirely new take on the story of Persephone and Hades. I have a soft spot for them so I was instantly interested when I saw this book. In all the other stories you have Persephone already aware of her powers and lineage for the most part. In this retelling Persephone is just Corey. A teenager whose life has been completely shattered by her supposed best friend and boyfriend. She’s just a normal teen girl who likes to garden and is just trying to survive through the drama of high school life when her ex best friend who betrayed her, winds up dead. As she’s trying to cope with the past hurt caused by her friend Bree and now the death of her as well, she’s spontaneously thrown head first into the world of those she thought were myths. I won’t say too much as to not spoil your fun but this story is so incredibly captivating and heart wrenching. I felt so much anger, frustration and sadness on Corey’s behalf. It’s a short read and I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you love hades and Persephone then you will love this original take on their story.

Where do I begin? If you like greek mythology and the love story of Hades and Persephone then I highly suggest this book. When I first started it, I wasn't sure about it but the more I read the more I was unable to put it down. The story of a girl who is betrayed by her to closest people speaks volumes. I loved following Corey along in her journey to find love and happniess. This is a book I will end up rereading time and time again.

I can never pass up a Persephone myth retelling when it comes to books and this was definitely a hit. I love the contemporary feel that was given to these characters, both gods and mortals. The characters were both relatable and mystical which creates a unique experience for the reader. It does a beautiful job of showing that many times people or acts are not just black and white, but a large spectrum of gray. We can have bad thoughts and good thoughts, but we sometimes have to take in intention/situation when looking at the choices we make. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to Random House / Delacorte Press and NetGalley for sending an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Her Dark Wings tackles darker themes of rage and violence, while also exploring what makes a person who they are. It’s a different take on the myth of Persephone and Hades. Or more accurately, Kore. As soon as I was introduced to Greek mythology, the story of these Persephone and Hades has always captured my fascination. I enjoy the retellings about them (some more than others). But often times, the alter-ego of Persephone is left out of retellings. I’m glad to see this is not the case in this novel, and in fact we see more of this vengeful/destructive side than the sweet goddess of spring.

The cover is stunning, I immediately wanted to read this book. The synopsis drew me in as well.

That being said, this was a lukewarm read for me. The FMC, Corey, was bland for the most part, and she didn’t seem very interesting to me until near the end of the book. Corey starts off as a young woman in pain and feeling betrayed by not only her boyfriend, but also her best friend. It's an awful end to a relationship, especially your first. When she sees them together, she immediately wishes that her best friend dies. And then that's exactly what happens. The rest of the book follows Corey into the Underworld where she tackles her feelings of guilt, rage, and vindication.
Hades shows up every now and again and he seems very hands-off in regard to well, everything. Ruling his domain, dealing with his subjects, actually interacting with Corey. Everything Is just ... meh.
If it weren’t for the side characters, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this novel very much. All I will say is that Hermes needs his own book!

I really enjoyed the small pieces of the Underworld tremendously, and wish that we had seen more of it. The majority of the time in the novel is spent with the Furies, the mythical creatures who judge and met out punishments for the sins of mortals. This was a completely different way to imagine Peresphone / Kore spending her time, and I enjoyed seeing the dynamic of these monstrous sisters.

I think the biggest issue of this novel is the lack of answers as well as a lack of development for some characters. As an older reader, I feel like they stuck out a lot, but a younger reader would probably not notice. I really wanted to see a deeper issue come out of Corey’s feelings and her subsequent actions after seeing her best friend die. All of it felt surface level grief and pain. A lot of “problems” within the novel are lightly touched on or wholly ignored. I think this is a good book for a young teen who's starting to find that inner rage, but not for someone with a little more life experience.

The book ends open-ended enough to continue this into a series, but I probably won't be picking up the next book.