Reminiscent of Madeline Miller's work. I enjoyed it, and the relationship between Persephone and Demeter. Thanks to Rising Action Publishing Co and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

An interesting reimagining of Greek mythology that explores the complex relationship between Persephone and her mother Demeter, an aspect that rarely receives such attention. The plot focuses on Persephone's journey, from her life under the shadow of a distant and abusive mother, to her abduction by Hades, who desires her as the queen of the Underworld. The mother-daughter dynamic, so painful and multifaceted, is undoubtedly the beating heart of this story.
What struck me the most was the dual perspective narration, which allows us to get into the minds of Persephone and Demeter. The latter, in particular, is depicted as a complex character, capable of alternating between cruelty and a desperate desire to reclaim her daughter. Unfortunately, Demeter's emotions are not always fully developed, leaving me with a sense of frustration regarding her choices. Furthermore, Persephone's growth as the main character didn't seem entirely satisfying to me, as her evolution appears to depend too much on her relationship with Hades, without any independent growth.
Their relationship is certainly an interesting point. However, I found their romance to be somewhat rushed and at times inconsistent, with Hades shifting too quickly from a cold, distant figure to a kind and affectionate man. The writing is smooth, but some passages felt a bit forced.
Overall, Seeds has a lot of potential, but it didn't fully convince me. It can be interesting to read for those passionate about mythology, but it doesn't fully capture the intensity I was expecting.

A Hades and Persephone retelling told in the perspective of Demeter and Persephone. I've read a lot of retellings and this did not hit the mark

Seeds is a novel that will abduct you, like Persephone, deep into its pages, taking you on a journey through the darkness and lies in search of freedom and forgiveness. A stunning debut from a talented author to watch.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i always love a persephone x hades retelling, and i especially enjoyed the characterization/pov of demeter in this particular retelling!

I liked how this wasn’t your standard Persephone/Hades retelling — it centres a lot on mother-daughter relationships instead, and about Demeter’s relationship to her daughter. It’s complex, it’s messy, it’s ugly. I like how the author didn’t shy away from showing that. Overall, I think this was really well written and I recommend it!

The perspectives switching back and forth to give the reader such a diverse and beautiful story was so compelling and engaging. Highly recommend! The interpolitics and various relationship threads keep the action going. The romance alongside the magic and world exploration is dynamic and propulsive. Very fun read!

*Seeds* by Angie Paxton is a captivating retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth, focusing on self-discovery and complex mother-daughter dynamics. The story follows Kore, who embraces her identity as Persephone after being abducted by Hades, while her mother Demeter's relentless search threatens the balance between worlds.

Paxton’s nuanced portrayal of Demeter as both protective and flawed adds emotional depth, while Persephone’s journey from captivity to empowerment is compelling. Though some readers found the pacing slow at times, the fresh perspective and rich character development make *Seeds* a standout in the realm of mythological retellings.

Another wonderful take on the Hades x Persephone myth. I love that the author dived deeper into the relationship between Demeter and Persephone

This was a fine retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. I don't think it was the strongest of the many Greek mythology retellings I've read, but I did really like how the complicated relationship between Persephone and her mother Demeter was described. I didn't mind how Hades was characterized, but Persephone did get on my nerves sometimes.

A very sweet and direct retelling of Hades and Persephone, I honestly just wish it would’ve been a bit longer. The author has a very somber poetic way of writing, in all the best ways, and my heart was really tugged and pulled with the characters along the way. Thoroughly enjoyed this read!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was a fantastic take on the myth of Hades & Persephone! I've read manyyy retellings, and honestly love almost all of them, it's just a timeless tale but one thing I find hit or miss is how they portray the kidnapping of Persephone and what Hades is like. I think Angie nailed it though, her Hades is a lonely, lost man who yearns for a companion and love; his actions are not great at the beginning, but you feel his desperation and he genuinely tries to make it up to Persephone and only wants her happy. Now Persephone is lovely, fierce and timid at the same time, which is totally realistic given how she was raised by Demeter, but she didn't super stand out to me compared to other versions I've read. Now Demeter, this was a dual POV book, told by her and her daughter, and I think it was perhaps the most nuanced and original Demeter I've ever read. She's the villain but she's not, she was cruel to Persephone and refused to own her part in her actions, and yet, while I didn't really root for her, I kinda did. She was a broken woman that had no idea how to deal with grief and rage and what she did was not okay but I still felt for her and loved reading her POV. I'd definitely recommend for anyone looking for a different version of this story! Or lovers of Greek Mythology in general!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this arc! I did really enjoy this book which is why I gave it 3.5 stars, however parts of it were confusing and did not flow how other parts did otherwise it would have gotten a higher rating. I did not expect it to follow the true story of Hades and Persephone, but it did remove some major parts of their story and changed how some parts actually happened. If you love learning about Demeter and Persephone then I highly recommend it, but I would not see myself rereading it for a while.

This one was a bit of a slow start for me but once you get about 10% of the way into the story you quickly fall in love with it and honestly can’t put it down.

As someone who has read so many hades and Persephone retellings this one felt so much more refreshing as it wasn’t a romanticised version of the story and instead felt like more of a truer version of the myth for both Persephone and Demeter’s experiences.

I would definitely recommend this book to other people.

This unfortunately didn’t work for me. I tend to be pretty skeptical of a lot of retellings where Persephone is concerned, but I had hopes that this would be a little better. That said, I ended up DNFing this one. I didn’t feel like it was doing anything particularly new with the myth and, more than that, continued the common trend of mischaracterizing Demeter hopefully.

I hope it lands with people who will love it!

STOP MAKING DEMETER A MONSTER.

Okay, I am sorry to Paxton for being the person who gets my ire, but I am just so over the whole "Demeter is a horrible mother, that's why Persphone ran to Hades". There are books I love that do it well, but when you are working in an OG myth setting, it is frustrating. Demeter is known to be a good mother, and I just want one retelling that keeps Demeter that way and still has Persphone fall in love with Hades.

If you like that retelling style, this book is for you. It as well written and beautiful, but I am just so over the subtle sexism of making the mom bad. I mean, Zeus is RIGHT THERE.

3 ⭐

I am undecided on how I feel about this one.

Initially, I was very intrigued. But as the story continued, I found myself losing interest. I think mostly due to how annoying I found Persephone. That said, I also have not read a Hades & Persephone story before so this may be the norm. It may be a me issue TBH.

Even though I was annoyed with Persephone, I didn't overly mind the story. It was interesting and it didn't bore me at any point. It was more of a character (Persephone) issue for me haha. I did really enjoy Hades character though. He was my favorite.

Overall, it was good and I did enjoy a lot of parts. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Seeds is a different take on the Hades/Persephone mythology, told through the dual POVs of Persephone and Demeter. This retelling explores the complex mother daughter relationships and power dynamics between two abused and flawed characters with themes of identity, self discovery, and forgiveness. I appreciated that this was more than a romance, but a character revelation for Persephone. She starts out as a shunned, irresponsible girl with a lot of growing up to do. Her growth truly starts after she is kidnapped and brought to the underground to be Hades’ wife. I quite enjoyed Hades’ character as well. After the initial meeting, he was quite kind and encouraging. It took me a little while to settle into the pacing of the story. However I really enjoyed all the relationships between the characters (Persephone’s self discovery and bitter Demeter’s mission to retrieve her daughter) and the depiction of the gods and their obsession with power. I would recommend to readers who enjoyed Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint.

Seeds by Angie Paxton has reignited my Greek retelling obsession. Kore and Hades are a well known couple but I still love seeing a fresh look at the dynamics between them and the Olympian's at large. I'm very excited to snag a physical copy of this soon and will be recommending this title for our local stores.