In this version, Persephone isn't abducted—she escapes to the Underworld to avoid an arranged marriage orchestrated by her overbearing parents, Zeus and Demeter. Seeking autonomy, she proposes an alliance with Hades, the aloof and unexpectedly artistic ruler of the Underworld. Their relationship evolves from reluctant allies to friends, and eventually to something deeper, all while challenging the patriarchal structures of Mount Olympus. The banter between Hades and Persephone... is wonderful. Humour in a Greek mythology retelling? So very needed

This novel is a YA romance, but I found myself enjoying it although it's different genre wise from the retellings I usually read. Persephone is a goddess who wants the world, but is given flowers instead. Demeter tries to encourage her towards marriage and fulfilling the role expected of women in a patriarchal society, but Persephone cannot stand the idea of marriage (to a god she does not know especially). She constructs a plan to go to the underworld to hide.

I am always hesitant with Persephone retellings because I have a hard time with Hades being portrayed as the perfect love interest (or the Stockholm syndrome that blinds Persephone), but I feel like this novel does a good job of reimaging the original myth in a way that gives Persephone more agency than in the original sources. It is full of quippy dialogue and tropes, and I think it was a fun read. I love seeing myth retellings in the YA space because it gives younger readers an intriguing entry point to learning more about mythology and the ancient world.

A fluffy re-telling of Hades and Persephone's story.

I appreciated that the author made the choice to have the couple be closer in age and offers a reasonable explanation that matches existing lore. It levelled the power dynamic between them in a manner that worked for the story that's being told.
While I'll never be a fan of Demeter, no matter how the cake is sliced, the author has done a good job in unpacking how her actions were the consequences of trying to survive and prepare Persephone for life within a system that was built to keep her, and other women, small. The patriarchy ruins a lot, but it can't stomp out resilience. It was wonderful to see Persephone's flame shine brighter as the story unfolds. Both she and Hades were two cuties with a lot of sas.

If you're looking for a lighter story built around Greek mythology, this is definitely one to consider.

As a HUGE Hades and Persephone fangirl, the second I saw this was a retelling of their myth, it skyrocketed to the top of my TBR. I was desperately searching for something to fill the Lore Olympus-shaped hole in my heart, and this book absolutely delivered. It's witty, fun, empowering, and had me kicking my feet in the air giggling like a love-struck mortal.

This isn't your typical gloomy Underworld romance. Nope—Persephone chooses to jump into the Underworld, crashes into Hades' life with zero chill, and proceeds to stir chaos in the most entertaining way possible. Their dynamic? Pure gold. From snarky enemies to fake-married almost-lovers with insane chemistry and soft glances, I was LIVING for it. Hades is the grumpy, broody soft boy of my dreams and Persephone is an unstoppable goddess queen with a mischievous streak. If you love Greek myth retellings with badass heroines, reluctant heartthrobs, banter, fake dating, and a whole lot of heart? This book was made for you. 💀👑🔥

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Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
3.0 Stars
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Overall Review
When I first heard of this book, I thought it could cure my thirst for Greek mythology books I’ve had since Percy Jackson. While this book is more darker and sensual towards the end, the author did an okay job with the plot. However, the biggest reason why it was a 3 star read was because of the execution of the plot. The characters and their conflicts just didn’t align well when it came to the important points of the book, it didn’t hit as hard. Overall, I would say the beginning was the best and then it just goes downhill during the middle then up a little at the end.
Just like some other readers, I felt there wasn’t a need for the book to be that long. The conversations with the different characters were interesting, but the plot and events didn’t cause tension, at least not through the writing style and the establishment of stakes.
I understood the whole grand plot Persephone and Hades had to irritate Zeus, but the writing style and way of delivery just made the book seem bland and shallow. (I’ll go into the characters soon, but let me finish with the plot)
In the end though, this book’s message was meaningful enough to convince me it’s a 3 star read. If you love a little rebellion and the journey of erasing expectations on females, especially in marriage, society and power, this could be your next read that hopefully, you’ll love it more than I did.
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Characters
Persephone (Kore): Goddess of flowers and life. Daughter of Demeter and Zeus, she’s depicted as a woman who wants to carve her own path instead of being married off to a god and chained to its promise. In the book, her character stands up for herself but becomes timid when faced with expectations and especially with her power and identity. Honestly, she can come off as selfish at times when she tried to create an afterlife for the souls dumped in Hell without Hades’, the rightful ruler’s permission. She takes things boldly but then shrinks away suddenly because of her internal conflict. I didn’t really like her character because while she is a symbol of feminism in this book, she did it in a way that makes her the same as the oppressive men. I say this as a girl myself. And lastly, her character not only seems selfish at times, but feels narcissistic. SOMETIMES.
Hades: God of Illusions, the ruler of the Underworld. Apparently, he’s the same age as Persephone in this book despite being from the same generation as her father, Zeus. His demeanour at first is cold and harsh, but after little time, he switches up into being a gentleman. This switch-up was very jarring for me and I kind of hated it for some reason. He transforms into the guy who would do anything for Persephone, even though at that time he only had a crush on her and wasn’t her lover. This is why I said Bea Fitzergerald’s plot was good but the execution was meh. I honestly wished the book had dual POVs so we can relate and understand Hades more intimately rather than relying on Persephone’s reflection of his character.
Styx: Goddess of Hate, the river Styx. She’s like the hot extroverted girlie in the book. I like her a lot and I find her more interesting than Persephone somehow lol. I think the execution of her personality and identity in the book was great. Although we don’t see her being part of the plot and a subplot as I hoped upon meeting her for the first time, she was good.
Demeter: Mother of Persephone. At first, I absolutely hated Demeter after seeing her force Kore into marriage. But I can understand her actions and why she did them. She’s bold but afraid of Zeus.
Zeus: Well, he’s Zeus, god of all gods and lighting. I like the way he’s shown as a jerk and a person with power but the kind where you can tell he’s incompetent.
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Notes
Let me tell you, I hated the dynamic between Hades and Persephone because I didn’t feel the attraction between them or the need to even have a relationship with each other. Persephone just thought Hades was hot and Hades just let her in on his secret because he made her feel wronged about going to the underworld. Hades is basically just like a person who always supports Persephone without thinking, which is well, the dream guy anyone wants but this god did not have opinions and a reason to keep Persephone safe. Although he is against the things other gods do to goddesses, he had no reason to protect Persephone, even when she evoked Xenia.
However, the push and pull at the end when they begin to admit their feelings for each other is the real gold hidden under all this drama. I just wish the thing pulling them both to each other wasn’t as fickle as a basic promise. Maybe it’s because I was reading fantasy books before I read this, but the tension is not tensioning! That's all.

Lynni.
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DNF at 15%

I just couldn’t continue this book. I understand it’s a Greek mythology retelling, but that doesn’t allow you to literally change the morals and personalities of Greek gods, goddesses.

In a failed attempt to make Persephone a feminist, the author has:

1.) made Hades “different” from all the other gods when really in Greek mythology he’s done some pretty terrible stuff. How do you make Hades a love interest like what? Literally never read a book that has done that without changing literally every trait about him.

2.) every other girl is seen dumb and stupid by Persephone because they’re really girly and like marriage and makes it everyone’s (but Persephone’s) personality. Like in Greek mythology Aphrodite is actually a complex character, but in “Girl Goddess Queen” she is anything but.

3.) Persephone is “not like the other girls” and doesn’t want marriage, and will insult you if you’re attracted to any men. But, also, she tells us that she’s wild and likes going outside, then she says that her favorite thing is flowers, then tells us she’s too weak to fight, and then reveals she’s created a gosh darn weapon.

4.) All men are bad and controlling in this book (besides Hades) don’t pay attention to the good things they’ve done but what a terrible impact they’ve made on the world! I’m not saying Greek gods are all good, because they’ve done terrible things, but in this book all men are wrong, especially if they have power, and the girls should have all of it,

What I loved about this was how clearly I understood all of the mythology aspects, I was able to pick up everything with ease and understand exactly how Kore became the version of herself we are introduced too. Although she’s packed with feminine rage, at times she comes off as a little immature, especially when it bleeds into her communication and decision making. There were some repetitive moments that impacted the flow for me, but once things start flowing my enjoyment grew. Overall, I think this is good for those who are newer to the story of Hades and Persephone and are looking for a new take!

Thank you so much to Sourcefire books for my ARC!

3.5/5⭐️

This is a solid YA novel, a great mythological retelling, and honestly one of the best takes on Hades and Persephone I’ve read. The story really picks up in the second half with lots of action, and Hades is a standout—he adds real depth to the book. The feminist angle is clear and well done, even more so than some adult retellings that try for the same thing.

That said, the first half dragged a bit for me. Persephone’s reactions felt off at times, and her conversations with Hades didn’t always flow. I get that the author was aiming for a strong-willed Persephone and an “enemies to lovers” vibe, but it sometimes came across as a bit immature or forced.

Still, definitely worth the read if you're into mythology or YA fantasy.

lighthearted yet thoughtful retelling of Greek mythology, Girl, Goddess, Queen presents an entertaining option. While it may not delve deeply into the darker aspects of the original myth, its charm lies in its humor and the dynamic between its central characters.

this book is way outside of my usual genre of choice but i’m a big greek mythology fan (especially hades and persephone, shout out to hadestown) so i figured i’d give it a chance…

and i’m so glad i did because i loved it!!

this retelling was really fun and fresh! and i liked seeing the creative liberties taken on the original myth.

i loved persephone’s character and seeing her discover and come into her powers and become the queen of the underworld was very empowering.

and hades being an introverted artist who likes to read and respects women?? hell yeah!! (pun intended)

plus the banter was bantering. got me kicking my feet and mentally yelling at persephone that if she doesn’t kiss him then i will.

my only critique is that the book was definitely longer than it had to be. the miscommunication/improper communication scenes started to feel drawn out and repetitive and some probably could’ve been cut/condensed (though that’s my opinion. i know many romance readers who do like this trope and as i said i’m new to this genre lol)

so am i a romance girly now? i don’t know but i’m definitely interested in reading the author’s other greek myth retellings.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is a very fun and cute retelling of Persephone and Hades that focuses on giving Persephone the agency and power she deserves while critiquing the patriarchy and giving Hades more humanity. As someone who has read a lot of Greek mythology retellings, this one ranks among the top of them! The romance between Hades and Persephone was very sweet and I really enjoyed their banter, as well as the ways they make each other more powerful and balance each other out. I also really loved how Persephone came into her power, her character was so well done.

What if Hades didn’t kidnap Persephone? What if she ran away? And what if she wasn’t the meek goddess of flowers we all thought?

I have zero criticism for this book.
This is a faithful yet totally fresh retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth. Not only does it has all my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, fake dating, and slow burn, but it doesn’t add a single of the things I find so often in romance novels and dislike.

I love what Bea did with these characters in making them less stereotypical and so much more interesting and relatable.

This is one of my absolute favourite YA romantasy books. I have read it twice now and both times it was such a bingeable 5 star read.

Girl, Goddess, Queen follows Persephone who jumped to hell when she heard her parents discussing marrying her off which she does not want and knows she cannot be followed to the Underworld. Now she needs to convince Hades to join in with her plan that is likely to shake Mount Olympus to it's core with potentially deadly consequences.

As I said I love this one so much for so many reasons. This feels like a story written for modern teenagers while also clearly still sticking true to the original myth and many other myths. I love how modern it feels and because of that it is such a fun bingeable romance story that you genuinely do not want to put down, with twists that surprise you even if you already know the myth.

The characters are really well written and with it being a story for teens many of the things that concern people about the original myths like incest are made clear to not be a worry here which I also liked. Hades is the perfect book boyfriend, he is so soft and I just want to give him the biggest hug! I also loved Styx so much and would have been happy with so much more on page time with her. Persephone was so strong and a fantastic main character to follow.

I laughed out loud at many points while reading this book, with some scenes just being amusing and other times the characters making some great jokes. I also really rooted for the romance between Hades and Persephone throughout, and it was really nice to see them open up to each other and then both offer support to the other throughout the story.

I highly highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see what Bea releases next. If you like greek mythology, YA romcoms or fantastic diverse characters I would definitely say that this book could easily be for you.

A nice reimagine of the Hades and Persephone story. I have seen Bea Fitzgerald around on social media for years, and her promoting her book, so it was nice to actually read one such book that I liked. Greek mythology and retelling of its mythos is something I enjoy very much and this book ticked off a lot of boxes for me. It was well throughout and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

Epic the Musical totally reignited my love for Greek mythology, so I was really excited to dive into this Hades and Persephone retelling. Unfortunately, the story didn’t fully land for me. Some of the character choices felt a bit unnecessary, and a few plot points didn’t quite make sense within the world that was built.

That said, I really enjoyed Hades’ personality, he was a highlight for me, and the Underworld setting was super cool. I loved seeing how traditions were flipped and how the gods responded to those changes. The ending wrapped things up nicely, too.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. 3 stars!

Girl, Goddess, Queen is pure magic. Bea Fitzgerald has taken a well-known myth and breathed new, powerful life into it, giving us a Persephone who is strong, vulnerable, and utterly unforgettable. The writing is lyrical and fierce, blending romance, empowerment, and breathtaking world-building into something truly special. Every page felt rich with emotion and meaning, and the love story was beautifully crafted — tender, aching, and full of fire. This Deluxe Edition makes the experience even more stunning. If you love myth retellings with heart, strength, and soul, this is an absolute must-read.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advance reader copy

Why was this as long as it was?! I started skimming because it started to feel repetitive, and a frankly a little boring.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is a Hades and Persephone retelling filled with deceit, politics and plenty of wine. Everyone thinks Kore was kidnapped, but little do they know she actually escaped, and right under their noses. And what can the Goddess of Flowers even really do but grow flowers anyways.

While I enjoyed that Hades was a little cutie patootie, he was cold, then all of a sudden changed and became boring and didn’t seem genuine anymore. And like we got it, he was a little artist But it would have been nice if he had mingled more with the Underworld, or even more of the people in his court. I just felt like we really didn’t get to see who Hades was. And he smelled like coconut?

Kore/ Persephone was a little drab, and I found my self rolling my eyes a couple times. I was quickly over the poor me persona. I get that her mother was controlling and all of that but give me a break. And then showing up in the underworld and instantly changing it like that? I dunno, it would have been nice to see more of a struggle maybe with her powers or something.

Honestly my favourite character in the whole book was Styx, and I was just waiting for more scenes from her. I did enjoy the work building, and felt like the writing was quite descriptive and I was able to imagine all of it quite clearly. If there is a second book, I do not feel the need to continue the series.

I LOVE THIS BOOK I am a mythology retelling appreciator and this one hit all the marks! I especially love a Hades and Persephone retelling, and I just loved how 'in the beginning' it felt with them making the Underworld together - SO STINKING PRECIOUS - and our Hades being such a softie with all of his hidden little introverted hobbies ugh I love what Bea did with this version of Hades! And of course, the transformation from 'Kore' to 'Persephone' was amazing, 10/10, top tier, I love this little chaos bringer! Also, Styx as a side character?? Didn't know I needed that; grateful to have experienced that. I can't wait to read more from Bea!!!

As a lover of Hades x Persephone stories and twists on the original myths, I was super excited to read this book, and it didn't let me down!

I loved Persephone and her determination to become her own person and not the meek bride that Zeus and her mother want her to become. There was an aspect of feminine rage against her circumstances to Persephone that I felt was so relatable and instantly helped me relate to her. She wasn't a perfect character by any means, but that only made her better. Seeing her truly come into her own self over the span of the book was amazing to see. Hades was also an amazing character and I loved this version of him. He felt softer than he's normally perceived, someone who, like Persephone, wants to change his circumstances.

The relationship between the two of them was super sweet as it developed from (sort of) enemies to lovers. As their relationship grew closer, they were able to help each other achieve what each of them wanted. Persephone gained power that the other gods and goddesses never would have allowed her to have and Hades was able to be accepted for the god he is, not the god everyone expects him to be.

The only reason I didn't give GGQ 5 stars was because the relationship did feel a bit drawn out, as it quickly became clear that Persephone and Hades began to love each other early on but it took awhile for each of them to admit it. Sometimes that's good, as it leaves room for other forms of growth, but it didn't feel quite right in this book.

All in all though, this was an amazing Hades x Persephone retelling that felt really unique despite the many different takes on the original myth that exist, and I would absolutely recommend GGQ!

Do you ever pick up a book and just hate yourself because you immediately are just absolutely in love with it and know you could have read it sooner? That's this book! I have had this story on my radar for so long but nothing could have prepared me for just how good it was and how much I enjoyed my time reading it.

Fitzgerald does an incredible job weaving together a romance that blooms organically between Persephone and Hades whilst also being a story about the way that the patriarchy it incredibly harmful for everyone. I really loved the way that Hades was very imperfect and Persephone stood her ground and wouldn't take the bare minimum from him. It was also incredibly beautiful to see the way that Persephone blossoms throughout the book as she is given the freedom to be herself without the shackles that had been previously placed upon her leading to a powerful conclusion where she truly knows her worth and won't let anyone make her feel small ever again.

I am so excited to dive into Fitzgerald's other works now.