thank you to sourcebooks for the e-ARC

3.25 stars

I did genuinely have fun reading this, mostly because I wasn’t sure exactly how things would get translated out of myth and how the conflict would resolve. I think some of the adaptation choices were quite fun. our main couple also had pretty good chemistry.

with that being said, this book had such a bad case of metaphorical iPhone face. I would have preferred it just being a strictly modern adaptation like neon gods rather than purporting to be closer to the myth while having such modern discourse and vibes. the humor and morals of our main characters came across so current while the villainy was so outdated, making the contrast a bit cartoony.

it wasn’t bad, and I’d probably read follow up books out of curiosity, but I never reached immersion in the story.

Goddess of Life, Queen of Hell, Chaos bringer.
I enjoyed this retelling of Persephone x Hades! It gives a new perspective of "what if Persephone wants to go willingly instead of kidnapped" and if she is more than just a pretty face. Many will say that Hades is way too fluffy in this book, but I actually like this version of him since it gave him a great contrast with his brothers (Zeus and Poseidon). Love the soft part of him!

Before I begin this review, I would like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this novel. All of the review is of my own and I am not being paid for it.

On that note, I have had this book on my radar since it first came out. The premise sounded promising and honestly, anything Hades and Persephone is something I will devour within no time. This book, however, disappointed me. Kore comes across a brat. I get it; she doesn't want to marry the god her mother and father pick out for her so she decides to inconvenience Hades himself. I understand why he is so suspicious of her and why he just general feels like she is invading his space. I would be in the same boat as he if some god or goddess decided to come into my realm and hide here. She doesn't listen either when he tells her not to go out there. She literally does the opposite and that annoyed the hell out of me.

Honestly, I ended up DNFing this book at fifty percent. The premise was promising but the execution of it was disappointing.

If you loved Percy Jackson than you need to read this book! The story is very well written and full of plot twist.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Blackwell’s, for allowing us readers in the US for first reading this debut when it published. Thank you Sourcefire Books and NetGalley for the eARC of the US version. This review has been a long time coming.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is a stunning reimagining of the Hades and Persephone myth. In this reimagining, Persephone jumped into the underworld. I loved reading about Persephone's journey, her complicated relationship with her mother, Demeter, and her relationship with Hades. While there are serious m0ments, this book is definitely a rom-com, and there are a lot of funny moments within the story. A great coming of age story for those familiar with the myth and those who have never heard of the myth. If you like the following tropes, then I recommend that you give this novel a try: grumpy x sunshine, Zeus sucks, Greek myths, fake marriage, will they, won't they, hilarious banter, and growing into oneself.

Girl, Goddess, Queen was a really fun, feminist YA retelling of Hades and Persephone romance, but also moreso of Persephone’s life — internally and externally. I really appreciated the subversion of gender roles and the agency that Persephone had; especially in a YA book, I think it’s a really positive spin on the story. The writing was straight forward and solid, never taking itself too seriously which made it a really fun read overall.

I thought the first 50% of it was good, and thought it’d be a four star read. The last half of the book dragged on and had spice which I did not want in a YA book and didn’t even seem necessary. At the beginning of the book, there were content warnings. I thought that many of those topics shouldn’t be in a book classified as YA. The idea of the book was good, but the execution was lacking for me. I feel like this book could’ve been a hundred (or more) pages shorter. I was exited for this, but it disappointed me.

This was fast, fun, and exactly what I hoped it would be. It reimagines the Persephone and Hades myth in a way that feels fresh and sharp without taking itself too seriously. The pacing kept me hooked and the characters had just enough personality to make the story stand out.

Persephone’s voice is witty and bold without being over the top. Hades walks the line between charming and frustrating in a way that works. The banter mostly landed, and the humor felt natural.

I do wish there had been a bit more emotional depth or worldbuilding, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. It hits the YA mythology vibe perfectly and makes for a great quick read.

Perfect for fans of myth retellings who want something lighter with a heroine who takes charge of her own story.

Spectacular and spellbinding! I adored every second of the book and the progress of Persephone and Hades' romance!! Also it was just such a clever retelling of the Persephone/Hades myth and delivers just an amazing read!

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

OMG THIS WAS AMAZING!! Possibly the best Persephone-Hades retelling I've ever read. It's feminist AF, it's swoony, it's powerful, it is just so incredibly well done. The FEELING I get by reading Lore Olympus was replicated here (and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible, not in a copying way). Blues Hades might have just been knocked from his pedestal.

I love love love how Fitzgerald turned the myths on their head here. This gives Persephone so much power and agency, and it is glorious. Plus this is the sweest softest Hades ever. He's such an idiot in love, and he's SO GOOD. The burn is sloooooooooow, but it's so good--like kicking your heels good, while at the same time you're just screaming at them to kiss already! I loved how they became friends first and how much they care and support each other.

This book also had the humor, wit, banter, and cutting insightful passages that I'd expect from Natalie Haynes (also huge compliment intended there). I highlighted soooo many sections that just spoke to my soul. I highly highly recommend!! I can't wait to read more of Fitzgerald's books!

"They made it your name, made it an insult, turned it into something it's not. There's nothing wrong with being a little girl, love. Little girls are fearless."

"Fine, the I'll hold your flowers while you tear the world apart."

"What did the scissors do to you?" he asks. "Symbol of the patriarchy," I mutter."

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy! I was so excited to see this book come to the US for publication that I had to request it.

When I say I flew through this book in a single sitting, I mean it.

I absolutely loved the agency that Persephone had in this retelling and how much it made Hades want to rip his hair out. And I didn’t know it was possible for me to hate Zeus more, but here we are.

If you enjoy greek mythology (but are okay with fresh takes), love to see girls who bring the “he’s just a man, hit him with your car” energy to the function, or just want to have a good time, you should read this!

3.5–This was so much fun! Hades and Persephone has always been one of my favorite Greek myth retellings though it’s been awhile since one has entertained me as much as this. There were lots of laugh of loud moments and I loved how cute Hades and Persephone were together! Also loved the friendship among the Underworld court. I do think the book is too long, I started skimming a bit towards the end and the obliviousness of Hades and Persephone skirting around their feelings went on much longer than I hoped for. But overall I enjoyed this and will be looking into this author’s other retellings!

3.5⭐s rounding up because I did not realize this was YA! If you are looking for a retelling with a feminist bent, miscommunication galore, and a cozy romance you will love this.

I heard incredible things about this retelling, and, while I enjoyed it, I felt Fitzgerald bit off more than she could chew.

At its heart, this book is a romance. The mythological elements took a backseat, which I was okay with, but I think there needed to be a clearer characterization of the MCs to make this book really work. Both Persephone and Hades never quite came to life for me, even though I liked the ways Fitzgerald subverted gender norms.

Fitzgerald's approach to some mythological elements was the standout to me, including Kronos eating his children, the Titanomachy, and how gods receive their powers. But the pacing didn't do these elements justice. The beginning was a bit slow, while the ending, even with its delightful twist on Persephone's duty to the world, was rushed. Again, all of these qualms could have been smoothed over with a deeper characterization of the MCs.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC!

This book does an amazing job of balancing the original myths while a new spin, but not shying away from the darker parts of the originals. Loved it!

When I refuse to put a book down to sleep, I know I’m in deep. I could not stop reading this book. I needed to know what happened next every moment. I love a good Hades romance and this was top tier. The romance mixed with fantasy and Greek mythology was just A+

Greek re-tellings are my jam. And while I didn't love GGQ, I didn't hate it either. It was essentially giving the age old Hades/Persephone story a feminist spin. And I know we are supposed to really root for P in this one, but Hades was my favorite by far.

The thing I loved most about the novel was Persephone's voice. Her frustration never really came off as whiny, nor her anger as petulance. I usually struggle with first-person narratives - I like more distance between the reader and the narrator - but this was so well-crafted that I never found it uncomfortable to be so close inside Persephone's mind.

I've read a few other reviews that criticized the romance in the book as being too slow of a burn. I would counter that and say that it's just a more realistic portrayal of relationship building, and also it's age appropriate for the teens and tweens who will pick this book up from YA shelves. I think there's something incredibly strong about the way they go from not-quite-adversaries, to friends, to lovers. There's value in it not being an explosive, quick burn affair, especially in a novel that's so centered around Persephone fighting for herself and her place in the world. I adore the fact that she never had to choose between power and love, as if a woman cannot have both of those things, and that Fitzgerald tackled (with varying amounts of depth and attention) gender roles and expectations placed on both Hades and Persephone.

So we know the story of Persephone and how she becomes Queen of the Underworld and Wife to Hades. I enjoyed this version quite a bit.

Kore is named goddess of flowers by Zeus at her naming ceremony and she feels disappointed ever since. When she comes of age her mother and father decide it's time to find her a husband, and leave her on the island, heavily warded, and go off to arrange her marriage.
Angry at her prospects, she opens a portal to the underworld and blackmails hades into a hospitality clause, allowing her to stay hidden in the underworld, buying herself time. With no choice to offer her a place to stay or face a curse, he allows her to stay.

Kore is fiery, angry and resents her parents and their choices they want for her, as well as the power she was given, pushed into a diminutive role when she wants so much more. She never wants to marry anyone.
Hades has secrets of his own, and is much more than what he appears, also forced into a role that doesn't really suit him either. He has no romantic feeling for anyone really and would prefer to just be left to his work.

Watching them both grow, and come to terms with themselves, traumas, and issues, and support one another over time. I enjoyed their dynamic.

I read this courtesy Sourcebooks and NetGalley. In this delightful retelling (and respinning) of the Persephone myth, the person/goddess in question, known as Kore here, has pluck and determination, and she chose to run away from home since she was going to be basically auctioned off to the god who pleased Zeus the most. She runs away to Hades and hides there, and once there she has to deal with Hades himself, and he’s not having any of her plan to stay in his realm…until he is. A fun read!
#SourceBooks #NetGalley

*2.5 stars*

I had heard about this book on social media when it first launched and I really was interested in it, so I decided to request it to review; unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it.

First of all, the plot is so simple and basic I'm not even interested in it. It does start with the interesting twist of Kore seeking Hades, but she immediately goes on to DIY the entire underworld (which is like... girl please you are a VISITOR here) and the actual plot is not really there nor interesting. Persephone then goes on to assume the whole of the ruling over the underworld (?????) and I really disliked the very obvious "feminist changes" because they kind of felt like they were weird in that plot.

I was also incredibly annoyed at some minor comments about the mythology (like Demeter and Zeus not being siblings - if you don't want to write about incest I suggest you stay away from Greek Mythology???, or sirens having FISH TAILS when they were half birds in those stories) I know these are excusable in the whole retelling aspect of the book - but they felt like such weird and stupid things to change. I was also annoyed at the very obvious catholic structure implemented in the underworld, similar to the myths but also very heavily changed to resemble the paradise-purgatory-inferno situation.

Overall I'm afraid I wasn't a fan of this novel and I just found it very mediocre - it's not the worst book I've read but it's also completely irrelevant and I will probably forget about it tomorrow.