This was so enjoyable and a good retteling.
Loved he characters and the world.
The story was captivating.
Higly recommend.

This is such a beautiful and fresh retelling. I loved the main characters in this and the journey that they went on. This is a YA and the writing doesn't feel juvenile, its so enjoyable. I will definitly read the authors next book!

I feel like to be fair, I need to grade this on a curve. I'm pretty open about my general dislike of Persephone and Hades retellings—not because the concept is bad, but because it's so overdone.

GGQ is of course another entry in the subgenre, this one both a more modern but also somewhat classical take. The setting and world was still of the past, but the language and prose was very modern (and very British, which was funny because it had me evaluating how I sometimes overlook how modern-sounding some North American-authored works sound).

It's also a very feminist take on the story, centring heavily on Persephone and her agency, as well as the roles inhabited by other goddesses. In the same token, Hades is given more "traditionally feminine" interests, which he is concerned will make others view him as less, though it is made abundantly clear that Persephone actually loves this about him and finds it attractive. Overall, I like this message, though it felt incredibly heavy-handed at times, but to be fair, it is YA so some heavy-handedness is expected. Also because this was Bea's debut.

My one actual gripe is that the miscommunication trope is milked for a long time. This bothered me, but also, it does fit into Persephone's character for her to be this dense. That being said, Hades should be smarter than that.

If you like Persephone and Hades retellings and have no problem with modern language in your semi-historical fantasies, I say go ahead. It was fun.
2 likes

One of my favorite reads of 2023, when it came out in the UK! The slow-burn, the banter, the main character's drive, are all a match made in heaven (hell?).

This book is going to take the US by storm.

If you ever thought Persephone deserved more than being abducted by her uncle, tricked into binding herself to the desolate Underwold, and then developing Stockholm Syndrome and falling in love with her abductor, this is the book for you. This Persephone demands the world - and sets out to get more than her suffocating, manipulative mother and her asshole of a father think she deserves. This Persephone breaks her chains and finds herself and who she was always meant to be.

"I was good. I was obedient. I was fucking perfect.
So when I finally snapped, I snapped hard.
When I finally said no, I screamed it from the mountaintops.
Or from the Underwold, as the case may be."

If, however, you need your Hades to be a creepy, brooding, toxic ass - look elsewhere. This Hades was forced to fight in a war he didn't want part of and still suffers from it. This Hades hates his role as the dread ruler of the Underworld, because (like Persephone) he wants more.

This is a story of two seriously flawed individuals who have their baggage and scars coming together (although the romance is not the main focus, their development is) and finding themselves in the process. It's about dealing with trauma and toxic relationships, expectations set by parents and a patriarchal society. Don't let the pretty pink cover fool you, this book is sometimes not easy to read.

But if you want your goddesses to rebel and find someone who will be right there at their side, unconditional and ready to help them burn down the world, this is very much the book for you.