call_me_quinn's review
5.0
this retelling of the gods in a way that captures your attention swiftly and maintains your attention throughout the whole book! I loved the MC and how she had immense faith in the gods that she would never be chosen for the reckoning until the day she did. I love the world-building in this book it created everything so beautifully for me like I was watching a movie, and the growth of the characters is so good. I am so happy I was able to submerge myself into this book and fall in love with its characters and world. great detail went into each part of this book! please go read this I have already recommended it to so many people! forever a book that I will recommend for those who love retellings of the gods.
mindaee's review
5.0
Where do I begin? This book was my first of the mythological romance genre and it was everything I wanted and more. It had so many twists and turns and was really quite heart wrenching! The cliffhanger at the end has me very angry at Taylor Johnson though, how dare she leave me hanging like that…
brigwen's review
3.0
Thank you to Taylor for an ARC copy of this book for an honest review!
What if Hades and Persephone knew each other before? What if they grew up together? But what if Hades knew who Persephone was but Persephone did not?
When the book starts, we are met with Kore (if you know anything about Greek/Roman mythology, Kore was another name for Persephone). A loud siren sounds throughout the world, alerting everyone to big news coming about the Reckoning. Every year, sometimes twice a year, bodies are selected to be offered to the gods in return for good favor. All gods have went before, leaving one remaining. Hades, god of the underworld.
Persephone had nothing really against Hades but she did not want to be Reckoned and take the chance of becoming his slave or worse. But sometimes the Fates have a bigger plan than we have for ourselves.
Kore rushes home to see that the Reckoning has been moved up and people will start being selected later that night. Kore has a sinking feeling that her life is about to change. She spends the afternoon with her mother when she receives a visit from her childhood best friend and boyfriend, Aydon. Aydon begs her to promise him that one day he will leave Elv, their hometown and for Kore to promise to come with him. The panic and the apologies rolling off his tongue over and over causes Kore to agree reluctantly. That’s when the world comes to a halt and Kore is Reckoned.
The beginning of the book and the explanation of the Reckoning process and what happened to Kore once she was Reckoned. There were a few grammatical errors and times when the perspective would switch from third person to first and back again. It felt like there were huge gaps in the story. For example, when Kore is on the edge of Styx and tries to climb onto the boat and gets dragged under, to the next chapter seemingly skipping way ahead to where Kore is in Elysian and hanging out with her friend Elizabeth and being visited by Aydon but she has no recollection of her previous life.
At first, Kore still doesn’t know Aydon’s little secret nor has Elizabeth seen or heard of him. It’s not until the Celebration of Souls that the truth is revealed and Kore learns of Aydon’s true form. After some interesting conversations, Kore decides to crash Aydon’s party but is stopped short from reaching her goal. Aydon comes to her rescue only to almost be burned alive later.
Of course what’s an Greek mythology retelling without Aphrodite? Aphrodite has a huge thing for Aydon, mainly she just wants him for his body and his crown. So when Kore rears her head, Aphrodite does something, and this is where another confusing part comes in, and Kore is transported back to the mortal realm.
As I mentioned, there just seemed to be gaps in the story that sometimes made it hard to follow and understand. Overall I liked the premise of the book. The writing was good; it kept me hooked in the story wondering what was going to happen next. With a good editing session and a bit more explanation in some parts, I do believe that it would be an even better book.
This is my own opinion. I try to be honest and open with every review that I do. Thank you for reading.
What if Hades and Persephone knew each other before? What if they grew up together? But what if Hades knew who Persephone was but Persephone did not?
When the book starts, we are met with Kore (if you know anything about Greek/Roman mythology, Kore was another name for Persephone). A loud siren sounds throughout the world, alerting everyone to big news coming about the Reckoning. Every year, sometimes twice a year, bodies are selected to be offered to the gods in return for good favor. All gods have went before, leaving one remaining. Hades, god of the underworld.
Persephone had nothing really against Hades but she did not want to be Reckoned and take the chance of becoming his slave or worse. But sometimes the Fates have a bigger plan than we have for ourselves.
Kore rushes home to see that the Reckoning has been moved up and people will start being selected later that night. Kore has a sinking feeling that her life is about to change. She spends the afternoon with her mother when she receives a visit from her childhood best friend and boyfriend, Aydon. Aydon begs her to promise him that one day he will leave Elv, their hometown and for Kore to promise to come with him. The panic and the apologies rolling off his tongue over and over causes Kore to agree reluctantly. That’s when the world comes to a halt and Kore is Reckoned.
The beginning of the book and the explanation of the Reckoning process and what happened to Kore once she was Reckoned. There were a few grammatical errors and times when the perspective would switch from third person to first and back again. It felt like there were huge gaps in the story. For example, when Kore is on the edge of Styx and tries to climb onto the boat and gets dragged under, to the next chapter seemingly skipping way ahead to where Kore is in Elysian and hanging out with her friend Elizabeth and being visited by Aydon but she has no recollection of her previous life.
At first, Kore still doesn’t know Aydon’s little secret nor has Elizabeth seen or heard of him. It’s not until the Celebration of Souls that the truth is revealed and Kore learns of Aydon’s true form. After some interesting conversations, Kore decides to crash Aydon’s party but is stopped short from reaching her goal. Aydon comes to her rescue only to almost be burned alive later.
Of course what’s an Greek mythology retelling without Aphrodite? Aphrodite has a huge thing for Aydon, mainly she just wants him for his body and his crown. So when Kore rears her head, Aphrodite does something, and this is where another confusing part comes in, and Kore is transported back to the mortal realm.
As I mentioned, there just seemed to be gaps in the story that sometimes made it hard to follow and understand. Overall I liked the premise of the book. The writing was good; it kept me hooked in the story wondering what was going to happen next. With a good editing session and a bit more explanation in some parts, I do believe that it would be an even better book.
This is my own opinion. I try to be honest and open with every review that I do. Thank you for reading.
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