Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Lore Olympus: Volume Two

Another beautiful and breathtaking book in the series. I am a grown adult with a crush on a cartoon of Hades, and I don’t know how to feel about that.

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leonormsousa's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

After reading the first volume, I quickly got my hands on this second volume to see where the story goes next.

This is a really interesting way to consume a story, like old school serial stories published in parts in local newspapers. There is not the “opening-buildup-conflict-denouement-possible cliffhanger” that one gets with full books in a series, but rather just a single story unfolding, but told over multiple installations. It’s not a style I am used to, so it’s taking some adjustment. Like, these volumes each end in what feels like a random place, and pick up right after each other in sequence. It’s definitely making me a bit on edge, because I just want to know what comes next and I never feel like I’m in a good ending place in which to wait for the next one. Anyways, that’s sort of an aside, but just a thing I’m working through as I decide if Webtoons are a media for me, or not.

So obviously, this story picks up where the last one left – with Hades and Persephone talking after Persephone’s horrible sexual manipulation/assault situation with Apollo. It covers both the next steps in their relationship (their growing feelings for each other that Hades tries to tamp down and Persephone is unsure how to handle), as well as covering some interference from Hera, jealousy from Minthe, and a few other side characters, like Hestia’s expectations for Persephone and Hecate’s role within Hades’ Underworld (I do love Hecate in every retelling of this mythology, and this version is no different).

I remain enchanted by the graphics, it’s stylistically unlike anything I’ve read in graphic novel format before. Bubbly and fun in a semi-structured way, but with some great dark edges. I still sometimes struggle following characters, as the coloring and features aren’t super consistent between panels, but I like to style enough to work though that. And knowing the story and some of the connections already is helping me parse the details here.

Watching Hades and Persephone interact is great. Hades falling fast and hard is honestly just adorable; I love a dark hero. And Persephone is a lovely example of a sweet, naïve female romance lead, but she does start to come a bit more into her own here (like challenging Hades to a wager and giving some trash talk) which I was glad for, to save her from being too cloying. If you’re a dog person, this retelling will be a good one for you, the doggo scenes in this volume were all fantastic. And while I am never a fan of Minthe in any iteration, I actually really like the chapters that gave her background more detail here. I always appreciate an antagonist who gets their due depth.

Overall, I remain mostly neutral on this retelling, in a general sense. It’s entertaining and enjoyable, but not a standout or groundbreaking. So, while not a TBR priority, since each volume is such a fast and escapist reading experience that, as my holds on the next volumes continue to come in at the library, I’ll definitely continue reading them.

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laran_s's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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