Reviews with content warning for Stalking - A Game of Retribution

Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair

14 reviews

whatkatyread87's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Eh. This one was okay.

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yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

I’m super intrigued on the war. Hades is so quick to assume things and then ends up messing up with Persephone. I also feel like this man is sex crazy and I love smut but there were so many times where they had sex when they should’ve talked. Hecate and Hermes are definitely my faves

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megthecatlady's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love that Scarlett St. Clair wrote the Hades books. I love knowing what Hades is getting up to when he's not with Persephone. I especially enjoyed this book because I felt so frustrated with him during A Touch of Ruin. I feel like he was barely with Persephone, and while the events in this book aren't an excuse, they do make sense and do so much of the world building the readers need to know about. I love watching Hades and Persephone grow as characters and I love watching their relationship evolve.

Another thing I really enjoy about this series so far is the attention to detail and the attention to side characters. I am not sure that I have ever read another book where the side characters, were fleshed out so well and are just about as important to the storyline as the main characters. I appreciate that about this series so much, and am excited to continue reading this author's works.

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nitecrtlvr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

2.75

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rchulin1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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savage_book_review's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

So the note at the back of this book says the author doesn't like it when people show her version of Hades all the love while bashing Persephone. My response to that has to be that, while I like Persephone's story arc and am keen to see her grow into her powers and role as Queen of the Underworld, I'm thinking the reason she doesn't get the same amount of love is because Hades has his opportunity to shine in both her PoV and his. This book tells the story of 'A Touch of Ruin' from Hades PoV and, once again, you get to explore what happens when Persephone isn't around and see just what other s**t he has to deal with. At this point, I'm very much preferring seeing things from his perspective; I appreciate he is a few millenia older than Persephone, but his jaded, world-weary outlook seems so much more real to me than Persephone's quite immature attitude.

However, I guess it's meant to be like that; it's just a struggle to remember that Persephone was essentially kept in isolation for 18 years when she seems to have so much more experience than her four years in New Athens would suggest. In some ways, she is still very much a child and, seen in that context, her erratic behaviour and desperate desire for reassurance, friendship and love becomes a little more understandable. I think the main issue I have is that, where Hades seems to genuinely feel something when taking action (whether rage, lust, sadness, pride or joy), Persephone's outbursts don't feel like they have that same depth - they're more like temper tantrums, which I guess brings me back to her essentially being a child.

Although I would say that you really should read 'A Touch of Ruin' first, this book does flow better for those who might be jumping in here. There is much more of a story going on for Hades, and it serves as a great build up to what I can only assume is going to follow in the next books. And the development of his relationship with Persephone makes so much more sense when seen through his eyes - this man who has never had anyone to ask him 'how was your day?' or who wants to be in his orbit because of him as a person, not him as a God... even though I felt for him in the last book and got why he acts the way he does, to see his thought processes and the repercussions of that really gives him a properly rounded character, and one that I'm incredibly drawn to.

I enjoyed the interactions with other Gods, Dionysius and Hephestus in particular, and the sinking feeling that the Olympians are about to come to blows. Likewise, Hades' relationships with Hecate and Hermes continue to make me smile and are giving me 'found family' vibes. I want a 'family dinner' scene with them, Persephone, Thanatos and Charon all just being relaxed and comfortable with eachother, banter flying, and everyone ganging up on Hades to poke fun at something ridiculous he says or does.

I'm also continuing to enjoy the weaving in of established mythology to the modern context. The introduction of Ariadne as a detective, for example, I thought was great. And her chemistry with Dionysius sparks off the page very well.

Overall, I'm still not completely sold on the writing, but it works well enough to trigger my imagination and for me to enjoy the retelling of the classic myth. So it's not bad! Slightly annoyed the next in the series isn't available on KU yet, but at least my library service has a copy I can borrow!

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grace33's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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marimoose's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was actually worried about picking this book up because I did not enjoy the events and the story that took place in A Touch of Ruin. From what I had read in A Game of Fate, I thought that this continuation book would really just be Hades's perspective of A Touch of Ruin just on his side of the story. What I found was an actual story that involved Hades separate from Persephone's point of view. Yes, there are overlaps, but thankfully the overlaps did not take away from what Hades had to go through.

And I am so ever thankful that this was the case, because I really didn't want the Persephone drama hashed out in full-blown form like it was in the second book of the Hades and Persephone saga. Yes, I am aware that both perspectives play on their different world views--particularly because Persephone is a goddess trying to play mortal, while Hades is a god who has lived a long time and is very powerful to boot--but I can't help being more engrossed in the story about the gods of Olympus and the mystery/crime aspect of Hades' story. I did wonder over the necessity with Hera's labors, particularly because it wound up amounting to little in the end, and the goddess herself was just eye-rollingly annoying to me.

Hermes and Hecate still remain my favorite side characters, and "Get wet, Daddy Death" will forever make me snicker.

Hopefully now that we've established Hades and Persephone as an actual couple, there's less hinging on the damn miscommunication trope and more of a "I'm going to fight FOR this relationship WITH my partner AGAINST the naysayers" versus whatever it was that plagued me over these book 2s.

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