amaramorgenstern's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Basicly smutt. Das Grundkonzept mit der Griechischen Mythologie gefällt mir eigentlich ganz gut, aber es wurde leider recht kitschig umgesetzt. Das man alles so gezwungen aktuell Machen muss, dass jeder in Designer Kleidung und Stöckl Schuhen rum laufen muss - jede Göttin und somit auch das Fashion Ideal in dieser Welt ist 2013 Ellie Saab. 0 Abwechslung, die Autorin setzt das irgendwie cringy um.
Die Intimen Szenen waren nicht schlecht, dass es hier aber ausschließlich um Verlangen und Körperliche Anziehung, nicht Emotionen und Romantik geht, stört mich. Es wäre in Ordnung gewesen, hätte es einen Spannungsbogen gegeben, dass Persephone aber von Anfang an so ein starkes Verlangen hat und unrealistischer Weise Hades ebenso - das ist definitiv zu viel des Guten. Ich denke, ich gehöre einfach nicht zur Zielgruppe. Dafür war es aber nicht schlecht. Hat Ähnlichkeiten zu Jennifer Armentrout.
Update später: es ist doch einfach zu schmachtig. Und Persephones Leben hat sich nur durch Hades zum besseren gewendet. Kein einziges bisschen durch eigene Kraft und Stärke. Immer wieder ist Hades ihr Retter - ganz die Jungfer in Nöten. Es ist auch zu viel Smut, es hört gar nicht mehr auf. Ich kann mich aber auch allgemein nicht mit Persephone in Verbindung bringen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Bullying
Minor: Stalking
kshertz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Excellence romance Greek mythology smut book. I loved Persephone, loved Hades, hated everyone all up in their business. I loved the plot and the dynamic. Also had the perfect amount of smut for me. It was a good storyline and easy read. I’m going to listen to the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death, and Death of parent
scarlett_f's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
wrensreadingroom's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Child death, Gore, Infidelity, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
briiforte's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m a sucker for a Hades/Persephone pairing, and this was no exception. I loved the use of the gods as figures of celebrity. This mythical universe is deeply desirable. The setting is immersive and full of life (and death). 100% would read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Alcohol
tspice24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
i mean, what can i say?
it's your average hades x persephone fanfiction—smutty, something that could be found on wattpad, feels like reading an animal documentary based on the amount of 'growls' the reader has to sit through.
the writing style was simple, wattpad-esque. and with that i mean very little sentences of description (except of course when it's about a dress, looks or beautiful black modern-victorian rooms) and lots of action in the simple noun-verb-object structure. a little boring, nothing special, but it gets you through the 400 pages all right.
what i had quite a problem with were the characters. i disliked most of them and that might be rooted in the fact that the author and i definitely have different headcanons when it comes to the gods/other ancient greek figures and their personalities and behavior.
i do personally believe that hades as a character was handled way better in the lore olympus webtoon for example—a little shy, still powerful but more in a lowkey nerd/constantly annoyed/grumpy kinda way, rather than this buff f-boy typa character. but then again, that's just personal.
i disliked persephone, because of her naïvité and there i say it, stupidity.
she was portrayed as this smart goddess, gifted writer, university graduate but her behavior mirrored none of that. and yet she was still portrayed as a kind of mary sue.
i wasn't a fan of adonis and minthe either.
same with minthe. like yeah, she was annoying as shit but i don't think she deserved to die like that.
there were some minor things about the gods/goddesses and how they were portrayed that i hated, too. for example that aphrodite, the goddess of love and passion, was put into this stereotypical (and sort of slut-shaming) role of "she sleeps with everyone but she's very lonely deep down inside". that just felt wrong and out of place because, well, she is the goddess of love. the whole "she's lonely" thing, idk, it felt pseudo-deep.
also the fact persephone put every god and goddess into a sort of "good" or "bad" drawer. ares was bad for starting wars. athena was good for making strategic war. aphrodite was kinda bad. hades was bad but turned out to be good. hermes was good. zeus and poseidon were not.
it was so silly, because the gods and goddesses were literally written to be morally gray. that's the thing about greek mythology. the divine are beautiful, ethereal, but they are also deeply flawed like mortals. that's what made them so realistic and so easy to cherish. they were relatable.
acting like one god is better than another is just hypocritical and boring, because literally every deity has done some sort of horrible and unjust thing in their life.
most of the characters also just acted like teenagers in general, even the gods, which is very suspicious, considering they've lived for like ... an eternity right. how giddy everyone acted when it came to hades' and persephone's relationship was goofy. "he's in love with you!" - "omg *blush* no he's not."
urgh.
the plot was relatively interesting at the beginning, but the closer persephone and hades got and the more the book started focusing on their relationship, the more boring it turned. going to clubs, and galas and events, baking cookies at home, fucking in a pool, it was all just a little ... too little, you know. if actual plot was sustenance, this book would be malnourished.
i thought the ending was boring, too. not because the ideas were lacking, but simply because i didn't like.
yeah, personally just didn't like that one. i'm starting to doubt booktok and its recommendations and favorites (only now, yes i know), but it is what it is.
it's your average hades x persephone fanfiction—smutty, something that could be found on wattpad, feels like reading an animal documentary based on the amount of 'growls' the reader has to sit through.
the writing style was simple, wattpad-esque. and with that i mean very little sentences of description (except of course when it's about a dress, looks or beautiful black modern-victorian rooms) and lots of action in the simple noun-verb-object structure. a little boring, nothing special, but it gets you through the 400 pages all right.
what i had quite a problem with were the characters. i disliked most of them and that might be rooted in the fact that the author and i definitely have different headcanons when it comes to the gods/other ancient greek figures and their personalities and behavior.
i do personally believe that hades as a character was handled way better in the lore olympus webtoon for example—a little shy, still powerful but more in a lowkey nerd/constantly annoyed/grumpy kinda way, rather than this buff f-boy typa character. but then again, that's just personal.
i disliked persephone, because of her naïvité and there i say it, stupidity.
Spoiler
first she decided to take a swim in the INFAMOUS RIVER OF STYX, then she thought it was a good idea to drink a drink she didn't order and had the audacity to be surprised to find it was spiked.she was portrayed as this smart goddess, gifted writer, university graduate but her behavior mirrored none of that. and yet she was still portrayed as a kind of mary sue.
i wasn't a fan of adonis and minthe either.
Spoiler
gonna be honest here, adonis' villain arc, i just didn't buy it. he didn't have a motive or a goal. every story needs a villain and i feel like the author just picked him at random because "well, someone has to do it."same with minthe. like yeah, she was annoying as shit but i don't think she deserved to die like that.
there were some minor things about the gods/goddesses and how they were portrayed that i hated, too. for example that aphrodite, the goddess of love and passion, was put into this stereotypical (and sort of slut-shaming) role of "she sleeps with everyone but she's very lonely deep down inside". that just felt wrong and out of place because, well, she is the goddess of love. the whole "she's lonely" thing, idk, it felt pseudo-deep.
also the fact persephone put every god and goddess into a sort of "good" or "bad" drawer. ares was bad for starting wars. athena was good for making strategic war. aphrodite was kinda bad. hades was bad but turned out to be good. hermes was good. zeus and poseidon were not.
it was so silly, because the gods and goddesses were literally written to be morally gray. that's the thing about greek mythology. the divine are beautiful, ethereal, but they are also deeply flawed like mortals. that's what made them so realistic and so easy to cherish. they were relatable.
acting like one god is better than another is just hypocritical and boring, because literally every deity has done some sort of horrible and unjust thing in their life.
most of the characters also just acted like teenagers in general, even the gods, which is very suspicious, considering they've lived for like ... an eternity right. how giddy everyone acted when it came to hades' and persephone's relationship was goofy. "he's in love with you!" - "omg *blush* no he's not."
urgh.
the plot was relatively interesting at the beginning, but the closer persephone and hades got and the more the book started focusing on their relationship, the more boring it turned. going to clubs, and galas and events, baking cookies at home, fucking in a pool, it was all just a little ... too little, you know. if actual plot was sustenance, this book would be malnourished.
i thought the ending was boring, too. not because the ideas were lacking, but simply because i didn't like
Spoiler
the whole deus ex machina thing persephone's got going on with her powers. it was lameyeah, personally just didn't like that one. i'm starting to doubt booktok and its recommendations and favorites (only now, yes i know), but it is what it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Sexual harassment, Confinement, and Violence
xapoptosisx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I actually really enjoyed this I think the world is really cool and the way the characters are written there's actually alot of depth to them and I ended up liking alot of them. I will say the pacing was kinda weird and confusing in some bits but it was still good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Terminal illness, War, Vomit, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual harassment, and Death
melliebean28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death
booksthatburn's review
Stopping because Persephone is happy that Hades is paternalistic and sexist, punishing someone because they scared her and she’s a woman. There’s also some ableist language in a way that’s not important to the narrative, and Persephone keeps thinking of some non-human people as “creatures” and “monsters” in a way that feels disparaging. I don’t like this version of Persephone and I don’t like how the story is being told.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Stalking, and Ableism