Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Daughters of Olympus

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn

6 reviews

harley08212008's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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kowalskepie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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lover97's review

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4.5

4.5 ⭐️

This is a story of 3 parts: Demeters life and how she came to live away from olympus, Core and how she found her freedom and lastly how Core became Persephone. Each part is beautifully written, and at it's core the book is about character development.

Definitely check the content warnings. A big part of the story is the SA that demeter experiences. It's not descriptive, but it's hard to read nonetheless. I do think it was dealt with well, and how it affects her in the aftermath is well written.

Then we have Core, her POV shows us her adventures when she leaves the island and we get to watch her find her freedom. Both parts 1 and 2 deal with love and grief, and we see how each of the goddesses deals with it. You really feel their pain. It was brilliantly done.

Part 3 is my favourite part. Not just because this is one of my favourite renditions of Hades but because I enjoyed seeing core claim her power and become Persephone. Hades in this book is shy and awkward and truly just in love with her. I like that their romance took a back seat to her realising that actually she can be a take charge powerful goddess.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, and the scenes of them reclaiming their power are very strong. The writing is beautiful, and I'll definitely be checking out some of the authors' other works in the future.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Hannah Lynn, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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gaby_readsbooks's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I have always loved Greek mythology and I love a good retelling. This book reminded me of one of my favorites, Circe, in that it explores the women goddesses and their existence in this male dominated ancient time. I loved the exploration of immortality, love, grief and humanity that this book provided. I also enjoyed how it was split pretty evenly between Demeter and then Core’s POV’s which made it tie together nicely. I wished it had been a tad bit longer as it was pretty slow in the beginning and then rushed towards the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

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crothe77's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is a dual first-person POV retelling of the story of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades. Starting with when Demeter was swallowed by her father, Hannah Lynn centers Demeter’s story in Greek myth and later explores a different angle for how Persephone might have been tempted to eat the pomegranate. Demeter’s trauma and Persephone’s grief are key parts of their POVs and dictate many of their decisions.

Demeter’s chapters retell the stories of Hera and Zeus, Hephaestus, and aspects of Poseidon as well as her own. A defining feature is Demeter’s children and how she took care of each of the three sets of twins she bore. Of all six, only Persephone remains in Demeter’s life while the others were either mortal or given to others who could take care of them properly. I knew about Persephone and Arion, one of her children with Poseidon, but I had not heard of the others before reading Daughters of Olympus. They aren’t talked about as much, possibly because the story of Hades and Persephone is usually the main story in which Demeter appears in most Greek mythology retellings or anthologies.

Persephone’s chapters center a relationship between Persephone and Ione, a married woman, before her abduction by Hades. As far as I can tell, Ione’s romantic relationship with Persephone is a creation of Hannah Lynn used to highlight relationships between women, layers to marriages in Ancient Greece, and give a different angle to Hades and Persephone’s love story, particularly in relationship to Ione’s death and the afterlife.

Hades and Persephone are more of a slowburn romance where their marriage is built on a friendship first before Persephone starts to open her heart further to him. The pair’s similarities as two gods who are not really part of Olympus nor particularly interested in engaging in the drama of the other gods is noted as a large reason why their relationship grows as well as Hades’ empathy for the souls of his kingdom.

Content warning for brief depictions of the death of a child, sexual assault, pregnancy, and childbirth

I would recommend this to readers of Greek mythology retellings who tend to prefer less romantic depictions of the story of Hades and Persephone but still want a hint of that romance and fans of retellings that are more focused on character’s interiority.

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cneighbors36's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad 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

4.5

From the very first page, Daughters of Olympus hooked me with its captivating writing style. Hannah Lynn created a vivid atmosphere that draws you deeply into the story. Additionally, the author did a great job of using multiple points of view of the same events, allowing you to gain a richer understanding of the events and develop a deeper connection to each individual. Each character's voice was distinct and authentic, offering unique perspectives on the story. While the initial chapters focus on establishing the characters and setting, the pace picks up as the story unfolds.

Overall, Daughters of Olympus is a compelling retelling of a classic myth that explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of family bonds. It's a must-read for fans of mythology and strong female characters. Before reading the book, I would recommend checking trigger warnings. I would rate it 4.5/5 stars, and I will definitely pick up more of Hannah Lynn's books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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