twitchyredpen's review against another edition
1.0
Hades/Persephone with all the literary brilliance and female agency of a Twilight novel.
Plot is unoriginal but had potential; it's the writing that makes the book so unenjoyable.
The first 2/3-3/4 of the book are full of vague references to "the accident" and "the incident," which don't build intrigue so much as build a suspicion the writer had meant to tell you about those earlier but has completely forgotten.
Mostly telling instead of showing, and Pierce sometimes "just knows" things. Where there is longer description, it stands out (not excellently) because of how little there is anywhere else.
The last 1/4 of the book is where anything interesting finally begins to happen -- then the book ends without resolving any of it except that the two main characters, in case you hadn't figured it out by the telling of Hades/Persephone in the first chapter,. Supposedly a series, but seems like a longer book that got cut at a chapter break to start a new one. It ends in what might otherwise be building to the climax of it.
Possibly the best thing I can say about this is that it's bad in a bad-movie way. I could groan and roll my eyes but it didn't make me turn it off.
Drinking game, take a drink when you read/hear:
"Um," I said.
"Oh," I said.
[Statement], well, [direct disagreement with previous statement].
... who(m) I met while I was dead ...
Audiobook narrator reads with teenage detached boredom. I didn't like some of the intonation/inflection, but isn't bad.
Plot is unoriginal but had potential; it's the writing that makes the book so unenjoyable.
The first 2/3-3/4 of the book are full of vague references to "the accident" and "the incident," which don't build intrigue so much as build a suspicion the writer had meant to tell you about those earlier but has completely forgotten.
Mostly telling instead of showing, and Pierce sometimes "just knows" things. Where there is longer description, it stands out (not excellently) because of how little there is anywhere else.
The last 1/4 of the book is where anything interesting finally begins to happen -- then the book ends without resolving any of it except that the two main characters, in case you hadn't figured it out by the telling of Hades/Persephone in the first chapter,
Spoiler
presumably get togetherPossibly the best thing I can say about this is that it's bad in a bad-movie way. I could groan and roll my eyes but it didn't make me turn it off.
Drinking game, take a drink when you read/hear:
"Um," I said.
"Oh," I said.
[Statement], well, [direct disagreement with previous statement].
... who(m) I met while I was dead ...
Audiobook narrator reads with teenage detached boredom. I didn't like some of the intonation/inflection, but isn't bad.
pidgeon's review
1.0
I only picked this up because 1. the cover looked good and 2. because I really love re-telling's of the Hades and Persephone myth. But this... this was crap. Ugh I can't believe there will be another one.
I've never read anything by Meg Cabot before because frankly nothing she has written seems that good. But after reading this, I definitely will not read any of her work ever. Yikes.
I've never read anything by Meg Cabot before because frankly nothing she has written seems that good. But after reading this, I definitely will not read any of her work ever. Yikes.
33p3barpercent's review
4.0
GREAT retelling of the Persephone/Hades myth, and because I enjoyed this book so much, I really want Meg Cabot to rewrite every book ever. She's prolific enough.
immortalgirl92's review
4.0
I have always loved Meg Cabot's books even though I haven't read that much from her in years. I don't know if it was her great writing style or the story itself but I really, really, really liked this book... like so much more than I ever thought I would. I know it wasn't the most original story but something about it made me want to just read and never stop.
randi_in_horrorland's review
3.0
This book was not at all what I was expecting. When I was thinking Hades and Persephone retelling, I was really hoping that it would take place in the Underworld, not in America real time. Insta love isn't really one of my favourite tropes, but it isn't super nasty cringey, but for those of you who cannot stand it, I would suggest to hard avoid this book because it is covered in it.
Pierce is a rather interesting character, and interesting as in I found myself raising an eyebrow and going "wtf" in several different places, but that also kept the content interesting.
This book was a super short read, only a couple hours-ish, so even though it wasn't AMAZING, I also don't feel as though I have wasted any time with it. I will probably continue to series since I am interested to know what happens with the main characters! I struggle to leave things unfinished lol.
Pierce is a rather interesting character, and interesting as in I found myself raising an eyebrow and going "wtf" in several different places, but that also kept the content interesting.
This book was a super short read, only a couple hours-ish, so even though it wasn't AMAZING, I also don't feel as though I have wasted any time with it. I will probably continue to series since I am interested to know what happens with the main characters! I struggle to leave things unfinished lol.
exhaleartist's review
4.0
It took me until last year to read my first Meg Cabot book, but once I began I could not stop. When I saw that she was publishing a new book I was psyched, and I was even more excited when I learned that it was going to be based on the myth of Persephone. If you read my review of The Goddess Test, you will know that this is one of my favorite Greek myths. Anyhow I had very high hopes for this book. It did not disappoint. I absolutely loved it. I was a little unsure of what I would think, reading it so soon after The Goddess Test, which is based on the same myth. These books, however, could not be more different. They are two completely different stories.
Pierce is one of my favorite characters, as of late. She comes off as just a bit crazy and unstable, which I can relate to in a narrator. Her life has really fallen apart since her NED, near-death-experience, and she is trying hard to make a new start for her mother. The island where they are making this fresh start is a character all its own, with its own quirks and traditions. The people that inhabit it are also just as interesting. From Pierce’s dysfunctional family to John to Richard Smith they all consistently surprise me. I loved this cast of characters. John’s background left me a bit confused, but I am hoping that will be explained better in the next book(s).
This story was fast paced and full of tension. It is definitely a book that could be read in one sitting. The relationship between John and Pierce was fraught with emotion, and the way it ended left me quite excited for the next book. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I really do not know what else to say about this besides how much I really, really enjoyed it.
I would definitely recommend this book to other, I have already passed it on to my sister. As soon as I possible I plan to purchase myself a copy and I am dying for the release of the next book!
Pierce is one of my favorite characters, as of late. She comes off as just a bit crazy and unstable, which I can relate to in a narrator. Her life has really fallen apart since her NED, near-death-experience, and she is trying hard to make a new start for her mother. The island where they are making this fresh start is a character all its own, with its own quirks and traditions. The people that inhabit it are also just as interesting. From Pierce’s dysfunctional family to John to Richard Smith they all consistently surprise me. I loved this cast of characters. John’s background left me a bit confused, but I am hoping that will be explained better in the next book(s).
This story was fast paced and full of tension. It is definitely a book that could be read in one sitting. The relationship between John and Pierce was fraught with emotion, and the way it ended left me quite excited for the next book. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I really do not know what else to say about this besides how much I really, really enjoyed it.
I would definitely recommend this book to other, I have already passed it on to my sister. As soon as I possible I plan to purchase myself a copy and I am dying for the release of the next book!
neenor's review against another edition
3.0
So when I was younger, I read the Princess Diaries series - and if I'm being honest, I can remember nothing apart from what happens in the films. I have also read certain others books by her - like Jinx and Tommy Sullivan Is A Freak and Nicola and the Viscount. But I can't remember much of those either - so I was intrigued when I found this lying around in the library, considering it seemed to be so different from her previous books, which are more based on wishful-reality. And I have to say that now I have finished it, I'm rather on the fence, because there were aspects about it which I loved...and then there were some that I didn't. For example, how predictable it all was -I guessed what would happen at the end right from the beginning, and wasn't really shocked by anything. I also disliked the main character, Pierce- she was just that typical storybook girl, who is gorgeous (which she is unaware of) and has the extremely rich father who will pay for anything. She also ends up being the damsel in distress all the time, and is so dim-witted I felt like face-palming myself every time she opened her mouth. But despite all this, the one thing that really riled me was how Cabot said she had anger issues, but she was never angry. If she really had an anger issue, she would have flipped out way more than she did - and definitely more dramatically. But, for what it's worth, I did like it some- it was an easy read, and Cabot did great background research, because all the little issues raised in the novel were solved, and the puzzle pieces did fit together nicely. I would recommend this book for any fan of books like Twilight - but if you're not fond of the typical clumsy heroine, then this is not the book for you.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Another YA book that will just blend into a billion others in my mind I think. I liked this fine, I was able to stay interested and read it quickly. It would jump around in time/memories, which was really annoying here, because it wasn't defined. A past experience would be alluded to, touched upon, but not really explained until later, when we'd reflect on it again in a little more depth, and then finally things are fully explained. The whole thing was just a little convoluted and I didn't really get to care about the characters. The first in a series, but I'm not compelled to continue ...
No quotes - Vocabulary "dispersant" - liquid or gas used to disperse small particles in a medium. Pierce's dad uses it to counteract an oil spill (minor story line)
No quotes - Vocabulary "dispersant" - liquid or gas used to disperse small particles in a medium. Pierce's dad uses it to counteract an oil spill (minor story line)
une63n7wm's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5