1st book in the Dark Olympus series
46th book of 2022
He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell… he was, quite simply, mine.
Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…
A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.
CW: Sexual content, violence, death of a parent
Rating
Review
This book is from afar, my favourite Hades and Persephone retelling. It has all the elements it needs. Their personalities, the romance and the smut and world, I was there for it from the beginning to the end. I devour this book in nearly one sitting. Also, this book definitely makes me love the grumpy/sunshine trope in romance books.
I liked the romance between the two as I like the characters of Hades and Persephone. The contrast between who they really are and how people see them is striking and so interesting to read. It’s like you are a part of the secret, and you just want them to be who they are.
The other element I liked was the importance of consent in their relationship, not only sexually but also in daily life. This takes a great place, and I liked it so much as consent IS VITAL in a relationship.
However, because there is one thing I wanted to know a little more about, it’s the world. So even if the main thing in this book is the romance between Hades and Persephone, you have an actual world-building behind it. Sadly, I feel like we only scratch the surface with this book, and I still have many questions about it. I just want to know more as it looks complicated, and politics and appearances look like a big game in it.
I will surely continue the series, but not right away. I need to digest this one.
Liz.
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