This was a surprisingly enjoyable read, it wasn't perfect but it was enjoyable. There was a lot of potential here and quite a bit of it was really really great but it fell short in a couple aspects unfortunately. As always, I'll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible but I can't promise I won't accidentally give something small away so read the rest of this with caution.

1. Characters -

Persephone - I liked a lot about her character, but then there were times that she annoyed the crap out of me. I love the way she reacted to finding out she's a goddess, it wasn't downplayed and she didn't just accept it right away. She freaked out and then it took time to come to terms with it (once she actually believed it was happening and true). Even then she clung to her "human life" which all seemed really normal to me, more normal than most big reveals like this are written. I also liked her stubborness to a point, it's something I can relate to. There is, however, a point where it becomes too much and borders on stupid. I understood her character and her stubborness, her need to protect others and to always be so dang nice and good but sometimes these things annoyed me. She's selfless and stubborn to a fault and ends up doing things that my brain screams are stupid. I understand it but it still annoys me. Overall I think she's a strong lead with some great potential but I think she could be written slightly better and that she needs to grow a little which is understandable for a character her age.

Hades - Gods I love Hades. I seem to have a thing for characters that are supposed to be Hades in books. I thought this Hades was good, not the best Hades but certainly one with a lot of potential. It's interesting to read Hades as more of a good guy. I sure as heck don't want to read about the creepy, evil Hades of the actual myth but this Hades seemed even more good than most. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just different. I found it interesting and that in turn made the whole underworld an interesting idea. I actually liked that he cared for his people and read psychology books, those things made him interesting to me. I also liked that he actually cared about the age difference between him and Persephone like any sane being would. I would have found it extremely weird and creepy if he hadn't and I thought that this book, for once, handled the age gap well. I did find that he was slightly too overprotective of Persephone for my taste but overall I loved his character.

Demeter - I'm Adding Demeter because she annoyed me for a lot of the book. I get that she was trying to protect Persephone and that's her character but I was annoyed (like Persephone) at some of the things she did. I won't go into it too much but she needs to work a bit on her parenting skills. This wasn't really a knock on the writing of the character just something that annoyed me about the character themselves.

Cassandra - I'm adding Cassandra because she's a bigger minor character than the others. I really like Cassandra. I like the way that she handles Hades and the idea behind her character is interesting and also helpful for moving the story along and introducing plot in a normal way. I like her mix of trying to be helpful and not really knowing how to handle a "human". I just really like Cassandra.

Melissa - I like Melissa, sometimes. We don't see Melissa too much in this one which means she isn't as well written as some of the other characters. Again, there's potential here but it's not quite there yet.

Boreas - I've got to say my opinion of the main antagonist changed quite a bit from the beginning to the end. He was a much more sinister and scary character toward the beginning of the book and then, for me, the ending was kind of a let down. I understood what happened of course but it still fell a little flat regardless.

Minor Characters - Overall the minor characters are okay. They aren't spectacular but I don't expect much from minor characters. I really like how characters from the myths are scattered throughout and I love figuring out who they are. Overall I like them and they all bring something to the table.

2. Plot - I thought that the plot overall was pretty good. I think the word of the day for this book is potential. I see potential everywhere with this book and it makes me excited for the rest of the series. The beginning reveal was handled very well and reacted to properly by Persephone. The pacing throughout the rest I thought was okay, there were a couple parts that were a little slow for me. Again I'll say that the ending was a little bit of a let down. It was talked up like it was going to be so difficult and epic and then it was over very quickly. All of the build up led to that? I liked the world building and found the underworld and the mix of the old myths with the new world very interesting and thought it was well thought out. Overall it was enjoyable and had a lot of potential but wasn't perfect.

3. Romance - The romance in this was probably my favorite part. I thought it was paced extremely well and Persephone took a good amount of time to start warming up to Hades and then a good amount of time to build the romance. I thought it was really well written. As mentioned earlier, I liked the way they handled the age gap. The romance was well written and I loved it.

Overall I really enjoyed this book but it wasn't perfect. There's a lot of potential here (I know, how many times can I say potential in one review?). I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I love Hades and Persephone books and this was a good one. I would recommend this to others that like Hades and Persephone stories or anyone that wants a pretty good, interesting romance with a potentially great sequel. ( )

3.5 stars.

Decent retelling of the myth, but some of it was just a little too on the nose for me. It does make me want to revisit the original myths, though. ( )

Persephone is a young adult fantasy based on the Greek myth of Persephone, of course. The reader doesn't need to know any Greek mythology before reading the book; everything that needs to be explained is taken care of throughout the narrative. With some knowledge of the myths, you'll notice little references that aren't pointed out explicitly - for example, Persephone often snacks on pomegranate seeds, and her mother, Demeter, owns a flower shop. In addition, the book takes place in present-day Athens, Georgia.

I really enjoyed it and read it pretty quickly. I love stories that are modern versions or retellings of myths, and this was a good one. The plot was only semi-wrapped up; it leads directly into the second book in the Daughters of Zeus series, Daughter of the Earth and Sky. I don't think I'm going to continue the series, though. I would have preferred the book as a stand-alone novel, because at present, there are five books and I'm not sure that I'll devote the time to reading them.

I will say, because this is a huge pet peeve of mine, that there was one sentence in the book that made me cringe, reread it to make sure I'd read it properly, and cringe again. The sentence in question is a quote from Hades: "Her soul returned to her body, and she's alive enough to where I can't reach her."

The author has a Masters Degree in English, according to Goodreads, so I'm not sure why she allowed that "alive enough to where" to slip in there. What's wrong with the word "that"? A much less clunky (and much more specific, precise) way to say it is "She's alive enough that I can't reach her." The whole "to where" thing just drives me up the wall.

The book didn't grip me enough to convince me to keep reading the series, but for me, that's not unusual. (I've also only read the first book of the Jackaby, Red Queen, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Wrath and the Dawn series.) That, and the previously mentioned "to where" phrasing (it just REALLY bothers me!) led me to rate this book 3 stars. It was a good, solid book. ( )

It reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson but with a more female twist on things. Not as much humor and a little darker feeling at times. Percy Jackson series is also pretty violent but has a more light hearted, fantasy feel. Persephone also has a stronger element of romance. I was glad I was reading it as an ebook so I could easily link to Wikipedia and read the myths of the lesser known characters that were thrown about. I'd probably rate it four stars but swearing is always so distracting to me. ( )

ARC provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

I really enjoy Greek mythology. (Why else would I read this book, then?!) I also probably have a little more history in it than some, having studied it some. So reading fiction and discovering new twists on mythology while keeping the general facts accurate fascinate me.

I see a lot of references to The Goddess Test series. While it definitely is there, I also see some distinguishing factors, including the priestesses, which was ingenious. I also like the humor within book, including the quick reference "Herc and not returning Hades' dog." I loved the inclusion of Helen of Troy and Cassandra.

This book, again, is a reference, to a more kinder Hades, but it does show a few glimpses of an ability to be cruel or dark. I loved that combination, what type of leader of the Underworld wouldn't be a bit dark?! The creativity of the "punishments" clearly were deliciously devious. The confrontation between Boreas and Persephone came to an interesting conclusion. Not sure how I felt about it, inevitable, possibly, but still unsure.

Overall, it was an easy, fun read. I enjoyed reading the preview of the next book, which I eagerly wait for and will definitely read.
( )