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I didn't have the heart to hate it as I had loved some aspects of the story, but I also can't say that I fully loved it either. We’ve been treated to many Greek mythology retellings over the past few years, spanning immersive literary novels that capture the eternally classic feel of these tales, to transportive YA fantasy that put an entirely new spin on the stories of old. However, there are some touches here that would easily raise it to four stars if the execution was better. I don’t think I’ve ever read a Hades and Persephone retelling before, and I have no real idea on the original story of either of the characters so I can’t say much about this as an adaptation but I can review it as it stands. I also loved river goddess Styx (one of the supporting characters) the best and sassiest wing woman a Goddess (or God) could ask for!
Far from the unsympathetic, forbidding kidnapper he’s traditionally been portrayed to be, Hades is a loveable, endearing and creative soul, who eschews the typical bloodthirsty, narcissistic masculine traits of the gods. She's a badass main character while we get a more soft boy Hades which I adored with my whole heart. They may have been sisters; Persephone may have been the mother; they may have been the same goddess in different guises. This was definitely one way to solve the age-gap issue and a unique take on the timeless story of the birth of the Olympians. Persephone decides enough is enough and manages to escape to the Underworld so she doesn't have to marry (though she still does, she has just delayed it a bit because she didn't think things through).Zeus is an interesting character but we don't see much of him and there is just a glimpse of the other gods, though Styx makes more of an appearance than most. Persephone's hang-up over sex = rape might be slightly justified (thanks Demeter etc) but it's boring as hell to read. Yet few have explored the loves, losses and epic tribulations of the gods with such an enjoyable dose of fun and wit as Bea Fitzgerald’s Girl, Goddess, Queen. Hades likes Persephone for exactly who she is: brave, unrefined, shrewd and, above all else, compassionate. Enter Hades who comes across quite intriguing at first - a brooding god of the Underworld who wants this flower-growing girl gone and resents her presence.
She spends the majority of the novel talking about how she doesn't want to get married and how she doesn't want a man to touch her. Readers were expecting wonderful things from Bea Fitzgerald’s debut, and it doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.It's equal parts rom-com and fantasy while effortlessly weaving in Greek mythology elements and characters. Beautifully written, utterly glorious, and fabulously powerful, this is a definite must-read that should be at the top of everyone's TBR pile! The romance was also so refreshing beginning with Hades as our dark and brooding love interest, and Persephone (Kore) as a witty match and a thorn in his side. You don't have to use every part of a myth but there was a reason for it to be presented that way in the first place; find out why before you say 'yuck' and yeet it into the sun.
It was an easy read, it was fast paced, I stayed engaged throughout, and it made the mythology very accessible.As the classic myth goes, Hades fell in love with Persephone and kidnapped her, trapping her in the underworld as his bride. I think that's why it took me a while to actually put my thoughts into writing, as I had mixed feelings for this book. and she has a controlling mother, Demeter, who has told her how to act and how to be all of her entire life.
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