Joy101 reviewed Neon Gods by Katee Robert (Dark Olympus, #1)
None
(not provided)
Paperback, 384 pages
Published June 1, 2021 by Sourcebooks Casablanca.
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 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.
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So this was overall enjoyable, but if you're thinking of reading it due to being touted as a "retelling" of Greek myths with some spice sprinkled through, just skip it. The names and the places are the only part that really have to do with Greek mythology. This could have easily just been skinned over with a different world and felt the same. Even the power struggles are pretty minute. Definitely over-hyped, but I've read worse. I'll be continuing with some of the books just to see how they measure up.
A little bit cringey/cliche at some parts, but I really enjoyed the world the author built and the new take on the Hades/Persephone myth. Very interesting, but could’ve done with a little more character development and a little less cliche. Wish it was longer so the author would have more pages for the main conflict.
Im not going to rate this because I feel like I was led to expect things the book never promised. I am NOT a romance reader. I find a lot of romances extremely boring. This is just Fifty Shades with characters that vaguely pay homage to the Greek myths. I think when people suggested this they thought I would appreciate the world building, but the book didn’t seem to care much about that, and it otherwise has exactly the same things I don’t like in every other cis-hetero, male dominated, romance Ive ever read. I was led to believe it was somewhat innovative but it’s the same tropes, the same nonsense gender roles, the same lack of real commentary on anything, the same focus on things I will never care about. Other than the fantasy-esque elements (which barely count as fantasy) this is a repeat of a story I’ve already …
Im not going to rate this because I feel like I was led to expect things the book never promised. I am NOT a romance reader. I find a lot of romances extremely boring. This is just Fifty Shades with characters that vaguely pay homage to the Greek myths. I think when people suggested this they thought I would appreciate the world building, but the book didn’t seem to care much about that, and it otherwise has exactly the same things I don’t like in every other cis-hetero, male dominated, romance Ive ever read. I was led to believe it was somewhat innovative but it’s the same tropes, the same nonsense gender roles, the same lack of real commentary on anything, the same focus on things I will never care about. Other than the fantasy-esque elements (which barely count as fantasy) this is a repeat of a story I’ve already read several times and didn’t like.
DNF @ 36%
i was listening to the audiobook and it was just so cringe. maybe i’ll read the ebook later.