A review of Hades and Persephone
Note before beginning: If it is written in red, it is a spoiler. You have been warned!
This book is written in 1st person, present tense. It is the first of its kind that I have read rather than the 3rd and 1st person, past tense. The experience, although surprising at first, was incredibly immersive and unique.
There are a few moments in the book that I would consider a trigger. Given that the author has decided to remain fairly close to the mythology this story is based around, there are many problematic relationships among the gods and goddesses - many of which are clearly abusive. There are mentions of rapes and general sexual assaults, as well as one that does occur in the text itself. It is not explicit but the attack leading to the rape is vivid and I would definitely say that it could be a triggering experience. There are other sexual scenes that occur but they are also not explicit. Besides that, PTSD is alluded to, though it is never outright called that.
This book has two protagonists: Hades and Persephone. In each new chapter we get to see how the story is moving on from their point of view, experiencing their own thoughts and feelings concerning the world and each other.
Hades is the god of the underworld and has been for millennia. As such, he has been effectively cut off from his family on Mount Olympus, only getting to see them when they either come down to vie for a specific mortal and how they should be treated in their afterlives or when Hades has to attend an event in the world above. He starts out as a character who has essentially walled off all his emotions with the expectation that he will never find love among the goddesses who are so petty and problematic. Watching him bloom and change into a man who can embrace happiness despite the hurdles along the way is truly fulfilling.
Persephone begins the story as the goddess of nothing and the only epithet she has with her name is “Daughter of Demeter.” She is trapped in a fairly lonely existence where she is unwillingly ignorant to the world around her. Watching her take her freedom and fall in love is satisfying. I am especially fond of the fact that she overcomes the abuses that were thrown at her not alone but with the support of the family and friends she made over the course of her journey.
As for antagonists there are two main ones: Demeter and Zeus. Both of them exhibit abusive behavior to Hades and Persephone and work against their relationship in different ways. Early on in the story, Demeter seeks to belittle Persephone as a means of controlling her while Zeus acts out aggressively towards both Hades and Persephone, seeking control through fear and domination.
I would say, however, that there is one more antagonist to this story that doesn’t have a specific name or face. That is the problematic and selfish behavior of many of the main gods and goddesses as well as the toxic behavior of many of the men (both god and mortal) exhibit towards women especially. It really creates a sense of empathy for the women of Ancient Greece.
Besides the two protagonists, I do have a couple side characters that I would say are favorites. I loved Thanatos and Hera. Thanatos is the god of death and as such has a very close relationship with Hades. Their friendship between the two is so natural and healthy that you can’t help but enjoy every moment the two share.
Hera on the other hand is so often portrayed by both media and mythology alike as being a force of vindictive energy, completely ignoring the fact that she was the goddess of fertility, childbirth and motherhood. Aside from a single moment that is antagonized by another goddess, Hera is shown to be a dignified Queen with an iron will who seeks to alleviate so many of the wrongs committed to women (especially due to Zeus’ behavior).
While I normally don’t like to read sex scenes I really enjoyed how the author described Hades and Persephone’s sexual encounters. The amount on love and trust between them leads to something occurring that I would say puts a whole new spin on the phrase becoming of one flesh.
Beyond that, the very last scene of the book when Persephone takes back her control and freedom with the help of the family and friends she has made over the course of her journey to become the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld is so inspiring and I loved every second of it. It was an excellent climax to an already wonderful story.
While the story itself is wonderfully crafted, and you can tell that the author has a great love for the mythology it is based around, some of the Greek names that I wasn’t already familiar with did temporarily break the immersion each time I came across them. I would have to stop and mentally sound out each syllable each time until I got used to seeing it written out.
However, props need to be given: Even though the immersion was occasionally broken, once I moved past the names in question I was ready to dive headlong back into the story! A name - no matter how long it took me to pronounce it - never made me want to put down the book.
Does this story have a “Happily Ever After?”
With this book comes a healthy romance, empowered women and a wonderful coming of age story that I never knew I needed before. I give this book a 10/10 with the recommendation that everyone should read it!
Where can you get this book?
You can buy it on Amazon through either ebook (link) or paperback (link)
