Very well,’ Father said, rising from his throne. The laughing strangers fell silent at once. ‘Let it be so,’ he paused, the corners of his lips twitching as he took in the concerned expressions of the other gods, particularly the other members of the council who sat either side of him. They were his advisors, and now they nudged each other and whispered, keen to see his judgement. I also find it hardly an empowerment that when she is asked what she wanted, she says 'the world' but then when Hecate asks her what she'd give for it, she says: 'NOTHING' but still gets it is just a bit ??? Really, we are teaching kids that they don't have to do anything to get what they want? Great messaging, lol, as if we didn't have enough entitled people in the world already.

They made it your name, made it an insult, turned it into something it's not. There's nothing wrong with being a little girl, love. Little girls are fearless." However, I would also think that the author has more potential for her books to come. Her writing had definitely caught my heart at certain scenes. I would def read her next book. Overall, it was an okay read for me. I think I was just sad that I didn't like it as much because I had high hopes for it. But for those who is a first timer to read a Hades and Persephone retelling, this book might work out for you. I tug at the ridiculous dress Mother has forced me into: a monstrosity of lilac silk, draped and twisted again and again, hinting at the body on offer while obscuring it enough to keep my modesty intact. It’s less an outfit than gift-wrapping. Het is een heerlijk vlot geschreven verhaal met personages die je in je hart sluit, met ze meelacht en huilt. Een geweldige slowburn romance waar je vlinders van krijgt! I am on the edge with anticipation for the second book as this ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger. The ending is bittersweet, but I won't be spoiling it ;) I read this book as part of a readalong and had so much fun discussing each chapter and sharing quotes. We received a plantable bookmark with this book and I'm excited to see which plant will grow. :)For me personally, this was a 2 star read. However, there are some touches here that would easily raise it to four stars if the execution was better. Ergo three stars because it was mostly quite readable and I'm not really the target audience for a lot of YA fantasy anymore.

I know my mother will never understand because what it comes down to is this: safety isn’t enough for me. I’d rather perish, rather be another tragic tale for a mother to use in warning than become a long drawn out sigh in a hymn, an immortal life spent in misery. Funny, fierce and feminist; this is a refreshing romp through Greek mythology. Bea Fitzgerald draws on her extensive knowledge to create this imaginative retelling, turning everything we think we know about Persephone and Hades upside down and recasting them as the stars of this unexpected, meticulously researched, empowering rom-com. Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne So Persephone needs to get married because apparently that's all that matters to gods (why have we gone down this road?) and she has a controlling mother, Demeter, who has told her how to act and how to be all of her entire life. 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). I liked how she had a plan and took control and she utilised her power over flowers to achieve this. The beginning was promising.None of that today, Kore,’ Mother sighs again, a sound that has become so common that my name feels odd without it. I stared from god to god, no one giving me any indication of what I’d done wrong. They had asked me a simple question. I had given a simple response. Now everyone watched me from the shaded porticoes of the Throne Hall, their distorted faces reflected on the bronze pillars that ringed the room. I had no idea what they wanted, no idea why everyone suddenly seemed tense. A few people glanced to my father whose glower was so fierce he could have passed for one of his own statues.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core. Zij is echt een personage waar ik veel respect voor heb gekregen, hoe ze zichzelf neerzet en vecht voor haar vrijheid. In addition, Demeter was much older than Hades (as they were regurgitated at different times), which meant that he didn’t really know Demeter (nor was related to her) and was thus, much closer in age to Persephone. 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. Did I mention this was Bea’s debut? I can't believe it's a debut because it felt like a seasoned pro wrote this, so Bravo Bea and welcome to my instant buy author list. Please, Father’s the one who made me the goddess of flowers, he can hardly be surprised by a bit of mud, can he?’Go with her to the river, but if the girls here start corrupting her I’m counting on you to stop them.’ What I found most intriguing was the author’s choices in regards to her world building. Firstly, she refers to the Underworld consistently as ‘Hell,’ which is unusual, considering that the terminology is more common within Abrahamic religions and its etymological roots can be found in Norse mythology (Hel was the goddess of the Norse underworld, Niflheim), not Greek. But you weren’t married when you had me.’ I furrow my eyebrows to really drive home my confusion. Remind me of how I was conceived, Mother. stars. I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the setting and the idea of the reimagining of the greek gods, the execution left me feeling disappointed. I felt frustrated with the storyline itself and its characters. Hades and Persephone just felt too different from what we associate them with, and the main focus of the story revolved around marriage for some ungodly reason. Portrayed as a romance with a sexy love interest, this book was supposed to be romantic with dreamy characters but my god was it slow and none of the characters riveting. Never mind a slow burn, more like trying to coax a fire to life during a rainstorm. Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

What I can say is that, I equally hate and love this book in equal parts... So.... That's something I will need to think about if I were to write my thoughts on it.I think the books main issue was it’s length. It had no business being as long as it was and it was bogged down with a lot of filler. I felt like every scene was dragged out between chapters and it would have worked better if it was dual perspective for this. But my dress cinches my stomach so tightly that the very thought is nauseating. My fingers fumble, trying to loosen the strands that tie it all together. It's a fresh take and I devoured it. I adored that it's soley from Kore/Persephone's POV, her inner monologues really allow you to feel her journey from suffocated Girl whose future is planned out by overbearing parents and not at all what she wants. So much repetitive dialogue and scenes and scenarios. It genuinely feels like I’m reading the same stuff over and over again