Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis

Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis
Series: Daughters of Zeus #1
Published by: Musa Publishing on July 6, 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Romance
Pages: 237
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon • Book Details
Rating: ★★★★½

There are worse things than death, worse people too.

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they're a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn't until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

Wow, this book was absolutely awesome! It was everything I hoped it would be. Persephone is perfect for all fans of Greek mythology. It’s a really unique take on the story of Persephone, and the book itself was un-put-down-able!

I will admit that Persephone wasn’t always the most likeable character. When she first learns that she’s a goddess, I kind of wanted to bash her head against the wall. Despite all the evidence to support the claim, she was convinced that her mom was just crazy and kept trying to report her to the police. Even after she used her powers and got taken away by Hades to the underworld, she “memorized every detail, searching for something that would help [her] identify this place to the cops.” I was just like, really?? But as the story progressed, Persephone became a bit more likeable. I didn’t always agree with her decisions and sometimes she did act a little childish, but it didn’t ruin the story for me. I had sort of a love hate relationship with her by the end. On the one hand, she does become really strong and independent and doesn’t want to be seen as a damsel in distress—that’s certainly admirable. But those feelings do cause her to make some blatantly stupid decisions (even if they do end up working out in the end!).

Okay, THE STORY! The story, the story, the story! I loved it so much!! Persephone is filled with a wide variety of awesome plot points, unique characters with individual voices, and more! My favourite thing about the story is that it takes place in a time after Olympus has fallen and most of the Greek gods are dead! Until now, I had never read a mythology story like this. Usually the gods are all alive and well—maybe a bit forgotten by people, but still very much alive. I thought this unique twist was really cool! It really comes together in the end and sets the stage for what will probably be a really intense series!

Naturally, a bit of a romance brews between Persephone and Hades. First, let me say that HADES IS FREAKING HOT! There, I’ve said it. Their relationship kind of reminds me of a lot of those sexy contemporary romances where you have the bad boy who falls in love with the sweet innocent girl. He’s the god of the underworld, so of course he’s a little dark, dangerous, and can lose his temper. But he also has a sweeter, more gentle side.

In some ways their relationship was really awkward. I mean, Hades has been around since practically the dawn of time so he’s like.. millions and millions of years old. And Persephone is only 16. Awkward age difference, anyone? But I think the important thing here is that it’s addressed in the book—and in quite a funny way, I might say!

“You can’t play by human rules. Look at all those vampire romance books and television shows. No one makes a big deal about those guys being thousands of years older than the—”
“Actually they do. [..] Just read the online reviews, someone is sure to mention it.”
“Physically speaking, Hades would be what, twenty? Twenty five?” Helen asked. “That’s not such a big deal.”
I imagined coming home from school one day to tell my mom I was dating a man almost ten years older than me and blanched.

I think I would probably feel more comfortable with their romance if Persephone was at least 18. Sixteen just seems really, really young. But as I said, in the book they obviously show reservations about the romance and it’s not the focal point of the story by far. But when I pushed all notions of age out of my mind, I really, really enjoyed their playful banter and sarcasm back and forth. Persephone and Hades have a really fun relationship because sometimes they’re totally swooning over each other, and other times they drive each other a little mad!

I ripped through this book in one sitting (literally). It’s not the longest book in the world, but it’s really engaging and super fun to read. While reading, I was constantly bursting out into giggles just because I was so excited about the book or I was totally loving Hades (I want him..). The book left off in a great place and set up the second book nicely! I can’t wait to see what happens next! 😀

The Verdict