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A review by omqchristi
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
so this was not what i expected. i expected a greek retelling of Hades and Persephone and what we got was:
- Olympus is just a big city, where Zeus controls the upper part, Hades controls the lower part, and Poseidon controls the docks and etc.
- The main 13 "gods" are actually titles given to people, like city council titles. For example, the appointed Demeter controls the food distribution through the city. also the roles of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are the only roles that are inherited from parent to child... because *reasons* :)
- everyone is referred to as their titles. Because the titles are both roles in the city, and becomes the default name for the individual. basically, if Persephone had really married Zeus, everyone would start calling her Hera and only Hera, even though she already has a first and last name.
- the "gods" don't really have godly or magical powers, which would be fine, but some have remnants of it, like when Hermes can relay messages perfectly. it's a bit odd.
- Hades is not like any dark romance lead ever. he is not dark at all. The only thing dark about him are the rumors about him. there is once scene where he does something dark, but he immediately regrets it and it is not a pattern of behavior, nor is it hinted at throughout the book. Hades hates death... which sucks.
- Hades gets 3 dogs, and they are named cerberus (that's good), scylla (uhh...), and charybdis (ehh..)
- at least we still get the part of Persephone staying in Hades's domain during winter time lol
basically, this really isn't a greek retelling, it's just a story that is similar to the original, and it also happens to have the same names.
overall, i'd say this book is okay. the smut is just okay. the romance is not good. the plot is also just okay. the way Katee Robert tried to do the retelling is bad.
- Olympus is just a big city, where Zeus controls the upper part, Hades controls the lower part, and Poseidon controls the docks and etc.
- The main 13 "gods" are actually titles given to people, like city council titles. For example, the appointed Demeter controls the food distribution through the city. also the roles of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are the only roles that are inherited from parent to child... because *reasons* :)
- everyone is referred to as their titles. Because the titles are both roles in the city, and becomes the default name for the individual. basically, if Persephone had really married Zeus, everyone would start calling her Hera and only Hera, even though she already has a first and last name.
- the "gods" don't really have godly or magical powers, which would be fine, but some have remnants of it, like when Hermes can relay messages perfectly. it's a bit odd.
- Hades is not like any dark romance lead ever. he is not dark at all. The only thing dark about him are the rumors about him. there is once scene where he does something dark, but he immediately regrets it and it is not a pattern of behavior, nor is it hinted at throughout the book. Hades hates death... which sucks.
- Hades gets 3 dogs, and they are named cerberus (that's good), scylla (uhh...), and charybdis (ehh..)
- at least we still get the part of Persephone staying in Hades's domain during winter time lol
basically, this really isn't a greek retelling, it's just a story that is similar to the original, and it also happens to have the same names.
overall, i'd say this book is okay. the smut is just okay. the romance is not good. the plot is also just okay. the way Katee Robert tried to do the retelling is bad.