"Men are so quick to blame the gods: they say that we devise their misery. But they themselves- in their depravity- design grief greater than the griefs that fate assigns."
― Homer, The Odyssey.


In the aftermath of Persephone losing her friend, being kidnapped, and preparing for her wedding, Persephone is trying to take it a day at a time. But, even as Persephone tries to live a reasonably normal life, she finds herself in the middle of a war between the Gods and Mortals, who demigods are leading. 

A Touch of Malice has to be the stronger installment of this series, as Persephone involved in the larger plot involving the Gods and Mortals is the intriguing part of this series. It is a struggle for Persephone as she unravels her mother's ambitions and trying to keep crushing under the immense guilt she feels as mortals suffer. 

As "minor" Gods are being attacked or killed by mortals, Persephone gets involved as the victims mention feeling her mother's magic at the moment of their attack. This information reveals to Persephone her mother's history with the Gods and her disdain for them. This part of the book grabs the reader's attention as a minor incident starts to reveal a more significant issue. 


This book is the superior of the three in this series, as Persephone starts to understand the Gods and Fate. However, even as she starts to grasp understanding, an uprising forces her to chose between her role as Queen of the Underworld and Persephone, the mortal.