Joined in 2023 
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Persephone has way too much 'candy' in narrative terms and the plot does not offer her enough hardship to compensate. To escape an arranged, and possibly incestuous, marriage, Kore - repressed daughter of Zeus - escapes to the pits of hell. Yet the more serious sides of the book – the themes of toxic masculinity and coercive control – never feel too heavy either.
I know my mother will never understand because what it comes down to is this: safety isn’t enough for me. The writing style felt very juvenile and the constant 'girl bossiness' felt forced and tedious to read.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. A few people glanced to my father whose glower was so fierce he could have passed for one of his own statues. I also really liked Fitzgerald’s depiction of Hades, who is portrayed as a kind, gentle and introverted person with a love of art and heaps patience and compassion for Persephone.
Personally, I was taking a break from high-stakes epic fantasy and this was a refreshing, witty romance to read with none of the crudeness you'd get from adult novels. But in recent years the focus has shifted onto the Greek myths, with books such as Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Jessie Burton) and Greek Myths: A New Retelling (Charlotte Higgins), and defiant female characters who ride roughshod over patriarchal norms. I think that's why it took me a while to actually put my thoughts into writing, as I had mixed feelings for this book. Before Xenia men could do whatever they liked if you were foolish enough to be unprepared for their advances. 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).
Hades and Persephone exasperated me so much with how absolutely dense they both are, I kept thinking just kiss already! If you’re familiar with YA romantic comedies, you’ll know that they’re often built on a hefty dose of misunderstandings, jumping to conclusions and conflicted characters not voicing aloud how they really feel. Goddess of the flowers and of beauty –’ Aphrodite made an almost imperceptible noise of discontent and Father continued, ‘In nature.
The God of Death and the King of the Underworld is meant to have some kind of bite to him and this guy was the equivalent to a fluffy rabbit. However, since its a debut novel, I do feel that the author has loads more potential for her next work so, I'm definitely going to be a look out for it.You don't have to use every part of a myth but there was a reason for it to be presented that way in the first place; find out why before you say 'yuck' and yeet it into the sun. His openness about his innermost thoughts/ vulnerabilities and the lighthearted banter he loves to partake in with Persephone (and his closest friends) was a surprisingly refreshing aspect that, when paired with the depth and emotion we see in (the brief exploration into) his backstory, really made this my favourite retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth. A cracking debut, in my humble opinion, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Bea FitzG in the future.
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