Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Neon Gods

This book was so overhyped to me and maybe that was its downfall. An interesting concept, but really underdeveloped characters and a lack of nuance in the story let it down. The characters all made so many irresponsible, reactionary choices that made it difficult to root for them. If you’re a fan of insta-love or spicy-times-leading-to-love then you might enjoy this story. If you’re tired of reading stories about alpha heroes obsessing over waif like heroines who don’t advocate for their own needs, maybe steer clear.

Content Warnings

book_lover_irl's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

.SUMMARY: Neon Gods is an insanely hot and surprisingly fun retelling of the Hades/ Persephone myth but with a twist -- Hades is the good guy! TBH, I know very little about mythology so I’m unsure how this compares to stories closer to “cannon”.

REVIEW: I listened to the audiobook for Neon Gods over the course of a week. It was an engaging read that mostly kept my interest peaked. I loved Katee Robert's ability to weave Greek mythology tidbits into the modern world and urban cityscape. The mix of mythology into present day was impressive and flowed effortlessly throughout the story.

The unfurling of both Hades' and Persephone's personalities was on point. Watching Persephone grow into herself as she dropped her "mask" was satisfying. I adored that she didn't seem to have body image issues and went for the pleasure she desired. It was endearing to see Hades' heart began softening towards Persephone. I loved his protectiveness over her from the moment he met her.

There was a fair amount of sm*t in the book. Fabulous spicy scenes. Consent was front and center in all s#xu@l interactions, which I think is incredibly H O T. Thankfully, no dub con here!

It was clear that there would be some type of fallout when Persephone fled Olympus. As the reader, we just weren't sure when or how that fallout would happen. The book waited until the very last minute to unravel and resolve the plot tensions, which sadly made the ending feel abrupt. The pacing was fantastic, until approx the last 90 minutes. The ending felt rushed and disappointingly brief. Don't get me wrong, the story was still really good and I definitely plan to continue with the series.

Hermes and Dionysus were quite the pair of side characters. Hermes made me giggle so many times, even though I wasn't sure if I could trust her. She was hard to figure out. I cannot wait to see where their stories will take them in future books of the Dark Olympus series. I'm hoping that being inside Hermes' head will help us understand her better.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Duet
HEA: Yes, HFN
Cliffhanger: No
Tropes: mythology, he falls first, exhibitionism

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL
STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh… bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak f0replay count?

Content Warnings

whalls_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

ambylynn's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I would be hard pressed to list something I liked about this book. For one, it was barely a Hades and Persephone retelling at all. If the names and minor references to the world had been changed or altered slightly, I honestly do not think I would have been able to tell what this was supposed to have been. To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of modern retellings in the first place, but I think a lot more could have been done to make this aspect of the book more apparent.

Secondly, the characters were flat and boring. Their motivations were weak and mostly uncompelling, and the plot borderline did not exist, which could be forgiven since this was clearly a thin smokescreen for what this book was really about. The smut.

Which brings me to my third point, the smut, to me, was just not very good. It was awkwardly timed, blatantly forced into existence, and every time the playroom was brought up I physically cringed. The kink, what little there was, was mostly exhibitionism and was somehow both over and under negotiated all at once. The overuse of 'cock' and 'pussy' had me begging for a thesaurus paired with the clinical way Hades talks about being 'kinky' made me want to either laugh or cry. Maybe both.

This book could be it for someone, but that someone was not me.

Content Warnings

mrs_bear1230's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As amazing the second time as it was the first. Definitely worth the read. Such a fun take on the story of Hades and Persephone.

Content Warnings

llumi's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Content Warnings

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