.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?

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. 

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. 

The modern setting was interesting with humans in the roles of Greek gods in a sort of mafia-styled world, but with references to our own. I’m not sure how it actually all works, but it internally consistent and engaging. The sex was hot with lots of dominance and submissive play. I plan to continue this series, particularly as I’m curious to see the storylines of side characters play out in their own novel.

The writing improves as the book progresses but never reaches anything really great. I was recommended this book because I wanted a fantastic Hades/Persephone retelling but I'll keep looking. There was a lot of telling followed up by minimal showing throughout the book which resulted in not really feeling the chemistry between the characters which I felt could be there. The smut also wasn't that smutty, it felt like Roberts was building up to something but then backed off each scene which had me skimming parts. It's an easy read as a breather between more complex books, but I probably won't be back for the sequels. 

Interesting modern twist on Greek mythology. There were some details left out of the world building that are bugging me a little bit but nothing I'd say that ruins the story. Interesting concept and enjoyable. 

As for the scenes, it is the very definition of "consent is sexy". It is a little heavy on the kink so maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it is hands down the best portrayal I've seen of a healthy BDSM relationship. 

Overall, probably one of my favorite smut books. Looking forward to the next one. 

I really enjoyed this take on Greek gods and was very happy with how consent was a main plot point in the story.

All the characters were very interesting and I thought the author did a good job of showing the Persephone and Hades dynamic as equal. Also I enjoyed the mention of them both being queer (although not labeled)

I actually wanted more information on the overall world, so hopefully I will learn more in the other books.