Month: August 2024

A Touch of Ruin (Book three in Hades x Persephone Saga)

A Touch of Ruin

Scarlett St. Clair

Published April 22, 2022

Read August 13-26, 2024

2.5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone’s heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.Faced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades’ queen.

My Review: this series really could have been a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, St Clair leaned too much into the miscommunication trope. A lot of break up and makeup and I felt like I was waiting for something to happen.

I would have loved to read something different. Add something new and exciting. Not a bad book, just too repetitive of a series.

-Nina

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A Game of Fate (Book Two in Hades x Persephone Saga Series)

A Game of Fate (Hades Saga, #1)

A Game of Fate

Scarlett St. Clair

2.5 out of 5 stars

Published September 18, 2020

Read August 9-12, 2024

Summary: Hades, God of the Underworld, is known for his inflexible rule, luxurious night clubs, and impossible bargains. Used to control, he is not prepared to discover the Fates have chosen his future wife and Queen—Persephone, Goddess of Spring.

Despite her attraction to the god, Persephone, an ambitious journalism student, is determined to expose Hades for his cruel and ruthless ways.

Hades finds himself faced with the impossible—proving his future bride wrong. Despite his efforts, there are forces who wish to keep the two apart and Hades comes to realize he will do anything for his forbidden love, even defy Fate.

My Review: This book was good but useless. I really didn’t like the repetition of every little scene in the last book. If you wanted a Hades POV you should have done that in the last book. Otherwise, half of this book was unnecessary.

I don’t really have much to say because everything I go from a touch of darkness is just copied and pasted into this book. Mediocre at best.

-Nina

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A Touch of Darkness (Book One in Hades x Persephone Saga Series)

A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone Saga, #1)

A Touch of Darkness

Scarlett St. Clair

4.5 out of 5 stars

Published May 23, 2019

Read August 8-9, 2024

Summary: Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.

After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.

The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.

My Review: I’m not a big romance girly, but something about the myth retelling really pulled me in!

The portrayal of the characters, like Persephone and Hades, stay true to the original work while adding something new.

I do wish we got to understand more of the New Greece inner workings and relationships between each Divined character. But overall a fantastic ode to the old and twist for the new.

I also have some trouble with the flow of the language. That may be personal as I don’t usually touch romance. But it seemed awkward places. Overall, great book! Can’t wait to read the next!

-Nina

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Red Queen (Book one in Red Queen)

Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)

Red Queen

Victoria Aveyard

2 out of 5 stars

Published February 10, 2015

Read July 30 – August 7, 2024

Summary: This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

My Review: I heard mixed reviews about this book so I wasn’t sure what to think going in. It had a fantastic world that was depicted. With different countries, lands, and the red and silver people.

The idea of the separation of power, and a Red was Silver power, an uprising, could have been the start to something great!

But, Aveyard seems to struggle finding her plot beginning. She almost started too far back and put in too much backstory. I was about halfway through and I felt like I was still waiting for something to happen.

I really think it’s a fantastic concept, but it seems to be written with a series in mind and not just one book at a time. So not really my style.

-Nina

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