Persephone

#1 in Daughters of Zeus series

by Kaitlin Bevis

Age: Young Adult
Genre: Retelling, Mythology

Format: Ebook, 203 pages
Published On: July 5, 2012
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Source: Accepted review request

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First Sentence: "Persephone..."

Summary

There are worse things than death, worse people too

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they're a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn't until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

~ taken from Goodreads

My Thoughts

Mythology is one of my favorite themes and story about Hades and Persephone is my favorite Greek myth. In Persephone, Kaitlin Bevis retold it but with some interesting twists.

I liked that our Persephone lives in a contemporary setting. Don't get me wrong historical novel about Greek culture would be awesome too, but I think this way it's easier to relate to Persephone and her problems. And what if someone today told you, you are a goddess? My reaction would be: "Yeah right." too.

Being a daughter of Zeus is not easy. All kind of creepy characters try to use Persephone for their nefarious purposes. One day, Hades jumps in and saves her and takes her to the safest place he could think of, The Underworld. The only problems is, to bring a (living) Persephone to the Underworld, Hades had to claim her as his bride.

If you are familiar with a Greek myth you will notice slight modifications. Hades here does not abducts but saves Persephone. And although there is attraction between them, the romance does not progress very much. Hades is reluctant to start a relationship with a young woman who is eons younger than him. Since this is a book targeting young adult audience, I think slow developing romance is a perfect choice. I can't wait for second part of the series, because it seems like Persephone had enough waiting and will try to push Hades harder to make a move.

I enjoyed reading Persephone. It was fun, interesting and quick read. My only problem is that it was maybe too much young adult for my taste, but I think it really is a perfect book for younger audience. This is a book I will warmly recommend to my younger cousins.

In The End...

If you like Greek mythology or young adult paranormal novels, then Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis is a perfect opportunity for you to freshen up your knowledge of many famous Greek myths and deities.