Neon Gods

Neon Gods is the first book in the Dark Olympus series and so good! It is a perfect broody x sunshine trope, filled with lots of banter, sexual tension, sexual release, and ultimately lots of caring for one another. A Persephone/Hades retelling is my favorite type of retelling and I was not disappointed.

Hades was dark, broody, handsome, mysterious and serious, but ultimately not a bad person. He opened up to Persephone and showed vulnerability as they went on and he honestly made me swoon. Persephone appears as the sunshine happy girl but underneath the facade lies a woman waiting for a chance to be her own strong person. Together they bring out the best in one another and show each other snippets of happiness each did not believe they would achieve.

I enjoyed the plot of Neon Gods, it made sense and was interesting. The stakes were high, the tensions were high, and the lust was high. What more could you want? The king of the city and Persephone’s mother hunting her down and starving out a city to bring her back to an arranged marriage to a known wife-murderer?? It was insane and also made so believable through the runaway scene and the messages sent by Zeus.

Katee Robert did a fantastic job describing everything from the surroundings, characters, emotions, thoughts. and anything else you could think of. Hermes and Dionysus were a fun addition, with Hermes being one of my favorites.

I LOVED the kink club angle. Of course that is perfect for Hades, and I loved that underneath the sunshine act, Persephone was just as into it. In general I think the kink club was super sexy and I really enjoyed those scenes.

Overall, Neon Gods by Katee Robert was a spicy, sexy, broody x sunshine trope wonderful book and I am so glad I read it. It is one of those books I would pick back up on a rainy cozy day and plow through in an afternoon because I enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it!

Hades and Persephone have been my One True Pairing since before I even knew what that was and I was probably too young to have one but you know...here we are. Couple that with it being a retelling and I knew I had to have this.

First off the reason most people were yelling at me to read this...The fucky parts are great and very 5 much five stars. It was delicious and everything it needed to be. But if you want more than just sexy Happy No No Place smashing scenes then read on...

Hades in this was an absolute cinnamon roll and I loved it. How he was with Persephone and seeing him deal with this growing feelings for her...absolute swoon. Side note.. CONSENT IS SEXY. I also loved Persephone. I didn't find her meek or weak which is off putting if you're setting her up to be Hades soul mate..WHICH SHE IS FOREVER AND EVER.

This is not a book you read for the plot but I'm weird af so once I got off the high of aforementioned smexy bits, I took a second to really think about it. It's a contemporary retelling so there's no magic. Not really. There's mention of not being able to cross a bridge because of some kind of force stopping you but that's about it really. Not how or why it works. Not much world building. I have no idea if Olympus is in the USA or not. And I only say that because they mention California. Also the ending was a bit lackluster. There was mention of a possible war...and then nothing. I kind of wanted a war by that point.

Am I going to read the next in this series? Absofuckinglutely. Did I look up all her other books and plan to read all those? You bet your ass. Did I enjoy this book? Hell yes. I just wanted to make sure you guys understood what you're going to read since every one seems to be talking about the heavy breathing scenes and not much else lol.

High-heat retelling of Hades/Persephone. I'd heard a lot about this author before and I'm very excited to read more of her works (especially the villain series). I won't do full content warnings but I will note that if public sex and a hint of D/s are hard noes for you when it comes to sexual content, you probably want to give this one a pass. I wish there'd been a little more worldbuilding, because I was fascinated by the idea of the Thirteen and how they had power/new people took over the roles, but maybe that'll come in the sequel(s)? Very excited for the Psyche/Eros book, hoping there are more to come!

(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: “revenge quest,” maybe fake dating, loosely “triplets” for the puppies.)

3.5 stars
The romance and the steamy scenes were so good!
I wish there had been a little more plot and a little more world-building. I enjoyed Persephone and looooved Hades! Their dynamic was great and the chemistry was off the charts. Not much happened plot-wise until 90% of the book, so it felt a little too slow sometimes. It was still an entertaining story.
Super interested in reading the next one.

Dit is een boek waar ik meer hield van het idee van het verhaal, dan van de eigenlijke uitvoering.

Het was niet slecht, maar de wereld van de Dertien bleef voor mijn smaak veel te vaag en oppervlakkig. De focus ligt echt op de verboden romance, de rest is bijkomstig, en zelfs daar is het niet echt uitgewerkt.
Voor een verhaal geïnspireerd door Hades & Persephone, verwachte ik ook nog meer duisternis, maar naast de paar kinky scènes is Hades echt gewoon een puppy met een fronsend gezicht.

Uiteindelijk is dit wel een oké boek, als je het leest voor het – erm – romantische aspect in plaats van de plot of de mythologische inspiratie.

DNF 50%

Estaba muy emocionada por la historia ya que me encantan los retellings. La historia comenzó interesante, y la verdad es que volé por el principio del libro. Pero ya llegando a la mitad fui encontrando cosas que no me agradaron. Mientras Hades puede ser algo tierno, algo que no esperaba, también hay cosas donde su sobreprotección es exasperante, y por el tono que comienza a tener la historia bien puede haber la frase: “Si no te cuidas, te castigo...”
Simplemente la historia no es para mi.

Booktok made me do it.

This story is a retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone, set in a modern world where Zeus reigns over the city of Olympus. When Persephone's mother blindsides her with a promised marriage to Zeus, who is notorious for his brutality, Persephone runs away. She ends up across the river Styx, where she strikes a bargain with the elusive Hades to get them both out of their situations. What follows is a super steamy, yet incredibly sweet, story about 2 people who just want acceptance and love.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't know a whole lot about Greek mythology, but this book didn't make me feel like I was missing anything. The characters were all relatable and unique, while the romance was sooooo steamy, while also showing a lot of vulnerability and love. While there was definitely a little bit of insta-love here, I don't think it detracted too much from the story. I think it was well executed and made to be believable. The story was vaguely reminiscent of ACOTAR, but a lot darker. Incredibly enjoyable! I finished it in a day! I definitely recommend the audiobook. The narrators really brought this story to life.

TW: assault, blood, parental death, fire, gore, gun violence, murder, sexual assault (not on page), sexually explicit scenes, violence

This was hard to get through. It reads like fanfic and not the good kind. Persephone is supposed to be 25, but reads like a 16 year old. That makes the romantic aspect real cringey for me. And Hades is boring. There's no love building. I'm not rooting for either of them. The only character I almost cared about was Hermes. Unfortunately I bought the next one so I'm going to try to see if it gets better.

DNF at 50%

This entire thing centers on the intimate relationship between Hades and Persephone. And by intimate, I mean, a specific kink acted out in extreme detail. And while I don't condemn it or the people who are into it, it is absolutely not for me. And because it is so intimate in its nature, reading about it makes me extremely uncomfortable. I considered skipping the parts related to it, but honestly this entire book is a set up for the intimate relationship - the Gods of Olympus and the conflict between upper and lower city - it's all an excuse to put our characters in the situation that will allow them to explore this kink. Skipping those parts basically means skipping most of the book. And at that point, why even read it?
So, as much as I hate to do that, I decided to DNF the book at 50%. This way, I won't just save myself some terrible discomfort, but I also won't have to give a low rating to a book, just because of something that is so specific to me.

I was a bit hesitant going into this one as Desperate Measures (Wicked Villians series) just didn't work for me, but I actually really liked it.

Katee Robert definitely has a high smut to plot ratio in all her books as far as I can tell, but this one worked for me.

I really liked the concept of the gods being titles/roles to be held by humans and inherited when they die, it made the stakes seem higher as they plot and scheme for power in the city of Olympus.

The narrators for the audiobook (Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock) were excellent and I intend on continuing the series on audio.

Read and DNF'd at 60% as part of a buddy read. 

Honestly, the smut was quality but the context was ?!?! 

I thought the worldbuilding was actually kind of cool and interesting. I would have been interested in a book that explores this world a bit more. I suppose that might have happened in later sections that I did not read. However, at the 60% mark I was just not interested enough to continue. Perhaps I'll go back to it at a later date.

I read/listened to this book to see what it was all about. I knew it was supposed to be a “spicy” book, but man was it smutty. The tie-in to Greek mythology was fun even if it was only loosely related to the actual myths. It was an enjoyable read and one that surprised me with how much I liked it.

So Much Fun

Participating in a 10-day readathon has truly rekindled my passion for reading, filling every free moment with literary adventures. For the prompt featuring deities, I chose "Neon Gods" by Katee Robert. The author has crafted such an engaging narrative that I devoured the book in just two days. Interestingly, Goodreads reminded me that I had read this book in 2022, but I had no recollection of it. This time, however, the story is sure to linger with me.

"Neon Gods" offers a delightful and unique take on the classic Hades and Persephone myth. Persephone, desperate to escape a marriage arranged by her mother to Zeus, finds her only refuge in the Lower City ruled by the enigmatic Hades. Both characters are driven by their desire to foil Zeus – Persephone dreams of freedom from Olympus, while Hades seeks vengeance for his parents.

I have always been fascinated by the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, and this book provided an intriguing twist on their relationship. Robert stays true to their archetypal dark and sunny personas but adds depth by revealing their true, complementary natures beneath the surface.

The modern retelling of the myth was refreshing, though I did miss the more traditional mythological elements and a touch more magic. While I wasn't completely engrossed to the point of being unable to put the book down, I also didn't have to push myself to finish it. The chapters from Hades' perspective were particularly enjoyable.

Overall, "Neon Gods" maintained a good pace and kept the plot moving. It was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to continuing the series to see how the story develops.