TL;W[on’t]R[ead the Review]: Read this fucking book.
Content warnings: stalking, emotional abuse, arson, attempted murder, consensual BDSM
Summary [courtesy of Goodreads]: They say he’s a myth…And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel. She belongs in the spotlight… And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter’s shadow to reach it. Now she’s lead in Calliope’s Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it’s easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly. Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she’d been convinced didn’t exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn’t prepared for her either, but it’s soon evident they’re a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.
Wow. This fucking book. I will admit, as I said in my TBR roundup a couple of weeks ago, I was super hesitant about this one, both because it’s a Hades and Persephone retelling AND because it’s erotica, and neither of those is usually my thing. In fact, I’ve NEVER read a Greek myth retelling that I’ve particularly enjoyed, and I’m not that into the original mythology either. But this book…my god. It’s literally stunning. I was stunned. It’s not only a razor-sharp, modern adaptation of the Hades and Persephone narrative, it’s got almost all of the Greek pantheon represented in ridiculously clever ways. (And it’s a series–I cannot WAIT to read books 2 and 3, and however many other volumes R. M. Virtues deigns to bless us with.)
Beyond my gushing, though: this book centers a Black, trans Persephone who is also an elite aerialist and dancer, who happens to be the star of a new show at a casino owned and run by Hades. Hades is also Black, and he’s the fearsome ‘bite’ to his white step-brother Zeus’s ‘bark,’ as Zeus runs the city they live in and torments all and sundry. But (perhaps unsurprisingly), Hades is actually a truly lovely man, despite his hardcore mystique in the area. As the pair are drawn together with some really delicious banter, we get both POVs and some by turns sexy-as-hell and heart wrenching scenes.
(As an aside, and to reiterate, this is firmly an erotic novel, but even my gray-ace self was turned on by some of the scenes, particularly a shower-set threesome that I won’t spoil by going into more detail about. Let’s just say I usually skim/skip the steamy stuff and here…I was not skimming.)
One of the true delights of this novel (which is basically all delight) was, perhaps perversely, just how well it handled family trauma, toxic masculinity, and how difficult it can be to change dysfunctional/enabling family patterns. Zeus is very much the villain of the story, as is made clear very early on, and his stalking of Persephone escalates and becomes more threatening until things come to a breaking point multiple times. I won’t spoil things, but do know that things DO get heavy, but they also get resolved in an appropriately romance-HEA style way. Hades has to come to terms with how his single-minded attempts to ‘help’ his brother have enabled a pattern of truly horrific behavior, and it’s nothing short of glorious to see him stop enabling and start holding his brother responsible. (And watching Zeus get punished in the end was soooo satisfying.) If you know me, you’ll know it’s really wild that I not only enjoyed but LOVED a book that deals with familial trauma and a controlling man, but…this book handles things so deftly that it felt affirming, rather than triggering or depressing.
There’s also a political plotline that gets resolved in a truly satisfying, cathartic way at the end (again, though, can’t wait to read the sequels).
And all of this is to say nothing of the exquisitely developed ‘side’ characters, some of whom get center stage in later books: from Persephone’s bff/near-sister Aphrodite (who is also trans, which is so fucking awesome), to Hades’ ride-or-die friend Hecate, every character is deeply realized and a joy to learn about. This world is so exciting (and affirming) to visit, and I can’t wait to read more.