00:00 Intro & Disclaimers
02:54 Setting the scene
11:30 The “devil’s bargain”
13:55 The rest of the book
15:47 Is this a “retelling”? and comparisons to the mythos
23:17 Feet???
28:09 Why did you say it like this.
30:59 Things I liked. {punctuated by things I dont like}
33:42 I am confused.
37:21 Final thoughts & outro
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I’ve been reading these books recently and they give really good Wattpad spicy fanfic but like where they use the fanfic people in name only. Also all characters in her books are bisexual until proven otherwise which is fun!
Man I would LOVE a horror/thriller retelling of Persephone and Hades. Like you could get into some DARK psychological horror stuff with kidnapping and Stockholm and living with in the underworld surrounded by the dead etc
I'm so glad I am also not the only one who disliked this book. If you plan to do more reviews of Hades x Persephone retellings, I would love to hear your opinion on "A Touch of Darkness" series. Love your videos!
"Give me something where Hades is the bad guy"
Alright I haven't written this but desperately want to… so for historical context in the original and lesser-known Minoan mythology, their pantheon was organized in a matriarchy, and run by a "Mother Goddess." Their word for almighty was actually "Ariadne," and she ruled over pretty much everything — fertility, the labyrinth (which was the path to the underworld), and the underworld. She ruled without a male counterpart.
Enter the Mycenaeans. They had a patriarchal society and didn't like the Minoan mythos. So, over time, we see Ariadne given a "King" to rule beside (and over) her in the underworld. Eventually, the name Ariadne disappears from this myth, replaced by a tale of the king of the underworld kidnapping a young goddess of fertility named Persephone. Eventually, "Ariadne" reappears in the story of Theseus as the princess with power over the beast of labyrinth. (Note: this is a very rough conglomeration of many attempts to learn more about the Minoan mythos, but the Mycenaeans really erased a *lot*)
Long story short: I want a book about a Queen who rules with a firm but kind hand but then a neighboring kingdom conquers hers and keeps her on the throne, but makes her marry their king. Eventually, she is exiled from the throne so the King can marry a younger noble (Persephone) and (ex)Queen Ariadne has to live in a far-off city among her people. And the book follows her as she attempts to take back her kingdom. Not quite a retelling of the myth, but a retelling of the evolution of the myth…
Someday, I'll write it haha
please make a video about you favorite books that do a better execution as far as the language and world building
Can I reccoment/ask you read Punderworld, it's a Persephone Hades retelling, but possibly one of the most unique and fantasticly different representations of The Gods I've read!
Aww man! I’ve had that on my list to read for awhile
Really enjoyed this video. I can rage about books that annoy me, too. I would love to see you raging about the other books. 😀 Do you know "Lore" bei Alexandra Bracken?
There is also Goddess of Spring, by P.C Cast (the same author as the House of Night series) which is a modified version of Hades x Persephone, where a human switches places with Persephone, and the meets and falls in love with Hades. It does not participate in the “he kidnapped her and forced her to stay” storyline. Her writing has issues, but it’s another one for those searching for Hades x Persephone stories.
This story sounds kind of similar to the tv show Arcane. Not the same, but some elements feel similar.
I read it knowing that it wasn't going be "accurate" and was going to be taking inspo from their story. So I went in treating it not as retelling but as a different story altogether while recognizing that their would be some very similar elements. And in doing so I love the book.
TLDR: I refused to call this book a retelling and instead thought of it as inspired by and that helped.
I’d love to hear more modern retelling novel reviews
😂😂👏👏👏I effing love this review.😂😂
Oh hey I've seeing Circe at the store for ages
I want a pro Demeter, bad guy, badass Persephone/Hades duo retelling. Imagine Persephone and Hades being a part of some vile, dangerous gang or mafia. Like someone else said about a detective Demeter, you could have Hades be some leader or whatever, and he kidnapped her and we get some Stockholm syndrome going on. Hm, I don’t think I like how I described it. Very Wattpaddy. But Gods, it sounds better than this kind of shit.
Also, how is this “underworld” full of Poverty? Shouldn’t it be wealthy?
Not a retelling but the Thornchapel Series by Sierra Simone is a pagan erotica series, she does have a Camelot retelling that is great, I would love to hear your thoughts any of her books they have a sex is magic theme and any other authors that you would recommend
Oooooo I would LOVE for you to react to Hadestown! I know there aren't any legal video recordings of the full show, but there's a ton of promo footage & the cast album that includes a good amount of background info.
The whole thing of their being a group of 13 that's been reduced to 12, that group running the city/world, and they use titles instead of their names, is reminding me ALOT of FFXIV: Shadowbringers. [spoilers for SHB and EW MSQ] There is a group called the Convocation of the Thirteen, and the members are always referred to by their titles instead of their names. The Convocation is basically their world's form of government, and they preside in their capital city Amaurot. The "Thirteenth Seat" which is the title of "Azem" ends up breaking off due to a massive disagreement on how to fix an apocalyptic event, so the Convocation gets reduced to Twelve. Unless the person who originally had the seat resigns or dies, they can't put a new person on the seat, so they're stuck as a group of 12. Once a candiate has accepted the offer for a seat on the Convocation they're only referred to by their Title and not their name, at least in public and professional settings. Family and friends can use their actual name, usually in casual or private conversations. Their society is also very Greek-based, and a lot of their language and terminology is Greek based. Such as referring to unicorns as "Monoceros" and small details like that. Sorry for the info dump, it's just the more you talked about how this book and their "Thirteen" worked my eyebrows kept raising due to all the similarities.
Ah yes, Bored Housewife :Literature; the kind of literature meant for the bored yuppie housewife wanting to live in crappy smut.
People need to look into the perks of merging myths. Make the couple work for some romance or something. MAKE EVERYONE GOOD WELL ROUNDED WHO KNOWS.
I don't know, I don't read many romances.
Didn't Hades abduct Persephone ?
I want an actual retelling, where Persephone indeed gets kidnapped by hades without Demeter consent but Zeus’s. But in which she takes her power back and conspires with her mother, to make herself queen of the underworld and to get half of Hades kingdom by that. That would be something I‘d read! Is there a book like that or do I have to write it myself?
There are some of these things that could have such great potential as a metaphor… like her feet being injured so she “could;tk stand on her own two feet” or like if she had been a virgin, they could have used the “deflowering” metaphor to mark the transition from spring goddess to dark goddess but NO! THEY ARE JUST STAGGERING AROUND LIKE A BUMBLING BAFOON, NOT SAYING ANYTHING OF VALUE! gah.
I read A Touch of Darkness which is another spicy Hades and Persephone retelling. Can’t say it wasn’t super cringy but I read all 3 books. I can’t say I’m too proud of it.😅
It's giving bad fanfiction 🤣
I don’t recognize the stories about the gods as documentaries. Even the ancient stories. Still just stories. To draw one’s own conclusions one should reach out directly.
If you haven’t reached out directly. It’s just he said she said.
Dude do you have opinions on the lore Olympus series??
This is not related to retelling books but do you think if enough of ask do you you think we could get Frankie to read Ice Planet Barbarians
Something with Persephone as the bad guy sounds LIT. hahahah As someone who works with Persephone I think her myths and these tired tropes all need some refreshing but with nuance. And also I think she would make a bad ass villian xD
Would you ever be interested in making a video about books you do like that are about different gods/deities?? I’d love some new book recommendations that are good/accurate representations of them. 💓
Please talk about more modern retellings! Or recommend us some! I loved watching you react to this hahaha
I just want the author to find this video, and be totally confused because they didn't even know people still believed in the old gods.
I think what a lot of modern retellings get wrong is that they end with Persephone being like: i have power that has come from my darkness” and ending on that. I’d love to see a retelling where it ends with her celebrating her maiden aspect and reconnecting with her mother even though there has been a distinct character growth. Kinda like a daughter coming back to their mom as an adult and realizing they can connect even better because of how the daughter has grown. I think the biggest emphasis should be on balance and growth.
37:43 – If it's the same f*king trope… I'm going to lose my marbles.
I will lose them, they will roll everywhere.
I'm sorry you had to read this the whole thing gives me an ICKKKKK. I'm really interested in writing Hera's perspective and going into the complicated role she has and her inner emotions… I don't know if anyone would care but i am so tired of her being portrayed as a bitchy nag
What kind of safe word is pomegranate?! Keep it short. One, two syllables tops.
Watched this in 1.25x speed and laughed my ass off. You’re book reviews are awesome
Where did you get those earrings? I can’t stop looking at them!
I usually watch your videos all the way through but i couldnt listen to this description anymore xD
It seriously sounds like the author was inspired by that awful "my immortal" fanfic and slapped some greek gods names on it and called it a fuckin day.
I am currently writing two stories based on Greek mythology but soon lmao
But yes please for modern day retelling on mythology yes please!!