This wasn't really my cup of tea although I can recognise and recommend it to other people. I think I've maybe just read too many other books to compare this theme too and it just wasn't for me this time. Did not finish.

This was so enjoyable!!

The relationship between Hades and Persephone was gorgeous and so refreshing. I loved the interrogation of stereotypes it presented.
The story itself was fun and the writing paced beautifully.
I think it would make a great read for a YA girl in particular. It handles female desire and consent in a great way. I would definitely recommend.

This was an unexpectedly fun read! A retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades with real character. I loved how the relationship between the two developed – it felt fresh and compelling. This book reinvents their story to a passionate love story. Peresphone is a character to be reckoned with and takes control of her own destiny; she absolutely seemed capable of overthrowing Zeus.
I was surprised by the name change - this was something that I did not know about the myth. Reader may well know this myth, but I think they will be pleasantly surprised by this version. It feels modern and applaudable reinventing Persephone as powerful rather than victim.
The introduction starts with trigger warnings – their passion is quite graphic in places, but I don’t think there is anything that a YA market will feel alarmed by.

A confident and charismatic retelling of the mythological story of Persephone, Girl, Goddess, Queen, brilliantly captures the original story while giving much-needed agency and power to Persephone herself in a way that is a breath of fresh air.

The romance is also incredibly swoon-worthy - Hades and Persephone were meant for each other.

There is a tale that Hades kidnapped Persephone or fored her to live in the Underworld, causing much distress to her Mother, Demeter, and Father, Zeus

However, here we get the real story, where Kores parents are trying to force her into a marriage, and it'll likely be the one to benefit them most, not Kore

So Kore makes a bold move, she literally jumps into the Underworld and ensures Hades be nice to her using Xenia, an ancient hospitality law

But little do either of them know what Kores presence in the Underworld will do, and how it'll affect everyone, including to two of them...

I enjoyed this story so much! Definitely one of the best Hades and Persephone retellings I've read so far. I loved growing (No pun intended) with Kore and finding her place in the (under)world

Can't wait to read the new book by Bea with a new retelling!

I loved this book! I didn't have the highest expectations, thinking it would be a generic YA fantasy as popular on TIkTOk. However, this was a really well written, nuanced, beautiful piece of work. I loved the take on Hades and Persephone. I adored the feminist tones, the attack on the patriarchy, the discussions around dealing with difficult parents, the kindness and empathy expressed in every one of Hades lines. Ah- delightful! I can't wait to read her next book!

I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this novel, it was phenomenal. But it was also nothing like I imagined it was going to be. Somehow I'd already created a plot for this book in my head and it didn't fit at all, it was definitely ten times better. The chemistry was just otherworldy, I could barely cope to put this down, I was just desperate for the lovers to actual fall in love and to declare their love. I was addicted to this book until the end. I honestly can't wait for the next book the author releases, there is high expectations but I genuinely believe Bea can accomplish them.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but was so so glad that I did.

Being a Hades x Persephone retelling is quite a difficult thing to do especially given that most Greek mythology retellings feature this specific couple. And although I have read a few, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.

Bea Fitzgerald had a way of making this book unique it it's own way while still staying true to a Hades x Persephone story.

Persephone as a main character in this book was fabulous. She was strong and confident and I immensely enjoyed reading about this version of her. It set this book aside in it's own way and really contributed to its enjoyable nature.

The slow burn in this book was perfect. It was almost Mariana Zapata paced especially given the Marriage of convenice that took place in this book. The pining and will they/won't they in Girl Goodess Queen was so much fun to read, especially since it was quite apparent how much Persephone tried to excuse her attraction to Hades for something else.

Overall, I thought this book was a fun yet introspective retelling of the classic Hades x Persephone retelling. It was definitely one that I would recommend.

Read if you love:
Hades x Persephone, Ya fantasy, Marriage of convenience, Slow burn romances.

Couldn’t put this down, what a fantastic and fresh retelling.

The writing absolutely transports you, everything is so descriptive it feels like you are there recreating new parts of the underworld with Persephone - just stunning.

The banter was everything, the side characters fantastically written (Styx is by far my favorite character) and the political intrigue in the courts fascinating.

Overall it was fun, it was unique and fresh and just a greek mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone like you haven’t read before! Highly recommend!

I'm not very familiar with the Hades and Persephone original story, the extent of my knowledge is the Starcrossed but I really enjoyed this version. I loved the characters and the girl power feel that it had to it, you could also tell even with my limited knowledge that the author has done a lot of research, I'm looking forward to seeing what more is to come from her.

Couldn’t put this down, what a fantastic and fresh retelling.

The feminism, hard girl boss style going from Kore who has no options but to marry to Persephone, Queen of Hell. This book just annihilates toxic masculinity and that was amazing to read. This is the first retelling where Hades’ personality was painted so differently and while we all love a dark Hades, this soft, artistic beautiful and kind Hades was a breathe of fresh air! I really enjoyed this concept of him being the more quiet and preferring paint brushes over war god. What a twist.

The writing absolutely transports you, everything is so descriptive it feels like you are there recreating new parts of the underworld with Persephone. Absolutely stunning.

The banter was everything, the side characters fantastically written (Styx is by far my favorite character) and the political intrigue in the courts fascinating.

Overall it was fun, it was unique and fresh and just a greek mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone like you haven’t read before! Highly recommend!

Super fun read - not usually one for the Greek myths but the work put behind this book has been huge that it was hard to miss!

Girl, Goddess, Queen is a really interesting fake dating (my favourite trope!!) retelling of Hades and Persephone and I found it to be interesting right from the start! It was also really refreshing to see Hades in a different light, a softer Hades and I absolutely loved his character! I really enjoyed the descriptions of the setting as it really allowed me to immerse myself in to this world that Fitzgerald has created.

This entire book had me gripped and I can’t wait to see what Bea Fitgerald comes out with next!

I loved this so much more than I was expecting to! The popularity of Hades/Persephone as a romance has always disturbed me a little (incest, rape and abduction may be par for the course in mythology but it's definitely not something I'm going to hold up to teenagers as a template for love and romance), but I really enjoy the authors TikTok takes on Greek myth, so had to give it a go. I'm so glad I did - a thoughtful content warning at the start sets the tone for this modern, feminist take where the agency is given to Persephone. Both of the leads are well drawn and there are surprises aplenty even if you are familiar with the original story. The many. many issues rife in the familiar tale are cleverly and plausibly dealt with here, I hate it when reviews give too much of a plot away so I won't say more - only repeat that this is not the dubious romance you'd be forgiven for expecting. Whip smart and at turns funny and poignant this is well worth the read.

from the moment i knew that this was going to be a hades and persephone retelling of sorts, i just knew i had to get my hands on this book.

and boy was i not disappointed.

this story follows our two obvious protagonists, hades and persephone but there are some distinctions between this pair and the one we’ve come to know.

hades in this book was more of a “soft boy” and i was so enamoured with him. while still a brooding love interest (of course he is), i found his relationship with kore / persephone refreshing. the aforementioned on the other hand, was definitely a thorn in hades’ side and i was yearning to read more about them.

An instant 5 stars for this and top spot as both my favourite Greek retelling I’ve read and one of my favourite books of 2023. The writing is truly fantastic - witty and clever but thought provoking at the same time. It was almost like I FELT this story as I was reading it. It was one where I didn’t want to put it down but also never wanted it to end. So so good.

If you like pining, a touch of angst, excellent character growth and a soft, gentle Hades paired with a fierce, ambitious Persephone, do I have the book for you.

You will spend this whole book yelling at the characters to just confess their feelings already! Fitzgerald gives us some really great misunderstanding scenes – where every word has a double-meaning, and though we understand perfectly well what is being said, Persephone, very fairly, takes away the wrong thing.

It’s a really good version of the story. Here, Persephone takes the lead. She has agency, and propels the story forward, firstly when she flees to Hades to escape marriage, then when she gives herself a new name, unhappy with the “naïve girl” meaning behind Kore that her father bestowed on her, and when she discovers her powers might not be limited to flowers.

I loved how ambitious Persephone was, right from the start. There’s plenty of commentary on the patriarchy, represented here by Zeus, and shown to damage not just women, but men, as well. Hades is soft and gentle, presenting a tough exterior to the majority of his court just to remain safe in his realm. He’s gentle and creative, in ways that are seen as feminine, but just as he helps Persephone hide from her parents, she helps him hide his true talents, taking steps necessary so they can remain in peace.

The two characters worked really well together – they both want what’s best for the realm, have both had to hide parts of themselves, and can both ‘act’ well enough to fool the court, sort of, kind of, well, of course, the fake marriage rouse has both of them wrestling with their own feelings, and scared that, for the other, it really is all pretend.

The chemistry was great, too, and you can see how deeply these characters care for one another, how well they understand each other. When they’re united in their goals, they’re formidable, and as the three courts of the gods teeter on edge of war, it’s down to Persephone and Hades to work out what, exactly, is happening to have the humans dying in droves, how to keep the peace, and how best to maybe tear down an empire without letting on.

Another relationship I really liked here was the one between Persephone and Demeter – it’s messy and complicated, and for Persephone, stifling and difficult. But there’s also a deep love there, the kind of love that sees Demeter making certain choices to try and keep her daughter safe, while not realising how much it is damaging to Persephone.

Persephone is headstrong, stubborn, and kind; one of the first things she does when she arrives is try and work out a way to make the Underworld better for the human souls inhabiting it. She feels like a young woman really stretching her wings and realising the true extent of her own power, and on top of this we get a great romance between her and Hades.

I truly, thoroughly loved this one, and if you’re in the mood for a Greek retelling that puts Persephone’s fate in her own hands, I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to Penguin for providing me a copy of this book via NetGalley – views remain my own.

Easily a five star read! I loved the mythology and the twist on the original tale that the author weaved into this book. Especially the way the author made it into a new, engaging and even more intriguing story. The romance played out perfectly. Hades, sigh! Along with a plot that moved at a lovely pace. I was fully invested in not only the story but the characters too. One of my favourite books from 2023!

So this is Hades-Persephone reimagining, with a twist. Instead of Hades kidnapping Persephone, it is Persephone who jumps into the Underworld in a desperate attempt to save her fate. Sadly, as interesting as this reimagining, I couldn’t bear the overall combinations of early greek era(?) setting but with modern references. Also not really a fan of the descriptions. I think i’m just not the right target audience…

A great YA fantasy book about the gods, the story’s told with a difference. The characters were great and I really enjoyed the love story aspect.