I'm a giant fan of Persephone-Hades retells and whilst this wasn't as dark as my usual reads in the topic, it was so much fun. This is quite a new approach and it was a good time to see Hades and Persephone in a sort of rom-com(ish) setting. Persephone was a great FMC and loved how soft was Hades to her badass.

Everything about this was great.

It was kinda bland unfortunately. Not badly written or anything, but it just felt a little lacking. The characterisation for every character felt shallow.

The whole plot just seemed to be “I don’t want to get married” -> “I want to marry hades but not cos I like him or anything”. I just would have enjoyed it if the characters were more in tune with their emotions.

The wedding night scene of them moaning and jumping on the bed was so cringe it gave me the ick im so sorry. So jarring.

Hades seemed kinda flat. I would have liked to have seen more sides to him besides “he likes to paint”… ok, and what else? What are his thoughts on life and death? What does he want out of his life?

It wasn’t my favourite book but if there is a second one I will read it.

Girl, goddess, queen

The moment I heard about this book I knew I have to have it. Not only because I enjoy fantasy/romance but I find Greek mythology fascinating.

The cover was one of small details that pushed me to get this book and when I saw that it’s available on Netgalley I knew instantly that I must get it! And on the way home few days or maybe a week later when I got it approved my family (not to exaggerate) thought I won a lottery, but people who reads they know - getting a book you really want to read is like winning a lottery!

So as I start reading GGQ I instantly loved the writing style, loved how author made book not only storytelling but action and with deeper meanings that some of them I can relate myself. The main character- Core is growing in a book, learning who she is and not what she was forced / teached to be. Although some moments I found her annoying especially at the start when she went to Hades asked for help and obviously in his place - I would have been the same - she threatened him and FORCED her way in there and not only that she started being mean to him because she didn’t felt welcomed. Obs- you came to my place, decided that you will be living here without me agreeing I am not planning to be nice to you, but later they sorted that out and I enjoyed how their story.

I really liked that idea of making the underworld into something more than land of dead ones, a place that god and bad wont mixes together.

Overall I loved it ! Happy publication day !

This book was a solid 5 stars until the miscommunication began. I literally can't stand when the characters dont address the elephant in the room, LIKE PLEASE!!!! 35% of the book could have been used for something MORE than you two pretending you are not in love!!!! But this is a me problem and i realise that if the trope did not exist, the book would be a few pages long.

I do love Hades and Persephone and their story was beautiful! building the afterlife was SOOO fun to read about, I could picture it actually happening!!!

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an advanced copy e-book of “Girl, Goddess, Queen” by Bea Fitzgerald - the book is due to be published tomorrow.

Anyone, who knows me knows I love Greek myths and I adore a Greek mythology retelling. So I was really excited to hear about “Girl, Goddess, Queen” and it was a great book. I really enjoyed it.

It is a fab feminist retelling of the Hades and Kore/ Persephone myth. With strong points made about rape culture, women acting a certain way to attract men or the ‘right’ type of men and discussions about masculine toxicity.

I thought that the enemies to friends to lovers storyline was spot on. And the banter between Hades and Persephone was 5 star. I also adored Persephone’s relationship with Styx and their mocking of Hades often had me chortling.

There is minimum spice in this book. Instead it concentrates on the development of the relationship between Hades and Persephone and the burning sexual tension.

Persephone is a kick-arse female character. Who, having been forced for so long to act a certain way, rebels when she is given the freedom and love to be truly herself. And her true self is awesome.

Hades is a golden retriever who would also destroy the entire world for his love for Persephone. At times, I got Rhys from ACOTAR vibes.

If you like Greek mythology retellings, enemies to lovers, fake dating, marriage of convenience and only one bed tropes then you’ll really enjoy this YA romantic fantasy. I thought it was great.

This is a very readable reworking of the Greek tale of Demeter and Persephone (also know as Kore). In the original tale, Demeter loves her daughter to obsession and keeps her away from everyone. Hades manages to abduct her and take her to the underworld. When this is discovered he tricks her into eating some pomegranate seeds, which will bind her to the underworld. In the meantime Demeter has stopped the harvests, being Goddess of Harvests and Fertility, and mortals are dying........

So in this reworking; The daughter of Demeter is given the name Kore by Zeus as revenge for asking for the world when asked what she wants for her 18th birthday. She is then made Goddess of Flowers. Her Mother keeps her safe on Sicily, bound by charms to keep her safe from people who might steal her away. Kore feels stifled by this and when her Mother is away negotiating with her father, Zeus, possible suitors for Kore, she decides to go to the Underworld and claim sanctuary with Hades. What she doesn't bargain for is actually liking it there and liking Hades, a lot. She transforms the dark realm with her flowers and really cares about the mortal souls there. When there is a chance she might be discovered, she marries Hades.
I'm not going to spoil it, but it's a nice reworking of the story and although you know what has to happen at the end, it's good how it's worked into the story as her choice.

Fantasy romance about Persephone and Hades - easy-going and quite entertaining.

Kore, daughter of Demeter, leaves her life on Sicily to escape getting married. She winds up in the Underworld and seeks Hades‘s hospitality. Here begins the tale of budding romance with a feminist slant. The writing style is very modern, an interesting contrast with the subject matter. The few main characters are well-developed. I was hoping for more on the mythological theme but it’s still an enjoyable read, although possibly more suited to lovers of fantasy romances. I received a free initial copy of the book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was recommended this book by a friend and hugely enjoyed it. It’s a great debut and clearly a strong team effort from Penguin. I had an inkling who our goddess might be but as I didn’t know her backstory it all came as a really well-executed surprise. Elements around consent and family difficulty were elegantly included, and I had a real vision of where we were in the various locations which were beautifully and effectively described. It was also great to have a heroine with power other than “makes man fall in love with her”. The only time I winced was around mentions of her being made to take “bites” of food and encouraged to eat by her hero. Enough of this appetite stuff in romance, it’s off putting.

I think I might just be a bit old for this? Book promos that make any reference whatsoever to Tiktok are usually a hard pass for me but I'm a Classics teacher and I enjoy retellings for the most part. This is just way too Girlboss for me however. I don't mind a modern spin but 'bestie' ? The dread queen Persephone? Bestie? I also find this trend for trying to suggest an alternative origin story to make some aspects of the ancient world more palatable to modern audiences just completely destroys my immersion. There are cleverer ways to approach this without going for the 'it was all a lie!' approach.

Will likely appeal to Gen Z though so I'm chalking it down to me not being the target audience.

Review not posted anywhere else.

A light hearted fun retelling of Persephone's story. Lots of feminist undercurrents.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I love a good Greek retelling and I've read a few Hades and Persephone ones that I count amongst my favourites but I think this one is my new number one.

The ways in which it subverts the typical narrative are subtle and clever. I especially love that Hades may be broody and grouchy, but he's also soft and artistic. So many Hades retellings have him as a typical alpha male with a secret heart of gold, I loved that this Hades was an artist and a creator, and as restricted by gender norms as Persephone in her way. Neither of them was allowed to be who they truly were in the eyes of Olympus and I think that's truly what brought them together.

Persephone here was an absolute delight, chaotic and joyous. I'm a sucker for a good coming of age story where a woman steps into her power, that's the good stuff right there and it's done so beautifully in this book. It's never cloying or overly inspirational, it's a real journey of self-discovery and I loved going on it along with the character.

Most of all though, I loved the banter. It. Was. So. Good. So good. It's stunning to me that this is a debut because the dialogue between Hades and Persephone just leaps off the page, it's funny and witty and sparky and it's so rare to read banter that flows so naturally on the page.

An easy 5 stars for me and I'll have my eyes open for whatever comes next from Bea Fitzgerald!

To avoid an unwanted marriage to a self-centred god of her father's choosing, Persephone escapes to the one place no one will come to look for her: the Underworld. To stay, she'll have to convince the world's brooding ruler to let her upturn his secretive existence. For the first time in her life, Persephone is free to embrace the power she has always craved and carve out a life of her choosing. But can a goddess of flowers really bloom in a land beneath the ground?

I had high hopes for this novel and it surpassed every one of them. It's such a clever retelling, which somehow managed to stay true to the mythology which inspired it, while completely rewriting it in such a fresh and original way.

Persephone shone as a protagonist - I loved her unapologetic desire for power, which contrasted so well with Hades' softness.

I can't wait to read whatever Fitzgerald writes next (and get my hands on a stunning finished copy of this one!)

In order to avoid the marriage that her parents are trying to arrange for her, Kore flees to the Underworld and demands sanctuary from Hades.
There were many times during the first third of this book where I almost gave up, I found Kore to be spectacularly annoying and she came across as a spoiled, entitled brat, but I am glad that I didn’t. As the relationship between Kore and Hades develops, and she meets some of the residents of the Underworld she becomes a much better character. I am now hoping for a sequel, I want to know what comes next for Kore and Hades.

the most beautiful and modern retelling of hades and persephone is here!

it is one of my favourite myths and so i went into this book with high expectations and i was not disappointed. i thought the way the author brought the story into the present day was done so well, it didn't feel jarring at all. i lost count of the number of times that i audibly laughed at the quips made between hades and persephone! the characters were written so well- we had the grumpy, brooding personality of hades in contrast with the positive, whimsical personality of persephone.

hands down my favourite element of the story is how persephone has agency, she CHOSE to jump down to hell, she wasn't stolen, she wasn't abducted, she made her own decision. giving her back this agency was carried through the book as she refuses to be walked over, and eventually becomes queen of the underworld!

girl, goddess, queen has well and truly joined by greek mythology favourites list!

5 stars is not a high enough rating for this book….it is an absolutely incredible read. It’s fun and lighthearted, however at the same time it tackles some of the problems that are faced here on Earth on a daily basis. I love that the book is about the God’s, I love the witty back forth between Persephone and Hades, and I love Persephone’s realisations about her powers. Just an incredible read and I hope that there is another book to follow this one.

From the long list of trigger warnings at the front of this novel, I expected something cutting and close to the edge, something that had to potential to traumatise with its stark examination and description of difficult subjects. I wondered if it was a book I wanted to read despite the description on this site that I read before requesting it. What I got was a novel that reads like a young adult fantasy that readers of Sarah J Maas would lap up. In fact, Sarah J Maas tends to damage her characters far more than Persephone was been treated in this novel.

Persephone, originally named Kore, is desperate to escape an arranged marriage. She's been cooped up on an island, Sicily, by her mother to keep her from the outside world which she has declared is too dangerous for Kore to face alone. And once Demeter travels to Olympus to consult on husband's with Zeus, Kore's father, Lore makes her move, and flees to the underworld to hide, knowing Zeus can't just walk in and take her back. There, she meets the God of the underworld, Hades, and demands protection under the guise of 'xenia', hospitality.

Although, once it became clear what kind of novel this is, and that the lot was pretty obvious, I found it an enjoyable read. Not a particularly challenging one, admittedly, but one that absorbed and entertained, and, to an extent, educated about ancient Greek gods, which I can't claim to know a great deal about. I'd read more of this author as I like this kind of power girl fantasy because it's fun and stuffed with emotion and bright characters. Great cover design, striking.

4.5 stars

A joyous Hades and Persephone retelling that centres Persephone's life pre-Underworld and her growth and development as a young woman.

I have read so many takes on this myth so it was utterly refreshing to see a truly unique take on it. It was also so wonderful that, despite being a rom com (and a great one at that!) - the focus was predominantly on the development of Persephone's character. I loved how Hades supported her and let her find her own way, especially at the start of their relationship and to see this progress to the ending sequence where they faced down the most powerful Gods, it was just *chefs kiss*

I am praying that Bea Fitzgerald's next book is the sequel as I need to see how this develops further. I mean I know the myth, but still - I've grown attached to these iterations of the characters and I want to make sure they're OK ❤️❤️❤️

Breathes new life into the story of Persepone and Hades, and the reimagining is really entertaining. Told from a female point of view it gives Persephone agency in her own fate and instead of being a character where things just happen to her because of the actions of others, she is very much the driving force in her journey. The romance is obvious and Hades just seems just a little too perfect. but it's still a cracking read for older teens.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is a YA retelling of Persephone and Hades, is book one in a three book deal. I was drawn to this because I love Greek Mythology, but also because Fitzgerald was very clear that she had done her research and it showed! I thought the book was wonderfully researched and you knew where Fitzgerald had made conscious choices for example to not have Hades and Persephone be related.

Other than that the book is very YA which is great, it does what it says on the cover. Persephone runs away to escape an arranged marriage (well jumps). There's an emphasis on how Persephone is wilful, strong-minded and if Hades just let her plan it would be really great. And Hades is the supportive character wanting her to succeed. This is very much a ' YA girl boss' retelling but without the modernisation of a present day setting.

Overall, would recommend, Fitzgerald was accurate as possible whilst retelling the story of Hades and Persephone in her own way. My Waterstones exclusive edition is on the way, excuse me while I go wait by the window for it.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK, Penguin for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

I really enjoyed this! The cover initially drew me to it as it’s STUNNING and I love a Greek mythology retelling. If this was adult and not YA, a bit spicier and it would’ve been 5 stars all day long.

I’ve seen on goodreads there’s a 2nd book in the series and I can’t wait.

Persephone and Hades are life