As an avid reader and fan of Greek Mythology I really loved this retelling of the classic tale of Persephone and Hades. What I most enjoyed was in fact that the time in the underworld played an almost secondary role, and that the novel first and foremost explored the female experience.

It was deeply touched by the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, and the complex dynamics that exist between two women trying to do their best by each other, despite their various challenges and heartbreaks.

I also really enjoyed the character arcs of both female protagonists, and the ways in which they step into their power, spurred on by different stimuli, but with similar outcomes.

I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading similar themes and who also enjoys Greek Mythology.

A big thank you to Hannah Lynn, Sourcebooks UK | Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.

I love Greek re-tellings but this is first with this author. It’s different re-telling of Persephone focusing first on her mother & their relationship and then on her quest for freedom & her love. I found it a little slow in parts & quite gloomy, Demeter’s story is not a happy one, but overall I enjoyed the tale & will definitely read more by this author.

I have read and loved all of Hannah Lynn’s mythology books, this one traces the histories of Demeter and Persephone. Whilst their stories are by no means unknown, Lynn weaves a tale which provides insight and enlightenment to all readers. The narrative voice of each protagonist is individual and well crafted, Lynn is a master of characterisation to make readers engage with and become emotionally involved with her stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Source Books for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: rape, sexual assault, pregnancy, child death, violence, kidnapping, grief, murder

The goddess Demeter once adored humanity, spreading her gift of harvest and spring worldwide. After her brother Zeus sexually assaults her and the murder of the only man Demeter has ever loved, that joy is ruined and Demeter is left a shell of herself. Her only solace is her daughter, Core, the goddess of maidens and flowers. The two of them spend years isolated away from Olympus on an island with only nymphs for company, hiding from the eyes of the gods. Core wants nothing more than to taste freedom but Demeter knows the reality of the world- and the men who run it. Gradually Demeter allows Core to visit other places, but only in the company of the nymphs, refusing to go along on these adventures with her daughter. However, one day Core doesn’t return and Demeter cannot find her anywhere. Her wandering search drives Demeter to turn on the humans she’s always loved, bringing a terrible frost to the world that kills all the harvests. At the same time, the narrative switches to Core- she has been secretly living a life this whole time, meeting and falling in love with a mortal woman named Ione. Unfortunately, this draws the gaze of her uncle, Hades, the God of the Dead who abducts Core and makes her into his wife. Forced to become Queen of the Underworld, Core discovers a side of herself she never knew existed, one who isn’t afraid of power but revels in it. She renames herself Persephone. In the land of the living, Demeter is determined that nothing will stand in the way of returning Core to her, no matter what she might destroy.

This is a beautiful, stark retelling of the myths of Demeter and Persephone. It starts from Demeter’s perspective, showing the rise of the Olympians and her relationship with her siblings as they established themselves. This book does not attempt to shy away from the harsh and brutal reality of being a woman in Greek myth, showing the impact of Zeus’ assault on Demeter and her dependence on her daughter after the loss of her love. I loved how even the myths I had no idea about, most specifically Demeter’s experiences pretending to be a wet nurse for humans as she searches for Persephone, felt real and powerful in this book. The first half of the book is full of tension and grief, representing Demeter’s constant feeling of fear and her crushing love for Persephone while the second half, although no lighter, is from the perspective of a goddess without that fear. I really enjoyed how Persephone is written as she experiences human grief for the first time and then how she became stronger in the Underworld. This was also a really interesting take on Hades and one I haven’t seen before but enjoyed. The mother/daughter relationship is the driving force of “Daughters of Olympus” even when they clash and suffer from each other. It’s a gorgeous retelling and definitely an author I’m going to read more of in the future.

This is beautifully written, and I loved getting both Demeter and Persephone's perspectives on their story. However, this just didn't necessarily stand out to me in any way. It took me a while to read, because I didn't feel like I was getting anything different to what I've read before. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this, because I did, I'm just not sure this is a Demeter & Persephone retelling that is going to change lives or anything. I did really enjoy the introduction of Hades, and how his and Persephone's relationship develops, but I just feel like I've read this all before.

Oh how I do love a good Greek mythology retelling! Daughters of Olympus follows the stories of Demeter and Core/Persephone, two goddesses I didn’t know much about before picking this up. They were brought to life by Hannah Lynn’s writing, especially Core’s growth on her journey to becoming Queen of the Underworld. I’d recommend Daughters of Olympus to other Greek mythology fans.

I LOVED this book. I love any stories involving Persephone but this one focused on Demeter as well, and it was heartbreaking to see everything Demeter had been through before Persephone, or Core as she was originally named. I loved seeing Persephone become who she was meant to be, and her relationship with Hades starting off badly but ending up with her becoming Queen of the Underworld and a goddess of life and death. This was beautifully written and I couldn’t put it down!

As someone who is a big fan of Greek mythology I really enjoyed this book. Demeter is a character that I didn’t know too much about before reading this book but after reading this I want to read more.

📚 review 📚

daughters of olympus - hannah lynn

ok let me preface this by saying that i am a hades x persephone girlie - i will read all and any retelling of their myths. i can’t help it - hades is clearly the best of the greek gods, he’s super rich, he likes art and he understands the importance of being alone in the dark. a true icon. and i absolutely loved the awkward version of him we got in daughters of olympus. at its heart though, this is not merely another retelling of the hades and persephone story, this is the story of motherhood and that bond between a mother and her daughter. it’s the first time ive seen a sympathetic telling of demeter’s story - there are no overbearing mothers here, simply a woman lost in grief and trauma trying to protect her remaining child.
persephone is also well presented here, we get to see her grow from the carefree core to a woman worthy of the title of queen. this is how i want all my greek myth retellings packaged from now on.

obviously this is based on some very graphic source material and hannah lynn doesn’t shy away from that so there are some cws to consider - sexual assault, pregnancy, grief, murder… you get the gist - so make sure to check those before diving in.

thank you @netgalley for the early copy. i’ve already ordered a finished copy of this - i hope you do too!

I absolutely love mythology, especially Hades and Persephone books. I loved this take on the story and the characters just felt so real and well written. There's just so much happening but it all flows really well to keep you interested.

I have such respect for the author of this beautiful book.
This is one of many retellings of Greek gods that I have read, and it has been written artfully. Sadly, of course, there are very difficult topics covered throughout the story, as they are often tragic, especially for the women of the time. But this has been so wonderfully done by the author, with respect for the characters she portrays.
Never before did I truly understand Demeter and the role she played in Persephone’s story, I always believed that she was overbearing and often a villain. However, thanks to Ms Lynn, I have gained a newfound respect for her.

“I will not be returning to Olympus. I will go nowhere with you.”

Lynn has written her character so profoundly that her emotions to her experiences cannot be misinterpreted. She is an incredibly strong goddess who has been through so much hardship and does not wish the same for her daughter. Throughout the earlier chapters Demeter talks wistfully of her time, reminiscing over everything that she had, whilst still coveting her power and strength.

“Through his eyes, I had seen all the wonder and power that lived within me, and I refused to let him down again.”

The second and third parts of the book follow Core, and then Persephone. Whilst I know these were obviously written by the same author, the tone of the writing changed to fit the personality and complexity of the character. This worked well to portray the journey that Persephone endured to become the goddess she did, the innocence of Core throughout the second part of the book, followed by the strength and maturity as she became Persephone.

“From this point on … I will be known as Persephone.”

The stories shared by Ms Lynn, of this mother and daughter, were artfully crafted, with great depth and compassion. Unlike many Greek retellings, this book truly focused on these two Daughters of Olympus, writing them with strength and compassion in their own right, rather than reducing their significance to the experiences they had and the people around them.

I have the utmost respect for this author, and am delighted to have been able to experience this book.

I loved this retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. Unusually Hades isn't the dominant character in this version, he is almost diffident once he has taken Persephone to the Underworld. This is really a mother and daughter story that can translate through the ages. Demeter is a traumatised mother trying to protect her daughter from the evils of the world by preventing her from leaving their island, and Persephone a goddess who slowly reclaims her freedom by sneaking away into the world. When the inevitable happens and she is kidnapped, she uses her freedom from her mother's influence to grow into an understanding of her own power and needs. It's a wonderful and compelling, sometimes heartrending story and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another Greek myth retelling! This time, Demeter and Persephone. For me, I'd say it's an average read. I enjoyed reading it but I don't think it particularly stood out among all of the Greek myth retellings that are out there right now but that might be because I'd read quite a few of them within a short space of time.

In a time where it seems we just can't get enough of Greek Mythology retellings - Hannah Lynn's is an incredible stand-out.

A fresh-take on the myth with a great focus on the women/female gods and how their experiences are not that far from our own.
Although tough to read at times - impossible to put down!

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! I devoured this book. Overall Daughters of Olympus was really well written and the descriptions and characters were truly brought to life through the style of the writing. I really enjoyed the story overall and I liked that the focus was not just on Persephone as a wife to Hades but her life beforehand as Core and her rise to power and confidence. I liked the change in POVs between Persephone/Core and Demeter, I would say that in some places I did get Deja Vu as some of the descriptions were very similar from Core’s POV and Demeter’s. However this wasn’t too often so it didn’t impact the book overall and was still an excellent read. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of Greek Mythology and retellings, I flew through this one and it was enjoyable throughout. I didn’t think there were any stagnant parts of the book and all information had a purpose which worked really well.

This was such a gorgeous retelling of the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter isn’t a myth that I have read much about and her story was just heartbreaking and so tenderly written. Persephone is a myth I am more familiar with and I really enjoyed Lynn’s interpretation of her myth.

The prose was so beautiful and the tale itself was devastating.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me on this title. A very good book that is well worth a read. Highly recommend

This is a beautifully written retelling of the Greek Myth of Demeter and her daughter Core, told from the perspective of both characters. Anyone who has read any Greek Mythology will know how weird and wonderful these Olympian Gods are, and that you will never see a more resilient and strong female character as a Greek Goddess which Hannah Lynn has captured perfectly. This is the second novel I’ve read by the author and I look forward to discovering many more! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC

I'm always a fan of a good greek mythology book and this one did not disappoint! Great writing and pacing.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc! As a lover of greek mythology, I have no looked into Demeter or Persephone’s lives and what happened to them which is why I’m so grateful to have received this arc. I ended up giving this book 4.25 stars as the further I read on the further I understood the actions of the 2 goddesses and why they acted like they do in mythology! The character development was amazing, and the events of the book were super easy to understand (especially if you haven’t read greek mythology before!)