Girl, Goddess, Queen

This book was incredible! What an amazing debut by Bea Fitzgerald, I already want to read her next ten books.

I’ve not read a Hades and Persephone retelling before, but if they’re all as good as this, I will be! Persephone is incredible and proof that girls are so much more than just sunshine and flowers.

I loved seeing her take the reins of her own life and stand up for what’s important. Plus, Hades was a perfect golden retriever partner who helped push her forward without holding her back. Eugh, just thinking about it makes my heart go all warm and fuzzy.

I’m really hoping this is the start of a long series and that I get to enjoy more of Bea’s writing soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Wow… I’ve not really read any retellings of Greek mythology before and this one was incredible!

I went in kinda blind as my only knowledge of Persephone and Hades story was from watching Hadestown on Broadway last year!

I absolutely devoured this over two days and loved the enemies to lovers trope and the built up tension between the two protagonists. I appreciated the fast paced chapters and although the end did feel a little bit rushed, I think it’s cos I just didn’t want it to end!

I am a huge sucker for anything Greek, even more so when it's Hades and Persphone! This was such an incredible book, slow burn, romance, friendship and more! I couldn't get enough, I was hooked on this one instantly and struggled to put it down! I adored Hades and Persphone's relationship all throughout the story, was a bit different to the others I've recently read too so it was a nice change!

GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN.
With a title like that, expectations were high, and fortunately, Bea Fitzgerald didn't disappoint. Also, this retelling gives new meaning to the expression : Hot as Hades ;)

To escape an arranged, and possibly incestuous, marriage, Kore - repressed daughter of Zeus - escapes to the pits of hell. But seeking sanctuary with Hades - God of the Underworld - has unforeseen consequences and Kore discovers not only an unlikely alliance, but becomes the great Persephone, chaos bringer.

This is the perfect book for a YA lover like me to share with my teenage daughter. The YA genre has really enabled the parent-child reading crossover and I am so grateful for books such as this one, which spark conversation and create common ground between two utterly different generations!

Lastly, let it be said that it is a rare talent indeed that can make even the underworld vibrant.
I loved this. A cracking debut, in my humble opinion, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Bea FitzG in the future.

I thought this was absolutely spectacular. A sexy, fun, smart, feminist retelling of Persephone and Hades, but with a twist. I could not put it down, and stayed up till 4am devouring it. Gripping, pacy, interesting, modern. A real standout first debut that deserves to be a bestseller

This YA retelling of Persephone and Hades is a cracker. It turns the myth on its head in a totally fitting way whilst also drawing parallels with modern day issues of misogyny, toxic masculinity and self determination. Beautifully realised and skilfully executed, Girl, Goddess, Queen is a brilliant retelling with modern feminist insights on an ancient tale.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and especially Bea for granting me an arc!

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.

The brooding male, the woman determined to be something greater than her father expects, the fake marriage. I just loved it all.

Hades and Persephone exasperated me so much with how absolutely dense they both are, I kept thinking just kiss already!! So now I'm fairly certain Styx is my kindred spirit. Also I got all warm and fuzzy inside and I can't remember the last time a book did that.

I'd also like to do a little shoutout to Bea for putting up with me and my updates while reading and for letting me talk about my own personal life too, you're a gem, Bea and I have throughly enjoyed talking with you.

This just flipped the script on the usual Hades/Persephone retellings.
Our girl wasn't taken, she full on jumped straight to Hell!
It's a fresh take and I devoured it. I adored that it's soley from Kore/Persephone's POV, her inner monologues really allow you to feel her journey from suffocated Girl whose future is planned out by overbearing parents and not at all what she wants.
Into a Goddess struggling with warring emotions of loving her newly acquired freedoms and learning about who she is becoming whilst it feels like a betrayal to her mother.
Then 'blooming' (get it 😉) into the Queen she was destined to be, growing into her power and owning her desires and needs unapologetically.
The reason this book works so well is because Persephone feels so real, her thoughts and feelings are genuinely relatable, you feel her anger at the world that is unjust and her hunger for power to be able to change things.

The side characters are also brilliantly done, especially this new take on Hades. The story was fasted paced and kept me turning those pages.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is going to be the perfect summer read, it's got it all! Fake-Dating, Feminism and Flirting, (man the flirtatious banter is *chef's kiss*) all wrapped up in Greeky Goodness.
Honestly go pre-order it (I have) you won't regret it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC