As a seasoned reader of Hades and Persephone retellings, I approached this with cautious optimism, given my previous experiences with this overused retelling. Unfortunately, my skepticism was ultimately justified, as this particular retelling left much to be desired.

The book was slow paced and overall lackluster delivery. The narrative failed to grab my attention and never succeeded in building the tension or excitement that one would expect from a story based on such a captivating myth. The plot itself felt uninspired and lacked the depth and intrigue needed to engage the reader.

The characters, particularly the main leads, failed to impress. The chemistry between them was virtually nonexistent, making it difficult to invest in their relationship or root for their development. The main character herself proved to be the most insufferable of the bunch, as her journey lacked the challenges and growth typically associated with a strong protagonist. Instead, everything seemed to conveniently fall into her lap, diminishing any sense of struggle or accomplishment.

One of the few redeeming qualities was the side characters. They added some much-needed depth and complexity to the story, offering moments of genuine interest and emotional connection. Unfortunately, these moments were not enough to salvage the overall reading experience.

In the end, it falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, neither a truly captivating read nor an absolute disaster. While it had its moments and the potential for greatness, it ultimately failed to deliver on the promise of a compelling Hades and Persephone retelling.

Thank you, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately, this was a slow-aced Hades and Persephone (?) novel that didn't quite hit the mark for me, for a lot of reasons. I'm coming to terms with the fact that it's likely the author's writing--not only her prose, but her characters, worlds, and story--are not for me. Ultimately, this is yet another half-baked take of Greek myth (of which his my culture) that is becoming all-to-common in this industry.

Thank you to Random House - Delacorte and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury is YA fantasy that reimagines the myth of Persephone. The story revolves around Corey, whose best friend Bree betrayed her and then suddenly died. Instead of mourning, Corey is furious at her. Then, when she sees Bree's spirit entering the underworld, Corey decides to follow her there. In the Underworld, she meets Hades, the Furies, and other figures in the Greek myths. But what will happen when Corey finds Bree? Does she wants to rescue her and or does she want to punish her?

Here is a chilling excerpt from the opening chapter:

"But when Ali and Bree left me for each other, there was no ritual, because Bree wasn't there to be the chief mourner. I was left marooned, somewhere in between.
Now Bree is actually dead. And if you're wondering if I'm sad about it because it means we'll never get to mend our broken friendship, no. I'm not.
I wished for it."

Overall, Her Dark Wings is an emotional YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of retellings of the Greek myths. One highlight of this book is the emotion-packed beginning, which you can see in the excerpt above. Another highlight of this book is the lovely, easy-to-read prose. I did take off 1 star because there was not a lot of action and only a hint of romance. I was expecting more. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in December!

I think I am beginning to become oversaturated on Greek retellings. Don't get me wrong, I love them but I just think there are *so many* at this point that they're starting to blur together/they are no longer novel because there is only so much originality to the source material. This story was just okay. The idea was a relatively interesting take on the Persephone myth, and that is one of my favorites, so I was interested in this. I think that the characters for me fell a bit flat, but also they seemed to exist to bolster the plot but didn't feel like...real people? Their journeys felt very forced because they existed only to go on said journey, if that makes sense. I also think that the marketing for this book could change a bit to better encapsulate the themes present in the story--the marketing could lean more into it being a story about the fates and the bonds of sisterhood and self-discovery rather than the standard Persephone x Hades retelling it seemed like was trying to fit in here (I could have done entirely without the Hades moments, honestly).
Overall, this was actually a pretty great idea in a saturated market but I think that the book lacks some needed character-development and a bit of focus. I do think, though, that our teens here at the library will absolutely eat this up--everyone goes through their Greek retelling era at some point, haha.

I really liked reading a book with a new kind of character besides vampires or werewolves and this was great. This is a book all about turning the ugliness around us into beauty.

This book felt lackluster and left me feeling disappointed. The idea of the book was one that I was intrigued by and wanted to love. However, the pacing, plot, and character of Corey all fell flat. Corey was not a character that I was able to love despite having access to her thoughts and feelings. Her journey felt forced and my favorite moments were between her and the fates rather than Hades. I think framing it as a story of self discovery and sisterhood would have felt more fitting rather than focusing on it being a retelling of Persephone and Hades. Overall I loved the potential the book had, but couldn’t love the story as is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Persephone and Hades inspired story. Corey is devastated when her best friend starts dating her ex boyfriend. She feels alone and angry. Her anger is the best part of the story. She feels this anger in a raw and unapologetic way, so when her best friend dies, and she wished for it, Corey grapples with whether or not she should feel guilty.
Fast forward and she winds up in the underworld only to be confronted by the Furies, who want her to join them. Corey has to decide which world she truly belongs in and what she’s going to do with all of the rage.

It feels very YA with not a lot of crossover potential and unfortunately most of our patrons are adults or middle grade/lower. Not the right fit for our libraries but a cool concept and cool idea for retelling nonetheless. I did stop at 5% but can see this being an easy four star read for youngsters should it continue as it has.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC.

This was such a good book! The characters were full of life and so interesting. I love when stories keep moving and I get sucked more and more into the characters journey and this book really did that. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

A nice fantasy romance story. Hard to engage with at first but then it picks up and is a great story. The lead character is hard to love but once it clicks you love her. Great for Greek mythology lovers!