A modern-day bildungsroman of Grecian mythological proportions. The slow-building dread of this plot is second-to-none. It's an accident waiting to happen that you can't look away from. And why would you want to? Rachel Lyons' prose positively sparkles. The story is streamlined, tense, swift-moving.

I loved that Cory's narrative was juxtaposed with her mother Emer's. Cory is a traumatized, reckless, defiant girl. Emer is bewildered by her daughter, disenchanted by her career, and swiftly unravelling. Anyone who has ever been a mother or a daughter will recognize themselves somewhere throughout the course of this book. Their fraught relationship twisted my heart.

Our villain is a deeply, deliciously unsettling character who made my skin crawl from his first appearance through his last. Rolo Picazo is lecherous, controlling, manipulative, and exudes an oily, avuncular charm that makes me shudder just thinking about it. My revulsion is, in part, because he is so realistically written. Such men exist. They are not even uncommon. Hades, indeed.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW:

Knowing this story was loosely based upon the Greek legend of the goddess Persephone, I wondered what would stand in for the fateful pomegranate seed.

Granadone. A drug. How utterly brilliant and so absurdly obvious I was annoyed I didn't guess it earlier. Rolo's evasive response to Cory's query about its addictive qualities made my stomach sink.

The queen of the underworld must return.

This book had a lot of potential, but felt lackluster in comparison to the mythology it is based upon. It started off so promising and pulled me in (similar to the antagonist), but failed to deliver fully on its seductive promise.

I will stress that this one was a reimagining and not a retelling, so it definitely doesn’t require interest in mythology. It was more of a coming-of-age/ bad decisions novel on one end and mama bear on the other side. The plot moved slowly but it worked well overall. I think I’m generationally in the middle of both the characters which made it a bit harder to relate to. That didn’t stop me from audibly saying “red flag” as the 18 yo was being manipulated though.

Thank you so much to Scribner books for the ARC!

After seeing this all over my TikTok fyp, I was super excited to start reading. However, this book was not for me. I didn’t love the writing style and I also felt like FMC was too inconsistent in her characterization.

I am fascinated by Persephone and this book deepened that fascination. Lyon holds true but also adds so much to this story. This is a fever dream of a retelling and I didn't want to wake up.

This wasn’t 100% my cup of tea, but I could see a lot of people loving it. The line-level prose is evocative and beautiful, a little purple yet not overly so. All the references to the Greek myth were a joy to discover, very clever and well-done. I really enjoyed both of the POV characters as well. Cory and Emer are lifelike and realistic, and their relationship felt very true to life. As a dual character study and Greek retelling I think this is excellent, but the plot left me a bit wanting. Cory’s chapters got fairly repetitive at a certain point and weren’t very engaging, and Emer's chapters were propelled solely by coincidences and deus ex machina. I take some issue with the ending as well. I understand that to be a faithful retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, that Cory has to return to the island again and again. But to have Rolo rape her and then the next day on the boat out to have her thinking “hmm yeah I think I’ll go back” was very bizarre and nonsensical. I had thought that the contract she signed without reading in the beginning would compel her to return once a year, but that wasn’t the case. Overall though, there’s a lot to love here and I think this is a solid retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow. This book absolutely blew me away. As far as Hades/Persephone retellings go, I had only read Lore Olympus (a favorite) before this, which is a romantic and more positive retelling of the ancient myth. While I definitely don't think there's anything wrong with more positive retellings, what I adored about this one was that it did not shy away from the darker aspects of the Hades/Persephone myth and showed how problematic that kind of power dynamic is.

The relationship between Cory and Rolo is NOT romanticized, which is refreshing due to the increasing popularity of age gap "romances." Despite this, the relationship between Cory and Rolo is not needlessly graphic, relying more on Cory's discomfort and Rolo's sickening attention to her to show his predatory intentions.

Cory is also not shown as a helpless, despite certainly being a victim. She is wild, reckless, and curious about the world. She is a quintessential teen in some ways, wanting to rebel against her mother, find her place in the world, and seek new highs. I think her quintessential teen-ness adds to this story rather than takes away from it, as other readers have suggested. It makes the story feel all the more real.

And then we get to Emer's perspective. Her protectiveness of Cory and sheer willpower to save her daughter, whatever it takes, was both admirable and like watching a train crash off the rails. I adored her fierceness and the way that her calm, collected persona fell away as she got more desperate to reach her daughter. I also found the writing in her sections SO beautiful.

The ending of this novel was *chef's kiss* PERFECT. It beautifully paid homage to the ancient myth (as did so many other moments in the story), while keeping the novel fully embedded in its dreary, modern setting. It brought the themes of addiction, medical ethics, medical racism, motherhood back to the readers' mind as something to ponder over later.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be the one that other readers have pointed out: the way the dialogue was formatted. The lack of quotation marks did make me have to re-read certain scenes to see who was speaking, and I did grow frustrated with this throughout the book. However, there are too many good things for me to say to let this frustration lower my rating.

As stated previously, though the book is not needlessly graphic, readers should be aware of the following trigger warnings: sexual assault, grooming, drug addiction, alcoholism, and self-harm.

Publication Date: 5 March 2024

Look I get that I have to suspend my disbelief to read books, but I could not deal with this.

I absolutely do not understand why Cory went with the Hades character. Maybe I'm too old to empathize with an 18 year old being SO BORED that she would willingly put herself in danger (her own thinking as she got in the car with the strange man). I absolutely could not deal with her any more when she started an internal monologue about how corn syrup was poisoning us all or whatever she was on about while eating waffles and drinking a milkshake.

Let's be honest though, this book's biggest flaw was probably that they said the Hades character was ugly. And rude to his kids. He kind of immediately starts making fun of his 6 year old and I don't know why Cory didn't immediately hate him for that.

I listened to the audiobook, but read some other reviews and found out there's some weird punctuation with the dialogue, so that's something to consider if you are reading this and still want to give it a try.

*DNF @10%*

This book didn’t work for me.

The MMC has inconsistent behavior so I can’t imagine how difficult it was for the very young FMC to adapt or fully understand the situation.

The dual POV was also confusing and I’m not sure how much it added to this already confusing story.

The massive focus on food ingredients in the beginning was disappointing and came across as fat-shaming

This story was a trippy fever dream in the best way. I am a big fan of Lyon’s writing style which is completely immersive and mesmerizing. I could feel every sensation she described; the warmth of the sun, the the breeze from the sea, the relief of a hot shower. She also did a fantastic job of conveying this feeling of disorientation and confusion by the FMC. I was hesitant to pick up a Greek retelling as I have no knowledge and limited interest. HOWEVER, if that hadn’t been in the synopsis, I never would have known it was a retelling. There were so many layers to this story and I caught myself questioning whether the MMC was inherently good or evil up until the end. I’m not sure what the moral of this story is but I interpreted it as sort of an allegory of good vs evil or a cautionary tale of the dangers of excess and ignorance. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s not a romance and is more about mommy issues and addiction even though it has nothing poignant or new to say about those issues?

Pre-reading:
Still on my lit fic kick. And by lit fic kick, I mean frantically reading down my Netgalley backlist so that they will send me all the new horror books. This cover might go on my favorites of the year list. So fuckin pretty.

Thick of it:
Lol, they’re gonna savage this book for not using quotation marks.

What asshole spells Spencer with an extra S?

Perseids

Detente

Macher

She has pink hair? Very Lore Olympus lol

I. Love. Femme. Horror. (This was not femme horror.)

Slit does it for me too.

A sleazy book.

It reminds me of that Seaplane book. (Literally only for the first chapter.)

This book is horny. (It's not.)

We’re at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell 🎶

Klatch

OK, some random dad giving you a piggyback is a massive red flag, but also, continue. You told me he was powerful, and my Capricorn perked up.

I want some hot rich dad to feed me a bacon-covered cinnamon roll. Are you joking.

Lit fic loves piss sin

Detritus sin

Does his name have to be Rolo though? I can only think of the candy.

Lit fic does eggs again. This is getting eerie now.

jamais vu.

It is my dream to read the slush pile. It’s hard to feel sympathy for girlypop.

Title drop.

I don’t know if this is supposed to be romantic, but they just sound like insufferably high stoners.

This is more of a mommy-daughter story, and I want it to be horny, so I’m getting a little disappointed.

Detritus sin again.

Omg, another detritus sin.

Hey, another Easter book lol. Look at me being timely.

The first chapter was so promising, and now I’m just fucking bored.

I too love a spreadsheet.

Like it’s a faithful retelling, but that makes it boring.

That’s funny. I’m eating tomato soup while I read this.

tripartite

$20,000 is not enough money to rent an apartment in New York.

It’s really hard to take her self-confidence struggles seriously when literally everyone around her is telling her that she’s a hottie and could model.

Can’t wait for C. J. Leede’s new book’s heroine to find god inside of her. Wink.

Does this book have a religious agenda because fuck that. (Lowkey kinda)

I’M BORED

I wish that this book would pick a lane. Is he a father figure or is he a romantic figure? And I understand why it’s not because she’s fucked up with daddy issues, but it makes me really uncomfortable to read. I’m a romantic, and I like the idea that Hades and Persephone were really in love because I don’t want every myth to just be rape. I want women to have nice things sometimes.

I don’t like reading rape. I’m tired, man.

Post-reading:
It was well written, but boring and not what I wanted.

The first chapter was so promising. It was such a tease. I wanted romance. I wanted sleaze. I wanted the intersection of grotesque and erotic. And you get that for one chapter.

And then it’s just mommy anxiety and depressed ennui but not in a glamorous or romantic way. It’s just boring. I wanted bite.

It was hard to connect with the characters. Cory’s a poor little rich girl who has every opportunity available to her and just squanders them all. I feel nothing for that.

It’s a faithful retelling. It just doesn’t have anything nuanced to say about rape or addiction or mother-daughter relationships or love stories, so what’s the point?

Who should read this:
Hades and Persephone retelling fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe-modern Persephone and Hades retelling
* Neon Gods by Katee Roberts-Persephone and Hades retelling, erotica
* My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh-angry, sad girl book, romanticizes addiction and depression
* Sam by Allegra Goodman-angry, sad girl book, parental neglect, toxic relationships, coming of age
* The Seaplane on Final Approach by Rebecca Rukeyser-all the sleaze and horny of the first chapter, coming of age
* The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller-Achilles and Patroclus retelling but make it a Wattpad romance

This is a book that will stick with me for a while. I have a love/hate relationship with contemporary reimaginings of mythology, but this landed solidly in the LOVE category. I loved so much about this story that I don't know what to say about it exactly. Hades and Persephone retellings always want to romanticize what is the kidnapping, rape, and forced marriage of a child. This is the first one I've read which makes it realistic and still wrong.
It was beautifully written, the internal thoughts of the FMC were real and interesting and also flawed and naive, they just brought her to life for me. I loved that the MMC wasn't glamorized in any way, he was represented as grotesque several times.
This book was just perfect.

Fruit of the Dead is a contemporary retelling of Persephone and Demeter. The story focuses on 18-year-old camp counselor Cory Ansel as she is offered a life she can’t refuse. The chapters switch off between Cory’s perspective and her mother’s. I was very intrigued by the concept but ultimately I think the writing style and pace weren’t for me. The characters also felt very one dimensional.

This book just wasn't for me, and it's a shame because I loved Rachel Lyon's debut novel, "Self-Portrait with Boy". This book is a modernized interpretation of a famous Greek mythology. I didn't like the protagonist, Cory. I think it was because of her age (18) and her lack of self-awareness. She wasn't a sympathetic or interesting character. I didn't care for her mother either. My main irk with this book is the lack of quotation marks when it comes to the dialogue. It's very annoying and confusing as a reader. I don't like when authors do this, and I'm pretty sure the author didn't do this with her first book. I think this book will work for some, but not for everyone. I can see this book being very decisive and polarizing for some. A huge letdown.

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.

Fruit of the Dead is an excellent retelling. By making the Hades character a titan of industry, a lord of addictive pills, Lyon has created a fresh and vivid take on a classic story of Greek mythology. Cory is a perfect Persephone; beautiful, rebellious, and gullible. Emer is also a perfect Demeter; ferociously protective, a little bit wild, man-hating. Essentially, Lyon's vision of the modern underworld is as intoxicating as the fictional pharmaceutical at the center of this novel, Granadone.

Beyond the compelling interpretation of mythology, Fruit of the Dead is loaded with memorable and evocative environs. In particular, Rolo's compound as a setting is so meticulously described that every scene there has a cinematic quality. Perhaps it's because I recently watched Priscilla, but I think this book would translate so well as a Sofia Coppola film. Like in Coppola's films, the focus on girlhood and luxury is a nearly tangible aesthetic.

Thank you to NetGalley & Scribner for the ARC! This was unspeakably brilliant, from the lavish writing to the dueling narratives to the depth and complexity of each character. I'm so moved by this book in a way that feels singular to its existence.

The modern retelling of Persephone and Demeter it is, Fruit of the Dead tells the story of Corey, freshly eighteen and consequently averse to any future beyond being a camp counselor at River Rock, and her entrapment and isolation by a seedy, hedonistic CEO / parent to one of her campers. The story ventures between Corey's narrative during the ensnarement at the CEO's private island and her mother, Emer, who desperately tries to grasp at any remnant of communication with her long lost daughter.

In a way, it's all very Lady Bird — pink hair included. But Fruit of the Dead seems to touch on the more gruesome aspects of girlhood: the relegation to prey, the scope of other women's pity, the reluctance to face the music. For most of the book, Corey goes about her life on the private island as if she's Alice in Wonderland. She drinks what is poured, takes drugs that are given. Deprived of wifi and social connection, she's forced to root in the salted earth of the island. She's inevitably swallowed by the grandiose lifestyle and the repugnant man who pleads her to stay. It's agonizing to read, to relive, but Rachel Lyon succeeds in exhibiting this particular suffering without pantomiming its brutality or comprising the reality. In fact, these illustrations are fundamental to the core of this story, which lays within the adamantine link privy to mothers and their daughters.

Lyon writes this book with a gorgeous rhythm that could be misconstrued as waxing poetic, but make no mistake: the verbose imagery, unconventional dialogue, and varying structures grant this story a rare musicality that reverberates in its wake. The prose is beautiful and because of its vibrance, the sentiments being relayed from these words become cemented and thus unforgettable.

While it's not an entirely enjoyable piece of the story, I did also want to give acclaim to Lyon's descriptions of grooming throughout the book. Again, it's incredibly difficult to read, but in truth, I felt that she hit the nail on the head with Rolo's progressive unraveling. It's fair to say that from the jump Rolo's predatory nature is extremely evident — what, with all the private island seclusion and all you need is right here! rhetoric — even to Corey herself (not that she has any material agency in the face of some old billionaire), but his exploitative tactics were shown best in the minuscule details (e.g., with his claims that he and Corey are "from the same planet", torn from the same cloth and it's just you and me! narrative, etc).

Overall 5 stars to a truly stunning book

A modern retelling of Persephone and Demeter! Mother and daughter point of view. I enjoyed this book! I loved Rachel’s writing style. The cover immediately drew me in.

Make sure to familiarize yourself with the myth of Persephone before reading this to fully understand the relationships of the characters.

High school graduate Cory Ansel was not accepted by any of her college choices or even by any of her so-called “safety schools,” so she spends the summer working at River Rock camp, stuck with the little ones, the “sevens, eights, and nines.” As camp is winding down, one of Cory’s peers tells her that he intends to chat up Rolo Picazo, a “world mover” and the father of one of Cory’s charges, Spenser. Picazo has his eye on Cory and impulsively offers her the opportunity to spend several weeks on his private island. The tension immediately ratchets up. Is Picazo a harried father who sees a potential au pair to whom his sensitive son has bonded, a wise sage who can immediately sense Cory’s potential beneath here slacker exterior, or a creep preying on a beautiful, young woman?

Cory jumps at the chance to avoid her exacting single mother’s disapproval and sends her a text, dictated by Picazo, that says that she has landed a short-term executive internship with the CEO of a high-profile Fortune 500. As Cory embarks to Picazo’s private island (which caused me to flash on the private island of Jeffrey Epstein), a man Cory finds both alluring and revolting and who she thinks looks like a “Disney villain,” Cory ignores the warning signs that the “trip is feeling increasingly irrevocable.” Surrounded by luxury and plied with opiates manufactured by Picazo’s company, reckless and gullible Cory continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, who runs a failing agriculture NGO whose “magic rice” was intended to save small farms in rural China, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.

Lyon has brilliantly retold the Demeter and Persephone legend in a modern setting. The novel explores agency, power, control, and corruption in modern society and the ferocity of a mother’s love. Thank you Scribner and Net Galley for an advanced copy of a novel that I simply could not put down it was so riveting.

I'm so thankful to Scribner Books, Rachel Lyon, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this one before it hits shelves on March 5, 2024. I really enjoyed being transported into this storyline and revolutionized by its prose.

I was drawn to this because I love mythology retellings and the cover is sick. Everything about this is pretty unexpected – which is an accomplishment in itself, it doesn't quite do what you expect. It sometimes reads like a poem, other times like a stream of consciousness. The pacing is strange, action happening quickly in short bursts before there's another lull. After I finished, I felt like I'd just woken up from a fever dream. The characters are weird and strange, like drawn caricatures.

What didn't work for me was the way I felt like this scratched the surface – the drug trade, the Sackler-esque nature of Rolo's career, the modified rice, Virgil's race and subsequent role. These were all things that felt shoved in there, but glossed over. Cory's chapters being in third person and Emer's in first was jarring, and I kept having to reorient myself. I'm not sure the purpose of that. I think there was supposed to be tension over whether Cory would stay or leave, but Rolo was portrayed so despicably and was so disgusting that there was never any question. I felt like this made some weird narrative choices when adapting the myth that tried to be edgy but just didn't work for me. There's also a lot of fast-paced dialogue which...is hard to read with the lack of punctuation. It looks like this is the author's usual style, but I was grasping for the purpose here, especially with the shift from third person to first.

But this was fast-paced and felt like walking through a weird funhouse. The mother/daughter relationship was shockingly honest and its portrayal was one of the highlights. I was invested in the story, even if I didn't really like any of the characters, and even when the pacing lulled, I don't think I was ever bored. I don't think this will be a book that will stick with me, but I'd try something else by this author.