Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is a wonderful entry into the many retellings of Persephone and Hades! Told from the perspectives of Demeter and her daughter Core/Persephone, Hannah Lynn does a wonderful job weaving together different aspects of Greek mythology for this feminist retelling of a familiar story. These are two strong goddesses who don’t need anyone to hold them back, and they truly shine as the stars of this book!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: July 9th, 2024 (today)

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for an ARC of Daughters of Olympus!

“Daughters of Olympus” is the retelling of Demeter and Persephone’s stories explaining the seasons. I really appreciated that the narrative was told from both Demeter and Core’s perspectives as this highlighted the contrast and resulted in a fuller, more nuanced story. Overall, I preferred Core/Persephone’s story over Demeter’s; I think because Core displayed so much joy in the natural world around her as well as the sheer delight experienced as she learned to expand her powers. Demeter’s story was filled with a lot of grief, hurt, anger, and the after-effects of trauma which Lynn thoroughly explored. I really appreciated that the story was told from both of their perspectives as it highlighted this contrast resulting in a fuller, more nuanced story.

Each of the Gods and Goddesses in this retelling are shown with flaws and humanistic qualities which makes them more relatable though, with their power, a whole lore more intimidating. I appreciated Lynn’s portrayal of Hades, particularly in contrast to Zeus though he does have his own faults and regrets. I would have liked to have seen Hades and Persephone’s relationship as it developed further. This was a really interesting story arc in how it was told and I really wanted more - Lynn did a fantastic job of creating a dynamic relationship between the two and wrapped the story up beautifully. It’s a testament to her writing that I was left wanting more.

I will say that I called both Zeus and Poseidon some bad names while reading, which, now that I think about it, might just have something to do with the sheer volume of rain and thunderstorms we’ve been having this year… 🧐😳 (mental note to remember that the Greek Gods and Goddesses have an affinity for vengefulness).

Ultimately, #daughtersofolympus is a story about grief, love, family connections, freedom, security, fear, anger, strength, and tapping into the power within to become your best self while recognizing the hurdles you’ve overcome along the way.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the advance digital copy. This is the best retelling of Demeter and Persephone’s story I have ever read. @hannahlynnwrites always delivers.


🏷 #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #daughtersofolympus #hannahlynn #netgalley #sourcebookslandmark #fiction #demeter #core #persephone #zeus #poseidon #goddessofolympus #godsofolympus #greekmythology #mythology #hades #queenoftheunderworld #fictionbooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #femaleuthor #femalewriter #booknerd #bookgeek #hannahlynn

This book was so good! I finished it in 3 days, which for me is very fast. Once I sat down to read, it was hard to stop. I have quiet a soft spot for Demeter. So, when I found this book, I had to read it. I was not disappointed! This retelling of Demeter and Co0re/Persephone draws us into the love Demeter has for her daughter and how sometimes the need to protect can become suffocating. We are with the Goddess as she experiences loss and heart break, clinging to the one thing (Core) that she believes is all she has left. We see how her desperation to keep Core safe is slowly deny her a life to live. When told in this way, I found the story to be relatable. We get to see the darker side of Demeter, which I loved. It's not spoken about very often. We get to see Persephone come into her own power. This is the first book I have read by this author but will not be the last.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Hannah Lynn’s Daughters of Olympus. Definitely a slow burn, but I’m a sucker for a Greek mythological fiction story. I think I’d have enjoyed this one more if I had known the story of Demeter prior to reading. However, it was still a good story and and interesting look into what could be considered a semi-typical mother daughter relationship. After such a slow burn, I’d have liked to see a less rushed ending, but it didn’t deter me too much. I will be checking out some of Heather Lynn’s other stories. Be aware of trigger warnings if you have any.

I love mythology retellings. I think this one might have climbed to the top of my favorites that I've read.
It features Demeter and the story of her anguish and why she chose to isolate herself.
Core/Persephone (Demeter's daughter) and how she loved her mother and wanted to make her happy but also wanted her own life.
And there is even some of my very favorite -Hecate.

There is a lot packed into this book and I flew through it.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

✨✨ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ ✨✨

𝘿𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙊𝙡𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙨 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗟𝘆𝗻𝗻
𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘸
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Demeter, once a goddess who cherished humanity, now lives in fear. Her solace lies in her daughter Core, raised amidst wildflowers in a secluded sanctuary. Core yearns to explore the mortal realm, risking everything. When she is kidnapped by Hades, Core discovers a strength hidden within herself. As mother and daughter navigate their fractured worlds, Demeter will go to any lengths to protect her family, even if it means destroying what she once loved. This is a tale of love, power, and sacrifice.
 
𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Another beautiful historical fiction by Hannah Lynn that highlights the struggles and strengths of women. Not only do we get the tale of Demeter and Core (Persephone), but Lynn also fills this book with vivid imagery. This book is set in three parts, which is perfect for this story. However, I found Part One and Part Three to be much faster-paced, whereas Part Two sometimes felt too slow. While it did interrupt the pacing of this book, it did not affect the story being told. This book also covers some dark themes, so please check trigger warnings if you are unsure.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
🏺 Historical fiction
🏺 Mythology
🏺 Mother Daughter bonds
🏺 Strong female characters
🏺 Found family

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Greek mythology is my “Roman Empire” and I cannot get enough of reading material under this category. Each book feels like a history lesson to me and this book in particular inspired me to do loads more research on the untold stories of the women in Greek Mythology. This book was written extremely well and kept me hooked from the get go. I have also been lucky enough to be granted access to this author’s next two publications and enjoyed them just as much. I am thoroughly enjoying this author’s work and will definitely be looking for more from her.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy! I was so excited to see a myth retelling featuring both Demeter and Persephone’s POVs, but I have to admit to struggling with this one a bit, especially poor Demeter’s beginning part one. I don’t know if it was the sheer amount of SA done during this section or being bummed by just how broken she was because of them, but it definitely hit the way it was likely meant to. I did enjoy Core’s relationship with Ione while it lasted, and the way Hades sort of sneakily grew on me as he redeemed himself after being standard Dude and blundering through initial interactions with Persephone. Demeter and Persephone both coming into their power at the end was an absolute highlight for sure, and really sort of redeemed the book for me after struggling through it for large chunks (less)

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is a dual first-person POV retelling of the story of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades. Starting with when Demeter was swallowed by her father, Hannah Lynn centers Demeter’s story in Greek myth and later explores a different angle for how Persephone might have been tempted to eat the pomegranate. Demeter’s trauma and Persephone’s grief are key parts of their POVs and dictate many of their decisions.

Demeter’s chapters retell the stories of Hera and Zeus, Hephaestus, and aspects of Poseidon as well as her own. A defining feature is Demeter’s children and how she took care of each of the three sets of twins she bore. Of all six, only Persephone remains in Demeter’s life while the others were either mortal or given to others who could take care of them properly. I knew about Persephone and Arion, one of her children with Poseidon, but I had not heard of the others before reading Daughters of Olympus. They aren’t talked about as much, possibly because the story of Hades and Persephone is usually the main story in which Demeter appears in most Greek mythology retellings or anthologies.

Persephone’s chapters center a relationship between Persephone and Ione, a married woman, before her abduction by Hades. As far as I can tell, Ione’s romantic relationship with Persephone is a creation of Hannah Lynn used to highlight relationships between women, layers to marriages in Ancient Greece, and give a different angle to Hades and Persephone’s love story, particularly in relationship to Ione’s death and the afterlife.

Hades and Persephone are more of a slowburn romance where their marriage is built on a friendship first before Persephone starts to open her heart further to him. The pair’s similarities as two gods who are not really part of Olympus nor particularly interested in engaging in the drama of the other gods is noted as a large reason why their relationship grows as well as Hades’ empathy for the souls of his kingdom.

Content warning for brief depictions of the death of a child, sexual assault, pregnancy, and childbirth

I would recommend this to readers of Greek mythology retellings who tend to prefer less romantic depictions of the story of Hades and Persephone but still want a hint of that romance and fans of retellings that are more focused on character’s interiority.

As a lifelong Greek mythology nerd I absolutely love the recent female focus retellings. This is my first Hannah Lynn novel and it definitely won't be my last.

This is not your typical Hades/Persephone retelling, and I have read a multitude. Daughters of Olympus gives us a backstory to Demeter and exactly how she became the archetype of overbearing mother. This book was so well researched I found myself grabbing my more academic Greek mythology books to look up some of the stories that were being reference. (I told you I was a mythology nerd!) I was not as familiar with some of Demeter's stories which give a bit more justification to her later actions. As with most Greek mythology 98% percent of the time Zeus is the problem.

Hannah Lynn's prose is absolutely beautiful. The emotions she evokes in the reader, the character's inner monologues, even the depictions of the scenery are all beautifully written. While beautiful, the prose does hinder the pacing occasionally. I kept finding myself wishing for more Persephone POV as her POV chapters flowed quicker. The middle of the book seemed to drag while the ending was rushed. On a whole, the book is great and I would highly recommend this book. As a brief warning; this book is emotional and touches on multiple tough subjects (sexual assault, abuse, death of loved ones, etc), although it is Greek mythology so to be expected.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this fabulous work. These opinions are mine alone.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ebook arc

I enjoyed reading Demeter and Persephone’s retelling. I loved that the book had both point of views as well. This is probably my favorite retelling!

This is a captivating retelling of the myth of Persephone and Demeter. Demeter, once a joyous goddess, isolates herself after a traumatic event, finding comfort only in her daughter, Core. Core, later known as Persephone, is kidnapped by Hades and becomes the Queen of the Underworld, discovering her own strength. Demeter's desperate attempts to rescue her daughter threaten the world's very fabric. Lynn beautifully portrays the intense bond between mother and daughter, with Demeter's overprotectiveness and Persephone’s journey to independence at the forefront. The richly detailed prose and emotional depth make this novel stand out, offering a fresh perspective on a classic myth. It’s a heartfelt exploration of love, loss, and resilience.

After an act of violence, Demeter avoided humanity and took solace in plantlife and her daughter Core. Young and determined to make a life for herself, Core accidentally drew the eye of Hades. After her kidnapping, even though Core found some solace as Queen of the Underworld, Demeter would stop at nothing to get her daughter back.

The story begins with the Titans and overthrowing Cronus. Zeus is cruel and manipulative, as Poseidon and other male Olympians can be. The cruelty is almost the point, and Demeter is traumatized. The few comforts she has includes her daughter Core, who wants to explore the world. First, we get Demeter's POV, allowing us to see how it all shaped her decisions and how she treated Core. Then we see Core, what she did and how she changed, and the transformation into Persephone. This book follows the myth, weaving in related ones so that there's a cohesive narrative where many myths seem to stand alone without a timeline. The novel gives personality to the gods, and we see the world as they do. It's a fascinating view, and very well done here.

I can say with confidence that my favourite aspect of the book was watching the development of both Demeter and Persephone's character arcs over the span of many centuries, which reflects the corruption of youthful innocence in real life. Lynn's portrayal of hard-hitting topics such as abuse, violence and death was admirable as she didn't shy away from the atrocities of these topics yet the writing was sensitive.
I thought it was very interesting to explore how quickly the world and your perception of other people can be changed following one event or one moment.
My one criticism would be the pacing of the novel, I felt like there was no fluidity and that it often went from being quite slow to sudden quick resolutions.
The writing however made up for the lack of pace, every word felt carefully curated and the lines were beautifully crafted. I loved the adaptation from the source mythology and appreciated the obscure feminist twists present throughout.

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is out on July 9 2024 and I cannot wait!

I adore this genre and Hannah Lynn has a deep seated understanding of the myths and the beauty of Lynn's books is that she is a storyteller that expands upon the original tales for consumption in a different age

Learning about mythology in school (many, many moons ago) there was always a certain level of detachment and as I am of the era who got to enjoy the stop-motion animation of Jason and the Argonauts when it came out, there was a sense of "otherness" and awe that consigned it to the silver screen and not placed in the history of Greece

Fast forward to today and we have this fantastic movement retelling the myths of a bygone age and I am absolutely loving it and most of all, I am loving it's blend of authentic recounting and tethering to modern sensibilities, making them relatable on an emotional level

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Hannah Lynn for this ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Can we first talk about how gorgeous this cover is?!
Just absolutely stunning.
Hannah M. Lynn has an amazing way of telling backstories with Greek mythology retellings. We know the general stories but this really dives into heartbreaking details. This one brings in the perspective of Persephone’s mother, Demeter.
The writing is so immersive and detailed. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

An interesting take on interesting characters from Hannah Lynn
I had a really good time reading this and genuinely loved the writing style

Again, I went into a mythology retelling without being g familiar with the original stories and loved it! This entire series has been so enjoyable. This one left me confused throughout due to the main character’s name change and I wish the heavy topics had been explored better, but it was a satisfying read!

Hannah Lynn takes a close look at the relationship between a mother and daughter in this retelling of Persephone and Demeter’s mythology. To protect herself and her daughter, Demeter hides the two of them away. When Core is kidnapped by Hades, Demeter is furious and vows that nothing will stand between her and getting her daughter back.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-arc.*

🏔 Book Review🏔

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn is the story of both Demeter and Persephone equally. It's a story of a mother who, for the love of her daughter, wanted to destroy everything. Expected Publication is July 9th, 2024.

Demeter, a Titan, a Goddess, and the sister of the powerful Zeus had everything she desired and was content residing on Olympus. However, a brutal attack makes her fear Zeus. But her daughter Core makes her life better. Demeter, though, a Goddess doesn't have the freedom and is still a pawn at the hand of Gods. Core, or Persephone, does everything for her mother, but she craves her freedom. Though in a different way, she is abducted by Hades, and she finds herself powerful.

Told in part Demeter's voice and part Persephone's voice, this book kept me hooked. Demeter's and Persephone's grief just tugs at the heart. Though I already know these stories, reading about the love of these Goddess makes their stories almost real. The mother's anguish and her anger have been written so well by the author. If you love Greek mythology, do check this one out.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark @bookmarked and Netgalley, for this book.

CW: SA, grief, abduction, incest