"You have done so much for me. You gathered the gods for me. You transformed the world for me."
"But it is not enough."
"It will have to be."

I first came across Hannah Lynn's work during a university module, and was very excited to come across this one on Netgalley!

This is a beautifully written story that really captures the nuance of the Greek gods. Demeter and Persephone both make compelling protagonists, and their struggles between divine strength and complete powerlessness are emotionally captured.

At first the switch in POVs felt a little jarring to me, but I quickly fell in love with each character. Both Demeter and Persephone are difficult characters to write - particularly Persephone's relationship with Hades, which is often romanticised far beyond the scope of the original myth! But Lynn does a really satisfying job of exploring the ancient stories and enhancing them with new details.

If you're a fan of Greek mythology, this one will definitely appeal, and I'll be keeping an eye out of more of Lynn's books in the future!

Books with similar vibes - Hera by Jennifer Saint, Winter Harvest by Ioanna Papadopoulou, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, and Circe by Madeline Miller.

I absolutely flew through this book! A totally unique and compelling story that I adored and cherished.

I've obviously read this story hundreds of times, but Hannah Lynn's take felt entirely refreshing and perfect for a contemporary audience. I think I might be slightly too old for the target demographic, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story nonetheless. I would recommend this to my 21 year old sisters.

Beautifully written with interesting characters and stories. A good addition to any Greek mythology lovers library

I am always apprehensive about Greek retellings. Although I love them, they have to be done right. But this book? It was everything I could have wanted and more! It was a whirlwind of emotions that had me both hating and loving Demeter, as well as in no way seeing the plot twist (PERSOPHONE?). Maybe that’s common knowledge, but I’m not well versed in Greek mythology which is partly why I find them so enjoyable.

This book brought the tragedies of Greek mythology to light, in such a way that had you feeling for each character. The power in which the original God’s have and how they misuse said power had me feeling empathetic towards the female characters. And the way the book started?! Didn’t see that coming! In fact, it’s fair to say, I didn’t see a single thing coming within the plot. I was surprised at the turn of each page, which is exactly what I need from a book.

My favourite quotes:
“How could anything as perfect as you possibly be mortal?”

“If this is not love, then I fear I will never know what is”

Loved this book and would highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest review!