Fantastic story to sink into; top notch storytelling!
It's often the case that you don't notice what's missing from your reading material until it shows up in a book that captures your attention to the extent that you lose track of time and next thing you know you've finished the book in a single day.  E.K. O'Connor is a new to me author and one whose work I want to read more of based on Wither and Bloom.
I don't know the Hades/Persephone myth and only knew some character names before I stepped into this retelling so I have no basis of comparison in terms of what changes were made to the original here, beyond Hades being a women in this version.  From that perspective, Wither and Bloom is rich storytelling and world building with plenty of detail to immerse the reader in the underworld and other locations with full sensory experience while not bogging down the story in excessive descriptions that interrupt the flow of the narrative and action.  It's populated with strong female characters - women of integrity, grit and determination, strength of character and conviction who carve out third options when only presented with two choices and wield power with intelligence and care.  The story unfurls as both inner and outer journey for Persephone as a younger goddess who is underestimated by so many, including herself.  Hades is outwardly prickly and guarded (for good reason) but never cruel; she is mysterious however there are clues to inform the reader about her thoughts and feelings throughout.  Author EK O'Connor trusts the reader pick up telegraphed cues, read between the lines in places, and glean the information there as well as what's said on the surface; I appreciate when an author assumes their readers' intelligence rather than spoon feeding everything to them.  The relationships and dynamics between gods, their show of power and revealing of weakness and limitation provide drama and intrigue as the politics of Olympus and pettiness of the gods (some of them) was on full display.  Mighty Zeus was the least impressive of the bunch in my view while Demeter, Hekate, Hades and Persephone shone in their more subtle use of power and thoughtful rather than abusive use.  The mother/daughter (and grand-daughter) dynamic was emotionally rich and reflective of human concerns of parents for their children, balancing their instinct to be protective of them versus letting them be free to explore and learn thru mistakes to stand on their own.  The friendship between Hekate and Hades was entertaining to read as were Persephone's friendships.  The romance is slow burn (and technically age gap though not addressed in any way) and worth the wait as other plot threads and themes are explored along the way to keep the reader engaged and invested.
I did want more at the end, not because any plot threads were left dangling, but because I wanted to follow these characters around some more, hang out with them because they're so easy to get attached to.  I strongly recommend this book for storytelling that will give you the feels and feed your imagination especially if this is your introduction to the myth.  I'll be checking out the author's other books and anything else she publishes in the future and look forward to reading them, seeing what other stories she has to tell with this level of skill.

This was such a fun read! Hades and Persephone is just a perfect story to do a sapphic re-telling of. The gender dynamics and adjustments to the story bring a lot more agency to Persephone than the traditional myth. The story is so wonderfully female-centric with Demeter and Hekate providing that matriarchal element. All of the characterizations were great.

I do wish we got a little bit of Hades perspective in the book, but I love how the perspective shifted to Demeter at times to give a glimpse as to what was happening up above.

This isn’t the most groundbreaking piece of literature, especially compared to other Greek myth re-tellings, but it’s a very fun twist on the traditional tale that keeps you engaged throughout. The characters really grow and develop throughout in a way that makes the reader truly invested in the outcome.

The reality of knowing the outcome for the traditional myth versions of Hades and Persephone adds an element of interest as you’re reading too, wondering how this version is going to play out differently and how Persephone and Hades will find a way to be together. Demeter’s role as a supportive and loving mother also really brings a fun element that re-writes the traditional story

Power couple girlfriends!!!

I was really happy to be able to read this ahead of its release as the description was so captivating I knew this would be it.

As merely a casual fan of greek mythology (or any mythology really), I went into this book with only an average knowledge of myths, gods or places from mythology, which is why I was originally concerned about being unable to follow the events of it well. But, man, was I wrong.
E. K. O'Connor is a master at descriptions. Every chapter made me feel like I'm there with them. The picture of the place where the events were unfolding painted itself so perfectly in my mind as I was reading its description that by the time I was finished, I almost assumed I was actually there. I never felt like it was too much, in fact, all of it felt rather magical to read and sometimes I even wished for the descriptions to go full on micro details (which, as a long describtions hater, I never do)
As I reached the 50% mark of the book, I knew I'll be following the author for all of her future project. Also can't wait to own a copy when it comes out!! I'm seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it 'hasn't even officially released yet' but i'm simply too seated.
This book was art, masterpiece in its class. Every page I wanted to rip out from my screen and frame on my wall until I'm surrounded by them and fall asleep reading different page each night.

We follow Persephone, a daughter of goddess Demeter, who is lost and can't find her purpose. That is until she somehow ends up in the Underworld and meets Hades (SHADOW MOMMY!! ahem, sorry).

I loved seeing her character grow and myself grew so intrigued by her story I simply refused to put the book down until it was strictly needed.
Their love was world-changing (literally) and not rushed in the slightest. When they finally kissed, I was giggling and kicking my feet like a little child that just received candy.
There's many Persephone and Hades retellings, yet as I thought about it deeper, I realised that I have yet to see a sapphic one (until now, that is). I am so grateful that this was my introduction to greek mythology retellings.

(P. S. Hekate, please hit me up? I love single mothers slash grabdmothers)

This was an absolutely gorgeous retelling of Persephone and Hades! I always love when we get sapphic ones of Greek mythology! The world building and descriptions of Olympus and the Underworld had you feeling like you were there yourself! I felt so proud seeing Persephone really grow into herself/her powers, become more confident, and go for what she wanted it! Sometimes you have to choose twilight! Even though we didn’t follow from Hades pov we still got to learn so much about her! What drew her to become queen of the underworld! The way she genuinely cares about the mortals and the kindness she shows! It really made you love her! I enjoyed the way Persephone and Hades mutually had a distrust and seeing it slowly fall away the more time they spent together! It really goes to show you that you can’t always take the word of others as truth! The love story between them was a lovey slow burn and felt very natural in its progression! Also enjoyed getting to see some of the other goddesses and gods! Like her mother and grandmother! They all have such a beautiful bond! And you can tell they are family the way they all don’t blindly follow Zeus and stand up for what they believe! I could have read hundreds of more pages of this story! I can’t wait for the masses to get their hands on this

This was a beautiful sapphic retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. The adaptation was faithful to the original story beats, but strayed in ways that make the story work for a modern audience. Mainly, the story allowed Persephone agency and power in her life. She is not passive, she takes action and grows from her experiences.

Additionally, I enjoyed the romance between Persephone and Hades. It progressed naturally and felt right for how both women were progressing through their arcs. My only complaint is wanting more of them being happy! I will be highly recommending this book to other sapphic myth lovers.

Thank you to E.K. O’Connor, AQH Publications, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC! All thoughts written here are my own.

4.5⭐️ Rounded Up

I’m an absolute sucker for mythology retellings! I always find it so interesting to see how an author is going to spin a story already told.

As some may know, the original story between Hades and Persephone is that Hades abducted Persephone and bound her to the underworld for part of the year. There were some similarities in the story, but I enjoyed this spin off much more. For this, Zeus banished Persephone from the upper world, trapping her in Hades’ realm.

The attention to detail for Olympus and the underworld was fantastic. Hades was portrayed in a much different light, and I enjoyed the fact that Hades wasn’t the actual “bad guy” this time.

My main takeaway from this is to find who you truly are without others trying to tell you, and that not everything (or everyone) is what it seems.

I’m giving this a 4.5 instead of a 5 simply because I wanted a bit more romance/connection between Hades and Persephone, but the writing was well done!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

A lush, sapphic spin on Hades and Persephone that leans hard into the “goth girl meets spring goddess” energy, Honestly, it works. O’Connor’s underworld feels alive in a quiet, atmospheric way, more moss and memory than fire and torment. The dynamic between Persephone and Hades is reimagined with care: less abduction, more slow-burn pull toward a power she’s allowed to claim for herself.

The prose is rich without being overdone, and the romance simmers rather than explodes, which suits the mythic mood. If you’re after heavy plot or constant action, this might feel languid; but if you want a tender, grown-up retelling that centres consent, autonomy, and queer desire, it’s a lovely read.

Thank you NetGalley!!! This was so very good!! I love the story of Persephone and to make it sapphic has made it 10 times better!! I love how she grew into her powers and the relationship developed with Hades. The only thing I would change would have been more dialogue less filler.

This sapphic retelling is a dark fantasy that beautifully reimagines Hades and Persephone- but make it sapphic!! This book makes it clear that Persephone is no victim of abduction and focuses on her strength.

The romance is respectful and doesn't truly begin until Hades and Persephone are standing on equal footing where each are constantly saving the other showing that love can bloom in the darkest places.

Thankyou to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this book! Female Hades was amazing and having this be a queer retelling was such a great choice. I loved watching how Persephone grew and changed and it was so cool to learn about the underworld and Hades alongside her. Their relationship was so sweet and i enjoyed how it developed over a bit of time rather than an insta-love sort of situation. The author also did a great job at really setting the scene, describing places like the underworld, Olympus etc. The way she wrote these descriptions really painted vivid pictures and made it so easy to get swept away in the story and the world. This book was an easy read in the sense that I didn't want to put it down!

My rating of Wither and Bloom:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley & AQH Publications for providing this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

• Hades x Persephone retelling
• Sapphic
• Slow burn
Say no more I’m hooked!

The book itself is a beautifully written retelling in which an old part of Greek mythology in turned into a modern more feminist interpretation of the story. We are as readers taken along a journey of self discovery, acceptance and love. Hades and Persephone compliments each other so well, with their two different sidens of the same coin. We do not get a lot a romance throughout the book, but the moments we do get are just so perfect and of big significance.

I personally have had a subject in school focusing on Greek mythology (though it’s been years since I had it) which means I already knew about the original characters and their stories. I do not think this has affected my reading, and I definitely think everything is so well explained that you can go into this book with no knowledge beforehand.

The books is very descriptive, hence the beautiful writing, but as someone with concentration issues I had to convince myself to keep going. It was all worth it though!

4.25 ⭐️ Thank you to netgalley & publishers for this e arc! I really loved this story and these characters! I haven’t watched / read a lot about greek mythology therefore I don’t know a lot about it, but this was a really good introduction it! I love Persephone as a character so much, she is such a strong main character and getting to see how she evolved was really lovely to read! This was such a vibes read and I really enjoyed my time with this book and would definitely recommend as well as read more from this author!

This was such a good read.

I’ve always enjoyed stories surrounding mythologies of all kind - Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. But my interest in Greek mythology got renewed after I started playing Hades a few years ago.

It really helped me that I was not well versed in the details surrounding the story of Hades and Persephone. It allowed me to enjoy the story for what it was instead of trying to compare with what I knew from before outside of the gist. I understand that part of the story was changed a little so that Persephone is not abducted but rather Zeus banishes her. That also feels more on brand for the god.

I was really happy with the writing overall - the craftsmanship was fantastic. Nothing felt overdone or too little. The story was tightly paced, and the world was vividly detailed. I found it easy to imagine myself in both Olympus and the Underworld.

I was a big fan of the characterization, especially of Persephone. It felt really natural how the different characters developed throughout the story. Mostly, though it was amazing to be part of Persephone’s journey, and see her come into her power and her autonomy. And of course, Hades and her “touch her and die” attitude was fun to see! :D

Really solid book overall. I would highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc.

Wither & Bloom by E.K. O'Conner is a fresh and empowering retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth that gives Persephone her own voice and agency. Rather than being a passive figure swept along by fate, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery after being cast into the Underworld, learning that her greatest strength emerges when she stops allowing others to define her.

The sapphic romance between Persephone and Hades is beautifully developed, built on mutual understanding, growth, and respect rather than the traditional dynamics often found in myth retellings. The Underworld itself feels vivid and transformative, serving as both a physical setting and a symbol of personal rebirth. While some sections move at a slower pace, the emotional depth, strong character development, and hopeful message make the story shine. Wither & Bloom is a thoughtful and heartfelt reimagining that will appeal to readers who enjoy mythology, queer romance, and stories about discovering one's own power.

This was the first time I’ve read a sapphic romance featuring the Persephone and Hades myth—or gods in general.
There was a lovely dynamic between the two main characters. Everything unfolds at a calm, leisurely pace, with just a touch of action and drama.
I really liked Persephone; she is unaware of her own power and just how important she is—and it is her encounter with Hades, of all people, that makes her realize it.
Hades is my favorite character here: so brooding and dark. She seems so unapproachable at first, yet she is fascinated by Persephone.
I enjoyed the slow-burn approach, though I would have liked the romantic aspect to be a bit more pronounced and to have more "on-page" development.
However, those who don't care about that will be rewarded with a good retelling of Hades and Persephone and drawn into the machinations of gods and their intrigues.
Thanks for the arc to the Author E.K. O‘Connor.