Persephone: Book 1 Persephone Trilogy

By Kaitlin Bevis

The Daughters of Zeus, Book One

"Persephone is a fun, imaginative, smart retelling of my favorite myth, fusing modern culture with a rich world of magic." Amazon Top Reviewer, Molly Ringle, Author of Persephone's Orchard.

One day Persephone is an ordinary high school junior working at her mom's flower shop in Athens, Georgia. The next she's fighting off Boreas, the brutal god of Winter, and learning that she's a bonafide goddess--a rare daughter of the now-dead Zeus. Her goddess mom whisks her off to the Underworld to hide until Spring.

There she finds herself under the protection of handsome Hades, the god of the dead, and she's automatically married to him. It's the only way he can keep her safe. Older, wiser, and far more powerful than she, Hades isn't interested in becoming her lover, at least not anytime soon. But every time he rescues her from another of Boreas' schemes, they fall in love a little more. Will Hades ever admit his feelings for her?

Can she escape the grasp of the god of Winter's minions? The Underworld is a very nice place, but is it worth giving up her life in the realm of the living? Her goddess powers are developing some serious, kick-butt potential. She's going to fight back.

"I enjoyed Hades and Persephone's sweet romantic relationship. Persephone has her flaws, but she is likable and learns along the way. The author's writing is descriptive and entertaining. I am looking forward to the next book." Rebecca Foote @ Paranormal Muse

"Everyone needs to check this book out, I can't rave enough about it, Bevis is definitely a new talent to keep an eye out for. I give this 5/5." Sarah Brown @ Head Stuck in a Book

"I found this book to be a fun and fast-paced adventure through Greek mythology with a modern twist." Stephanie Ward @ A Dream Within a Dream

"From the first paragraph, I was enthralled with this story. I read it all in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. What a great spin on a Greek myth! Move over Rick Riordan!" Amazon Top Reviewer, Rita Webb, Author of Daughter of the Goddess

"This story will completely suck you in . . . This book is the first of a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what's in store for these amazing characters." Amazon Top Reviewer, Melissa Groeling, Author of Beauty Marks

Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book and a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. Because she's always wanted to be a writer, she spent high school and college learning everything she could to achieve that goal. After graduating college with a BFA and Masters in English, Kaitlin went on to write The Daughters of Zeus series. kaitlinbevis.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: BelleBooks
• Release date: Apr 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781611946406

Kaitlin Bevis

Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book, and a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. She's always wanted to be a writer, and spent high school and college learning everything she could so that one day she could achieve that goal. She graduated college with my BFA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and is pursuing her masters at the University of Georgia. Her young adult series "Daughters of Zeus" is available wherever ebooks are sold. She also writes for truuconfessions.com and Athens Parent Magazine.

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Praise for Persephone

"This story will completely suck you in. . . . This book is the first of a trilogy and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for these amazing characters.

—Amazon Top Reviewer, Melissa Groeling, Author of Beauty Marks

"Persephone is a fun, imaginative, smart retelling of my favorite myth, fusing modern culture with a rich world of magic. I had such a great time reading this.

—Amazon Top Reviewer, Molly Ringle, Author of Persephone’s Orchard.

From the first paragraph, I was enthralled with this story. I read it all in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. What a great spin on a Greek myth! Move over Rick Riordan!

—Amazon Top Reviewer, Rita Webb, Author of Daughter of the Goddess

I enjoyed Hades and Persephone’s sweet romantic relationship. Persephone has her flaws, but she is likable and learns along the way. The author’s writing is descriptive and entertaining. I am looking forward to the next book.

—Rebecca Foote

Everyone needs to check this book out, I can’t rave enough about it, Bevis is definitely a new talent to keep an eye out for, I give this 5/5.

—Sarah Brown @ Head Stuck in a Book

I found this book to be a fun and fast paced adventure through Greek mythology with a modern twist.

—Stephanie Ward @ A Dream Within a Dream

Other books by Kaitlin Bevis

Persephone

Daughter of Earth and Sky

The Iron Queen

Love & War

(Coming October 2016)

Venus Rising

(Coming Soon)

Persephone

The Daughters of Zeus Series

Book One

by

Kaitlin Bevis

ImaJinn Books

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.

ImaJinn Books

PO BOX 300921

Memphis, TN 38130

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61194-640-6

Print ISBN: 978-1-61194-622-2

ImaJinn Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 by Kaitlin Bevis

Medusa © 2015 by Kaitlin Bevis

Daughter of Earth and Sky © 2012 by Kaitlin Bevis

Published in the United States of America.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

The Daughters of Zeus trilogy was originally published in ebook-only by Musa Press.

ImaJinn Books was founded by Linda Kichline.

We at ImaJinn Books enjoy hearing from readers. Visit our websites

ImaJinnBooks.com

BelleBooks.com

BellBridgeBooks.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover design: Debra Dixon

Interior design: Hank Smith

Photo/Art credits:

Girl (manipulated) © Ipb | Dreamstime.com

Face (manipulated) © Javiindy | Dreamstime.com

Texture (manipulated) © Olgakorneeva | Dreamstime.com

Frame © Liudmila Metaeva|Renderosity.com

:Epol:01:

Dedication

To my daughter, Isabella Elise Bevis.

I’ve been working on Persephone all her life,

and she’s been very understanding for a toddler.

Chapter I

PERSEPHONE . . .

I hunched over, doing my best to ignore the sound of my name being whispered on the wind. It curled around me in a sensuous breeze. Once I would have turned around, tried to find whoever said my name. Now I knew better. There was no one there. There was never anyone there.

Too bad I hadn’t figured that out before the whole school began to think that I was crazy.

Persephone . . .

I was starting to think they were right. I could feel someone watching me. Their eyes bored a hole in the back of my neck and crawled over my skin. The hushed sounds of my classmates did little to make me feel safe. Fabric swished as they shifted and moved. Nails scratched skin, lips smacked, and someone breathed too loudly. Above it all Professor Homer spoke with quiet excitement. Rare in teachers, but he was still new.

Something brushed against my spine and I twisted around, heart in my throat, only to see the innocent branches of the bushes swaying in the wind.

Is everything all right, Kora? Professor Homer’s glasses glinted in the sun. He shielded his eyes with his hand, brown eyes crinkling in concern.

Sorry. I shifted away from the bush and faced Professor Homer. He waited for Rachel and the twins, Jessica and Ashley, to stop giggling before continuing the story.

I ducked my head to ignore their laughs and whispers. The air around me stiffened, ice cold. No one else noticed. My breathing slowed, and I forced myself to stay rooted to the ground, as solid and unmoving as the gray trunk of the oak tree in front of me. It took every fiber of my being not to squeeze my eyes shut.

Please don’t see me.

The thought was as illogical as a deer praying not to be spotted by a hunter. I was already in the hunter’s sights.

Are you okay?

I jumped at the sound of Melissa’s whisper; her hazel eyes remained riveted to Professor Homer to fool him into believing she was paying attention. He narrowed his eyes in her direction, not missing a beat in the story he was telling the class.

It’s not real, I reminded myself, and latched on to the distraction she provided. I gave Professor Homer an innocent smile, touching my thumb to my chest to sign I was fine to Melissa. We’d learned American Sign Language years ago to share secrets, but ASL wasn’t often discreet. To learn another secret language, we’d signed up for Latin.

It hadn’t taken long to realize vocabulary wasn’t the focus of Latin class. No, we had to learn about declensions, cases, conjugations, and sentence structures. No wonder the language was dead.

Professor Homer tried to keep it interesting by mixing in classical education and mythology. Since tomorrow was the start of winter break, and two-thirds of our classmates were taking make up exams, we were taking what he called a mental health day.

He leaned against the trunk of the oak tree, brown loafers peeking out from beneath the cuffs of his tailored pants. A yellow legal pad full of scrawled notes was propped haphazardly against the tree trunk.

A shift in his tone caught my attention. He rolled up the sleeves of his blue dress shirt, moving his hands as he told the story. He leaned forward, voice becoming ominous.

Oreithyia danced upon the river bank, unaware she was being watched.

A cloud passed over the sun, bathing the class in sudden shade. Goose bumps rose on my arms as the temperature plummeted. I flinched when a gust of wind knocked over the legal pad with a thump. The yellow pages fluttered open, sending loose scraps of paper floating toward the lake.

Suddenly, the God of Winter, Aquilo, more commonly known by his Greek name, Boreas, swept her away in a cloud and . . . Professor Homer faltered at the sight of the escaping papers. Married her.

I rolled my eyes. At sixteen, it wasn’t as though Melissa and I were clueless about what happened to poor Oreithyia. Beside me, Melissa nodded as though I’d spoken aloud.

Professor Homer continued. For nearly a century afterward, the people of Athens traced their lineage back to Oreithyia and Boreas, claiming to share the blood of the gods. Can anyone tell me what’s special about this myth?

It explains winter, right? Rachel’s voice drew my gaze past Andrew to where she was perched on the opposite end of the short stone wall our class was using as a bench, flanked by Ashley and Jessica.

Right! Professor Homer smiled, and every girl sighed. The ancient Greeks and Romans didn’t know why the seasons changed, so they came up with this myth to explain it. Every year, on the anniversary of Oreithyia’s abduction, it grows colder for the length of her captivity.

Andrew raised his hand. And this is the best they could come up with the explain winter? he asked without waiting to be called on. Seems like something as drastic as seasons changing would get more than one myth.

Professor Homer shook his head. "I’m afraid this is all they’ve got for the why of Winter, but there were some pretty interesting festivals and celebrations that took place during the winter months."

I tuned out Professor Homer’s overview of Roman holidays, my thoughts turning instead to Oreithyia swept up into that cold cloud. A chill crept up my spine. I hated winter. Luckily I lived in Athens, Georgia, where winter was rarely serious until late January and over by April.

What is with you today? Melissa asked when the class broke up.

That shirt looks really good on you. You should wear purple more often. I stalled, reaching down to gather my things. I didn’t know how to put my paranoia into words without sounding crazy.

Thanks. Melissa’s narrow cheeks flushed against her olive-colored skin. She gave me a wry look to show she wasn’t oblivious to the fact I’d avoided the question, but to my relief she didn’t press me further. Do you want to eat here?

That’s a great idea! Rachel piped up, passing behind Melissa. It’s so beautiful out. Before we could stop her she called the twins over. Melissa gave me an apologetic look.

A yellow page landed at my feet. I plucked it from the ground, and walked to where Professor Homer was gathering stray pages before the wind could snatch them away again. I knelt to help him.

Don’t you know it’s a half-day? He placed a wrinkled page in the middle of his legal pad. Shouldn’t you be fleeing this awful place?

I inclined my head toward the parking lot. It was just visible over the hill, but even from here it was clear it was gridlocked by soccer moms picking up their kids. On full days the lower school got out earlier than we did, but half-days messed everything up. I don’t think anyone is getting anywhere fast.

Smart girl. He smiled, meeting my eyes. His pupils dilated, brown eyes disappearing into black. I looked down at the papers. The last time I’d seen that, the eight-year-old I’d been paired with for the tree decorating ceremony had professed his love for me in front of the whole school. I’d been humiliated!

Professor Homer’s hand brushed mine when we reached for the same sheaf of paper. He jerked his hand back as though he’d been bitten by a pit viper and sprang to his feet. Could you rescue what’s left of these and drop them off before you leave? I’ll be around for a while this afternoon.

My nod proved unnecessary as he was already receding in the distance toward the circle of white buildings on the horizon. I felt the eyes lingering on me and gulped, finding myself alone at the edge of the lake. As I grabbed the rest of the papers, my hand paused over a yellow page, one half submerged in the water, flakes of frost climbing up the other half.

What the hell? I closed my eyes and shook my head. I really was crazy if I was seeing frost on this perfect sunny day.

Hey, Kora! Melissa called. You gonna eat or not?

Yeah. I rose to my feet, turning so I didn’t have to look at the lake. A crackling sound came from the water, and I quickened my pace until I reached the stone wall. I smiled in thanks at Melissa for remembering to call me by my middle name. It was easier to say and a lot more normal than my first name. Melissa and my mom still called me Persephone, but they’d both known me since birth, so I let them get away with it.

Did you see that look he gave you? Jessica asked.

I gave her a thanatotic glare, shoved the papers in my purse, and sat next to Melissa. Behind us a trio of seniors evidently came to the same conclusion about the parking lot and starting throwing a football between them.

I bet you get an A in his class. Ashley snickered.

"Would you mind dropping those papers off in my room?" Rachel mocked, her voice breathy as she waggled her eyebrows.

Oh my God! Would you all shut up? Melissa snapped. "That is not what he meant."

Sounds like someone’s jealous, Jessica teased.

Yeah, Melissa shot back. And it’s not me.

Persephone. The name curled around me, whispered on the wind.

I swallowed hard, checking to see if anyone else had noticed. They sat in an awkward silence, too angry at one another to hear voices in the wind. Melissa pulled her lunch from her giant leather purse, splitting half of it with me without a word. Neither of us offered any to the twins or to Rachel. Offering them food would either be construed as an invitation to eat lunch with us or to complain about their weight, and we didn’t want to offer them either.

Rachel pulled sunscreen out of her purse and squeezed it into her hands. What? she asked when we all looked at her. Just because it’s December doesn’t mean I won’t burn. She rubbed it onto her pale legs, stopping when she reached her barely legal Soffe shorts. So, Kora, that’s all you’re going to eat?

Why? I glanced down at the whole grain roll, carrots, celery, pomegranate seeds, and blueberries. What’s the matter with it?

That’s, like, zero points. Ashley’s voice was layered with false sympathy.

She means there’s not many calories there, Jessica explained. Her brown hair was chopped short in a pixie cut to distinguish her from her twin’s longer hair. Mom’s dieting again, and she’s labeled every package in our house with a black marker so she knows how many points they are. She rolled her eyes.

Yeah, you should eat meat or cheese or something, Rachel added.

I’m a vegan. It wasn’t an animal rights thing; I’d been this way all my life. My mom and I just preferred to eat things that came from the ground.

Rachel shook her head and pulled out her phone. Here. I’m gifting you an e-book that deals with your problem.

What problem? Melissa’s eyes flashed.

Rachel let out a deep breath through closed lips that puffed her red bangs into the air. Kora. She spoke haltingly, as though she didn’t want to continue, but her eyes glittered, telling another story. You don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight. I mean, the amount you’ve lost already isn’t healthy.

All ninety pounds of Melissa’s thin frame quivered with anger. Oh?

You’re different. Jessica waved her hand. You’re taller. Kora, you’re like, what, four-ten?

Five foot.

Exactly.

Is that what you guys were whispering about during class? I asked, incredulous. My problem? I put the word in air quotes.

What? Ashley wrinkled her forehead, and then laughed. No, some idiot freshman asked Joel out this morning and got completely rejected. It was brutal. She giggled. You should have been there.

Oh. I really was paranoid. No one had been talking about me, and no one was watching me at all. It was probably all in my head. My shoulders loosened, and I allowed myself to relax.

Don’t change the subject, Kora. You don’t have to be afraid to ask for help. Rachel’s voice was so sugary I felt ill.

I took a big gulp from my water bottle to avoid protesting. Instead I let Melissa chew them out, her voice tight with anger.

I did eat, just not big meals. I liked to snack throughout the day. I hadn’t done anything to lose weight. My body slimmed down and toned up of its own accord after I turned sixteen.

I heard soft laughter on the breeze, the sound so cold I shivered. The hunter’s eyes bored holes in the back of my neck. I rubbed it, wondering if I should tell someone about the feelings I’d been having.

Tell them what? I wondered. That someone has been following me? Sorry, Mom, can’t describe them because I’ve never actually seen this person. It’s just a feeling.

Hey! Melissa waved a manicured hand in front of my face. Where did you go, Pluto?

Sorry. I blushed as I wondered how long she’d been trying to get my attention.

Did you remember to bring the tickets for the Orpheus concert?

Are you ready to go backstage?

No way! Melissa exclaimed and let out an ear-piercing squeal, pumping her fist into the air. No way!

How did you get tickets? Ashley folded her legs under her and leaned forward. It’s been sold out for months!

I shrugged. My mom managed it somehow.

That’s in Atlanta, right? Jessica asked.

Yeah. We’re staying in a hotel. Melissa managed to keep the smugness from her voice, but I could still tell she enjoyed the importance of that statement.

By yourself? Rachel asked in disbelief.

Our mom would never go for that. Ashley shared a look with her sister.

I suppressed a grin. My mom trusted me. Unlike most parents, if I told her I was going to follow her rules, she believed me. I’m going to have to work at my mom’s flower shop every minute of the break to make up for this, but it’s completely worth it.

Absolutely, the girls agreed.

I want that big cardboard cut-out of him they have in the mall for my birthday. Jessica’s cheeks turned pink when we turned to look at her. "Oh come on, who wouldn’t want to wake up to that in their bedroom. That man is a god."

Rachel snickered and started to say something, but something behind me caught her attention. Her eyes widened. I heard my name carried on the wind, felt the piercing stare, then gasped as something hit me from behind hard enough to force the breath from my lungs. I fell forward, gasping. Melissa’s hands shot out to me. Rachel and the twins cried out in surprise.

A shadow fell over me.

Chapter II

I KNEW I WASN’T crazy! I didn’t have time to wonder if insanity might be preferable before I felt hands grip me from behind.

Are you okay? It was Joel. He picked up the ball and threw it back in the general direction of his friends. Don, I told you to be careful where you’re throwing that thing!

I’ll live, I managed, simultaneously relieved that this guy wasn’t the creepy name whisperer and annoyed at the prospect that I might still be losing my mind. I pushed myself off the ground and sat up, hands moving automatically to fix my hair.

I found myself staring into dazzling blue eyes. He shot me a confident grin and held out a hand. I’m Joel.

The introduction was pointless. I knew who he was. Everyone knew who he was. Unlike most of the boys at this school who’d been here since preschool, he’d transferred here for his senior year. I’d seen him around but never worked up the courage to talk to him.

When I didn’t say anything or accept his extended hand, his smile faltered. Persephone, right?

Kora, I corrected. Melissa’s sharp elbow dug into my side. Um, and this is Melissa. She shot me an annoyed look and then gave a pointed look at his extended hand.

Right. I flushed and gripped his hand. I felt a pinprick of pain when static electricity zinged through my fingers with an audible pop.

Hey, Melissa. He gave her an easy grin and swept his blond hair out of his face.

Her cheeks colored. Hi.

"I’m Rachel." Rachel thrust her hand at him. I jerked back when her hand came close to grazing my face. Her voice prompted the twins to chime in with their names. Joel nodded, but didn’t spare them a glance.

Didn’t I see you at the last game? he continued when

Reviews for Persephone

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got this book through NetGalley to review. This is the first book in the Daughters of Zeus trilogy. It was a fun and light young adult paranormal fantasy read with a lot of mythology in it. This is basically a retelling of the Persephone mythos.Persephone is just a normal teenage girl who goes to high school and works at her mother’s flower shop. That is until one day she finds herself fighting off an attack from Boreas, the God of Winter. She survives the attack but ends up forced to seek shelter down in the Underworld with Hades. Suddenly Persephone is immersed in a world she never knew existed, she finds out she is a rare Daughter of Zeus and that her mother and history are nothing like what she thought it was. This was a good young adult paranormal read with a lot of Greek mythology in it. I always enjoy reading stories that are based around some mythology. There’s nothing super spectacular about the story but it was an easy and fun read that I ended up enjoying.Persephone is a pretty typical YA heroine. She’s got a caring side that is nurtured by her spring-like Goddess abilities, but she also has a bit of a dark side that allows her to relate to Hades. She was a fine heroine and I found her engaging, but she wasn’t all the different from a million other YA heroines out there.Hades was a bit more interesting but I was hoping for a more edgy character. He has a whole love at first sight thing going on with Persephone but refuses to act on it because of the age difference between him and Persephone. Him and Persephone have some good chemistry going on, however I was never completely engaged in them as a couple...so I think the relationship and tension between the two could have been done better.I really did enjoy all the mythology in here and how the Underworld was built and reimaged. I think this was the strongest part of the book. Bevis has done an excellent job creating an Underworld that is interesting, creative, and believable. Overall this was a fun YA paranormal read. There isn’t anything spectacular about the book, but there isn’t anything that’s really poorly done either. I ended up finding it to be an entertaining and engaging read. I really enjoyed how the Underworld portrayed but I do wish our characters were a bit less vanilla and weren’t so typical of YA paranormal stories. I do plan on reading the next book in the series because I love reading about mythology and think this series is an interesting spin on mythology. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA paranormal stories and mythology.

[mclesh-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm one of those people who's never studied Greek and Romany mythology in depth at all -- I'm always asking my son or husband for clarification –- who was so and so again? So this book was fun for me. Persephone doesn't know she's a daughter of Zeus until Boreas decides to pick on her one day. She's forced to seek refuge in the Underworld as a bride of the handsome, enigmatic Hades.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the world building and descriptions of the Underworld as a place a lot like ours but different, and the combining of the mortal and immortal worlds. As a reader/writer, I kept thinking, “How did she (the author) think of that? Where did she get that idea?” I also liked the main character's strength. I'm not a fan of weak female MCs.

The story was very imaginative with romantic tension. And it's not over yet. We'll have to stay tuned for the next book!

[wiccawitch4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely amazing book! I couldn't put it down and finished it in a couple of hours! I loved all the Greek myth in the story and I couldn't get enough of Hades and the goings on in the Underworld! Kaitlin Bevis is a incredible writer who draws you into the story and doesn't let you go til the very end!This is a book about 16 year old Persephone who never know growing up she was the actual Goddess Persephone. She thinks she is going crazy when she hears the wind calling her name, shadows following her and it seems like eyes are watching her everywhere. When Persephone is attacked her mother Demeter breaks the news to her. Persephone is sure her mother has gone crazy and flees desperate to find some semblance of normality.When walking in the park a strange chill comes over the air and snow begins to fall. The God of Winter, Boreas, has decided that he must have Persephone as his own. Before Boreas can claim her for his own Hades steps in and rescues her. In order to take Persephone to the Underworld and to safety Hades must mark her as his bride. Despite her growing feelings between them, Persephone knows she must defeat Boreas so she can return home to the realm of the living.What Will happen when the spring equinox arrives? Will Hades still want her to be his bride?This book was sooooo freaking good! I couldn't put it down from start to finish! Kaitlin is a wonderful writer and I enjoyed each and every character!Cassandra was my favourite in the story. She was so lively and such a great friend to Persephone and Hades. She would literately do anything for them and more then once helped them out greatly!The bad guy wasn't all that scary I thought he could have been more creepy. He did have some really awesome powers though and he used them really well!I can't wait to read the next book in the series! and to see what more will happen with Persephone and Hades! if you haven't read this book yet you should! I recommend it to everyone!

[bookwormdreams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mythology is one of my favorite themes and story about Hades and Persephone is my favorite Greek myth. In Persephone, Kaitlin Bevis retold it but with some interesting twists. I liked that our Persephone lives in a contemporary setting. Don't get me wrong historical novel about Greek culture would be awesome too, but I think this way it's easier to relate to Persephone and her problems. And what if someone today told you, you are a goddess? My reaction would be: "Yeah right." too. Being a daughter of Zeus is not easy. All kind of creepy characters try to use Persephone for their nefarious purposes. One day, Hades jumps in and saves her and takes her to the safest place he could think of, The Underworld. The only problems is, to bring a (living) Persephone to the Underworld, Hades had to claim her as his bride. If you are familiar with a Greek myth you will notice slight modifications. Hades here does not abducts but saves Persephone. And although there is attraction between them, the romance does not progress very much. Hades is reluctant to start a relationship with a young woman who is eons younger than him. Since this is a book targeting young adult audience, I think slow developing romance is a perfect choice. I can't wait for second part of the series, because it seems like Persephone had enough waiting and will try to push Hades harder to make a move. I enjoyed reading Persephone. It was fun, interesting and quick read. My only problem is that it was maybe too much young adult for my taste, but I think it really is a perfect book for younger audience. This is a book I will warmly recommend to my younger cousins. In The End...If you like Greek mythology or young adult paranormal novels, then Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis is a perfect opportunity for you to freshen up your knowledge of many famous Greek myths and deities. Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the author in exchange for a honest review.

[libstaff2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 StarsAn inventive and original YA retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth. I love that Hades was the good guy in this novel and that Persephone wants to learn to take care of herself. The descriptions of the Underworld are fantastic, all the characters are interesting, and the plot compels the reader to want more. The slow burn romance is a nice interpretation making the relationship appear more authentic for the story. I enjoyed the pop culture references too. Looking forward to the next installment! Recommended for YA fans.Net Galley Feedback

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love books about mythology, especially Persephone - maybe it is because her name sounds like mine (Stephanie). Either way I was asked to read this book a while ago and it slipped through the cracks and I am finally getting to it - I loved it.This is your typical mythology story though - a child of a god, god gets pissed off and or tries to kidnap/kill/ whatever their offspring. In this case, there is another god that needs this particular daughter of Zeus and will stop at nothing to get her - even when she ends up in Hades care.This was a very interesting story, it was a play on the normally mythology tales and that was great and there were add-ons I really enjoyed. For instance, Persephone isn't technically tricked into the underworld, or seduced - this was a nice change of things. Also Hades in this book was pretty believable - kind of bipolar, scary and nice, everything you would expect of the god of the underworld. I did have some issue, really it was just that for 80% of the book Persephone is helpless and just cries about being helpless until FINALLY going and doing something about it. ... there was a lot of crying though - I mean A LOT.Overall i very much loved this book and am very interested to see how the story progresses - especially after a very 'oh crap' kind of ending...

[bookbliss2013 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

**Review written for an originally posted on my blog, Book Bliss.I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**Review: 5 starsGeneral: What an absolutely amazing book. From page one until the end I could not put it down and was so grateful I had book 2 to get to when I finished! This book and series as a whole is fantastic for any reader, not just YA/NA lovers. The take on Greek Mythology absolutely blew my mind. Pair that with the fabulous world building and I was Persephone from almost the first page. The book is a filled with everything – love, teen angst, battle, evil and all wrapped up in a plot that is sure to blow your mind at the end. The characters from Persephone to Cassandra to Charon are all so unique and entertaining to read interact.Gods and Goddesses are different in this series as much as they are the same. It is the strongest element of the series to see such a classic topic reworked in a fresh new way. I won’t giveaway any spoilers to that effect but they aren’t dead and gone and they aren’t quite walking around with us either. The mixture of plot and characters was well done and everything flowed seamlessly into the next. This may have been the best first person narrative I have read aside from Krelsey Cole’s Arcana Series and I would easily put this book right up with it!Characters: Persephone- Persephone is a heroine you will fall in love with from the beginning. She is in for a whirlwind and her emotions follow suit adequately. She goes from normal to extraordinary in a blink and the way she handled it was believable. She is gentle and moral to a fault as well as loyal. Her chemistry with Hades is spot on and had me swooning over the top of them as soon as I realized in this tale the two would be lovers not captives.Hades- Hades is absolutely perfect. I rarely fall so in love with a first person narrative of the other characters because I feel like it’s not an adequate look at them. But holy heck is Hades amazing! He has dark and deadly down to a t and sexy and protective to match. He was snarky and the exact opposite of every Hades I have ever seen and I loved him for it!

[jwitt33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My Opinion: I love the story of Persephone and Hades and I thought this was a great retelling of it! I loved the way Persephone had no idea of who, or what, she was, and she reacted just how I would expect one to act when finding out that basically their whole life had been a lie: She totally panicked! I really hate it when characters find out mind blowing news and just take it in stride. This book deals with all of Persephone's doubts and fears, and she grows so much from beginning to end, both in power and in maturity. I started this book about 6 hours ago and just finished it, so it definitely moves along at a quick pace and is a very easy read.I definitely recommend this book to all fans of Greek mythology, the Persephone and Hades story, and just about anyone who loves a good paranormal romance! I give it a very enthusiastic 5 stars :D

[ahandfulofconfetti · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Retellings of the Hades and Persephone myth are quite prevalent in today's YA market. You have Everneath, Abandon, and The Goddess Test, just to name a few. Because of this, it's quite difficult to come up with new and fresh ways to tell the story of these two immortal beings. But that's exactly what Kaitlin Bevis has done in Persephone. While the general gist of the story stays the same, I found myself enchanted by the changes she made in the circumstances surrounding Persephone's abduction to the Underworld and - in particular - the way she wrote and developed the character of Hades.Set in the modern world where most of the gods and goddesses have died off generations before our main character is born, Persephone follows our main character of the same name, who believes she's simply your typical human girl. She's completely unaware that she's a goddess, that her mother is Demeter, and that she's about to become the focus of the desires of Boreas, god of Winter. Persephone is a very head-strong and stubborn girl, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her come to terms with the knowledge that she's a goddess, and everything she thought she'd known to that point was a lie. There were other creative flourishes inserted into the story as well - gods can't lie, Hades' personal advisor is the Cassandra, and Hades actually chose his lot as ruler of the Underworld, just to name a few - that kept me eagerly turning the pages of this book. You also have the ever-present threat of Boreas, which kept the plot moving forward at a very quick pace.Persephone's personal journey was also very interesting to watch. I love how she slowly became more accustomed to life with Hades, and I really loved watching their relationship grow. Hades isn't what I was expecting - so often he's depicted as dark, moody and brooding - and admittedly that threw me off just a bit, because, well, he IS the god of the Underworld. But this Hades grew on me, and he has enough of a vindictive and dark streak in him that the Hades from the original myth hadn't disappeared completely. I look forward to seeing more of the two of them together, and can only hope that the twist at the end of this book doesn't cause too much strife.If you're looking for a fresh and unique take on a very popular myth and story plot, then I'd definitely recommend Persephone. There are enough of the original tales present in this book to keep the diehard fans of Greek myths satisfied, while also keeping you from thinking you've read this story several times before. The way the book ends will have you clamoring for the second installment - a cliffhanger that's not, for lack of a better term - and I certainly can't wait to see what comes next!A copy of this book was provided by the author via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

[wolfangel87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love retellings of stories and especially about mythology so I was extremely excited to read this. I wasn’t disappointed! I loved the characters. Persephone’s voice really shows through and her own personality was able to shine through. Hades personality was surprising in a good way; he has his own reasons for doing what he did. Hades did not do everything right but it was for the right reasons. I like the build up of the love story and not having it happen all at once in a love-at-first-sight situation. Both of their characters were able to develop and grow throughout the story.Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[bookwhisperer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Let me say that I love mythology and I love it when mythology is incorporated into books. And I especially love it when the author puts their own twist on these classic tales. So I am here to say that this is exactly what Bevis did and it made my week. To me the book was good in the very beginning but it took at turn for fantastic when Hades brought Persephone to the Underworld. The new approach that Bevis took while describing the Underworld made me really enjoy the world that Hades created for the souls. In this book, he cared for them and while impassive towards their begs to return to the land of the living, he wanted them to have the best after-life (if they were worthy of it.) To me, Bevis wrote the god of the Underworld perfectly. Persephone was a great character as well (although Hades was my favorite.) While she longed to go back to the living realm, she still played the part of the Queen of the Underworld very well. She makes friends with not only those who are appointed under Hades but the souls as well and when her safety is at stake, she finds that anyone who messes with the Queen, messes with the Underworld. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!!! And it has a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. It is a must read in my book and I hope that all of you pick up a copy and devour it like I did. Oh, and at the end of my copy, there is a little snippet of the next book and I CANNOT wait!~BookWhisperer Reviewer MC~

[Tambria Banks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great read! Love the relationship between Persephone and Hades. Story keeps you on your toes.

[Joleta Jo-lee'ta Petty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The premise of this story is great, the characters engaging and the world building is very clever. There's a pacing issue which makes the characters feel inconsistent, particularly in the action scenes. But stick with the series, by the end of the second book the pacing issues are mostly gone and the story is very compelling.

If you're triggered by stories of abuse and manipulation, don't start this series.

[amandanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars.

Decent retelling of the myth, but some of it was just a little too on the nose for me. It does make me want to revisit the original myths, though.

[wrightja2000 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson but with a more female twist on things. Not as much humor and a little darker feeling at times. Percy Jackson series is also pretty violent but has a more light hearted, fantasy feel. Persephone also has a stronger element of romance. I was glad I was reading it as an ebook so I could easily link to Wikipedia and read the myths of the lesser known characters that were thrown about. I'd probably rate it four stars but swearing is always so distracting to me.

[blubbersmash · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is very immature and Persephone certainly is overly dramatic. The characters don't talk so much as chatter inanities. Every character talks in a similar way. Each character will have the same word choice for expressing certain phrases and emotions. Furthermore, the entirety of the book is far too Americanised (a very new age trending when put in context of the history of mankind), in terms of subtle character behaviour, for something set in Greek mythology involving thousands year old Gods. This book is clearly written for an average drama queen girl to put herself in Persephone's shoes. I feel that for Persephone to be a goddess, something must be different in her internal wiring. It felt like the writer spent a lot of time trying to create a special non-human character yet one that behaves and thinks exactly like a below average teenager. If the character is meant to be different, I would like the author to go all out! Write about a goddess! Not a teenage girl who happens to be immortal and have special powers. A subtle distinction, but it is there all the same.

I have always liked Persephone's story and I can see the author has laboured over this tale. This book is just not my cup of tea. For a book so character driven, I expect better characters, ones that haven't been poured from a mould from which hundreds of other similar girls have been made. They are "seemingly normal-yet
-not-really-normal-and-they-really-know-it-but-wilfully-choose-to-ignore it-to-the-detriment-of-their-"fragile"-minds-girls who find out special things about themselves and their world".

Even Hades started to get to me. And the word "process"...!! Can't stand that word. It is used too much now after psychiatric conditions have become the mode (loads of people in the world who take psychiatric medication or treatment don't actually need it) and hipster psychology took over the literary world. I suppose this book's melodrama would have been tolerable if it had humour in it. But it doesn't.

For a normal girl caught up in abnormal circumstances, Ruby Red by Kirstin Gier is much better.