Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Musa
ISBN-10: B008HYPD58
Type: Fiction
Pages: 203
Copyright: July 6, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781619372436
There are worse things than death, worse people too
The "talk" was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they're a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn't until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.
Excerpt
The branch crashed in front of me, scraping my legs. I ran for the parking lot as fast as I could. The frost closed in, surrounding me. I’d never been claustrophobic, but as the frost cut off my escape path with a solid white wall, I panicked.
Fog rolled in, like cold death, cutting off my view of the park. It curled around me, brushing against my face, arms, and legs. I turned back to the tree and ran faster, my dress tangling between my legs as the fog and icy wind blew against my skin.
The parking lot is the other way! my mind screamed. The other way was cut off by a mountain of ice. I felt as if I was being herded. By ice?
I slipped on the icy ground, falling face first into the frost. Ice crept up my toes and along my legs. I thrashed and screamed. I felt the fog becoming a solid mass above me, pinning me to the ground. The ice piled around me. Am I going to be buried alive?
I dug my nails into the frigid snow in front of me and tried to claw my way out of the frosted death trap. I was so panicked I didn’t feel it when my nails broke against the impenetrable wall of ice, leaving red crescents of blood welling up on sensitive skin. An hysterical sob worked its way out of my throat as I gouged red lines into the ice. The ice was above my knees, snaking its way up my thighs. I shivered.
Shivering’s good, I reminded myself. It means your body hasn’t given up…yet. The cold was painful, like a thousand little knives pricking my skin. A violent tremor went up my spine, sending waves of pain through me.
“Help me!” I screamed, knowing it was futile. I was going to die here.
Except I couldn’t die. Could I? Mom said I was immortal, but was that all-inclusive? Did I have a weakness? Was snow my Kryptonite? If I got hurt, would I heal or would I be trapped in an injured body in pain forever?
I suddenly didn’t know if immortality was a good thing or a bad thing. The cold hurt. I was kicking, screaming, and clawing my way out of the frost, but for every inch I gained a mountain piled around me. I thought I heard a man’s laughter on the wind, the sound somehow colder than the ice freezing me into place.
The ground before my outstretched hand trembled. The shaking increased. The earth lurched beneath me. The surface cracked and the sound was so loud that for a moment all I could hear was high-pitched ringing in my ears. The ground split into an impossibly deep crevice. My voice went hoarse from screaming as I peered into the endless abyss, trapped and unable to move away from the vertigo-inducing edge.
Professional Reviews
Long and Short Reviews
Can Hades really be a hero? The answer lies within the pages of Persephone.
I absolutely love Greek Mythology. When I came across Persephone, I was immediately intrigued. After reading the blurb, I had high expectations and Ms. Bevis certainly lived up to them. Ms. Bevis’ interpretation of the story of Persephone and Hades is very appealing, and she also does an excellent job of working the Greek gods and goddesses into a modern setting seamlessly. I think it is very interesting that the gods and goddesses keep insisting they aren’t human. However, their thoughts, actions, mistakes, and vulnerabilities make them much more “human” then they’d like to admit.
Persephone is a very relatable and well rounded character. I think her initial disbelief and subsequent meltdown after finding out she’s a goddess is completely normal. Even though she finds out she’s up against gods much stronger than her, I really liked that she didn’t just sit back and let others handle the problem. She takes a very active role in learning how to develop her powers and defend herself. Persephone really blossoms and begins to grow into her full powers throughout the book. It was a pleasure watching her change from a girl into a mature young woman. I have no doubt she’ll be very powerful when she learns how to control all her abilities.
Toward the end of the book, Persephone is forced to make some tough choices when her best friend is in danger. Rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem, Persephone takes matters into her own hands. While I admire her strength and determination, I think some of the choices she makes will have negative repercussions that she’ll be forced to deal with later.
Hades is definitely not the typical god of the underworld. I’d say most people, like Persephone, have preconceived notions of what type of person, or rather god, Hades would be. Many of the typical assumptions do not hold true in this tale. Hades genuinely cares about the souls inhabiting the underworld and tries to make sure everyone is taken care of and in their proper place. However, Hades does have a darker side that flares to life when he’s angered or those he cares about are in danger. His treatment of an intruder who dares to attack Persephone is particularly frightening.
The twist at the end of Persephone is wonderful. Just when things seem to be wrapping up nicely, Ms. Bevis threw in a complication. Alarm bells should have been going off in my head concerning a particular event and trusted character, but like Persephone, I was completely floored when she realized what had happened. I’m looking forward to finding out how Persephone handles this situation and can’t wait until the next story is released.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read Persephone. I loved getting to know Persephone and Hades, and I’m craving the next installment in the series. Fans of young adult romance and Greek mythology definitely need to check out Persephone today.
Reader's Dialogue
Without exaggeration, this book had me hooked from the first page and didn't let go until I'd turned the last page! The writing style, the voice, of the whole book is so compelling, so engaging! The tone is witty and funny, as it takes an ancient myth and modernizes it. Having these ancient gods living and dealing with modern times is definitely interesting. The way Kaitlin has the personalities of the gods being "normalized" and correlating to real human personalities makes for interesting situations where, for example, Hades is dealing with shepherding the afterlives and souls but is also dealing with his relationship with Persephone and so reacts with very real annoyance, bickering, and ego. The grandiosity of the gods, though definitely still retained, becomes integrated into amusing and emotional situations. I love how Persephone's awkward attempt at a welcoming speech to the souls gets appropriated by Hades for his own speeches!
Besides for the personalities, the whole book is peppered with laugh-out-loud lines and twists. In part, the tone of the book is tied to Persephone's unique voice and personality, as the story is told in her voice. She's witty, snarky, full of verve, and a little self-deprecating. She's also a normal teenager who hates the position she's been forced into, doesn't trust adults, and is trying to figure out who she actually is. But she's smart and loyal, brave, courageous and daring. She's not afraid of what's happening to her so much as she's angry at the bad guys and frustrated with her imprisonment. Aside from the obvious good qualities when she acts against her orders and puts herself in extremely dangerous situations, the little things endeared me to her also - the way she interacts with the souls in the Underworld on a daily basis.
And then there's Hades. Oh, sigh, Hades. He's obviously gorgeous, in a dark and dangerous kind of way. And he is dark and dangerous, as Persephone had expected him to be when she pictured him during Latin class. But as she learns, he's so much more. He's sometimes more of an angsty teenager than Persephone is, and he's thousands of years old! But he's compassionate and kind, sweet and protective. As he struggles with his emotions for Persephone, it affects her own growth as she begins to understand his motives. In general, even without the romantic aspect, the relationship between Persephone and Hades is great to witness, as two strong, stubborn characters come together and alternate between going head-to-head and having deep conversations in comfortable companionship.
Move over Rick Riordan!
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!
She did an awesome job threading many of my favorite myths throughout the story without bogging it down and still seamlessly intertwining it with the modern day.
The vivid description of Persephone's Underworld reminded me much of The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell, and it felt much like greeting an old friend. However, the Underworld in Persephone is much more grown up. The stakes are higher. The danger more real. And full of people from Ancient Greece to meet.
Oh geez, that's really sad. I just called the Underworld an old friend.
Characters!!! Persephone Kora is such an awesome character! She has all my favorite qualities: caring, friendly, stubborn, gutsy, an independent thinker. She winds up in the Underworld to hide from Boreas, the god of winter, and turns a bad situation into a good one--she makes friends and finds a place for herself in this world without a sun.
And Hades was . . . everything a god should be: temperamental, egotistical, handsome, and with just enough caring and thoughtfulness to make him still likable.
The plot is very similar to the traditional story of Hades and Persephone, but author Kaitlin Bevis has so much personality and witty writing that it seems fresh and new. Especially with a few twists she adds.
The ending was perfect, and I can't wait until I get my hands on the next book! Thankfully, it is already out.
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