Love Letters From Hades

by Emily Brandt

Death cannot bring peace The way you can "Love Letters From Hades" is a collection of poems that follows Hades, King of the Underworld, through an entire year cycle. As the seasons change, we watch Hades deal with raw emotions through his "letters" to Persephone. From his grief and doubt in Spring to the rekindling of his love in Autumn, there are poems for each and every soul. In these pages, you'll find comfort during your darkest days and hope that tomorrow will be a little bit brighter.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

104 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Rana Najjar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god! That was beautiful!!

Review video:
https://youtu.be/6KNKbeCDZfE

[MaddieReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my mind there is no love story more beautiful than that of Persephone and Hades, despite what anyone else says. So my heart ached for me to read this, as it does with anything Persephone and Hades related. And it was so beautiful. If I had a wish - I would wish that this book never ended. And if I had a second wish - I'd wish for someone to think about me the same way as even one of these poems. It was a very short read, but one that I spent the whole time with tears in my eyes. This book, these poems are the extension of my heart.

[Hugo Merckx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great poetry with a great story

Really good poetry collection for anyone who likes poetry and or Greek Mythology. If you are not familiar with the Hades&Persephone myth, the books starts off with a great summary on it! Really recommend.

[Brandi Dise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in a single sitting and loved it

[Meghan Stecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hades a.k.a literal GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD is the most quintessential “Bad-Boy/Heartthrob” of all time. He is broody, disgruntled, intense, kind of evil in certain perspectives, emotionally distant, and misunderstood — AND YET, as is the appeal/intrigue of every bad boy, we want to see what he’s like with his guard down. Emily skillfully demonstrates the sincerity, tenderness, sensitivity, love, passion, and vulnerability Hades feels as he reflects on his relationship with Persephone, the only being in existence to whom he has opened his heart.

In this collection, Emily perfectly juxtaposes Hades’s legendary God status with his deeply human feelings; anyone who has been in love can relate to what he is experiencing. As I was reading, I felt his grief, anger, guilt, despair, yearning, passion, sweetness, playfulness, comfort, and all-consuming love as if they were my own. In as few as 10 words, Emily can evoke the feeling of being so fully in love with someone that you want to devour them and be devoured by them. I just love imagining the God of Death sitting down to rhyme about his wife — not even the Gods are immune to the thrall of love.

A huge part of why this collection of poetry is so effective is Emily’s trust of her audience and her ability to say so much with so few words. She doesn’t feel the need to over-explain metaphors or emphasize things purely for audience understanding. She trusts that the audience will use their own experience to connect and this makes the poetry even more powerful. Reading these poems was a personal, intimate, and incredibly moving experience and frankly, inspired me to want to fall in love immediately. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Nicole C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon first read of this book, I thought it was lovely. I am a HUGE Greek mythology nerd, and ever since the musical Hadestown came out, the story of Hades and Persephone has come back into light. What I really liked about this collection was how even as Hades was moving through the seasons, it wasn't solely one emotion. He fluctuated just as emotions always do, regardless of who we are or what we are going through. It made the flow of the story very personal and made Hades almost human in a sense. Gods may be immortal, but they still have feelings and emotions that ebb and flow like humans do, and to see that reflected in the writing was very refreshing and a good reminder that no one, not even gods, are perfect. I'm excited to read this again as spring starts to appear and see how that might change my perspective on the story as a whole.

[Sivan Ben-David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry collection is a must read.
While each poem stands out strongly on its own, it's the flow of the book and the larger themes that make it stand out. It felt like reading a story with each poem another chapter or glimpse in the mind of Hades.
I found his voice incredibly relatable. Flawed but beautiful.
Through the seasons and being both with and away from Persephone you see the insecurities, hopefulness, and change form loving someone deeply and how that inspires and changes you. How that makes you feel both like you can't possibly measure up and hopeful that they see the best in you.
I felt moved by the words in the pages and know that anyone who reads this book will to.
Highly recommend!

[Natalie Bonetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honored to have a chance to read an arc of this poetry collection. A beautiful concept, Hades’s secret thoughts, longings, musings, throughout the year, divided by the seasons he spends without Persephone, spring and summer, and with her, fall and winter. The poems are beautifully written and show the author’s clear love of mythology (weaving in other mythological heroes like Orpheus and Narcissus) and portray Hades as the lovelorn, byronic hero we love to romanticize. I must admit, I preferred the spring and summer chapters!

I want to include my favorite lines, just to give you a taste of what you’re in for if you choose to pick this one up:

“Pierced through the heart
With a dagger of my own design
Handle in your hand
Wrapped in mine”

A truly wonderful collection! I loved every minute of it.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this book, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it. This book feels different from other poetry collections I’ve read because although all of the poems can stand alone, they do function within a timeline and tell a story as a whole. I expected to read this in multiple sittings so I could take the poems in individually, but I ended up just sitting down and reading it all at once, drawn in by the passing of time for Hades. Beautiful words from a wonderful human. You won’t regret picking this book up!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute short read - go through it in like ~15 mins maybe. Great for those who love poetry and Greek methodology (and maybe only have a few mins to spare).

There were a few poems that really stood out to me compared to the others. Would def pick it up and read again

My fave was the one that started with :

I never saw the beauty in Autumn
Until you showed me the colors of the world
And suddenly I knew.

[Andrea Morales Tinoco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greek mythology is my Roman Empire, especially the stories of Medusa, Eros and Psyche and of course Hades and Persephone.

It toked me an hour to read this book and i honestly wish there was more to it; I didn’t want to put it down. I love how Emily Brant also made connections to other Greek mythology gods/ stories and made Persephone stand out and not sound like a victim. I also enjoyed how she brought up the Chinese proverb about the invisible red thread.

[Tracha 🪿 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book the way god intended.
(In the empty literature section of my university’s library)

Such a fun read! Beautiful poetry obsessed with the form of some of the poems

Ik probeer de laatste tijd dit ding te doen waarbij ik mooie zinnen die ik hoor/lees opschrijf in een boekje dat ik altijd mee heb. Ik heb echt 5 pagina’s volgeschreven ofzo. Crazy. Will be rereading. FUN🙌🏾

[Emily Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book!
I can't believe after so long I've finally been able to publish my own work. If you end up reading this, thank you. I mean it. Even if you don't love it. It means the world to me that this book even exists.

[Afrodo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it personally. I liked how the tone of the poems change depending on how closely or how far away Persephone is to coming back to the Underworld. The poems were nice and a lot stood on their own, but also felt the theme really well. All in all, a great read for me.

[Dheeraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for the ARC.

I read this short book in one sitting. It had an introduction that helped me understand more about the Greek myth of Hades. And then the poems started to narrate the story of Hades. It was a quick read and easy to get through. - DJ

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet and bittersweet collection of poems written by Hades to his dear Persephone, goddess of spring. He yearns for her when she is away and devours her when she is near. Very heartfelt and well written. This is a great book to read if you love Lore Olympus!

[Jesse Snows · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stellar writing about the ups and downs of love that stays true to the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. A thought provoking perspective on the warmth one feels when in love, or the anger one may have when said love is lost. A reminder of the ever changing seasons of life, which the books reflects through its four major divisions of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter-- each with a distinct and clear tone which reflect how Hades's copes with his ever-changing marriage with Persephone throughout the course of a year.

The romance of the poems is handled in such a sophisticated and mature way, gracefully executed with precision, while also remaining passionate and engaging. More importantly, Love Letters From Hades is a beautiful telling of the duality of love-- the overflow of joy, togetherness, and romance is always coupled with loss, separation , and sometimes even hatred. A truly remarkable, fantastic, and captivating collection of poems!

[Pamela Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need a Persephone POV asap

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent variety of form. A skilled poet. However the subject matter is all the same. Hades is an obsessive possessive lover.

[Lauren Arnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this just as much as the Persephone book. If you’re a fan of their myth I definitely recommend this.

[Margot Correa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just sobbed on the subway so…

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book sm

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alimenta mi obsesión por Hades y Persefone

[Carrie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore retellings of Hades and Persephone. This was a great set of poems dealing with Hades’s feelings throughout a year. There are so many lines in this that stood out to me as I was reading.

[Plamena (the Cozy Pamcake) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️