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Persephone
Stockholm Syndrome. A psychological condition that causes a person to feel understanding, even affection, towards their captor or abuser. It's deadly in the sense that the person feeling the symptoms will not perceive it in the slightest. It has caused hostages to hold guns to their heads and pull the trigger as a test of their faith without being told that the gun is completely unloaded.
Equally deadly in the same fashion is Lima Syndrome, which is the identical yet opposite mental state where the one in the act of imprisoning begins to sympathize with the very person they are holding prisoner. It goes deeper than merely feeling sorry for them – it can even turn into emotions of love and compassion, even though they are the ones causing the trauma.
I don't know what my name is anymore. But he called me Persephone.
Equally deadly in the same fashion is Lima Syndrome, which is the identical yet opposite mental state where the one in the act of imprisoning begins to sympathize with the very person they are holding prisoner. It goes deeper than merely feeling sorry for them – it can even turn into emotions of love and compassion, even though they are the ones causing the trauma.
I don't know what my name is anymore. But he called me Persephone.
- GenresDarkContemporary
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2012
About the author
Lavender Youko
1 book3 followersArtist, writer, napper, dreamer, and tea lover - Crystal Marsters, writing as Lavender Youko.
Forever dreaming of the ocean.
Forever dreaming of the ocean.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 5, 2013
What a piece of shit. Telling instead of showing. From the blub, I was expecting the POV from the captor and not from the victim. The writing was a big disappointment and unrealistic in many ways. The love of her captor came too fast(at least it seemed), because there was no depth in the plot.
I just couldn't finish it.
I just couldn't finish it.
December 9, 2012
Not very impressed. The writing itself wasn't very good. It had horrible language, and overall was a bit confusing. The book itself isn't very long, but was a bit hard to follow because some things mentioned in the story were never followed up on. Some details were mentioned then dropped leaving the reader to wonder why the author even mentioned those details to begin with. Overall, I found it to be a bit disappointing.
October 25, 2016
I just finished Persephone. And I have to say WOW!!! The story drew me in right from the beginning (I love books with first person perspective) and I stayed up way too late the last few nights not wanting to quit reading. It is defiantly going on my favorite shelf to be reread.
September 7, 2013
I totally couldn't get into this. I was expecting a kidnap fantasy and got was a strange male lead with deal breaker mental issues. Don't pick this up if you are expecting anything erotic, does not even have Harlequin heat level. This should have been a shorter read because it's full of uninteresting day-to-day details that don't add anything to the tale. Halfway through, I was stuck with the realization of not caring about these characters at all. I have to confess skipping over parts to get to the end after that point. It's not a complete DNF but, very close.
October 5, 2014
I had high expectations for this. Modern day retelling of stories can be fun for me, but this left a lot to be desired, from the story itself to the writing style. Sigh.
January 25, 2014
Persephone jumps right into the story with 19 year old Elaine being kidnapped by the handsome man she meets in the library who invites her to get a cup of coffee. After that not much actually happens because Persephone is more of a character study as opposed to a story with lots of action.
Elaine's kidnapper explains to her that there will be a handful of rules, she will live in his basement, she will not wear clothing, she will not cut her hair, wear make up or shave (that was a weird one, glad he relents). Oh and her name is now Persephone. So he's clearly a little weird and the story starts off with a sort of creepy atmosphere. But then the kidnapper, August, is just really...nice...to Persephone (aside from abducting her and holding her against her will of course). Persephone (the girl not the book)starts off with a will for freedom and a burning fiery hatred of August (all perfectly normal) but then...she starts to see his quirks and feels sort of bad for him. She also sees his amazing talents, he is an accomplished musician and quite a culinary artist. He wants to make her happy...and lives to cook her favorite meals and serenade her...and surprise her with tokens of his affection. And thus begins the development of Stockholm Syndrome, and it's easy to see how Persephone comes to genuinely care for August. In truth they actually have allot in common and make a very well suited couple.
The strength of the story lies in the interactions between characters. I liked both Elaine/Persephone and August and raced to the end of the story to find out what would happen to them. It was a sweet story and I was rooting for them to make it as a legitimate couple, they complement each other. August never hurt, or forced himself on Persephone and while they eventually 100% consensually consummate their relationship, there are next to no details - definitely G rated...OK PG there are a few curse words. In other words, Persephone coming to genuinely care for/love August was quite believable and I did not think she was a stupid twit for doing so.
One complaint I have is that certain aspects of the story towards the end and primarily involving the legal system simply weren't realistic. (Wouldn't it be nice to be convicted of a crime and get a trial in 2 weeks, among other things). So that niggled at me, but the inconsistencies that I noted and lapses in logic, didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.
Elaine's kidnapper explains to her that there will be a handful of rules, she will live in his basement, she will not wear clothing, she will not cut her hair, wear make up or shave (that was a weird one, glad he relents). Oh and her name is now Persephone. So he's clearly a little weird and the story starts off with a sort of creepy atmosphere. But then the kidnapper, August, is just really...nice...to Persephone (aside from abducting her and holding her against her will of course). Persephone (the girl not the book)starts off with a will for freedom and a burning fiery hatred of August (all perfectly normal) but then...she starts to see his quirks and feels sort of bad for him. She also sees his amazing talents, he is an accomplished musician and quite a culinary artist. He wants to make her happy...and lives to cook her favorite meals and serenade her...and surprise her with tokens of his affection. And thus begins the development of Stockholm Syndrome, and it's easy to see how Persephone comes to genuinely care for August. In truth they actually have allot in common and make a very well suited couple.
The strength of the story lies in the interactions between characters. I liked both Elaine/Persephone and August and raced to the end of the story to find out what would happen to them. It was a sweet story and I was rooting for them to make it as a legitimate couple, they complement each other. August never hurt, or forced himself on Persephone and while they eventually 100% consensually consummate their relationship, there are next to no details - definitely G rated...OK PG there are a few curse words. In other words, Persephone coming to genuinely care for/love August was quite believable and I did not think she was a stupid twit for doing so.
One complaint I have is that certain aspects of the story towards the end and primarily involving the legal system simply weren't realistic. (Wouldn't it be nice to be convicted of a crime and get a trial in 2 weeks, among other things). So that niggled at me, but the inconsistencies that I noted and lapses in logic, didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.
November 21, 2013
I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly I just want to say that this book tricked me because I thought it was going to be about Greek mythology but I was wrong. Although I did enjoy the similarities between the two. I do wish that there would have been two POV's because I would have loved to get inside August's head and have gotten even more background information on him. This book drew me in right from the beginning and held my attention until the very end. It was a quick read and I got through it in good time but I wish there would have been more of an ending. I want to know where everyone ended up.
*SPOILER ALERT*
At the start I was mad at Persephone for not fighting back against August, but then he began to grow on me. And this may sound rude but her life was way better with him anyways, I don't want to downplay the whole crazy situation but she had chances to leave and she didn't. She was happier with him. And I don't believe that she had Munchausen's either, she knew what happened wasn't right but her love outweighed the bad feelings. I also kind of grew to like Marcel, I'm glad that he was there to support Elaine during her time of need.
Overall this was a great read and I want more of these characters and their stories. I would recommend this story to those who enjoy romantic, suspense stories. I can't wait to read my by this author.
Firstly I just want to say that this book tricked me because I thought it was going to be about Greek mythology but I was wrong. Although I did enjoy the similarities between the two. I do wish that there would have been two POV's because I would have loved to get inside August's head and have gotten even more background information on him. This book drew me in right from the beginning and held my attention until the very end. It was a quick read and I got through it in good time but I wish there would have been more of an ending. I want to know where everyone ended up.
*SPOILER ALERT*
At the start I was mad at Persephone for not fighting back against August, but then he began to grow on me. And this may sound rude but her life was way better with him anyways, I don't want to downplay the whole crazy situation but she had chances to leave and she didn't. She was happier with him. And I don't believe that she had Munchausen's either, she knew what happened wasn't right but her love outweighed the bad feelings. I also kind of grew to like Marcel, I'm glad that he was there to support Elaine during her time of need.
Overall this was a great read and I want more of these characters and their stories. I would recommend this story to those who enjoy romantic, suspense stories. I can't wait to read my by this author.
June 15, 2015
Hmm..
This book is so similar to Lucy Christopher's Stolen. Well, with a heap more mental illness and a little less of the troubled good intention.
The main character, Elaine, did absolutely nothing for me. She was insignificant, basically, and I was constantly infuriated by her refusal to fight back. Their situation was unrealistic within a worryingly possible plot.
I'm not sure whether that makes the construct better or worse.
*sigh*
Although, I must add, Youko's writing style is awful. There were long, long, long, tediously long, pages of description. And no, that isn't always a bad thing, but Youko described everything rather than actually just letting it happen. It was so frustrating to read.
Don't describe a conversation, play it out.
Dammit.
This book is so similar to Lucy Christopher's Stolen. Well, with a heap more mental illness and a little less of the troubled good intention.
The main character, Elaine, did absolutely nothing for me. She was insignificant, basically, and I was constantly infuriated by her refusal to fight back. Their situation was unrealistic within a worryingly possible plot.
I'm not sure whether that makes the construct better or worse.
*sigh*
Although, I must add, Youko's writing style is awful. There were long, long, long, tediously long, pages of description. And no, that isn't always a bad thing, but Youko described everything rather than actually just letting it happen. It was so frustrating to read.
Don't describe a conversation, play it out.
Dammit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2012
This was an interesting take on the classic tale of Persephone and Hades. Creepy, but interesting, and strangely addicting. It was a fascinating exploration of the psychological effects of Stockholm Syndrome.
September 9, 2016
DNF. The writing was tedious and the pacing was painful. The POV was lost sometimes from first person to sometimes there was an all-knowing third. It just didn't make sense how things are mentioned. The writing was just so heavy and boring. Too much telling, no emotion.
February 21, 2012
Not what I was expecting but a fascinating story. It could have used a little polishing in a few spots and the ending was a little rushed but overall, really well done.
March 4, 2015
I liked it, good quick read
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews