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Asphodel #5
The Dread Queen's Bargain
Persephone is stuck in Demeter’s shadow, never allowed to grow up, and kept ignorant about the mysterious powers in her veins.
Hades, the enigmatic God of the Underworld, has long been aware of the prophecy that could transform Persephone into not just his consort, but the Dread Queen of the Underworld. After eons of rebuke from the Olympians, he’s scared to even hope it could be true.
When Persephone finally breaks free from Demeter’s control and escapes to the Underworld, Persephone realizes Hades has the answers to questions she has been asking for years, but wants to know why he’s never sought her out.
Persephone’s presence in the Underworld immediately throws Olympus into chaos, pushing Hades and Persephone together sooner than they imagined—but who can fight fate?
“The Dread Queen’s Bargain” is a mythological, historical fiction set in the ancient world; it contains graphic violence, swearing, and sex scenes.
Hades, the enigmatic God of the Underworld, has long been aware of the prophecy that could transform Persephone into not just his consort, but the Dread Queen of the Underworld. After eons of rebuke from the Olympians, he’s scared to even hope it could be true.
When Persephone finally breaks free from Demeter’s control and escapes to the Underworld, Persephone realizes Hades has the answers to questions she has been asking for years, but wants to know why he’s never sought her out.
Persephone’s presence in the Underworld immediately throws Olympus into chaos, pushing Hades and Persephone together sooner than they imagined—but who can fight fate?
“The Dread Queen’s Bargain” is a mythological, historical fiction set in the ancient world; it contains graphic violence, swearing, and sex scenes.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2024
29 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Molly Tullis
18 books1,342 followersMolly Tullis would have picked the Phantom of the Opera over Raoul and named her French bulldog Jean Valjean. She only believes in black clothing, red lipstick, and never turns down an iced coffee or tequila. She enjoys writing fantasy, romance, or any genre with an opportunity to insert a dark-haired, morally grey man. Her debut novel, The Romanov Oracle, was inspired by a love of history and a simultaneous desire to rewrite it with more magic.
When not identifying as an author, she identifies as a woman with bangs, finger tattoos, and a nose ring, who can tell you what planets are making you sad.
Her DMs are always open on Instagram and Patreon (@thebibliophileblonde), and you can get information on all upcoming projects at her website.
When not identifying as an author, she identifies as a woman with bangs, finger tattoos, and a nose ring, who can tell you what planets are making you sad.
Her DMs are always open on Instagram and Patreon (@thebibliophileblonde), and you can get information on all upcoming projects at her website.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 11, 2024
I’ve never given a book a 1 star review until this day. I did not like how Demeter was written as if she didn’t love Persephone and that it was all done so she could obtain power and to become queen of the gods, in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter her actions are all because of her love for Persephone. I feel like retellings tend to villainize Demeter in order to make Hades seem better as a person, and to an extent I do feel some of Demeters actions toward Persephone were wrong, i.e. keeping her from her fate, treating her like a child, etc. but they were all based in her love for her daughter and her urgency to protect her. This book completely destroyed and neglected the relationship between Demeter and Persephone, which is a beautiful part of the story of Hades and Persephone, and I understand authors can do what they want with their stories, but I have never seen Demeter villainized to this extent. This book also jumped straight into sex, which whatever that’s fine. But there was truly no plot or real storyline, no relationship built between the characters, it was just sex between the two every few pages and then miscommunication/arguments. Don’t get me wrong I love smut, but there needs to be a good story, good character development, and good relationship building to go along with it. Not trying to shit on this author or anything, from her reviews I’m sure she writes some awesome stuff and I’m planning on reading the other books in this series. But for someone who reads A LOT of Hades x Persephone retellings this one was incredibly disappointing.
May 26, 2024
THE DREAD QUEEN’S BARGAIN by Molly Tullis
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Persephone is stuck in Demeter’s shadow, never allowed to grow up, and kept ignorant about the mysterious powers in her veins.
Hades, the enigmatic God of the Underworld, has long been aware of the prophecy that could transform Persephone into not just his consort, but the Dread Queen of the Underworld. After eons of rebuke from the Olympians, he’s scared to even hope it could be true.
When Persephone finally breaks free from Demeter’s control and escapes to the Underworld, Persephone realizes Hades has the answers to questions she has been asking for years, but wants to know why he’s never sought her out.
Persephone’s presence in the Underworld immediately throws Olympus into chaos, pushing Hades and Persephone together sooner than they imagined—but who can fight fate?
✨ ✨ ✨
The second I received the email stating this was available for reading, I ran straight to get it. I read this in one sitting. I absolutely raced through it and it was AMAZING!!
For those of you who do not know, I absolutely adore the tale of Persephone & Hades. I will read any book, I love historical retellings as well as books that just take inspiration from the myth. The dynamic between her and Hades is fantastic, and I especially love how she’s a goddess of spring & life, as well as a goddess of death & of rebirth — the dichotomy of who she is as a person is fascinating.
I absolutely ADORED this little novella; I am so happy this is novella-length and not longer, because nothing more needs to be said about these two. I love how Molly integrated the other characters of the Asphodel series into this novella, especially Hermes and Hecate they are such a fun bunch! This novella was fun, playful, and I loved the dynamic between Persephone & Hades from the get-go. I also am happy that Cerberus was treated as he should too; as a sweet gentle giant for Persephone & a monstrous, beastly creature to their enemies! He deserved to snore peacefully on the bed and be treated like a cute baby by her.
I was obsessed with Persephone’s moment when she came to be who she was always meant to be, in the Underworld, it was very emotional and beautifully written and this might be the first time I read a book on Persephone where all of her names are actually mentioned — I loved that. This was well researched you could tell. I appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from showing her as a scary and powerful goddess; I feel like in some versions of the myth or in some fiction books I’ve read, authors portray her as someone docile, a virgin goddess, who is super naive and doesn’t know anything about well… anything, until she gets sucked into Hades’ life and becomes a consort to the god of the underworld. Her identity is always “Kore” until she becomes consort & then her identity seems to be in relation to her powerful husband. I think that’s dumb, and I’m VERY thankful Molly did not write this story that way, instead we got a young woman who’s been lied to all her life with intense mommy issues, who decides enough is enough and takes control of her life and fights for what she wants and believes in! She’s written perfectly, and her identity is separate from Hades; she’s her own person and has her own personality and great power. And Hades loves her and supports her and is just really proud of her, I loved reading about it 🥹
I really appreciate that the author wrote Persephone in this way, because Persephone was such a renowned and loved goddess in ancient times, with so many cults worshipping her. She rivalled Aphrodite in beauty, she was intelligent, cunning, and just as powerful as Hades, a true equal. She was quite vicious too, in some versions especially the Roman version of Proserpina, she is a mistress to the Furies/Erinyes, who she used to seek revenge and retribution against the most wicked of souls who inhabited the underworld: murderers, adulterers, & betrayers. So yeah, I was very satisfied by the way her character arc went in this novella, and of the relationships and friendships that blossomed along the way.
Overall, if you haven’t read The Asphodel series yet… what are you waiting for?! 🤩 I highly recommend this entire series of standalone novels, each one is just as good as the next, the characters are fleshed out very well, the romance is FIRE, and the writing is dynamic and keeps you on your toes.
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Persephone is stuck in Demeter’s shadow, never allowed to grow up, and kept ignorant about the mysterious powers in her veins.
Hades, the enigmatic God of the Underworld, has long been aware of the prophecy that could transform Persephone into not just his consort, but the Dread Queen of the Underworld. After eons of rebuke from the Olympians, he’s scared to even hope it could be true.
When Persephone finally breaks free from Demeter’s control and escapes to the Underworld, Persephone realizes Hades has the answers to questions she has been asking for years, but wants to know why he’s never sought her out.
Persephone’s presence in the Underworld immediately throws Olympus into chaos, pushing Hades and Persephone together sooner than they imagined—but who can fight fate?
✨ ✨ ✨
The second I received the email stating this was available for reading, I ran straight to get it. I read this in one sitting. I absolutely raced through it and it was AMAZING!!
For those of you who do not know, I absolutely adore the tale of Persephone & Hades. I will read any book, I love historical retellings as well as books that just take inspiration from the myth. The dynamic between her and Hades is fantastic, and I especially love how she’s a goddess of spring & life, as well as a goddess of death & of rebirth — the dichotomy of who she is as a person is fascinating.
I absolutely ADORED this little novella; I am so happy this is novella-length and not longer, because nothing more needs to be said about these two. I love how Molly integrated the other characters of the Asphodel series into this novella, especially Hermes and Hecate they are such a fun bunch! This novella was fun, playful, and I loved the dynamic between Persephone & Hades from the get-go. I also am happy that Cerberus was treated as he should too; as a sweet gentle giant for Persephone & a monstrous, beastly creature to their enemies! He deserved to snore peacefully on the bed and be treated like a cute baby by her.
I was obsessed with Persephone’s moment when she came to be who she was always meant to be, in the Underworld, it was very emotional and beautifully written and this might be the first time I read a book on Persephone where all of her names are actually mentioned — I loved that. This was well researched you could tell. I appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from showing her as a scary and powerful goddess; I feel like in some versions of the myth or in some fiction books I’ve read, authors portray her as someone docile, a virgin goddess, who is super naive and doesn’t know anything about well… anything, until she gets sucked into Hades’ life and becomes a consort to the god of the underworld. Her identity is always “Kore” until she becomes consort & then her identity seems to be in relation to her powerful husband. I think that’s dumb, and I’m VERY thankful Molly did not write this story that way, instead we got a young woman who’s been lied to all her life with intense mommy issues, who decides enough is enough and takes control of her life and fights for what she wants and believes in! She’s written perfectly, and her identity is separate from Hades; she’s her own person and has her own personality and great power. And Hades loves her and supports her and is just really proud of her, I loved reading about it 🥹
I really appreciate that the author wrote Persephone in this way, because Persephone was such a renowned and loved goddess in ancient times, with so many cults worshipping her. She rivalled Aphrodite in beauty, she was intelligent, cunning, and just as powerful as Hades, a true equal. She was quite vicious too, in some versions especially the Roman version of Proserpina, she is a mistress to the Furies/Erinyes, who she used to seek revenge and retribution against the most wicked of souls who inhabited the underworld: murderers, adulterers, & betrayers. So yeah, I was very satisfied by the way her character arc went in this novella, and of the relationships and friendships that blossomed along the way.
Overall, if you haven’t read The Asphodel series yet… what are you waiting for?! 🤩 I highly recommend this entire series of standalone novels, each one is just as good as the next, the characters are fleshed out very well, the romance is FIRE, and the writing is dynamic and keeps you on your toes.
July 16, 2024
I wanted to like this more, but the snob in me is coming out.
It doesn’t entirely stick to the Persephone canon, but an idea of it. But I did like that it kept Persephone the strong goddess that she is in regard to her station and powers
It doesn’t entirely stick to the Persephone canon, but an idea of it. But I did like that it kept Persephone the strong goddess that she is in regard to her station and powers
June 10, 2024
An absolute joy! I love this series and I'm always a sucker for Hades and Persephone. I could have happily read a full novel of this story.
May 31, 2024
“𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒫𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻.”
✨⭐️✨
This Greek Mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone is a romance filled novella with gods and goddesses, overbearing mothers, emerging dark powers, strong females and the fates prophecy— bringing me back to the Asphodel world with my favorite Underworld gang.
Persephone is a goddess looking to break free from the life dictated by her mother. She stumbles into the Underworld— where she finds her home, fated love and dark destiny.
Hades is the big bad god we know and love, that only softens for the one destined to steal his heart.
Their fated love story—filled with clear attraction, banter, heat, heart and power— is sexy, desiring and delicious.
Mollys done it again—she educates and entertains with this quick, easy and spicy mythological tale that oozes godly sexy vibes and shows off the polarizing journey for the Dread Queen of the Underworld.
✨⭐️✨
“𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃— 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒’𝒹 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓎 𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹.”
✨⭐️✨
This Greek Mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone is a romance filled novella with gods and goddesses, overbearing mothers, emerging dark powers, strong females and the fates prophecy— bringing me back to the Asphodel world with my favorite Underworld gang.
Persephone is a goddess looking to break free from the life dictated by her mother. She stumbles into the Underworld— where she finds her home, fated love and dark destiny.
Hades is the big bad god we know and love, that only softens for the one destined to steal his heart.
Their fated love story—filled with clear attraction, banter, heat, heart and power— is sexy, desiring and delicious.
Mollys done it again—she educates and entertains with this quick, easy and spicy mythological tale that oozes godly sexy vibes and shows off the polarizing journey for the Dread Queen of the Underworld.
✨⭐️✨
“𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃— 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒’𝒹 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓎 𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹.”
June 2, 2024
I'm so happy to be back in this world, with (almost) all of my favourite characters! The book is perfect for that alone.
Persephone and Hades are my favourite myth of all time and to see them through Molly's eyes was wonderful. The banter between them was solid and there was such a strong connection between them. I loved Persephone's growth and how she came into her own. Hades is perfection and I love his grumpy ass.
I will say, the story felt a little rushed and unmoored at times. Honestly I think this should've been a full length novel, so there was more room for even pacing and more character development. Even with that though, the story is strong and beautiful and I loved it!
Persephone and Hades are my favourite myth of all time and to see them through Molly's eyes was wonderful. The banter between them was solid and there was such a strong connection between them. I loved Persephone's growth and how she came into her own. Hades is perfection and I love his grumpy ass.
I will say, the story felt a little rushed and unmoored at times. Honestly I think this should've been a full length novel, so there was more room for even pacing and more character development. Even with that though, the story is strong and beautiful and I loved it!
May 27, 2024
I loved the immediate attraction they feel and how it's explained. With this being a novella, we wasted ZERO time and honestly, I need more books that don't string me along for 250 pages before the good stuff. Mama Demeter needs to GET but that will never change. I love Persephone's take no shit attitude and, as always, Hermes.
November 20, 2024
Round up to 3.8. A tasty little spicy treat. I love Molly’s IG but this is the first book of hers I’ve read. I’ll never get tired of a Hades/Persephone story and I really enjoyed Molly’s version of Persephone. I only didnt rate it higher because there’s some repetitive phrases that irk me especially in such a short story.
May 26, 2024
This novella was a fun and playful addition to the asphodel series, and I like how it integrated characters and scenes from the other books! As always, Molly’s writing style really immersed me in the story and I’m happy I finally got to see the story behind this couple’s happily ever after.
May 30, 2024
oh Molly
Molly can literally do no wrong. I will read absolutely anything so writes bc it’s never been lower than a 5 star read for me. And excuuuuuuse me….a Daddy Death cameo?! YES PLEASE
Molly can literally do no wrong. I will read absolutely anything so writes bc it’s never been lower than a 5 star read for me. And excuuuuuuse me….a Daddy Death cameo?! YES PLEASE
August 11, 2024
Does this stick to the original Greek mythology of Persephone and Hades? No.
But does any of Molly Tullis’ books do that? No.
What Molly does is write incredible, strong characters. Particularly female ones, who own their mistakes, and are entirely powerful in their own right. I much preferred this version, where Persephone took charge of her own destiny and fate.
I could easily have read a full sized novel of this.
But does any of Molly Tullis’ books do that? No.
What Molly does is write incredible, strong characters. Particularly female ones, who own their mistakes, and are entirely powerful in their own right. I much preferred this version, where Persephone took charge of her own destiny and fate.
I could easily have read a full sized novel of this.
May 31, 2024
It my first read in this series but not my last. I’ll be diving into book one asap, I love Persephone and Hades stories and the is one of my favourites. It’s a lovely take n the myth.
June 3, 2024
I loved this novella so fucking much! It was definitely too short and I didn't want it to end... I need at least a trilogy on these two alone!
June 7, 2024
Persephone being her badass self and Hades loving every minute of it. Loved this new take on a well known myth.
June 15, 2024
Some typos and duplicate sentences, but packed a full story into a short novella.
July 11, 2024
Everything I signed up for! Just a hot novela for the weekend with Daddy Hades and Mommy Seph.
August 26, 2024
Fated mates/insta love/love at first sight. Bad ass death zaddy gets with goth barbie who takes it well
June 22, 2024
3.5/5🌟
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I can't resist anything Hades and Persephone! This is a fun little novella and I'm tempted to pick up the actual Asphodel series.
➕
- I love the novella length (130ish pages). No fluff or padding over here!
- I like Tullis's Persephone. Despite Demeter's best efforts, she is not meek or naive. It was fun and satisfying so see Persephone thrive. My favorite part was when she came into her power and claimed the Underworld.
- I loved seeing Hermes, Hecate, Thanatos and Cerberus.
➖
- It felt a little rushed at times.
- The connection between Hades and Persephone was fiery but the foundation of it depended heavily on the Fates and the prophecy. I wish they had a deeper bond beyond that.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I can't resist anything Hades and Persephone! This is a fun little novella and I'm tempted to pick up the actual Asphodel series.
➕
- I love the novella length (130ish pages). No fluff or padding over here!
- I like Tullis's Persephone. Despite Demeter's best efforts, she is not meek or naive. It was fun and satisfying so see Persephone thrive. My favorite part was when she came into her power and claimed the Underworld.
- I loved seeing Hermes, Hecate, Thanatos and Cerberus.
➖
- It felt a little rushed at times.
- The connection between Hades and Persephone was fiery but the foundation of it depended heavily on the Fates and the prophecy. I wish they had a deeper bond beyond that.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews