The Persephone Effect

Gunmetal Olympus #2

by Maria Ying

Zeus has been struck down, and Elysium stands on the cusp of destruction.

In this tumult, Persephone is wounded but not yet defeated. A presence grows within her that should not be. She has a chance at the goal she’s strived toward all godhood itself. But just as likely, she could lose everything. Now she must adapt—or drown.

Hades, head heavy with her sister's crown, labors to bring the gods to order and keep them united as a killer haunts the city, capable of dispatching mortals and gods alike. Twin gods Artemis and Apollo grow increasingly erratic, hinting at a scheme that may no longer align them with the survival of Elysium.

In the battle for Olympus, the gods must unearth the secrets left behind by their makers—who may not, after all, be entirely gone...

Genres: Lesbian, LGBT, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy

601 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

About the author

Maria Ying is both a fictional character and the joint pseudonym of Devi Lacroix and Benjanun Sriduangkaew, who have challenged themselves to write fiction with no speculative elements for once.

Devi Lacroix can be found at

Website: devilacroix.com

Twitter: twitter.com/DeviLacroix

Benjanun Sriduangkaew can be found at

Website: beekian.wordpress.com

Twitter: twitter.com/benjanun_s

Reviews

[Meishuu]

unhinged women doing unhinged things, and no men in sigth. My genre.

I do not care for the pairings here, I just want to see Perse doing what she does best.

[Amber The Ninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has me in a chokehold. Did I know what was going on the whole time? No. But that's the Gideon of it all that scratches to good itch in my brain.

All hail Dread Persephone!

[Tris Husband · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong candidate for my favorite book of 2026. It is very difficult to write a sequel that meets the expectations of your readers. Fans get all sorts of ideas in their heads and meeting with the reality of the authors' plans can lead to disappointment through no fault of their own. I've lost count of the number of times that the follow-up to a book left me missing some of the magic of the first.

If you liked the Hades Calculus, it will absolutely not disappoint.

Maria Ying manages to improve on practically everything from HC in ways that kept me turning the pages as quick as I could. +200k words and I devoured it in a matter of days, losing sleep in the best possible way. You should definitely pick this one up if you like lesbians who don't take shit, mecha and hardcore feminist retellings of greek myth.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the first book, and I think this was a good sequel; Hard to follow up, though, on *the hades calculus*, and I think some elements kept me from going quite as feral over this. I didn't consume it in the same way I did the first book.

I still really like Persephone's story, her character, her Lords, the other gods and pilots. I care less for Adrastus, and I think the middle of this book could have been more succinct to keep the focus on Persephone. I had the experience, reading, of feeling like there wasn't anything interesting going on, as i waited - with Persephone and the gods - for Adrastus to finish his business.

Still a wonderful read, and I'm excited to read more, and to continue to be very normal about the bloodier elements of this universe.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing the middle book in a trilogy is probably very very hard. It by default does not have its own beginning nor its own ending, and is almost always judged after the fact on its role as the in between, and held against trope expectations like "the dark middle chapter". The Persephone Effect, however, manages to fulfill both its role as the follow-up to a first book and standing alone as a great book in its own right. This book is so remarkably well crafted that it should shine in the eyes of anyone who appreciates a great novel, even for those outside the target demographic of sicko lesbians.

[Harper Maitland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like stories about cannibal lesbians in giant robots? Of course you do, its why you're here!

The Persephone Effect is a fantastic sequel to Hades Calculus, every bit as unhinged and well-written, and then some. Almost every chapter had at least one moment where I had to put the book down and pace about for a while, or stop reading and stare into space. Page after page of being emotionally devastated, breathless with trepidation, or so happy I cheered out loud.

An amazing return to the queer dystopia of Gunmetal Olympus, definitely a worthy read.

[Ace Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am flabbergasted. Shook, even. I waited a year for this release and it exceeded my high expectations. Brutal, hungry, grief-stricken, horny. Am I describing the characters? The book? Myself? Yes! I cried, I laughed, I felt frustration towards sci-fi Greek gods as if they were real people in my life. Truly I love this series

[Autumn Lanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Done. The Persephone Effect is yet another triumph of narrative labyrinth. The stakes are high. My heart broke so many times reading this book.

The world-building is just so fucking brilliant and ever expansive. The prose are fruits fresh from the garden.

5/5 A perfect hellstorm of loving pain.