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, Science Fiction

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.

[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.

[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

[Courtney 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.