Fields of Asphodel

Underworld Myths #1

by Callie Rowland

In this lush reimagining of Greek mythology, the daughter of Hades and Persephone defies the gods of the underworld to forge her own life amid war, curses, and unexpected romance.

For Asphodel, the free-spirited daughter of Hades and Persephone, being cursed to never fall in love with a god is a blessing.

Determined not to be trapped in a union like her mother, Del spends her life blissfully on the Isle of Flowers, far from her family in the underworld. But when Del’s parents ordain her marriage to Thanatos, the god of death, the freedom she’s long since guarded is at risk of being stolen for eternity. So Del takes fate into her own She kidnaps her groom-to-be and traps him on her Isle.

But defying the gods comes with a price. Without Thanatos to send mortals off to peaceful rest in the underworld, death will devolve into brutality and violence. The realms will be consumed by chaos. With time running out and her freedom on the line, Del must restore the balance she upended―even as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to the ever-charming and bashful Thanatos, who offers another way of saving the worlds by breaking her curse. Only then can Del choose to marry him.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Greek Mythology

315 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2026

About the author

Callie lives in Louisville, KY, where she spends most of her time reading and writing. When she's feeling brave, she even hangs out with other people. She is the proud mother of a spider plant named Lucifer, a pothos named Lilith, and a cat named Lewis (who she is convinced is the Guardian of Realms). You can find her across social media @calliemrowland or on her website, callierowland.com.

Reviews

[Sabrina Chaltry]

I received this book from Amazon Prime First Reads. I couldn’t finish it. The first couple chapters were great. But then the characters just got very juvenile in my opinion. The way they talked, the things happening, just the story in general. I was thinking, we cannot be talking about Gods and Goddesses right now 🙄

[annotated by Noi (in & out)]

This looks promising

[Jenn]

2.5⭐/5

When you learn your parents aren't who you thought they were...

Asphodel, the Greek goddess who desperately needed My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park to adequately express herself. Cue the teenage angst and bedroom door slams.

Honestly, this was a bit of a disappointing read for me. I really wish the author had taken more liberties with the fantastical elements. There's the Underworld, an isolated Isle of beauty and nature, the Fates, Gods and Goddesses of dreams and death; literally a treasure trove of Greek Mythology goodies. And instead, we get delivered so so much angst and some really awkward, cringe-worthy dialogues. This really should have been marketed as young adult, however, there are a few very unexpected and unnecessary spicy scenes (it could have just been a kiss, just saying 🤷‍♀️).

All that being said, there were some cute moments and beautiful imagery.

Reviewed as part of Amazon's monthly first reads

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading]

I’m a sucker for mythology fiction/retellings. While I enjoyed the overall theme and plot, Del herself was irritating on and off, and seemed quite immature. I didn’t get the connection Than had with her. Also, the nicknames?? No I don’t love that. Imagine if we went around calling Hades “Des” lol.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and 47North for a copy!

[Keeley]

Unless you are looking for Greek mythology-ish fantasy fanfiction, I wouldn't recommend this book. The characterization is inconsistent, the plot makes little sense, and no effort was put into making the world feel ancient or related to Greek myth. (In the author's note, she indicated she didn't put in a Dutch door b/c anachronism. Yet she has white wedding dresses, throwing the bouquet, window screens, indoor ovens abutting countertops... Just give them cell phones already and have done with it.)

[Aubrey Sawyer]

This is literally hot garbage

[Daniela M]

A Greek retelling that takes so many liberties, that it no longer feels like a retelling. The Fields of Asphodel follows the made-up daughter of Hades and Persephone who has been cursed to never fall in love. One day her father announces that she will marry the god of death Thanatos, and suddenly her well loved freedom is at risk. Fearing that she will end up in what she believes to be a loveless relationship like her parents, Del kidnaps her soon-to-be husband and imprisons him on an island. But, having the god of death out of commission naturally causes chaos in the mortal world, and now Del must face her actions and fix what she’s broken.

Because Asphodel is an entirely made-up character, the author has the chance to do whatever she wants. What she does though is make her one of the most petulant, whiny, headstrong FMCs I have seen. It was so infuriating being inside her head. She was sassy, rude, and difficult for no reason. Everything that came out of her mouth was an unnecessary retort, and I could not stand her.

Thanatos was a cardboard cutout who fell for Del for whatever reason. I cannot imagine what drew him into her. Hades and Persephone are shells of their myths, and they were so far gone from what we know about them, that I question what the point of this story was in using their names.

This is not a retelling as we know them. This story does not value the myth of these characters that we know about them. Unlike Circe or Clytemnestra, this doesn’t feel like a retelling of the Greek myth. This just feels like a fanfiction of Grecian myths, or a marketing tactic to get people to read it by using the names of these characters to draw people in. There is modern slang, Del speaks like a grumpy teenager, the myth of these characters isn’t utilized at all, the setting does feel right. None of this screams a faithful retelling in a Greek inspired world.

The audiobook also didn’t help. The narrator decides to use an extremely childlike voice for Del that just makes her immature words sound all the more juvenile. I felt like I was following along with an edgy 14-year-old who thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. So, when the unnecessary on-page spice shows up, it’s all the more icky.

If you are a fan of Circe, or Clytemnestra, or any other Greek/Roman retelling, this will drive you mad. It’s childish, it feels YA, it doesn’t value the source material, and it’s just not an interesting plot. The end is rushed, the characters are unlikable, and there is nothing working for me. This is something I would recommend going in with the right expectations. This is YA (despite the spice), and if you’re okay with that, then sure, enjoy this. But if you’re wanting something similar to the other retellings out there, this is far too juvenile for you.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook ARC!

[Meg]

Asphodel, eldest daughter of Hades and Persephone, doesn't like the underworld. She's the goddess of fresh flowers, and spends more of her time with her grandmother Demeter and living on her own island than she does in her parents' realm. She hates her father and thinks he kidnapped her mother, so she tries to dissolve their marriage vows. Instead of carrying out her own plan, she finds herself betrothed to Thanatos, one of her father's right-hands, and the God of "peaceful death." But Asphodel has been cursed, and cannot fall in love with anyone related to the Underworld, and she refuses to marry for anything other than love.

I had mixed feelings about Fields of Asphodel. On the one hand, it is a clever story of familiar Greek myths expanded. There is a central romance with an open door, and a patient, gentle beta hero (lovely and rare in Greek mythology!). That said, this could generously be classified as "new adult" in terms of character development, and while the gods and goddesses of myth tended to make some dumb decisions and were often out for revenge, it plays best when handled in a lighter tone than something like this.

Even at just over 300 pages/11hours the story dragged in the middle for me, and for a romance had too late of a third act breakup and insufficient resolution. Perhaps readers of myth would appreciate that part of the story a bit more.

Thank you to 47North for an eARC and Brilliance Audio for an ALC. Fields of Asphodel is out now.

[Yamini]

We are following the first child of Hades and Persephone, who rebels against an arranged marriage decided by her parents. And of course, when Gods and demigods start taking matters into their own hands, there are bound to be equal and opposite repercussions.

I haven't really come across anything centred around Asphodel's character in Greek mythology before, so this was certainly a new story for me. The audiobook did a great job of carrying the exasperation of the entire situation, from the shyness and anger to all the emotions that come flying when a proposal isn't really a question.

But I think I mostly enjoyed the outrage that filled Asphodel's character. She wasn't about to quietly sit around and watch her fate get decided for her, and the lengths she goes to in order to stop it, including kidnapping her to-be, made the story all the more entertaining.

Overall, the story was a fun ride, and I really enjoyed this little detour into a character I hadn't explored before in Greek mythology.

[DancingMarshmallow]

Overall: 2 stars

Meh. This was disappointing.

I loved the idea of a Greek mythology setting, since I definitely had a Greek myths phase when I was a teenager. However. This book did not deliver on its premise, and the execution was middling.

The characters all seem very juvenile - which, to be fair, whiny and self-entitled behavior is perfectly appropriate for a Greek god - and instead of epic stakes of all of humanity being left unable to die with Thanatos kidnapped....the plot really centers on Asphodel and her schoolyard bullying tactics and "mean girls" obsession with getting revenge on her dad. Again, these plot points could have been dealt with more emotional weight and maturity, buuuuuuuuuut. The writing just did not capture any sort of real seriousness, and everything seemed petty.

Also. I have major beef with the author's use of stupid nicknames for the Greek gods. Than for Thanatos? Del for Asphodel? CATE for Hecate?? Again, this just made the book seem very YA in an immature, bratty way.

I liked the creativity of the premise, and that's kind of it. I’ve read some great Amazon Prime First Reads, but this wasn’t one of them

[Katie Pohl]

This may be the worst book I’ve ever read. I’m not sure why I even persisted through to the end, but the ending was even more disappointing than the entirety of the story. The characters are Greek gods but the dialogue is written as if they’re teenagers. The lack of creative writing makes it seem as if the book was written by a teenager as well. I’d give this zero stars if that was an option.

[Megan Murphy]

this book absolutely shimmers

[Britta]

This was an amazon 1st read that i snagged a little too hastily. Usually I review them better but I like the greek retellings and thought I'd give it a shot. Except it's not a retelling and it's not true to what has been told of persephone even.
There is a plot here, but it's too deeply buried under a lot of drama. And yes the gods are dramatic and childish but this was just not going anywhere. And then it slipped into basically being a bodice ripper with the slight wave to ancient Greek mythology.
Read it for a while, then paused when another book came available through the library. Then I tried to go back and got to 60% when it became clear that I really didn't care what happened.

[Lorelai]

Before proceeding with my review, I want to thank the author, NetGalley, and 47North/The Publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

~~~~~

DNF at 14%/Chapter 6.

This was such an interesting concept. And I REALLY hate to DNF a book. I think it’s like giving up, not giving the book a chance to change your mind or show you its true self. And most of the time I am willing to stick it out even if the plot is boring if the writing is good, or if the writing isn’t the best but the plot or characters are compelling.

I don’t really know what happened with this book. As someone who likes fast paced reads, the fact that this book smacks you in the face with the plot (Del kidnaps Than like 3 chapters into the book) would normally be fine with me, but this book is all over the place. And honestly, the part that makes me maddest is all the telling and not showing.

Del hates her father. She says so many many times. We are given brief glimpses as to why, but nothing concrete enough to expand on. Hades seems like an asshole father who doesn’t respect his daughter, that’s all we see of him (or at least have seen at this point of the book despite him allegedly appearing as a main antagonist). He doesn’t seem to listen to Del and her wishes at all, but it isn’t in a way that makes us as the reader hate him too. Del tells us to hate Hades, she doesn’t let us grow to hate him on our own. Same for Persephone. We are supposed to feel Del’s shock of betrayal when Persephone supports Del’s arranged marriage, but we don’t. Because Del just telling us to isn’t enough to illicit those feelings. We as the reader have not grown to trust and depend on Persephone as a character, so her agreeing with Hades and not listening to Del doesn’t mean anything.

Furthermore, it was this “betrayal” that made me stop reading. Because a potentially very interesting avenue was just abandoned. Persephone in this book reminds me of a woman who is trapped in an abusive relationship. Persephone can LITERALLY not leave Hades. She is bound to the underworld, full stop. That’s just the original myth. Clearly, she has evolved to survive in this relationship, a fact which Del does not seem to understand or care enough to acknowledge. And as we are seeing through Del’s eyes, we are also not really compelled to see Persephone as a victim of domestic violence.

Now maybe later in the book, Del comes to understand her mother’s perspective and is nicer to her about it, I don’t know. But the dismissive way the book treats her character at the start was very off putting for me.

And as interesting as this concept is, that is what this book is. A concept. It’s like the plot wasn’t fully formed. So Del kidnaps Than to…end her engagement to him? What the hell does kidnapping him accomplish? It buys her time? Time to do what? And I’m all for a girl doing a thing without a plan and then going “oh no what did I do and how will I get out of it” but that isn’t the case here. Del is very confident in her nonexistent plan.

Furthermore, as Thanatos very clearly and explicitly tells us immediately after his kidnapping, he is the god of PEACEFUL death. In his absence, mortals will only be able to die horrible and painful deaths, a fact which Del doesn’t really seem too concerned with. She doesn’t even ACKNOWLEDGE his point, just brushing it off entirely. She is a whiny, spoiled, annoying brat and its REALLY hard to connect with her as a character.

I want to add that a character does not have to be likeable for a book to be good, that’s not what I’m saying. Two of my favorite books of all time are Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby, two books known for their cast of characters not being the most likeable or good people. And Catherine from Wuthering Heights is also a whiny, spoiled, annoying brat. But in her case, we are given insight into how she became that way. The societal pressures and expectations of her time, the good and the bad and the nuances of being human.

Del reads more like that Pingu meme where his arms are crossed and he’s staring at the camera all grouchy. She’s childish and bratty and yet we are expected to…side with her? Agree with her concepts of a plan? Feel angry that no one is listening to her? …Even though she has done nothing but complain, whine, kidnap a poor guy, poison her father, and imprison her mother in…vines??

This book reads like fanfiction in the worst way. I am in no way trying to attack the author, writing a book is HARD and I applaud her for taking a story that has been done to death both in its original capacity and in modern retellings and trying something new with it, but this story needs to go back to the drawing board and work some things out.

However, I will acknowledge I did not finish this book. So my opinions and thoughts cannot be applied to the entirety of the novel, just what I was able to get through before throwing in the towel.

[Libby]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

DNF'ed at 40%. I was excited about the idea of this romance between Greek underworld gods, but basically everything about the execution fell flat for me. The tone is very modern and YA, but for some reason it's still trying to be a book set in Ancient Greece. It felt like the author should've gone the whole way and just made it a modern setting. Also, the characters' actions were often nonsensical and confusing. E.g., if we're supposed to believe Persephone loves Hades, why would she put a curse on her daughter to make her hate everyone in the Underworld? Why would she not let baby Asphodel hang out with her dad to bond? Also, if Thanatos cares so much about Asphodel, why would he agree to a betrothal without once asking her opinion - even going so far as to make an unbreakable vow! It all feels very, very contrived, just so the story can happen. The characters also often feel quite juvenile, no one really has the gravitas to convince me they're a god/goddess (not even Hades, supposedly one of the most powerful gods). The nicknames really contributed to this. It struck a really weird note for Thanatos, for example, to call Asphodel "Del" immediately, when they supposedly hadn't spoken much before that. And shortening Hecate to "Cate" is just diabolical, and makes me think this author doesn't actually know how to pronounce that name. Overall, unfortunately, a big flop for me.

[Heather]

Come for the nuanced retelling of Hades and Persephone that honors the agency of everyone involved. Stay for the BDSM, the telenovela-style chaos train of betrayal and deception, and the flower magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Character motivations are so strong in this one, for everyone we meet. I loved how Callie Rowland never took the easy way out on that front. They're all sympathetic, brimming equally with good intentions and bad decisions in ways that feel so deeply human. I was annoyed every time I had to put it down! I wanted to stay with Asphodel and found myself cheering for her at every stage of her development. Will be recommending this one constantly to anyone who wants the family drama, mythology retellings, and spicy romance.

Grateful once again to Netgalley, and to 47North for the ARC. It was a perfect match for me and will go into the carousel of books I never shut up about!

[DeljM]

I love Greek mythology stories and this book had elements that ticked boxes for me. The underworld, Hades and Persephone, other gods and goddesses, a beautiful hidden flower isle. The first few chapters started off great we met Del, daughter of Hades and Persephone who had been raised by Demeter. She believes Hades stole her mother and she wants to try rescue her from being trapped in the underworld. When she enters the underworld for an annual festival she tries to poison her father finds out she’s betrothed and kidnaps her husband to be in an attempt to get out of the situation. And this is where I stopped enjoying it…

She gets him back to her isle and starts acting very juvenile lots of teenage angst it’s cringy. All the characters seem childish - not how I like gods to behave. There is a sex scene that is terrible and cringy I nearly stopped reading. The plot just seemed a shambles from this point on and I was left quite gutted as the book had started off really promising. Should definitely be in the YA category. So unfortunately I’ve rated this book 2 ⭐️ which I hate having to do but I just really didn’t enjoy it.

[Timothy Burbage]

3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a Greek mythological romantasy about Asphodel (the fictional Greek goddess of flowers, made up for this story) and Thanatos, the god of death. This story mirrors Hades and Persephone and also includes other gods like Zeus, Demeter and Hecate.

I am not a romantasy reader by any stretch, but I really did buy into the relationship between Asphodel and Thanatos. I enjoyed the setting and the comparisons to Haded and Persephone.

A couple of things stopped this from being a 5 star for me, but they are not necessarily a bad thing for other people.

One thing is the spicy scenes. There were 2 occasions and they came at odd points in the story (for me) and I felt like they were there because the genre demands it.

The other aspect was key moments in the plot. I felt like they were side quests and I couldnt really see why certain things were happening. I didnt mind this so much as the feelings of Asphodel and Thanatos brought me through the story

[Mariah]

2.5 stars ⭐

I wanted to like this, but Asphodel felt so juvenile for most of the book, as if she wasn't some 100-year-old goddess but a 14-year-old emo high school kid mad cause her parents "just don't get her." All her thoughts were just what other people told her to think (her grandmother, her mother, etc).

The romance (if you can call it that) was a bit empty and unfounded for me. Some kinda reverse Stockholm Syndrome cause you're telling me the thousand-year-old Greek god of Death fell in love with the little girl goddess of flowers after she kidnapped him for finding out her own father arranged her marriage with said Greek God of Death. Like what? I just wasn't understanding how Thanatos would have fallen in love with her so quickly, and to just throw it at us with no build up, no gratification because the second after they kissed (also without build up) they just... have strange dom/sub sex?

This book was just not for me, I guess. The writing was decent and the initial plot was interesting, but I got lost with the characters and progression.

[Pat K]

3.5 stars
This book started really well, the story of Asphodel, daughter of Persephone and Hades, granddaughter of Demeter.
The author shortens all the names, which I found annoying, she calls the main character, Del; Thanatos, Than; Hekate, Kate, and Demeter is rarely called by her name, but is referred to by Asphodel as Yaya.
I found the story interesting, the writing and narrator good, but at about 50% in, there is a lengthy explicit sex scene, that in my opinion adds nothing of value to the story.
I have no problem with explicit sex scenes, but I’ve never come across one in a book of Greek myths before.

[Erika K]

It was an interesting concept. But the follow through was just not it for me. I had to force myself to keep reading since I was going to a signing event but I would have DNF pretty soon otherwise. Not really a fan of the cover so it wouldn't have drawn my interest. The MMC had no backbone. Zero. He was a cinnamon roll doormat which is ridiculous for the god of death. Although she even took the edge of that away by making him the god of peaceful death. What? Sigh. The characters felt very juvenile and not likeable. It just wasn't for me.

[Lucy]

I really enjoyed this book and Callie Rowland's take on greek mythology. It had the right amount of romance to not detract from the characters and mythology and I enjoyed the setting descriptions, especially of the underworld. Would recommend!

[Clara]

2.5
I couldn't put this down at the beginning, I was obsessed. Then it dragged a bit, and th characters and the dialogue felt a tad immature. I also lost a big part of my interest but I'm willing to try another book by the author.

[Tessa Deignan]

I didn’t like any character and it felt like everyone was a teenager and angsty the entire time.

[Min]

the first few pages were so boring... and frankly not bothered to know more.

[Chloe W]

I really enjoyed this book! At first, I was hesitant to like it because the main character seemed a little extra in her hatred. However, the world building and characterization of all the characters it really contextualized the dynamics.

I think this book excels at creating complex characters that have both good and bad characteristics which makes the characters compelling. The story is definitely not a one dimensional narrative. The narrative itself seems to focus on generational cycles of abuse and trauma. What I especially liked about this book is that while there were action pack scenes with high stakes most of these scenes were actually resolved through the conversation and dialogue.

Characters felt heard and seen and that’s something I appreciate.

The plot moved at a good pace. I never once felt bored with it. There was always something ensuring that I wanted to turn the page.

One thing I think the book got a little hasty with the romance with the main character. Just with their physical intimacy.

Leaving on a positive note, I also valued that the book woven magic and a lot of the myths into a new narrative that intertwined it all together. The syntax and word choice to describe scenes really made me want to actually be present in the scenes to see how everything worked because it sounded so fascinating.

[Alexis]

A refreshing take on a Greek mythology retelling!

[Skye Griffin]

I really enjoyed Fields of Asphodel and gave it four stars. I loved the story, the mythology, and the overall take on Hades and Persephone. My biggest complaint was the way the characters were written at times. These are gods who are hundreds of years old, yet they often speak and behave like 12-year-olds. The constant miscommunication, emotional immaturity, and juvenile dialogue got frustrating and occasionally pulled me out of the story.

That said, I was invested enough in the story and characters that I still really enjoyed it. A solid four stars, but I definitely found myself wishing these ancient gods would act their age every once in a while.

[Allison]

Received from Amazon first reads. Could have been great but characters were all very one note and I didn’t enjoy the writing. Look elsewhere for a good Greek mythology inspired story.

[Dori]

This was going to be a 5 star read until the last chapter. The story was engaging and I read it in 2 days, but I really needed the main characters to have one more conversation to believe the epilogue.