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Persephone
(From Kickstarter) In his ancient hymns, Homer tells us of the unyielding Lord of the Dead who kidnapped the innocent daughter of Demeter. He tells us quite a bit, in fact, for someone who wasn’t there.
Persephone is no tragic victim, but a kind young woman held in place by her overbearing mother. A failed scheme by Apollo leads her to a chance encounter with the humorless Hades, who is struck by love’s arrow. Now he must wrestle with his aching heart before he loses control entirely.
...Not that the infatuated Persephone has any complaints regarding Hades' plight.
As desire blooms between the secluded goddess of the harvest and the ruler of the underworld, the world changes both above and below.
Allison Shaw, creator of comics Far to the North and Tigress Queen, drew on her passion for mythology and ear for modern dialogue to create an updated myth for a mature audience. She wished to offer to her readers a feminist and sensual take on the story, which has grown more and more popular over the years, thanks to its themes of change, rebirth and growth.
Persephone is no tragic victim, but a kind young woman held in place by her overbearing mother. A failed scheme by Apollo leads her to a chance encounter with the humorless Hades, who is struck by love’s arrow. Now he must wrestle with his aching heart before he loses control entirely.
...Not that the infatuated Persephone has any complaints regarding Hades' plight.
As desire blooms between the secluded goddess of the harvest and the ruler of the underworld, the world changes both above and below.
Allison Shaw, creator of comics Far to the North and Tigress Queen, drew on her passion for mythology and ear for modern dialogue to create an updated myth for a mature audience. She wished to offer to her readers a feminist and sensual take on the story, which has grown more and more popular over the years, thanks to its themes of change, rebirth and growth.
168 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2017
76 people are currently reading
5985 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 720 reviews
December 28, 2021
I've been devouring graphic novels lately and this one was quite nice. A very adult take on the taking of Persephone. (Lots of squeezed boobies, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I wasn't expecting it.) But more romantic and sweet than the original myth. Lovely art. Not quite as good as Lore Olympus for me, but still very much worth the time.
November 9, 2024
Don't go for this graphic novel willingly unless you're ready to cringe.
I pick flowers too. And it's a well-liked profession. At least for me 💓 So, please don't make fun of Persephone when she tells you what she does.
And that one page of lovesick Hades put down by a quiver of red heart arrows. Love that page. Actually obsessed with that!
I love the illustrations the most in this graphic novel.
There isn't much plot to tell the truth. Just expect to enjoy a good show with Disney like artwork with soft looking characters. Even when they don't do much. They do to your eyes so much. And this graphic novel lives up to the eyes of the beholder.
The story and the characters are funny and silly. That's all. And no, there's lot of DRAMA, with a capital letter D. And some problems with the characters getting fully clothed.
Trigger warning for some parts depicting assault and consent being not asked for. Unlikeable characters. Lovesick characters. Whiny characters. But well, a lovestory done with the best visuals.
I thought I would like the pair when they've together. It made me cringe instead. Something's just not right.
I pick flowers too. And it's a well-liked profession. At least for me 💓 So, please don't make fun of Persephone when she tells you what she does.
And that one page of lovesick Hades put down by a quiver of red heart arrows. Love that page. Actually obsessed with that!
I love the illustrations the most in this graphic novel.
There isn't much plot to tell the truth. Just expect to enjoy a good show with Disney like artwork with soft looking characters. Even when they don't do much. They do to your eyes so much. And this graphic novel lives up to the eyes of the beholder.
The story and the characters are funny and silly. That's all. And no, there's lot of DRAMA, with a capital letter D. And some problems with the characters getting fully clothed.
Trigger warning for some parts depicting assault and consent being not asked for. Unlikeable characters. Lovesick characters. Whiny characters. But well, a lovestory done with the best visuals.
I thought I would like the pair when they've together. It made me cringe instead. Something's just not right.
February 13, 2022
This was super cute!! I really enjoyed the heat between Hades and Persephone. This inevitably reminded me of Lore Olympus, but it a really ramped up quicker plot. Like much, much quicker. It wasn’t quite as beautiful, but still had its merits.
Persephone was sweet and smart, while Hades was an awesomely good guy. The two bounce off of each other for a hot minute before… Spoiler Alert!!!! Ending up in each other’s arms and then some. A lot of then some… which was a little surprising because I thought the bulk of the plot would be the two of them getting together. Spoiler Over!!!
But it was super cute!! I’d be interested to see if there will be another book because this seems to have wrapped everything up nicely in just this one. Either way, I recommend this to those who love Hades and Persephone’s story. This adds a little something that I haven’t seen before in their love tale.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss, Seven Seas, and Allison Shaw for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!
Persephone was sweet and smart, while Hades was an awesomely good guy. The two bounce off of each other for a hot minute before… Spoiler Alert!!!! Ending up in each other’s arms and then some. A lot of then some… which was a little surprising because I thought the bulk of the plot would be the two of them getting together. Spoiler Over!!!
But it was super cute!! I’d be interested to see if there will be another book because this seems to have wrapped everything up nicely in just this one. Either way, I recommend this to those who love Hades and Persephone’s story. This adds a little something that I haven’t seen before in their love tale.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss, Seven Seas, and Allison Shaw for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!
September 15, 2018
I loved this mature retelling of the myth, without any kind of abduction. The art is wonderful and with ethical problems. I do hope that the artist will make a similar comic about Eros and Psyche.
September 29, 2021
This was a very romantic adaptation of Hades and Persephone with gorgeous pictures, I like the characters and their form.
Persephone doesn't suppose to be near Olympus, but Appolo takes her to see Hades, who is struck by love’s arrow Eros. God of underground is the good guy here and tries to control his feelings but who wanna control Persephone?
Many thanks to Edelweiss for giving me the chance to read Persephone: Hades' Torment by Allison Shaw, I have given my honest review.
Persephone doesn't suppose to be near Olympus, but Appolo takes her to see Hades, who is struck by love’s arrow Eros. God of underground is the good guy here and tries to control his feelings but who wanna control Persephone?
Many thanks to Edelweiss for giving me the chance to read Persephone: Hades' Torment by Allison Shaw, I have given my honest review.
May 24, 2019
(originally reviewed at
thelibraryladies.com
)
Ever since I was a kid I’ve been completely taken with the Persephone and Hades myth. I’m not sure if it’s because Hades is the original Depressive Demon Nightmare Boy, or that I’ve always loved the idea of a Queen of the Dead, but their romance and (part time) joint rule of the Underworld is one of my favorite pieces of mythology. As such, I’m always looking for adaptations of it. Sadly, I haven’t really found many to my liking outside of a few children’s stories (side note, if you have recommendations, send them my way!), and it saddens me that the myth is a bit underappreciated. But that’s why I wanted to spotlight “Persephone” by Allison Shaw, because the moment I started reading I knew that I was going to really enjoy what was done to the characters that I love so much.
The story that Shaw makes takes influence from the original Greek mythologies and updates them a bit to be, shall we say, less problematic than the source material. While it’s important to remember the historical and cultural context at the heart of these stories, the idea of a guy kidnapping a woman and making her his bride doesn’t sit well anymore (even if it’s all a metaphor for growing up and leaving home for a new family AND the changing of the seasons). So Shaw makes Persephone not only the main character, but Hades conflicted about his attraction to her (thanks in part to an errant arrow from Eros) as he doesn’t think that she would be happy with him in the Underworld. Persephone, too, approaches their romance in a different way, as her infatuation slowly grows and is VERY real by the time she and Hades disappear while a domineering Demeter panics. Side note: even as a kid I thought it was strange that Demeter was SO overprotective/controlling of her grown daughter, and found it creepy that she’d stop things from growing in a blackmail effort to get her kid back; I’m glad that authors of newer adaptations are willing to point out that this, too, takes away Persephone’s agency and has it’s own toxicity about it. Their characterizations are also quite strong, and you get a sense of their motivations and personalities pretty easily. She is bubbly and optimistic and kind, and he is sarcastic and dour and a bit lonely, and the differences round each other out well. The romance is very cute as it builds, and yes, it’s also pretty damn sexy. There is a reason this book is described as ‘mature’. It transforms original moments of potential violation in the original story and turns them into moments of very intentional consent, with very, shall we say, steamy results. Now I’m not one who reads that much romance fiction, but I know good smut when I see it, and for the most part “Persephone” has good smut. There’s one moment that seems a bit tacked on as an afterthought, but who am I to complain about love scenes within a love story, especially if they’re between one of my favorite fictional couples of all time?
There are also VERY fun references to other Greek myths and characters, from a lecherous and obnoxious Apollo being a creep to a determined Artemis taking Persephone under her wing, to a snarky Eros who is dealing with his own conflicted feelings about Psyche, and oh can we please, PLEASE get an adaptation of that one next?! IT’S MY SECOND FAVORITE GREEK MYTH!! Persephone and Hades have interactions with all of these characters and act in ways that seem totally true to how their characters would act. I do wish that the story had been longer so that we could have had even more exploration of all of these characters, but I think that it’s better to be left wanting more than to feel like a story is slogging along at a snail’s pace.
And finally, I really loved the art work and the character designs. From Persephone’s voluptuous frame to the fact that Hades has his own speech bubble type, I thought that artwork was unique and fit the tone of the story.
I greatly enjoyed what Allison Shaw did with the Hades and Persephone myth. “Persephone” was a sweet and satisfying adaptation of a myth that I have always held dear to my heart.
Ever since I was a kid I’ve been completely taken with the Persephone and Hades myth. I’m not sure if it’s because Hades is the original Depressive Demon Nightmare Boy, or that I’ve always loved the idea of a Queen of the Dead, but their romance and (part time) joint rule of the Underworld is one of my favorite pieces of mythology. As such, I’m always looking for adaptations of it. Sadly, I haven’t really found many to my liking outside of a few children’s stories (side note, if you have recommendations, send them my way!), and it saddens me that the myth is a bit underappreciated. But that’s why I wanted to spotlight “Persephone” by Allison Shaw, because the moment I started reading I knew that I was going to really enjoy what was done to the characters that I love so much.
The story that Shaw makes takes influence from the original Greek mythologies and updates them a bit to be, shall we say, less problematic than the source material. While it’s important to remember the historical and cultural context at the heart of these stories, the idea of a guy kidnapping a woman and making her his bride doesn’t sit well anymore (even if it’s all a metaphor for growing up and leaving home for a new family AND the changing of the seasons). So Shaw makes Persephone not only the main character, but Hades conflicted about his attraction to her (thanks in part to an errant arrow from Eros) as he doesn’t think that she would be happy with him in the Underworld. Persephone, too, approaches their romance in a different way, as her infatuation slowly grows and is VERY real by the time she and Hades disappear while a domineering Demeter panics. Side note: even as a kid I thought it was strange that Demeter was SO overprotective/controlling of her grown daughter, and found it creepy that she’d stop things from growing in a blackmail effort to get her kid back; I’m glad that authors of newer adaptations are willing to point out that this, too, takes away Persephone’s agency and has it’s own toxicity about it. Their characterizations are also quite strong, and you get a sense of their motivations and personalities pretty easily. She is bubbly and optimistic and kind, and he is sarcastic and dour and a bit lonely, and the differences round each other out well. The romance is very cute as it builds, and yes, it’s also pretty damn sexy. There is a reason this book is described as ‘mature’. It transforms original moments of potential violation in the original story and turns them into moments of very intentional consent, with very, shall we say, steamy results. Now I’m not one who reads that much romance fiction, but I know good smut when I see it, and for the most part “Persephone” has good smut. There’s one moment that seems a bit tacked on as an afterthought, but who am I to complain about love scenes within a love story, especially if they’re between one of my favorite fictional couples of all time?
There are also VERY fun references to other Greek myths and characters, from a lecherous and obnoxious Apollo being a creep to a determined Artemis taking Persephone under her wing, to a snarky Eros who is dealing with his own conflicted feelings about Psyche, and oh can we please, PLEASE get an adaptation of that one next?! IT’S MY SECOND FAVORITE GREEK MYTH!! Persephone and Hades have interactions with all of these characters and act in ways that seem totally true to how their characters would act. I do wish that the story had been longer so that we could have had even more exploration of all of these characters, but I think that it’s better to be left wanting more than to feel like a story is slogging along at a snail’s pace.
And finally, I really loved the art work and the character designs. From Persephone’s voluptuous frame to the fact that Hades has his own speech bubble type, I thought that artwork was unique and fit the tone of the story.
I greatly enjoyed what Allison Shaw did with the Hades and Persephone myth. “Persephone” was a sweet and satisfying adaptation of a myth that I have always held dear to my heart.
October 14, 2021
An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This graphic novel tells the story of Hades and Persephone, but there were definitely some changes made. Here the two fall in love with each other and there's no kidnapping involved whatsoever, it's very romanticized in this regard. I enjoyed seeing Persephone having an active role and being more conscious and in control of her own choices, that was an interesting twist. I was not the biggest fan of Hades, I feel like he had almost no personality and I wish we could have seen more of the underworld and also just him in general.
Overall it was an okay read, nothing more.
This graphic novel tells the story of Hades and Persephone, but there were definitely some changes made. Here the two fall in love with each other and there's no kidnapping involved whatsoever, it's very romanticized in this regard. I enjoyed seeing Persephone having an active role and being more conscious and in control of her own choices, that was an interesting twist. I was not the biggest fan of Hades, I feel like he had almost no personality and I wish we could have seen more of the underworld and also just him in general.
Overall it was an okay read, nothing more.
February 14, 2018
This was a B.E.Autiful little book!! I’d read it again to just get lost in the artwork!! Story was light and fluffy and more adult than the art style would belay at points!! Would recommend for a quick read which is nice and fluffy!! Very cute and endearing.
Not quite a 5 star read though. Just not enough substance for that but this is a book I will re-read and delight in the gorgeous artwork and fluffy light-hearted story!! Always anything with Greek gods is a plus in my book
Not quite a 5 star read though. Just not enough substance for that but this is a book I will re-read and delight in the gorgeous artwork and fluffy light-hearted story!! Always anything with Greek gods is a plus in my book
October 28, 2022
A sexy and funny take on the myth of Persephone and Hades that empowers her and humanizes him. Delightful.
February 1, 2022
הרומן הגרפי הזה הוא אכזבה אחת גדולה!
כל כך חיכיתי שהוא יגיע אלי מאמזון כי האמנות נראתה מהממת והדירוגים עליו הוא סבבה אבל זה פשוט לא!
אז יש לנו פה ריטיילינג למיתוס של האדס ופרספונה עם שינוים קלילים בעלילה אבל אני הרגשתי שבכלל לא הייתה עלילה הכל רץ מהר מהר בלי לפתוח איזה אופי לדמויות או עלילה משמעותית והרגשתי שהסופרת סומכת על כך שהקוראים של הסיפור מכירים כבר את המיתוס והשתלשלות האירועים מלפני וזה היה רע
באמת שהדבר הטוב היחיד שיש לי להגיד על הספר הזה הוא שהאמנות באמת יפהפיה ברמות אבל תוכן לא תמצאו פה
אני עדיין בהלם 5⭐️ שקוראות פה נתנו לו, לא מצליחה להבין על מה ואני עוד אחת שמאוהבת במיתוס והסיפור האהבה של פרספונה והאדס ולא התחברתי בכלל
כל כך חיכיתי שהוא יגיע אלי מאמזון כי האמנות נראתה מהממת והדירוגים עליו הוא סבבה אבל זה פשוט לא!
אז יש לנו פה ריטיילינג למיתוס של האדס ופרספונה עם שינוים קלילים בעלילה אבל אני הרגשתי שבכלל לא הייתה עלילה הכל רץ מהר מהר בלי לפתוח איזה אופי לדמויות או עלילה משמעותית והרגשתי שהסופרת סומכת על כך שהקוראים של הסיפור מכירים כבר את המיתוס והשתלשלות האירועים מלפני וזה היה רע
באמת שהדבר הטוב היחיד שיש לי להגיד על הספר הזה הוא שהאמנות באמת יפהפיה ברמות אבל תוכן לא תמצאו פה
אני עדיין בהלם 5⭐️ שקוראות פה נתנו לו, לא מצליחה להבין על מה ואני עוד אחת שמאוהבת במיתוס והסיפור האהבה של פרספונה והאדס ולא התחברתי בכלל
June 16, 2022
Super cute and hot at the same time! I really liked this one a lot! I think the only thing missing for me was a bit more content. It definitely could have been longer and the relationship between Persephone and Hades more established but I am also really fine with this quick read. I am also so in love with the art style dfksjdlfk
December 12, 2021
This was a very cute comic. The art and the colours were beautiful. Hades and Persephone are my favourite couple and I am always ready for more retellings of the myth. The only downside for me was the pacing of the story. It was not very consistent.
Thank you to Edelweiss Books for the Earc.
Thank you to Edelweiss Books for the Earc.
July 11, 2020
3.5 stars
This was short but cute. I’m a sucker for illustrated myths.
This was short but cute. I’m a sucker for illustrated myths.
July 18, 2022
This book was super cute and fast paced. Really liked the art style 💕
July 19, 2025
Lore Olympus has been real quiet since this dropped
September 3, 2022
A retelling of ✨ 𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖘 x 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮 ✨ with a different story.
Shortish, funny, sexy.
Shortish, funny, sexy.
June 24, 2022
this was quick and fun. dunno why i wasn't expecting to be smutty, not complaining though
June 19, 2021
This was a really condensed graphic novel version of the Persephone/Hades myth. I LOVED the artwork but… it felt like the author just kinda gave up at the end? Like it started so strong, but ended with such a weird over-the-top sex scene, with key plot points summarized in a sentence instead of being fleshed out. This kind of read genuinely bums me out because I feel we were robbed of such a good story. Oh well, I’ll find my Hades & Persephone fix elsewhere. Or maybe the author will do a redo?! *Fingers crossed*
January 5, 2022
This wasn't revolutionary or anything bc it isn't supposed to be it was just really cute and it made me really happy hehe
March 9, 2022
I absolutely loved this and the art is perfect. Hades and Persephone is one of my favorite myths along with Eros and Psyche. I will be looking for more of Allison Shaw's books and art.
April 19, 2019
3 Stars
Review:
I had been searching for a graphic novel about Hades and Persephone, something with a sweet romance rather than a dark, erotic one, when I stumbled upon the Kickstarter campaign for this, the exact thing I was looking for. But, even though I did like some things about this, I ended up being disappointed. I liked how this author/artist kept the same general story but made it into her own version with little twists and variations. I love the idea of good guy Hades and of his romance with Persephone being a healthy, respectful one. I didn't love the idea of them only falling in love because of Eros's arrows, but the arrows made for pretty art at least. And it was pretty art. There wasn't much detail, at least not in the background usually, but I liked the style and the colors used. Hades was like a beautiful, dark, old school romance novel cover model. My problem though was that it was so short and rushed that there wasn't any depth or chance to explore the relationship, emotions, or even the characters. But overall this was a sweet, albeit simplified, retelling of Hades and Persephone with pretty artwork.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
I had been searching for a graphic novel about Hades and Persephone, something with a sweet romance rather than a dark, erotic one, when I stumbled upon the Kickstarter campaign for this, the exact thing I was looking for. But, even though I did like some things about this, I ended up being disappointed. I liked how this author/artist kept the same general story but made it into her own version with little twists and variations. I love the idea of good guy Hades and of his romance with Persephone being a healthy, respectful one. I didn't love the idea of them only falling in love because of Eros's arrows, but the arrows made for pretty art at least. And it was pretty art. There wasn't much detail, at least not in the background usually, but I liked the style and the colors used. Hades was like a beautiful, dark, old school romance novel cover model. My problem though was that it was so short and rushed that there wasn't any depth or chance to explore the relationship, emotions, or even the characters. But overall this was a sweet, albeit simplified, retelling of Hades and Persephone with pretty artwork.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
November 26, 2021
No spoiler warnings because I figure people are at least vaguely familiar enough with Greek mythology they know who Hades and Persephone are, and who they are too each other. If not, don't read on.
This was pretty good but I was honestly expecting more from it. The art is very pretty and I rather liked the limited color palette. But the story was incredibly rushed. This is absolutely a case of insta-love with no falling-in-love between the two leads whatsoever. Really disappointing for a romance comic. Persephone doesn't even pine for Hades; she just sees him and asks him to take her to the underworld and on the next page they're married but you don't see any of it happening. Then the story ends with them having a random orgy with a voyeur and the book just peters out like the author didn't know what to do next so just stopped. I really wanted to like this more but I felt like half the book must be missing, it was so rushed. It seemed like the side characters had more screen time and chemistry than the leads!
This was pretty good but I was honestly expecting more from it. The art is very pretty and I rather liked the limited color palette. But the story was incredibly rushed. This is absolutely a case of insta-love with no falling-in-love between the two leads whatsoever. Really disappointing for a romance comic. Persephone doesn't even pine for Hades; she just sees him and asks him to take her to the underworld and on the next page they're married but you don't see any of it happening. Then the story ends with them having a random orgy with a voyeur and the book just peters out like the author didn't know what to do next so just stopped. I really wanted to like this more but I felt like half the book must be missing, it was so rushed. It seemed like the side characters had more screen time and chemistry than the leads!
December 29, 2021
A gorgeous depiction of the romance between Hades and Persephone. I really loved the art and the cute and quirky relationships between the gods.
January 25, 2022
I did not understand this. no story line and nothing happened but also not super smutty? Okay
February 28, 2022
Cute, light, a little rushed, but well worth a read. Especially for the last few pages.*** blush!***
May 19, 2022
Cute as HECK!!! With just a dash of spice. I LOVE IT.
December 12, 2024
It was a fun retelling. Short, sweet, and to the point. I wish there was more of a build-up in the romance, tho... but I think that this was only ever meant to be a cute fast read.
July 26, 2022
I LIKED IT. It wasn't this life changing story by any means but it was definitely a less angsty version of the Hades x Persephone stories I've collected over the years.
It was cute. The end was literally out of nowhere. I read this in five minutes so writing a review for it seems kinda silly. It was worth my time and money and ILY HADES
It was cute. The end was literally out of nowhere. I read this in five minutes so writing a review for it seems kinda silly. It was worth my time and money and ILY HADES
March 12, 2025
Flowers do bloom in the dark...
December 31, 2022
The art was beautiful but the pacing was strange. There was a lot of time spent on Apollo and Eros but then we only get a few panels of Hades and Persephone and suddenly they're married. However, I really enjoyed the overall tone of the story and the bits of steam were a nice touch.
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