Prince of Death

Lords of the Underworld #1

by Sam Burns, W.M. Fawkes

Gifted power over life and death, Lysandros has spent millennia in the underworld, listless and alone. The youngest child of Hades and Persephone, he’s been sheltered from the threats in the world above.

Theo Ward hasn’t been so lucky. After watching his mother wither away, he’d do almost anything to have her back. When a messenger appears at the Banneker College of Magic and offers the young professor a chance to save her, Theo can’t pass it up, even if it means going straight into the underworld and dragging her home. But Theo gets more than he bargained for when he crosses paths with the prince of Hades.

Set against the king of Olympus, they must shed their past burdens and learn to trust in each other, so they can face down a storm that threatens to wipe the nation’s capital off the map.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Mythology, Urban Fantasy

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

Reviews

[Meags · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be geeking out over this recent new offering by first-time co-authors, Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. Together, they’ve delivered a charming new modern-day take on some of the major (and minor…and even made up) deities of Greek Mythology.

Set in modern day Washington D.C., the story tells that of reserved young professor of magic, Theo Ward, and how he becomes mysteriously and suddenly acquainted with the Underworld – the entrance of which is conveniently located beneath the political capital of the world (hehe) – and its ruling family (AKA, Hades, Persephone, and their children).

Lysandros is the prince of the Underworld, blessed (or cursed) with the powers of a God, whiling away the millennia avoiding humans after a first love gone bad. But when Theo wanders into Lysandros’ domain, the two spark immediately, despite Theo’s newfound shock that the Greek Gods are real and that he’s accidentally (on purpose) discovered how to traverse between their worlds, so to speak.

While a more sinister plot to destroy humanity unfolds around them, Theo and Lysandros find themselves thrust into a romantic relationship that might just be well worth fighting the Gods to keep.

I had so much fun reading this story. As a huge fan of stories relating to Greek Mythology, I was immediately enraptured by this unique take on these legendary figures. There were a lot of players present here, with various Gods and Goddesses (real and made up) mentioned in a way that mostly assumes the reader has at least a cursory familiarity with the myths and figures involved. This didn’t bother me at all, due to my weird personal interest in this particular subject, but I can certainly imagine it could get quite confusing for those who are unknowledgeable on the topic, so ye be warned.

I found myself caught up in Theo and Lysandros’ sweeping romance and also in the lives and driving motivations of those Gods and Goddesses that were featured in their story. I particularly enjoyed the (under)world-building, too, and I look forward to seeing how this is expanded upon as the series progresses.

Sam Burns has easily cemented herself as one of my favourite authors of M/M fantasy in the past year or so, and now, due to my whole-hearted enjoyment of this particular story, I have my eye firmly trained on Burns’ new-to-me co-author, W.M. Fawkes.

This was a damn decent start to a new series and I look forward to seeing what other wonderful stories these two authors fancy up next! <3

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Seriously well written, with a thoughtful story bridging contemporary romance, magic, and the Olympic gods, this was a great start to a new series. Fans of Sam Burns just might find this more engaging and definitely a helluva lot smexier. I’m for sure intrigued and impressed with new to me author WM Fawkes.

So why the low rating? This simply solidified the fact that I’m just not that interested in Greek gods and their petty fights and long held grudges. Besides only knowing really the bare bones of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, I was often confused and lost and had no patience to research who was married to who, who had an incestuous affair with whom and begot what other petty god with a big ego with little to do with their time other than to mess with humans and each other. That’s on me and not the story and thus, sometimes this dragged.

Having said that, Lysandros (son of Hades) is the sweetest kindest of his brethren, and though he has several hangups and a heavy burden of guilt that he painfully bears, Lysandros is really a poet who longs for the happiness that has been evading him (really he’s been evading it) for the last millennia. When magic theorist Theo (at the whim of Lysandros's cousin Hermès) stumbles across the underworld, their paths are irrevocably changed. Is it possible for mortal and god to ultimately truly be together?

Overall, this had some snark, some feels, some action. It didn't short the reader on the smexy nor the backstory of the Greek gods and how they’re faring in our world today and surely, any enthusiast will sink their teeth into this. Regardless, I for one am still a Burns fan, and now I'll be keeping an eye out for Fawkes as well!

[Cadiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Burns just cemented her place as one of my favourite fantasy/paranormal authors with this brilliant collaboration with W. M. Fawkes.

Although the Greek Pantheon is a familiar sight in urban fantasy or paranormal stories, their interpretation looks at the Underworld and focuses on the family of Hades and Persephone, adding their own twist with the character of Lysandros, youngest child and only son.

Our other protagonist is professor of magic Theodore Ward, someone who considers himself to be useless as his magic is one of absorption and channelling.

I loved Theo, he's one of those unassuming characters that sneaks up on you and quietly gets on with letting you come to your own conclusion that he's actually very special.

Lysandros was a wonderful addition to the Pantheon, capable of giving and taking life but haunted by a mistake he made back in the days of the Roman Empire.

There's all the sort of dodgy dealings and double crossing that the Greek Gods and Goddesses are known for and, interestingly, Hermes appears again as a bit of a dick in this one. A role he's also playing in the utterly sublime Soulbound series from Hailey Turner!

The big villain reveal, while it was actually totally obvious once the climax occurred, still managed to surprise me, and I loved how these two authors took a common theme and twisted it.

I am a fantasy and Sci-fi girl at heart so I've been overjoyed this week with two very strong additions to my collection within the MM genre.

#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~]

DNF @ 35%

I have enjoyed everything I've read by these authors ... until today.

This book, what I read of it at least, was both insanely frustrating and incredibly boring.

Theo is a professor of magic, but he doesn't practice magic as much as absorb it. I was curious about this. Is the college where Theo teaches for magical students only? Are humans aware of magicians/wizards among them? How does it all work?

Sadly, there is no world building here, none at all.

Instead, we jump right into the underworld and meet Lysandros, who is an ancient emo teenager. He has a bunch of sisters, and much is made of them buying pumpkins to celebrate Halloween.

What?

Then comes a sad M/F love story with Lysandros and a girl from ancient Rome.

Why?

We meet a bunch of gods, and all of a sudden it's all insta love between Theo and Lysandros.

A third of the way through, I had no sense of the MCs as people (granted, Lysandros is god, not man, but did he have to be so bland?).

The numerous secondary characters distracted from the story, and I had ZERO desire to continue.

I'm not going to rate because I DNF. Can we all just pretend this was a bad, bad dream?

Someone pass the vodka.

[Shin Mon Thway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would really appeal to to those who love mythologies. 😌 And I’m always on the hunt for new retelling of myths. So this one fascinated me even from the blurb.

Theo just lost his mother and his life was going nowhere. So when he discovered the way to the underworld unexpectedly, he decided to give it a visit. And after almost being devoured by Cerberus, he was rescued by the prince in shining armor, Lysandros, the youngest son of Hades and Persephone. Theo’s life is in the mortal realm and Lysandros is the prince of death. Plus, two most powerful weapons of the Olympian gods are stolen and Washington is on the verge of an apocalypse. May be it’s time life and death unite and conquer the evil and possibly find love before it’s too late.

I think the blurb doesn’t describe the story well because Theo wasn’t really tying to get his mom back to life. 🙂 This is really fascinating and intriguing and I loved to read the human aspect and the other side of the coins of these fickle immortals. The relationship between Lysandros and Theo was tenuous and trying in the beginning but they became really solid in the end. I don’t feel like the villain aspect of this book was really convincing but I liked the romance in it. All in all, it was enjoyable. I think I’m going to check out more books in this series. ☺️


3.5 You bring the love and life to me stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫






Disclaimer: An review copy of this book was provided by the authors via LesCourt services for an honest and unbiased review.

[M'rella · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFing at 25%.

The writing is weird. “Wait, what?” is happening to me too often to enjoy the narrative (which is also dreadfully boring).

There are Greek gods who celebrate Halloween and Greek Underworld reachable by Washington DC metro train invisible to general public. NOT making any references here.

First 25% gives you a sad M/F love story (M stands for Lysandros) and a super insta M/M love (M stands for Lysandros again). The MCs at this point have only seen each other once in the very beginning. There is more action going on with pumpkins than anything else, especially promised mm romance. By all means, keep dragging it out, but I have better thing to read.

1 star.

PS
I read through the reviews and found a lot of “it’s me, not the book”; the amount actually suggests that the opposite might be true.

[Christelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**

What a whiplash of entertaining fantasy material. Just imagine today’s London with some schools teaching magic…Yes, we already digress from contemporary.

In one of them, there’s a nice but reserved teacher competing for his position, spending his evenings reading books and feeling lonely now that both his mothers are dead. Until one day, he climbs into a subway carriage and ends up in the “underworld” where he meets some characters from the Greek mythology…yep, we are definitely into fantasy.

In a world divided between earth and below, the sky and the sea, we get to follow Theo, the teaching mortal and Lysandros, the scarred prince of the underworld, staying as far away as he can from the shenanigans of the gods and their companions.

And while Theo and Lysandros can’t help being curious and attracted to each other, they not only have to deal with their differences on so many levels, they also have to deal with some plots and some danger upon Theo’s world.

I couldn’t help being fascinated by the world building created by the authors, inspired by Greek mythology, and the London sense of place, nor could I help rooting for our two MCs, so different but fitting so nicely.

Despite this subgenre in MM romance is not my favorite, I was curious about how the authors would unravel the plot and how the relationship between Theo and Lysandros would “heroically” pan out. Even if it felt of bit rushed sometimes, and with some very convenient twists, it was nicely entertaining and with enough hotness to make it an enjoyable read for me. Another good notch in my incursion into fantasy MM romance.


A free copy of this book was provided by the tour organizer in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve pretty much become the go-to reviewer for Sam Burns books here at Love Bytes. Which I’m more than happy with. Especially when it means I get to read books like this one. I’ve liked, to varying degrees, all of Sam Burns other books, but I have to say that Burns and their co-writer, W.M. Fawkes (who’s a new author to me), has far exceeded my expectations with this newest release.

Despite the fact that had I read this blurb properly (and, dear Minerva, am I thankful I did not), there was a real possibility I would have let someone else pick up this story–I have a long standing dislike of modern-day Greek/Roman gods stories–I can truthfully say that this is by far the best thing I’ve read from Sam Burns. And, sweet gods, was it good. The story was pretty damn seamless, so I’m not sure what parts particularly Burns and Fawkes added to the story, but if this is a measure of their talents, I am excited to see Burns grow even further as an author and I am looking forward to picking up some other stories by Fawkes. I think they recently released a short story, so I’m gonna have to check that out now.

The plot of the story is pretty simple. Lysandros, son of Hades and Persephone (and as a quick aside, I love the authors’ version of that myth included in this story) has had a rather rough history with mortal lovers. Which makes his attraction to the somewhat frumpish professor who happens to accidentally find himself at the gates of the Underworld (via subway), a bit problematic. Though, seeing as after being returned to the land of the living, Theo Ward is unlikely to find his way back to the Underworld while still breathing, Lysandros feels he can rest easy. Well, as easy as you can rest when you have a meddling sister who can manipulate your dreams, anyways. Unfortunately, things in the realm of the gods are hardly any easier than in the realm of man. With a pair of sisters who seem dead-set on hooking him up with a very mortal Theo, a group of scheming gods set on relieving their boredom in the most interesting ways possible, and a Zeus-inflicted storm set on drowning Washington D.C. (for shits and giggles?), not even a homebody like Lysandros is safe from the tides and whims of fate.

This ended up being such an easy book to read. The characters were very well written, and from page one I was totally invested in the lives of Theo, Lysandros, and the various members of the Hades clan. Hell, I even enjoyed being annoyed at Theo’s office-mate/fellow professor, who was a bit of an ass, and a rather horrible teacher (it’s not all about the fireballs, dude, you need to learn how to fucking chill). And while, like I said, I am not one to enjoy the whole “what if gods, but with Starbucks and cars!” thing normally, it never felt boring or redundant here. The authors never try to give you whole Wikipedia articles about the various gods that litter the pages of this book, but instead strike a balance between trusting that most readers have at least the very basics down, and making sure to bring up the points that are pertinent to the story being told. Not being beaten on the head with facts that might be interesting, but in no way impact the story being told, was incredibly refreshing. That is usually the reason I check out of these kinds of stories. It’s like the Spiderman Origin-Story problem. After the eighth time you’ve seen Uncle Ben die, you kinda just want the creators to trust that you get the whole GPGR thing, and focus on telling a story that we haven’t heard a million times before. This book did just that. It took common characters and some common tropes related to them, and said “what else can we make them do?” I loved that.

The authors also totally did not do the thing I was 98% sure they were going to do. I was positive, from the very second I realized what kind of story this was, that they were going to do The Thing that all these kinds of stories do, and I was all set to be disappointed. But they didn’t. And I was really fucking happy about that. So, thanks, for totally not living up to my expectations. Or maybe exceeding them. Whatever.

The story was not perfect. I found that some subplots were a bit underdeveloped. The main one just sorta coasted in the background for a majority of the story till it all of a sudden became Important! but because the book tended to forget about it for long stretches of time it felt a bit jarring in the end. I also think I would have liked a bit more world building on the human end of things. Mostly around how magic worked in this world. We get some of it because that is what Theo teaches, but it still felt a bit too vague for my tastes. I can only hope that book two fleshes this aspect out a bit more, because I did find what we got very interesting.

Luckily Prisoner of Shadows, the second book in the series, is set to release in a couple months, so I don’t have long to wait. And it centers around Prometheus, which sounds really cool. He doesn’t get much more than a page (two at most) here in this story, but what he got was intriguing.

To sum it up, this book was awesome and you should read it. The magic, the characters, and the romance (which I somehow failed to bring up, but which plays a critical role and is sweet and hot and all things good) are to die for. I had a blast reading this story, and find myself excited and on the edge of my seat for the coming books in this series. Burns and Fawkes have managed to get me hooked on modern-day gods, and I can’t say I am in the least bit sorry.

4.5 stars


This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Michael S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up a tiny smidge because I adore Greek mythology and found the whole premise intriguing. The leads were fun and distinct from each other, there's plenty of meat here for follow-up books, and the whole thing was just very enjoyable.

While I usually appreciate it when authors show more than tell, I am still waiting to learn more about the book's universe at large (what is up with the magic colleges? Which other, if any, pantheons exist? Is this an alternate history real-world setting with magic thrown in?).

Also, this is very much an insta-love story. I can sort of get behind it because magic and mysticism neatly handwave some of my automatic objections, but most of what relationship development exists is implied to take place between more important events. Not to mention the potential issue of a milennia-old character involved with someone mortal, but given how the gods as a group are portrayed as somewhat static and slow to adapt to changes in world culture and technology, this isn't quite as glaring as it could be.

TL;DR: Expect a good time if you're looking for a semi-soft fantasy and hot-and-heavy romance with some intrigue and action elements, but expect to have a lot of questions waiting to be resolved in future installments.

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet, fun and entertaining read.

This focuses on the Greek Gods like Hades, Persephone, Zeus, etc....but mainly Hades and Persephone's son, Lysandros, who falls for mortal mage Theo Ward, a professor at a magical university where he is overlooked because his magic seems weak, like he can't do much.

They meet because Hermes tries to use Theo for some reason or another that I can't remember right now, although it eventually ties into the climax.

Mainly this focuses on their romance, and it was sweet and wonderful and I enjoyed these two together so much. It might have moved a little fast, but I wasn't too put off by it because they were already so in love by the end that how they fast they moved wasn't too big a deal for me.

The sex scenes were well written too and these two had heat together. This is a fun story to read because it's got romance packed into with paranormal things and the Greek Gods, which are fun to imagine, and imagine what they'd been like in today's world if they existed - although even in this world there's magic, which we obviously don't have haha.

Overall I really enjoyed this and loved their love story, and don't have too much to say because I didn't really have a problem with anything, it was a great story.

Two thumbs up from me, loved it! :D

[Santy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of Greek mythology, urban fantasy, MM and of course, a well written book, this was riiiiiight up my alley.

I loved how the authors transformed the myths into something so current and fresh. I couldn't get enough of it!

Both of the authors were new to me so I didn't know what to expect when I started this but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from them.

If you are a lover of mythology or fantasy or both, try this out. I doubt you'd regret it!

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Prince of Death" was damned enjoyable. I've been meaning to try out this series for ages, and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to do it now.

Greek mythology was my childhood and early adolescence obsession; like so many, I adored all the capricious gods and goddesses, their stories, the betrayals, the relationships, the sheer amount of drama.
So of course I'd devour any sort of book, of any type of genre, that revolves around them. Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes are a formidable writing duo, and if this first book is any indication, I'm pretty sure I'm going to adore the rest of the series.

Theo and Lysandros were fantastic protagonists, and I loved their relationship so much. It was sweet and lightly spicy, with a few initial misunderstandings and mistrust, but everything turned out beautifully between them.
Lysandros was so damned sweet and precious; sexy, damaged, anxious gods who are surprisingly insecure? SIGN ME UP. I just wanted to jump in the book and hug him.
And Theo was fantastic: he's brave and stubborn, anxious and insecure, quietly badass and fierce, despite (or maybe thanks to?) his human mortality.

I adored the world-building, the mythology aspects were FANTASTIC, and I adored all the side characters, from Hades and Persephone to the most meddling and unhinged of the Greek gods (Hermes? I'm damned curious about him).
I can't wait to read book two!


I received an ARC of the "Lords of the Underworld" box set from the authors in exchange for an honest review.

[~nikki the recovering book addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 interesting stars

I will admit my ignorance in all things to do with Greek mythology. While I’ve always been fascinated by them, I could never remember who was who and with powers for what. But this definitely regret my short sightedness (of not learning the Greek mythology!)

I write this in a bit of a dizzy state. Woke up dizzy and ended up dry heaving and vomiting the whole day. And there’s nothing the doctor can do because I need a specialist, who aren’t open on weekends 🥴 but I digress. I only meant to say, I hope I’m coherent in this review, in spite of my slightly spinning head.

The good thing about reading is, it cures all ails. I definitely notice I feel worse than I thought I did when I’m done with the book. So you know this book is good enough to distract! Aaaand this is as far as I can get without puking my guts out. Gah 🤢

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Daesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

**grm**

I have always been intrigued by mythology of any kind and the Greek one has always been one of my favourite, so only for this the book deserved one more star. But the plot wasn't as great as I thought he would be.
Sure, Theo and Lysandros were a cute and nice couple, and there were hot scenes like the one where the prince of the underworld for the first time in his very long life, decided to switch role with Theo and tried to bottom(loving it, I must add), and their love was believable and sweet, but I still wished for a stronger background story. Too many chars were presented and then ignored(Theo's mom, the senator's daughter, Theo's rival for the job position...), or didn't have a real role in the book. There were so many things initiated and left, almost forgotten, like the fact that Theo could have gone to see his moms now that he was a god etc..

The book was still good, and I'm gonna read the second one, also if I would have liked another MC and not Prometheus...but well....


4 stars.

[Carra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying—if you are a fan of Greek or Roman mythology, and are also an M/M romance fan, then this book is an absolute MUST for your library. This is the first book I’ve read by either of these authors, and I was duly impressed by the writing, the characters, and the portrayal—particularly the humanization—of the mythological gods and goddesses in this modern day setting. I’ve been fascinated by the Greek and Roman mythologies since I first learned about them in middle school, so any chance to read a story incorporating their elements is automatically going to draw my attention. The fact that this turned out to be a fantastic reading experience was a happy bonus for me.

I adored Theo’s nerdy-type character (something I’m drawn to), and the way his supposedly passive magical ability figures into the story. I also loved Lysandros; though his character is actually a liberty the authors took with classic Greek mythology (adding him as the son of Hades and Persephone), they crafted an intriguing backstory for him that fits perfectly within the framework of the classic tales. Their relationship development did not feel rushed to me, even within the short timeframe of the story…and they had excellent chemistry together.

The way the other gods, goddesses, and other figures from mythology were depicted aligned well with what I’ve read in the classics, and the authors translated them well into humanized versions that will resonate with contemporary readers. Zeus as a playboy—love-em-and-leave-em, inconsiderate and self-important; Hades as patient, understanding and wise; Hermes the messenger and trickster. Their classic personalities translated into this more human depiction was funny (and sometimes disturbingly accurate to the old myths) and made their characters feel more accessible to readers.

I truly enjoyed the fantasy of the story and the way the paranormal aspects were interwoven with the mythological ones, with just the right touch of action to keep me on edge. It resulted in a rather engaging read that had me fully ensconced in the authors’ intriguing world, and I’m now waiting excitedly for the next book in the series. Prince of Death was a clear 5-star read for me, and is a book I am highly recommending. This book is for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

[J1B]

At about 10% in, the first 'main character heterosexual relationship' is revealed, and is actually a motivational plot device. When will the erasure of homosexual men in "MM" romance end? They say it takes two beats to make a tempo, but at this rate we're in a full blown symphony of homophobic appropriation, and it's a sorry indictment of presumably self-defining "woke" and "progressive" readers that they they continue to endorse it.

[Lee Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to me authors.
Great start to a new series. Lysandros and Theo were awesome together.
I always enjoy UF with Greek gods and this didn't disappoint.

[Rebs ✿ · Rating 1 out of 5]

yeah, this one just wasn't for me.. sorry

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a case of it's me not the book. Apparently I'm just not that interested in the Greek Gods and their fights with each other. It was well written and I liked the MC's but I just found myself a little bit bored. I like Sam Burns but this series just isn't my cup of tea.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a refreshing take on Greek mythology with magic thrown into the mix. Both Theo and Lysandros have hangups in their life. Theo is working on a tenure, competing with his office mate who is naturally horrid, for a full time position while believing his magic isn't as spectacular. Lysandros has been hurt by a mortal in the past, so when he meets Theo in the underworld and sparks fly, he's naturally resistant.

The two men learn to overcome what they consider their issues and by being together, both men become stronger, learn to trust, and move past what they consider their weaknesses. There are wonderful secondary characters, especially the reimagining of Hades and Persephone. The world-building is colorful and the story pulls you in from the first page and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

[Micah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t really understand the rules of magic in this book. Theo visits the underworld and apparently you can’t eat anything there or you’ll be stuck there. He eats something in the underworld. Isn’t stuck there?

Also, This book is so insta-love it gave me whiplash. The relationship progressed so quickly that there were moments that I felt like I accidentally skipped a few pages. I just couldn’t follow how we got from Point A to B.

I didn’t dislike this book to the point that I couldn’t finish it but I had a lot of problems with regardless

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Qin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Contrary to what most everybody here seems to think, this is a mostly stale and incompetent book, which signally fails at establishing its complex, two-tiers mythology (the Greek gods on the one side, depicted in decidely unheroic fashion as worldly, vainglorious buffoons, and magical users on the other side, split between those who can harness power and the remainder who are merely siphoning it off into their body) while never providing motivation enough for its major plot twists. The first encounter between the two leads provides a glaring sample of the desultoriness with which Mrs Burns engineers things: after an usual maddening day at school, passive warlock Theo receives through a messenger a book written by the founder of his college, begins to read it while riding the city's transportation system, boards willy-nilly on a never-seen before subway line which tallies with a mystical map he just chanced upon in said book, and is delivered straight to the outer edge of the Netherworld just in time to be protected from the greedy maws of Cerberus by pussy-whipped godling Lysandros, fresh off another train after travelling up with his mother Persephone and his hellion sisters to buy pumpkins for Halloween (!). The story goes downhill from here, between the two steeply shallow leads (Lysandros is a godling only in name, as for Theo I could not hope to ever reconcile his bumbling behavior and childish internal discourse with those of a college professor seeking tenure, not with such psychological notations as "Theo couldn’t help scrunching his nose a little. He didn’t have any aunts, but he suspected that wouldn’t have made understanding any easier. Most people probably didn’t have aunts who were known to be killers" or "Lysandros’s lips were soft and tasted sweet, like the cup of wine Theo had only managed a single drink from. It was better on someone else’s lips than his own. Or perhaps it was just better on those lips"), the lads' abrupt bonding occurring without any foreshadowing and which increases in such a fashion that it manages to give precious little testimony as to their chemistry, such being Mrs Burns' poor skills at handling romantic build-up, the crazy antics of their respective circles, or the very contrived divine plot involving yet another conspiration against Zeus (after Rick Riordan's cleverly imaginative Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1 The Lightning Thief and Hailey Turner's powerful A Ferry of Bones and Gold, this very story line should not have been revisited again). I am afraid half the book is made of idle chat while the other half amounts to the kind of scatter-brained, all telling and no showing action which could only be penned by a faltering writer with a taste for the hispid, the boring and the colourless (Mrs Burns never even bothers to sketch in any detail, let alone describe, her entire bestiary, occasionally excusing herself for this failure through incredibly naive statements of the kind "the ferryman looked like a mortal. Lysandros supposed Charon had seen enough of passing trends to mimic them. No soul entered the underworld without first meeting him"). As for the descriptive values shown with respect to the characters and the setting, the fittest, severest rebuke shall be a quote: "Lysandros led them through a side door, and Theo was surprised to find that instead of another hallway, they were in a reading room. Three of the four walls were covered in bookcases, and there were two sturdy wingback chairs across from each other in the center", for such pathetic skills have no business in the high fantasy genre. The one-star rating is therefore entirely warranted, if only because a book which purports to offer a fresh new twist on Classical mythography ought at the very least to have rised up to the challenge by being articulate and reasonably atmospheric instead of renouncing and attempting, most fatuously, to make mileage out of ridiculous smoke and mirrors.

[Isabella ~Mikku-chan~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*

Stories where we have a large part of the characters being paranormal, supernatural or mystical creatures are always my thing.

With this collaboration work author Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes - (latter is a new to me author) - blew me away tbh. I was hooked the moment we met our hero Theo and his character strength even if some people around him don't see it that way.

Theo is a main character you can see yourself in a few of his character traits. He is a magic teacher at a university and knows about his abilities - or at least thinks he knows about them. He's pretty sure his magic isn't that powerful in comparision to his colleague's fire magic - but what a surprise for Theo and the reader experience during the book. I won't spoiler how Theo shows that he is capable of a lot things I just say: wow.

When Theo meets Lysandros we have the romantic plot blossoming and the way we are introduced to Lysandros' family - his father is the God of the Underworld, Hades and his mother Persephone, Goddess of Springtime, also his interesting two sisters Macaria and Melinoe - is definitely intriguing and you're curious to learn more about them and the world they live in - where humans have magic but don't know what's going on in the Underworld.

The book has an overall topic I really liked and the action was well balanced to the growing interest between Theo and Lysandros. From their first encounter they feel insta-lust for each other but soon it becomes more. The way it evolves feels natural and not rushed.

We have a shift in the POV sometimes, we follow a few scenes Lysandros' sister's POV. We hear Melinoe's thoughts which give the book another dimension and I really liked these insertions.

This book is the start of a new series and at the end we have a glimpse of book two.
I am really excited to see what we can expect in the next books. This book is highly recommended; 5 out of 5 stars.

Review originally posted on my blog with added content Mikku-chan / A world full of words

[Achim · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the Greek pantheon again ... have to admit I was a bit reluctant because I never really read a book about those gods which I was able to enjoy completely if at all although Zeus & Co make an appearance in a lot of stories.

At the beginning Prince of Death seemed to be the exception of that rule. In a world similar to our own with only the addition that there is a college at Washington DC where magic is taught (not much world building in this book) Theo, a young self-conscious professor accidentally after mysteriously receiving an old book gets on a subway train into the underworld where he got rescued and sent back by Lysandros, the shy and reluctant son of Hades and Persephone. I enjoyed the new view on the pantheon the authors offered where Hades isn't the usual villain but a caring father and loving husband and where the goddesses of nightmares and a blessed death are Lysandros meddling sisters and the whole pantheon nothing more than a dysfunctional family with some kind of superpowers who meet once a year in the underworld for a Halloween party going orgy.

That part is a smooth, easy read, the plot ridiculous but in a charming way and cuteness of Theo's and Lysandro's growing relationship the needed counterpoint but then of course there had to be the obligatory fallout based on miscommunication. That felt a bit constructed and in its wake there first came the episode with Zeus and finally a strange attempt for an apocalypse. Didn't fit, wasn't necessary and took the charming out of the ridiculousness. Fortunately the authors got back on track with the HEA so I will remember Prince of Death as a nice in-between read.

[Eesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to review this book. I didn't even want to read it after something seriously stupid happened at around the 40% mark but I had to for a reading challenge.

The beginning of the book wasn't too bad. We were introduced to a professor who worked in a college of magic, but he, himself, didn't have the affinity to perform magic. More absorb and stop it. I wanted to know more about this modern, magical world but we soon jumped to the underworld and there were Greek gods left and right. Which wouldn't be a problem—I love Green mythology—if the author could sell it. But it just felt fake and poorly developed.

Also, the narrative of both the protagonists, one of whom was over a thousand years old, made them sound like they were 19. Early twenties at best. Then there was the romance which had potential but rushed enough to feel like insta-love. There was a sub-plot regarding the death of the recent girl Zeus was cheating on Hera with, which never fit into the story.

It wasn't all bad, there were a couple of good scenes. The best was probably a conversation with Poseidon in which he was saying that he wouldn't care if humans got wiped out because they were shitheads who was destroying the planet. And we were supposed to hate him for that. I mean... he's not wrong. Sure, if he was actively trying to kill everyone, that'd be bad but apathy isn't a crime. I'm apathetic toward humanity too and I can't jump on the we-should-care-about-humanity bandwagon just because the author told me to.

Anyway, that's all I'm saying. This was not a good book and I don't recommend it.

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new to me author and I can’t wait to read more from her. I loved Theo he was such a sweet unassuming character who couldn’t see his own worth. Lysandros was such a sweetheart. Theo is a professor at a magical college who teaches theoretical magic and is competing with his office mate, who I couldn’t stand, for a tenor position. He believes he has no shot at it as his office mate can create fireballs, he really is stuck on the fireballs. What Theo has is the ability to kind of drain magic and for whatever reason he feels that this is a useless talent. Lysandros is the only son of Hades and Persephone. A very long time ago he fell in love with a mortal and I really couldn’t tell if she loved him back or was just kind of stuck on herself. Well he did some things and learned a valuable lesson and isn’t going to allow himself to fall for a mortal again. When Theo ends up in the underworld, Lysandros falls for him. When Hermes made some snide remarks Lysandros feels that Theo was intending on using him. Communication guys!! Then we run into issues with Zeus and shenanigans of the other gods and goddesses. I didn’t figure out beforehand who the bad guy was. It didn’t surprise me who they were but I didn’t have it figured out. I can’t wait to continue this series.

I did not like the narrator Zachary Zaba, it was like he was reading a clinical book.

Audio ARC provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review.

Arc provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

Prince of Death is the first book in Burns and Fawkes’ new Lords of the Underworld series and I found this one a lot of fun. There is a playful tone to the story that brings some nice lightness to this urban fantasy. The idea of gods living among us isn’t necessarily new, but the way the authors give them a sense of humanity, as if they are everyday people, makes this one really entertaining. I enjoyed seeing these guys sit down to breakfast, or have casual sibling squabbles, while at the same time they are immortal and all powerful. Readers who are familiar with mythology are likely to find this one even more engaging, as the gods play a large role here and knowing who is who and the mythology surrounding them will make things easier to follow. That said, I still found this one pretty accessible, even coming in with virtually no background in mythology. At times I found it a bit hard to keep track of everyone (though there is a glossary at the end that I didn’t notice until I finished), but if you don’t get too bogged down worrying about exactly who is who, I think you can come into this pretty cold and still find it quite enjoyable.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Teeny · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Urban Fantasy, Greek Mythology what's not to like? First the minimal world building. How or why was there magic in our world? Apparently if I understood correctly from a bit of info dropped here and there it was Prometheus (instead of fire, he gave magic to the mortals here). Were there any other factions except the fireballs that were being mentioned in almost every other sentence and Theo's cancelling magic, if yes it was drowned under everything else but mainly the hashing over and over again about how immature the Olympians are and how they cheat and lie and don't care about mortals. How prideful they are except than Hades who is levelheaded and Persephone who is such a mother figure....

So yeah there was alot of drawing on and on about Zeus, Hades, Valeria, Melano and Macaria, Hermes, Anastasia, fireballs and Theo's unimpressive magical talents, Theo's professor colleague and their race for tenure and very little excitement and chemistry between Lysandros and Theo for me.

I won't be continuing with the series 'cos I drummed up very little excitement.

As far as Zachary Zaba's narration I'll have to listen to him in other books to have a better view of his skills but there were odd noises in the background and not much distinction in voices.