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At the Touch of Death
As the god of death, Hades has had a complicated past with emotions. As it is, she prefers to not have them. It's an opinion often ignored by her unlikely best friend, Eros, the god of love. Determined to bring her happiness, Eros bends his own rules and shoots Hades with golden arrows that aren't guided by fate. False loves fade until one day Hades finds her gaze lingering on Persephone, the goddess of Spring. Eros takes the shot.
Bound by the arrow, Hades and Persephone are trapped in the Underworld together, determined to ignore each other until the arrow fades. Hades and Persephone war against themselves and the expectations that weigh on them as an unshakable trust grows between them. Persephone isn’t as bright as people believe and Hades isn’t as dark. As they grow to accept each other’s complexities, trust turns to love and they prepare to fight back against fate.
Bound by the arrow, Hades and Persephone are trapped in the Underworld together, determined to ignore each other until the arrow fades. Hades and Persephone war against themselves and the expectations that weigh on them as an unshakable trust grows between them. Persephone isn’t as bright as people believe and Hades isn’t as dark. As they grow to accept each other’s complexities, trust turns to love and they prepare to fight back against fate.
206 pages, Paperback
Published September 13, 2019
11 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
Gina Carra
2 books52 followersNothing is perfect—not me and certainly not my author bio but let me give it a try. If you read my novel, At the Touch of Death, you'll learn a lot about me. You'll learn that I believe there is more to people than the image they choose to give off. You'll learn I’m a little idealistic.You'll learn I’m part of the LGBTQIA+ community and am not a huge fan of labels. And you'll learn I can only stay deep and serious for so long until I have to crack a joke and shake off the tension.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 29, 2019
At the Touch of Death by Gina Carra
Rating: 3 stars
At the Touch of Death is a retelling of the Abduction myth of Persephone. It is a unique take on Hades and Persephone's story and features a female Hades and a f/f romance. What stood out to me were the fun dialogue between the characters and Persephone's flower language, which was always well explained. While I had difficulties with the writing and the pacing in the beginning, it was a fun and refreshing read, and I flew through the second half! Hades is definitely my favourite character - cold and broody on the outside, but soft on the inside. If you are interested in modern mythology retellings, I would recommend this book!
Special thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book!
Rating: 3 stars
At the Touch of Death is a retelling of the Abduction myth of Persephone. It is a unique take on Hades and Persephone's story and features a female Hades and a f/f romance. What stood out to me were the fun dialogue between the characters and Persephone's flower language, which was always well explained. While I had difficulties with the writing and the pacing in the beginning, it was a fun and refreshing read, and I flew through the second half! Hades is definitely my favourite character - cold and broody on the outside, but soft on the inside. If you are interested in modern mythology retellings, I would recommend this book!
Special thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book!
February 11, 2020
Dnf at 25%
The premise sounded really interesting and I was excited to start this book. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the writing style. Everything is tell, don't show, which is really offputting after a while. No mood, feeling or atmosphere is conveyed through the action of the characters or detailed describtions, instead everything is just stated in a matter of fact way. It reminded me of stage directions. Because of that, I felt like every szenario in the book was over so quickly, most scenes are over in less than a page. There are several different POVs and because the scenes are so short, the jumps between the characters and plot threads feel so erratic.
There are sections and sometimes even whole pages where every paragraph starts with the same 1-2 words. Example: Go to page 43 and count the times a sentence either starts with "Hebe" or "Demeter".
The premise sounded really interesting and I was excited to start this book. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the writing style. Everything is tell, don't show, which is really offputting after a while. No mood, feeling or atmosphere is conveyed through the action of the characters or detailed describtions, instead everything is just stated in a matter of fact way. It reminded me of stage directions. Because of that, I felt like every szenario in the book was over so quickly, most scenes are over in less than a page. There are several different POVs and because the scenes are so short, the jumps between the characters and plot threads feel so erratic.
There are sections and sometimes even whole pages where every paragraph starts with the same 1-2 words. Example: Go to page 43 and count the times a sentence either starts with "Hebe" or "Demeter".
February 16, 2020
My interest was peaked by the plot. Loving mythology, and knowing it was with a LGBT+ twist, made me pick it up.
The idea behind it was good, but I really didn't like the writing style. It wasn't enjoyable, or smooth to read, for me. It almost felt mechanical or like a script. I was very disappointed in it
The idea behind it was good, but I really didn't like the writing style. It wasn't enjoyable, or smooth to read, for me. It almost felt mechanical or like a script. I was very disappointed in it
February 23, 2020
Dnf at 18% over a two week period. I was excited for this book and had won it in a goodreads giveaway but found the actual writing boring and uninspired and something that felt very fanfiction-y rather than a published novel.
September 17, 2019
This story is absolutely amazing, and after reading, it quickly rose to the top of my favorites list!!!! Its such a wonderfully written book, and the subtle hints at the plot incorporated through Persephone’s and Hades’ gifts truly kept everything a surprise for me. I was captivated from the second I began reading and couldn’t help but keep reading until the finish. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as anyone who enjoys modern takes on the ancient greek stories!!!
January 7, 2020
A wonderful retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth. The characters are fantastic, and the lgbt+ representation is phenomenal.
The writing style is simple, yet always elegant and the story flows so well, you won't notice the pages flying by until it is already too late for you to get a good night's sleep- so, hey! You might as well keep reading.
The writing style is simple, yet always elegant and the story flows so well, you won't notice the pages flying by until it is already too late for you to get a good night's sleep- so, hey! You might as well keep reading.
November 3, 2023
This has to be like the sweetest and most heartfelt Hades-Persephone retelling I have read so far. Like seriously, Hades has social anxiety but also can go ice-queen real fast. She is a duo-definition of grumpy/sunshine all in one ball.
And the way the author handled the vulnerability and emotions between all the characters, it was truly beautiful. That touch of darkness with Persephone's character to make it believable as to why she goes underground was a really nice touch. And then that small flashback story between Eos and Hades was rather heartbreaking but happy ending everywhere was a sweet touch. I enjoyed this one.
And the way the author handled the vulnerability and emotions between all the characters, it was truly beautiful. That touch of darkness with Persephone's character to make it believable as to why she goes underground was a really nice touch. And then that small flashback story between Eos and Hades was rather heartbreaking but happy ending everywhere was a sweet touch. I enjoyed this one.
April 14, 2021
It a good story but writer really changed hades character alot....from Greek history ....when u are gods physical gender(they can change it by will) ,sexuality and monogamy etc doesn't matter but personality remains same ....this writer wrote her as good ...
March 28, 2020
A bit more depth into the story of Hades and Persephone. Being that stories of the Gods and Goddesses and the mortals they mingled with are my favorite reads., this was a must read. Quite enjoyable!
October 21, 2019
At the Touch of Death retells the Abduction of Persephone myth, making it a love story in which Hades and Persephone are both taken hostage by love, but get their happily ever after when Persephone reclaims her agency and fights for a relationship with Hades.
In Greek mythology, Hades, the God of the Underworld sees Persephone, the Goddess of Fertility and wants her, so he abducts her and makes her the Queen of the Underworld. Her mother (who is also the sister of both her father and her abductor/husband), Demeter, mourns and refuses to allow anything to grow which results in famine and death. She finds out who kidnapped Persephone and complains to Zeus, Zeus forces Hades to give Persephone back, but Persephone has eaten pomegranate seeds which requires that she stay in the underworld. But, through compromise, she only had to stay part of the year with Hades. Demeter makes everything die while her daughter is in the underworld, and this explains winter.
I really enjoyed reading Greek myths as a kid, but they are chock full of incest, bestiality, dubious consent and rape. I always found the abduction of Persephone particularly disturbing. In Gina Carra’s world, the gods are still gods, but less familial. There’s no incest, but they exist in a small community with limited relationship pools and long memories for bad behavior.
Carra’s Hades is an isolated woman, widely disliked because of past behavior. Hades’ best friend is a meddlesome Eros whose desire for Hades to find love sets off the action. Eros shoots Hades with a love arrow while she is looking at Persephone, forcing Persephone to spend a month in the Underworld. Carra unfolds the story slowly, sometimes too slowly. She shows the evolution of the relationship between Hades and Persephone while also introducing other gods, goddesses and demi-gods discussing the implications of Eros’ actions.
The story is quiet, contemplative, and conversational. It was a lovely read and I found myself reading it at night as I was unwinding from the day.
Zeus is still a jerk though.
In Greek mythology, Hades, the God of the Underworld sees Persephone, the Goddess of Fertility and wants her, so he abducts her and makes her the Queen of the Underworld. Her mother (who is also the sister of both her father and her abductor/husband), Demeter, mourns and refuses to allow anything to grow which results in famine and death. She finds out who kidnapped Persephone and complains to Zeus, Zeus forces Hades to give Persephone back, but Persephone has eaten pomegranate seeds which requires that she stay in the underworld. But, through compromise, she only had to stay part of the year with Hades. Demeter makes everything die while her daughter is in the underworld, and this explains winter.
I really enjoyed reading Greek myths as a kid, but they are chock full of incest, bestiality, dubious consent and rape. I always found the abduction of Persephone particularly disturbing. In Gina Carra’s world, the gods are still gods, but less familial. There’s no incest, but they exist in a small community with limited relationship pools and long memories for bad behavior.
Carra’s Hades is an isolated woman, widely disliked because of past behavior. Hades’ best friend is a meddlesome Eros whose desire for Hades to find love sets off the action. Eros shoots Hades with a love arrow while she is looking at Persephone, forcing Persephone to spend a month in the Underworld. Carra unfolds the story slowly, sometimes too slowly. She shows the evolution of the relationship between Hades and Persephone while also introducing other gods, goddesses and demi-gods discussing the implications of Eros’ actions.
The story is quiet, contemplative, and conversational. It was a lovely read and I found myself reading it at night as I was unwinding from the day.
Zeus is still a jerk though.
August 30, 2022
this was of those books that I had to make myself stop reading so I can sleep
it was so good
its my first time reading a story like this
even the details in the book shows how much care and thought was put into it
it was so good
its my first time reading a story like this
even the details in the book shows how much care and thought was put into it
January 12, 2020
This is a retelling of Persephone and Hades with a gender-fluid cast it takes a nice spin on the classic Greek tale but can get it confusing when talking about the characters.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews