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In Fire and Ash #1
Going to Hell
Be careful what you wish for. The children of the gods, creatures hidden within this world, have claimed my family one by one. Trolls, goblins, mermaids, and other beings crave humans like me. Only in my home am I truly safe. Yet, I would give anything to escape that isolated existence. Anything but my life. When a spell steals Ashlyn’s voice and rips her from home, she finds herself in a labyrinth of dark rooms where she’s forced to play a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with creatures that hunt the shadows. However, in her determination to discover where she is and how to get out, she accidentally wakes one. He’s devastatingly hot, yet dangerously unstable, and bent on claiming her for his own. And he’s more powerful than any creature she’s ever encountered. In his rage, he can set the ground shaking. But he also protects her, feeds her, and cares for her. She doesn’t know what kind of monster he is, but she knows she’ll need to resist his siren spell and find a way out of the darkness alive if she ever wants to see home again.
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First published June 14, 2022
60 people are currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Haag
47 books1,189 followersI love to write! Sharing the worlds I've created is beyond amazing . Want to read a book for free? Check out my website at:
http://melissahaag.com/free-ebook/
Connect with me on:
https://twitter.com/MelissaHaag
https://www.facebook.com/author.MelissaHaag
I also write adult books under the pen name M.J. Haag. Happy reading!
http://melissahaag.com/free-ebook/
Connect with me on:
https://twitter.com/MelissaHaag
https://www.facebook.com/author.MelissaHaag
I also write adult books under the pen name M.J. Haag. Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 5, 2023
Just like a lot of authors I discovered Melissa Haag because of a Cinderella retelling. I'm impatiently waiting until it's time for the sister's story, which is gonna be a Snow White retelling, to be written, but while waiting I discovered more books from her backlist. I loved the trilogy about the fury. I loved the trilogy about the werewolf and the succubus even more. So, I was very excited to dive into this Hades and Persephone retelling starring our favorite resident human.
The beginning of the book, or actually a big part of it, is quite confusing. Our heroine can't talk, so she can't ask for answers or clarifications and although we can guess a little bit what's going on hell seems to be a really strange place. However, once our heroine regains her voice and starts talking we discover what's truly going on and all of a sudden everything starts making sense. It also shows that our heroine's issues are bigger than she thought.
I loved how our heroine stayed very human throughout the entire story without her becoming a poor damsel in distress. She panics when it's only natural for her to panic. She asks questions, even though they can anger the monster, simply because she has to understand and she also keeps doing what she already did so much in the other books in the series. Survive. She uses her brain, intelligence and most of all her experience with supernatural creatures to find a way out.
The best part about this book though was the tension. There is this part of our heroine that is really attracted to the monster, that appreciates how handsome and protective and fierce and hot he is. But there is also this part of her that freaks out every time he talks about touching, kissing and having sex with her. I creates this constant will they/won't they feeling and I can't wait to get loads more of that in the next book!
The beginning of the book, or actually a big part of it, is quite confusing. Our heroine can't talk, so she can't ask for answers or clarifications and although we can guess a little bit what's going on hell seems to be a really strange place. However, once our heroine regains her voice and starts talking we discover what's truly going on and all of a sudden everything starts making sense. It also shows that our heroine's issues are bigger than she thought.
I loved how our heroine stayed very human throughout the entire story without her becoming a poor damsel in distress. She panics when it's only natural for her to panic. She asks questions, even though they can anger the monster, simply because she has to understand and she also keeps doing what she already did so much in the other books in the series. Survive. She uses her brain, intelligence and most of all her experience with supernatural creatures to find a way out.
The best part about this book though was the tension. There is this part of our heroine that is really attracted to the monster, that appreciates how handsome and protective and fierce and hot he is. But there is also this part of her that freaks out every time he talks about touching, kissing and having sex with her. I creates this constant will they/won't they feeling and I can't wait to get loads more of that in the next book!
June 15, 2022
This was all kinds of fu%#ed-up, but in all the right ways.
I swear that if I had read in its description that this was going to be another Hades X Pershephone retelling I would not have given it a chance.I am too fatigued with all these retellings. I still have two books like that on the backlog (I haven`t finished them, one such book is A Game of Fate: Hades Saga\\).
But this one?This one is psychotic and I loved every moment.
I have to admit that the beginning is a bit slow. The first two chapters are a bit of a drag-on, but I guess they are useful to give a context and to amplify the follow-up.
This is the story of a human girl living between the wall of an Academy for creatures with supernatural abilities. Life is not that great for her. She wants to be free, to live far away from this academy and its dangerous supernatural inhabitants.
One night she is searching for her roommate that had invited her too at some gatherings with druids (I am really fuzzy on the details here because I did not pay too much attention to these details, it is more of an excuse that should explain how she ended up in hell). There is a ritual going on, and she gets transported to another dimension. Guess what? That is hell!
But the great part, and maybe the reason why is not advisable to read this review before reading the book is the way everything is revealed on the page. You find out that she ends up in Hell only after a quarter of the book. You find out that the “crazy-man” that keeps following her around is actually Hades only in the middle.
I had no idea what was going on and I was anticipating nothing because I had the least idea that this book was going to be a Hades X Pershephone retelling.
“His arms snaked around me, one behind my head and the other on the small of my back. He reeled me back in, chuckling at my slight resistance.
“Even in my dreams, you oppose our union.”
Union?
That woke me up.
Panic set my heart racing, and I prayed he meant an emotional or spiritual union. ”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2022
Crazy
The storyline of Going to Hell was unlike anything I've read before. We finally know what Ashlyn was going through from the moment she went missing, and I loved it so much! It was creepy, confusing, unforeseeable. Then boom the puzzle comes together and totally makes sense and had me anxious for more. The constants throughout were the strong world/plot building and intriguing characters. If you're familiar with Persephone and Hades mythos it may make more sense. Either way I'm ready for what comes next.
The storyline of Going to Hell was unlike anything I've read before. We finally know what Ashlyn was going through from the moment she went missing, and I loved it so much! It was creepy, confusing, unforeseeable. Then boom the puzzle comes together and totally makes sense and had me anxious for more. The constants throughout were the strong world/plot building and intriguing characters. If you're familiar with Persephone and Hades mythos it may make more sense. Either way I'm ready for what comes next.
June 18, 2022
DNF at 39%
March 31, 2024
I started reading from The Howl, The Hunt, The Hunger and because obsessed with this world and their characters!!
This book does seem repetitive, HOWEVER, C'adon.... Crazy Adonis, had me in a choke hold. His crazy obsession drove me coocoo lol
But discovering he was quite literally HADES.... I didn't expect that at first. I thought he'd be a side character.
And the fact that he quite literally is the KING of the Underworld, but has suffered; bled, and basically laid his whole "soul" on a platter to Persephone, made me ravenous to read on. To see this God be driven crazy and made a skeleton all for his love for his queen... chefs kisssss.
I guess I never really realized in Greek Mythology, that Persephone was quite literally THE BOSS. But I absolutely loved that take here!
And how perverse she was?! Like... here, Persephone is a literal crazy sadist. And I love ittttt 😂 although... poor Zotera. That broke my heart!
I can not wait to see how Ashyln convinces Hades shes human.... what truly happened to Persephone?! Or is there something else going on? 👀
Brb going to read Raising Hell!
This book does seem repetitive, HOWEVER, C'adon.... Crazy Adonis, had me in a choke hold. His crazy obsession drove me coocoo lol
But discovering he was quite literally HADES.... I didn't expect that at first. I thought he'd be a side character.
And the fact that he quite literally is the KING of the Underworld, but has suffered; bled, and basically laid his whole "soul" on a platter to Persephone, made me ravenous to read on. To see this God be driven crazy and made a skeleton all for his love for his queen... chefs kisssss.
I guess I never really realized in Greek Mythology, that Persephone was quite literally THE BOSS. But I absolutely loved that take here!
And how perverse she was?! Like... here, Persephone is a literal crazy sadist. And I love ittttt 😂 although... poor Zotera. That broke my heart!
I can not wait to see how Ashyln convinces Hades shes human.... what truly happened to Persephone?! Or is there something else going on? 👀
Brb going to read Raising Hell!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2022
Wow, what a crazy ride thru this book! Looking forward to book 2. This is a new series that branches off of the "Of Fates and Furies" series and the "By Kiss and Claw" series. It can be read separately, there are some references to events or characters in those series, but it can be read without them, though I think a reader might get more depth having read those 2 series first. I did enjoy this, but it's a different direction than I've read from this author before, not in a bad way, just unexpected. Kept me on the edge of my seat. There's definitely needed humor mixed into the heavy story, but the author definitely has a way to make a crazy unappealing main male character (at first glimpse), into an appealing character by the end of the book. I wasn't sure about Ashlyn from the previous series, as she was a secondary character in those series, but I actually liked her in this book. Definitely worth reading, and definitely has me wanting to read the next book.
January 8, 2024
Series Review 4.5 Stars
I adore this series! This series is probably the best series I’ve read in the past year, but that’s not saying much because I’ve been in an awful slump.
- 📚 Series
- 👀 POV: first person, single POV
- 📖 Urban Fantasy
- ❣️ M/f romance
- 🎱 Tropes: amnesia, hades + Persephone retelling
- 🧁 FMC: emotionally stable and rational, not prone to exaggerated OTT reactions.
- 👥 MMC: halfway insane from millennia of torture, both physical and psychological. Obsessively in love with Persephone.
- 🌎 5/5 World-building Stars
- ⭐️ 5/5 Plot-line Stars
- 🤓 5/5 Character Development Stars
- 🍒 Virgins: FMC
- ♥️ 5/5 Romance Stars
- 🌶 0.5/5 Spicy Stars
- 🔥 /Slow Burn
- 👄 Kinks: None. No spice except some closed door oral by MMC.
- 🚫 No: MM, OW, Cheating, bullying, dub/non-con
- ‼️ Triggers: mentions of abuse and torture
I adore this series! This series is probably the best series I’ve read in the past year, but that’s not saying much because I’ve been in an awful slump.
- 📚 Series
- 👀 POV: first person, single POV
- 📖 Urban Fantasy
- ❣️ M/f romance
- 🎱 Tropes: amnesia, hades + Persephone retelling
- 🧁 FMC: emotionally stable and rational, not prone to exaggerated OTT reactions.
- 👥 MMC: halfway insane from millennia of torture, both physical and psychological. Obsessively in love with Persephone.
- 🌎 5/5 World-building Stars
- ⭐️ 5/5 Plot-line Stars
- 🤓 5/5 Character Development Stars
- 🍒 Virgins: FMC
- ♥️ 5/5 Romance Stars
- 🌶 0.5/5 Spicy Stars
- 🔥 /Slow Burn
- 👄 Kinks: None. No spice except some closed door oral by MMC.
- 🚫 No: MM, OW, Cheating, bullying, dub/non-con
- ‼️ Triggers: mentions of abuse and torture
July 7, 2022
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I'm a sucker for a Hades and Persephone retelling and I've got to say, this is one of the most unique and interesting versions I've ever come across! An evil and sadistic Persephone? A tortured, love sick Hades? A case of mistaken identity that leaves a human caught up in the totally toxic relation between gods? Yes to all the things! This book is fast-paced, well-written and full of a lot of emotion, drama, and a touch of humor. As the story progressed and more revelations came to light, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! A lot of good it did me because it ended on a mild cliff-hanger and I have to wait a year for the sequel. **sad sigh** I can't recommend this book enough!
I'm a sucker for a Hades and Persephone retelling and I've got to say, this is one of the most unique and interesting versions I've ever come across! An evil and sadistic Persephone? A tortured, love sick Hades? A case of mistaken identity that leaves a human caught up in the totally toxic relation between gods? Yes to all the things! This book is fast-paced, well-written and full of a lot of emotion, drama, and a touch of humor. As the story progressed and more revelations came to light, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! A lot of good it did me because it ended on a mild cliff-hanger and I have to wait a year for the sequel. **sad sigh** I can't recommend this book enough!
July 17, 2023
4 stars
What the hell did I just read???
It was amazing! No offense to the author and people that worked on the covers but they don't help this book at all.
They give the impression of just another paranormal romance that I won't remember after reading it.
But it took me by surprise. It's to freaky and has a horror atmosphere that I didn't expect.
The mental issues aspect was very well portraited and I didn't expect this book to be so dark and violent. Loved it.
The only thing I regret is that the third book is not out yet at this moment and I'm about to devour book 2. So after that there'll be only gloom and despair until book 3.
9/10 would recommend
What the hell did I just read???
It was amazing! No offense to the author and people that worked on the covers but they don't help this book at all.
They give the impression of just another paranormal romance that I won't remember after reading it.
But it took me by surprise. It's to freaky and has a horror atmosphere that I didn't expect.
The mental issues aspect was very well portraited and I didn't expect this book to be so dark and violent. Loved it.
The only thing I regret is that the third book is not out yet at this moment and I'm about to devour book 2. So after that there'll be only gloom and despair until book 3.
9/10 would recommend
August 11, 2023
not bad
Not bad but not good. Just not my cup of tea. Well written and the characters are likable but the FH took forever to figure things out. Maybe because she was just 17. And because she was 17 there was no steam. This is Extreme young adult content. I hated Hades’ suffering, but his character felt alive with depth of character. I gave 3 * because though it was well written and the plot intriguing, it moved slowly. Over half the book is her running through darkened hallways. I started skimming and skipping, so three stars. I bought the bundle so I am forced to read the next one, I’ll definitely let y’all know if it gets any better, though I have little hope.
Not bad but not good. Just not my cup of tea. Well written and the characters are likable but the FH took forever to figure things out. Maybe because she was just 17. And because she was 17 there was no steam. This is Extreme young adult content. I hated Hades’ suffering, but his character felt alive with depth of character. I gave 3 * because though it was well written and the plot intriguing, it moved slowly. Over half the book is her running through darkened hallways. I started skimming and skipping, so three stars. I bought the bundle so I am forced to read the next one, I’ll definitely let y’all know if it gets any better, though I have little hope.
June 17, 2022
amazing new series
I devoured this book. Unfortunately I didn’t realize it ends in a cliffhanger…one that won’t be resolved for another year or more. Normally I don’t like to read series until they’re completed because I’m too impatient. This was an excellent start though. It is definitely darker. Reminds me, in a way, of The Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa or Ruby Dixon’s Aspect and Anchor series. But definitely different in its own way as well. I’m looking forward to the rest but honestly probably won’t by book 2 until book 3 also is finished.
I devoured this book. Unfortunately I didn’t realize it ends in a cliffhanger…one that won’t be resolved for another year or more. Normally I don’t like to read series until they’re completed because I’m too impatient. This was an excellent start though. It is definitely darker. Reminds me, in a way, of The Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa or Ruby Dixon’s Aspect and Anchor series. But definitely different in its own way as well. I’m looking forward to the rest but honestly probably won’t by book 2 until book 3 also is finished.
June 19, 2022
Its crazy in hell. Showing up unexpectedly in hell was 1 thing but seeing a skeleton become a man and then trying 2 figure out who that man is that protects her and tries 2 do everything 4 her is sumthing entirely different. Once she figured out where she was she is determined 2 find her only relative and get back home asap. when her friend shows up things go sideways cause everyone thinks she's sumone else. How will she prove the truth when she don't understand a lot of things that don't make sense. What idea can she have 2 do a few things she wants and don't want at the same x?
June 20, 2022
Ashlyn has spent her entire life just trying to survive. She keeps her head down and does her best to avoid the monsters she is forced to help train. When a druid spell goes wrong and she is transported somewhere else, all the rules she has followed her entire life may not be enough to keep her safe. Having to choose between monsters who appear around every corner or a crazy creature who can keep the others away (and appears to be obsessed with her), she struggles to stay alive. Haag’s Hades will keep you hooked and leave you desperate for book 2!
June 17, 2022
Not What I Expected! So Good!
I usually don't like books that have to do with the title, but I have to say, this book exceeded my expectations by far. The concept of this book and how Melissa portrayed the MC is phenomenal. I would have never imagined this concept, ever. It is mind blowing. I cannot wait for the next book!
I usually don't like books that have to do with the title, but I have to say, this book exceeded my expectations by far. The concept of this book and how Melissa portrayed the MC is phenomenal. I would have never imagined this concept, ever. It is mind blowing. I cannot wait for the next book!
June 23, 2022
O. M. G. !!!
This world just got darker and more disturbed. The stakes are higher than ever to get our heroine home. And we have finally met one of the gods. Hades is a very tragic figure, but hopefully Ashlyn can help him regain some of his sanity. I can't wait for the next book!!!
This world just got darker and more disturbed. The stakes are higher than ever to get our heroine home. And we have finally met one of the gods. Hades is a very tragic figure, but hopefully Ashlyn can help him regain some of his sanity. I can't wait for the next book!!!
August 5, 2022
loved it!
I read this in less than two days! I loved it!! I had no idea what to expect next or what was going to happen. It kept me on my toes for the whole book. Can’t wait for book 2!
I read this in less than two days! I loved it!! I had no idea what to expect next or what was going to happen. It kept me on my toes for the whole book. Can’t wait for book 2!
February 6, 2023
this is the best book
Words are so beyond me on how amazing this book is. I loved it. Melissa Haag always delivers, but this is above anything I have read of hers. Thank you for this.
Words are so beyond me on how amazing this book is. I loved it. Melissa Haag always delivers, but this is above anything I have read of hers. Thank you for this.
February 9, 2023
WOW!
Oh my goodness. It had been a while since I read the other series and it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. But now that I've remembered and read, this story is fantastic.
Oh my goodness. It had been a while since I read the other series and it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. But now that I've remembered and read, this story is fantastic.
Read
June 27, 2024DNF at 15%. A majority of this 15% showed the FMC wandering the halls of hell and encountering various individuals there. It felt tedious and a waste of time. By 20% of a book, the story should be well underway. This one was no where near capturing my interest.
June 30, 2022
I really didn't connect to this book, for me I got very confused with understanding it, others would like it and I recommend reading it but I'm, sorry it was my cup of tea
September 12, 2022
I am normally a huge M. Haag fan but this book missed the mark for me :(
Read
April 24, 2023Succubus...
June 18, 2023
DNF at 38%. Too slow and repetitive for me
September 9, 2024
3.5 unsettling
December 14, 2024
what a claustrophobic read.
January 21, 2025
Boring
June 20, 2022
Was not expecting that but I am here for it
May 9, 2023
In the new series, In Fire and Ash, the first book, “Going to Hell” by Melissa Haag, is very intriguing. A spell gone wrong sends human Ashlyn to Hell and she unknowingly wakes up Hades. Melissa Haag writes about an incredible new world in this book. The characters are developing nicely. I was drawn in from the first chapter. It’s a great story that has a twist on the Hades and Persephone story. I can’t wait to read the next part of this series.
January 1, 2025
It’s September now and I’m still thinking about this book. So I ordered the paperback. Why do I have to wait so long for book two?! 😭
I loved every minute of this book. Such a breathe of crazy town fresh air. It had me wrapped around its little finger and still lives within my soul. So unique and fun. Just give it a chance..
I loved every minute of this book. Such a breathe of crazy town fresh air. It had me wrapped around its little finger and still lives within my soul. So unique and fun. Just give it a chance..
July 1, 2025
Going to hell
Wow can’t wait for more.
Loved every moment reading this series.
Hope to reed the next book soon.
Can’t wait
Wow can’t wait for more.
Loved every moment reading this series.
Hope to reed the next book soon.
Can’t wait
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews