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Symphony #1
Symphony of the Fallen Stars: A Hades & Persephone Retelling
He is Death incarnate, collector of lives. You only get to meet him once: the moment you die. But he makes an exception for Cassiana; instead of taking her soul, he saves it. But for what price?
Just imagine Death incarnate wouldn’t kill, but save you. As crazy as that might sound, that is exactly what happens to Cassiana. All she’s ever known is her desire to become famous. When she gets a chance to perform a play in front of the King of the fae, her breakthrough seems within reach. But what begins as a hope for her future becomes a nightmare when the fae King decides to kill her.
That is, until a man much worse than the King of the fae saves her: the Deathbringer. He is a creature as old as life itself. A man known not for saving, but for taking souls. He is ruler of the Dead, King of the Afterlife, and nobody has ever laid eyes upon him. At least, nobody living.
With his striking features, his mocking attitude, and that dark hair that shimmers like the stars of the night sky, he is nothing like Cassiana has imagined him to be. She’s left wondering why he, King of the Afterlife, bothers to save her.
Whatever his reasons for saving her are, she owes him now. And what scares Cassiana most isn’t the debt she needs to repay. It’s the way she’s looking forward to doing so.
The Deathbringer’s darkness calls to Cassiana, begging for her touch, her affection, and her love. Will she be able to resist it?
'SYMPHONY OF THE FALLEN STARS' IS A NEW ADULT, SEXY FANTASY LOOSELY INSPIRED BY THE MYTHS OF HADES & PERSEPHONE.
*Content note: Contains graphic mature content & themes such as violence, mention of suicide & death, and PTSD.*
Just imagine Death incarnate wouldn’t kill, but save you. As crazy as that might sound, that is exactly what happens to Cassiana. All she’s ever known is her desire to become famous. When she gets a chance to perform a play in front of the King of the fae, her breakthrough seems within reach. But what begins as a hope for her future becomes a nightmare when the fae King decides to kill her.
That is, until a man much worse than the King of the fae saves her: the Deathbringer. He is a creature as old as life itself. A man known not for saving, but for taking souls. He is ruler of the Dead, King of the Afterlife, and nobody has ever laid eyes upon him. At least, nobody living.
With his striking features, his mocking attitude, and that dark hair that shimmers like the stars of the night sky, he is nothing like Cassiana has imagined him to be. She’s left wondering why he, King of the Afterlife, bothers to save her.
Whatever his reasons for saving her are, she owes him now. And what scares Cassiana most isn’t the debt she needs to repay. It’s the way she’s looking forward to doing so.
The Deathbringer’s darkness calls to Cassiana, begging for her touch, her affection, and her love. Will she be able to resist it?
'SYMPHONY OF THE FALLEN STARS' IS A NEW ADULT, SEXY FANTASY LOOSELY INSPIRED BY THE MYTHS OF HADES & PERSEPHONE.
*Content note: Contains graphic mature content & themes such as violence, mention of suicide & death, and PTSD.*
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2022
74 people are currently reading
1731 people want to read
About the author
Marie Lau
3 books71 followersMarie Lau was born in Santiago de Chile in 2001. She grew up in a multicultural environment within the Spanish-speaking country, her German family and school, and her English literature. Her dream has always been to become an author. Being a hopeless romantic, her favorite genre to read and write is Romantasy. Marie is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in International Management while at the same time working as an author.
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April 4, 2024
➸ 4 stars
thank you so much to marie lau for sending me a copy of her book! this was my first hades x persephone retelling and i had so much fun reading it! I laughed, I giggled, I kicked my feet, I punched the air, jumped on my bed etc etc… I loved this book and I loved these characters; I can’t wait to see how this story continues and plays out (I need the sequel asap!)
—✨ 𝐍𝐀 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
—✨ 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝)
—✨ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧
—✨ 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
—✨ 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞
—✨ 𝐟𝐚𝐞, 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬…
—✨ 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧
I absolutely fell in love with this world, more specifically the Village of Lost Dreams (Emoh) to the point where I wanted to jump inside this book and live there myself. having this place be somewhere in the afterlife where people have nothing to worry about, no judgment, no robbery, no inequality, etc etc… everybody knows, cares, and respects each other and this world just seems like a lovely place to live in! (I want to go to there) as for the land of the living, I don’t have much to say on it as there wasn’t much world building there since this book took place in the after life.
the only thing I didn’t like was the spice; it wasn’t bad, just a little too descriptive for me (just personal preference!) and some of the words used made me cringe a little haha
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧ —
“𝑫𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ cassiana — I loved her much!! from the very beginning she always stood and fought for what she believed in no matter the consequences. she is so selfless and caring and it shows in the way she treats the people around her I love love love her! reading the few flashbacks from her past truly broke my heart; she went through so much and that trauma lead to her not trusting people and letting no one get through her walls (quick mention of miriam, cassiana’s best friend who broke through those walls and is a true ride or die bestie I hope to see more of her in the future!) I loved how her feeling of safety and love for the stars and the darkness her whole life really ties together being brought down to the afterlife where there is a dark star filled sky at all times as well as the one who controls the shadows (full circle!!) I really connected to her character and I found myself relating to her many times while reading this, seeing her stay true to herself and grow from her past made me tear up many times….
(me and cassiana 🤝 trust & commitment issues)
“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ the deathbringer, king of the afterlife, thanatos — first of all… tall, green eyes, dimples, flirty (with her only), caring to his people, reassuring… need I say more? SCREAMINGGGGG AHHHHH I. LOVE. HIM.
“𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”
with the rumors going around in the Land of the Living, this man would be the scariest being in this world, but on the inside there is pain and loneliness. he is extremely closed off and prefers to be alone and never truly speaks anyone or to his people whom he cares so dearly for, fearing they aren’t happy in his realm after giving them everything they could want to be happy. once cassiana came into his life he started to let loose a little bit and slowly he started opening up to her and started trusting her; his past broke my heart in two and made me sob a little… (a lot) and I hopeee he gets something back in future books even though I’m not sure it’s possible…
(me and thanatos 🤝 trust issues)
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧ —
“𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏.”
“𝑰𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ thanatos & cassiana — they were written in the stars.
from the beginning, cassiana knew that she should fear thanatos, but she didn’t… as for him he was a FLIRT which lead to great banter between them that I absolutely loved. him bringing her down to the afterlife also brought in some close proximity between them which in turn caused them to spend more time with each other, get to know each other, and open up. both of these characters went through a lot and share some of the same trauma, the vulnerability of sharing the things they keep locked up with each other was truly beautiful to read about. his constant reassurance to cassiana’s fear of people leaving her and committing to stay with her forever was something I loved so much I NEED SOMEONE LIKE HIM!
HE BROUGHT DOWN THE STARS FOR HER HE QUITE LITERALLY GAVE HER THE STARS CAN YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING?!?! she opened up about her missing the stars AND HE DOES THIS?! AND WHILE SHES ADMIRING THE BEAUTY OF THEM HES DOING THE SAME, BUT TO HER?! HE TOOK HER TEARS AND A NEW STAR WAS BORN THEN AND THERE BECAUSE HE MADE HER DREAM COME TRUE?! I NEED HIM
him also always kissing away her tears whenever she cried and her kissing his scars when he trusted her to see that part of him THEY LITERALLY SAVED EACH OTHER THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER I WILL NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM!!!
thanatos to cassiana:
— ✧˖ “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐈 𝐯𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.” “𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐈’𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐈𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
cassiana to thanatos:
— ✧˖ “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠,” “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞,”
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧ ･ﾟ: * ✧ —
“Stars are born, when dreams come true.”
thank you so much to marie lau for sending me a copy of her book! this was my first hades x persephone retelling and i had so much fun reading it! I laughed, I giggled, I kicked my feet, I punched the air, jumped on my bed etc etc… I loved this book and I loved these characters; I can’t wait to see how this story continues and plays out (I need the sequel asap!)
—✨ 𝐍𝐀 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
—✨ 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝)
—✨ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧
—✨ 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
—✨ 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞
—✨ 𝐟𝐚𝐞, 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬…
—✨ 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧
I absolutely fell in love with this world, more specifically the Village of Lost Dreams (Emoh) to the point where I wanted to jump inside this book and live there myself. having this place be somewhere in the afterlife where people have nothing to worry about, no judgment, no robbery, no inequality, etc etc… everybody knows, cares, and respects each other and this world just seems like a lovely place to live in! (I want to go to there) as for the land of the living, I don’t have much to say on it as there wasn’t much world building there since this book took place in the after life.
the only thing I didn’t like was the spice; it wasn’t bad, just a little too descriptive for me (just personal preference!) and some of the words used made me cringe a little haha
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧ —
“𝑫𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ cassiana — I loved her much!! from the very beginning she always stood and fought for what she believed in no matter the consequences. she is so selfless and caring and it shows in the way she treats the people around her I love love love her! reading the few flashbacks from her past truly broke my heart; she went through so much and that trauma lead to her not trusting people and letting no one get through her walls (quick mention of miriam, cassiana’s best friend who broke through those walls and is a true ride or die bestie I hope to see more of her in the future!) I loved how her feeling of safety and love for the stars and the darkness her whole life really ties together being brought down to the afterlife where there is a dark star filled sky at all times as well as the one who controls the shadows (full circle!!) I really connected to her character and I found myself relating to her many times while reading this, seeing her stay true to herself and grow from her past made me tear up many times….
(me and cassiana 🤝 trust & commitment issues)
“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ the deathbringer, king of the afterlife, thanatos — first of all… tall, green eyes, dimples, flirty (with her only), caring to his people, reassuring… need I say more? SCREAMINGGGGG AHHHHH I. LOVE. HIM.
“𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”
with the rumors going around in the Land of the Living, this man would be the scariest being in this world, but on the inside there is pain and loneliness. he is extremely closed off and prefers to be alone and never truly speaks anyone or to his people whom he cares so dearly for, fearing they aren’t happy in his realm after giving them everything they could want to be happy. once cassiana came into his life he started to let loose a little bit and slowly he started opening up to her and started trusting her; his past broke my heart in two and made me sob a little… (a lot) and I hopeee he gets something back in future books even though I’m not sure it’s possible…
(me and thanatos 🤝 trust issues)
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧ —
“𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏.”
“𝑰𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆.”
𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ thanatos & cassiana — they were written in the stars.
from the beginning, cassiana knew that she should fear thanatos, but she didn’t… as for him he was a FLIRT which lead to great banter between them that I absolutely loved. him bringing her down to the afterlife also brought in some close proximity between them which in turn caused them to spend more time with each other, get to know each other, and open up. both of these characters went through a lot and share some of the same trauma, the vulnerability of sharing the things they keep locked up with each other was truly beautiful to read about. his constant reassurance to cassiana’s fear of people leaving her and committing to stay with her forever was something I loved so much I NEED SOMEONE LIKE HIM!
“It’s gorgeous!”
“It truly is,”
“But, when I tore my gaze away from the glittering stars and met Thanatos’s brilliant eyes, I realized that he hadn’t once been looking at the stars he had summoned. He had been looking at me.”
HE BROUGHT DOWN THE STARS FOR HER HE QUITE LITERALLY GAVE HER THE STARS CAN YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING?!?! she opened up about her missing the stars AND HE DOES THIS?! AND WHILE SHES ADMIRING THE BEAUTY OF THEM HES DOING THE SAME, BUT TO HER?! HE TOOK HER TEARS AND A NEW STAR WAS BORN THEN AND THERE BECAUSE HE MADE HER DREAM COME TRUE?! I NEED HIM
him also always kissing away her tears whenever she cried and her kissing his scars when he trusted her to see that part of him THEY LITERALLY SAVED EACH OTHER THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER I WILL NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM!!!
thanatos to cassiana:
— ✧˖ “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐈 𝐯𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.” “𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐈’𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐈𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
cassiana to thanatos:
— ✧˖ “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠,” “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
— ✧˖ “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞,”
— ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: * ✧･ﾟ:* ✧ ･ﾟ: * ✧ —
June 3, 2022
I cannot get enough of this book—I loved it and feel it’s a really solid debut. I’m more than looking forward to what comes next in this series and from Marie as a whole!
I’ve always been a fan of Hades & Persephone inspired stories, really anything in that vein is an immediate want-to-read for me, so this recent popularity of them is like candy to my romance and Greek mythology loving soul.
And I think it’s safe to say this story is a worthy addition to that pantheon of books. Our Hades and Persephone in this are not immune to pain and heartache, and in each other they find kindred souls. Alongside that is an air of mystery, intense romance, dire threats, and well grounded world building and character development. All of that aided in creating a story that is unique yet familiar, and compulsively readable.
Thanatos/The Deathbringer is mysterious, mischievous, and quick witted, but beyond that he is compassionate and broken, both of which go hand-in-hand. Cassiana is driven and selfless, despite experiencing years of neglect and abuse. These two are the perfect halves to each other’s hearts—the piece they are missing and their chemistry was off the charts. I couldn’t put it down!
Beyond the softer moments, this book is full of passion and it’s hot, hot, hot. I knew every moment Thanatos and Cassiana were together would be a treat and it sure was. If you enjoy some spice, this is a book for you.
The Land of the Living in this book is similar to Shadowhunters and the like, where there are various factions of beings, such as humans, vampires, fae, werewolves, etc. that share equal/unequal power, each ruled by their own King. As you can imagine, various power struggles and imbalances ensue.
Thanatos’ realm, the Afterlife, is reminiscent of that in A Touch of Darkness or River of Shadows, where it is a realm in which the dead reside (many in peace) away from the land of the living, with whole communities of its own. Thanatos cares greatly for his people and their wellbeing, and will go to great lengths to protect them.
When Cassiana steps in to defend the life of an innocent, she is caught in the web of the ruthless and entitled Fae King who sentences her to death for defying him, but for unknown reasons she is saved and whisked away by Thanatos. This creates a greater target on her, and as a way of protection, he takes her to his realm—the only living being he has ever done this for.
As you can imagine, their proximity to each other sends the sexual tension skyrocketing and Thanatos has the time of his life (death?) protecting Cassiana from those who wish her harm—though she does a good job of finding trouble on her own. I absolutely consumed this book and found it to be a unique take on the story of Hades & Persephone, while still carrying those qualities we love and adore about those stories. Like an angsty, yet warm hug.
This book also spends a good amount of time on trauma bonding, and I appreciated that quite a bit, as it’s not something I’ve seen too often with these particular stories. Thanatos and Cassiana have both experienced horrific things that have irrevocably changed who they are. They have difficulty opening up and trusting others as a result of this, but as they grow closer these truths come revealed, and it was beautiful to see them find kindred spirits in one another. Again, their chemistry is great but more than that you really feel that they were made for each other.
Plus it’s angsty and hot and dramatic and a lot of fun to read. This one definitely kept me up reading late.
My only critique is that I feel the story could have been tighter and more focused in some areas, but that’s a very small critique from me and the quality of this book and story lends to an impressive debut. Overall, I am happy and sated and can’t wait for more!
I’ve always been a fan of Hades & Persephone inspired stories, really anything in that vein is an immediate want-to-read for me, so this recent popularity of them is like candy to my romance and Greek mythology loving soul.
And I think it’s safe to say this story is a worthy addition to that pantheon of books. Our Hades and Persephone in this are not immune to pain and heartache, and in each other they find kindred souls. Alongside that is an air of mystery, intense romance, dire threats, and well grounded world building and character development. All of that aided in creating a story that is unique yet familiar, and compulsively readable.
Thanatos/The Deathbringer is mysterious, mischievous, and quick witted, but beyond that he is compassionate and broken, both of which go hand-in-hand. Cassiana is driven and selfless, despite experiencing years of neglect and abuse. These two are the perfect halves to each other’s hearts—the piece they are missing and their chemistry was off the charts. I couldn’t put it down!
Beyond the softer moments, this book is full of passion and it’s hot, hot, hot. I knew every moment Thanatos and Cassiana were together would be a treat and it sure was. If you enjoy some spice, this is a book for you.
The Land of the Living in this book is similar to Shadowhunters and the like, where there are various factions of beings, such as humans, vampires, fae, werewolves, etc. that share equal/unequal power, each ruled by their own King. As you can imagine, various power struggles and imbalances ensue.
Thanatos’ realm, the Afterlife, is reminiscent of that in A Touch of Darkness or River of Shadows, where it is a realm in which the dead reside (many in peace) away from the land of the living, with whole communities of its own. Thanatos cares greatly for his people and their wellbeing, and will go to great lengths to protect them.
When Cassiana steps in to defend the life of an innocent, she is caught in the web of the ruthless and entitled Fae King who sentences her to death for defying him, but for unknown reasons she is saved and whisked away by Thanatos. This creates a greater target on her, and as a way of protection, he takes her to his realm—the only living being he has ever done this for.
As you can imagine, their proximity to each other sends the sexual tension skyrocketing and Thanatos has the time of his life (death?) protecting Cassiana from those who wish her harm—though she does a good job of finding trouble on her own. I absolutely consumed this book and found it to be a unique take on the story of Hades & Persephone, while still carrying those qualities we love and adore about those stories. Like an angsty, yet warm hug.
This book also spends a good amount of time on trauma bonding, and I appreciated that quite a bit, as it’s not something I’ve seen too often with these particular stories. Thanatos and Cassiana have both experienced horrific things that have irrevocably changed who they are. They have difficulty opening up and trusting others as a result of this, but as they grow closer these truths come revealed, and it was beautiful to see them find kindred spirits in one another. Again, their chemistry is great but more than that you really feel that they were made for each other.
Plus it’s angsty and hot and dramatic and a lot of fun to read. This one definitely kept me up reading late.
My only critique is that I feel the story could have been tighter and more focused in some areas, but that’s a very small critique from me and the quality of this book and story lends to an impressive debut. Overall, I am happy and sated and can’t wait for more!
June 3, 2022
3.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
“Careful, love. Do not thank me yet.” I tensed when his warm breath caressed my skin. “You owe me now.”
Symphony of the Stars is a lovely debut into the fantasy romance genre and it's loosely based on the myths of Hades and Persephone.
What to expect?
— New Adult Fantasy Romance
— Hades and Persephone Retelling
— Spicy slowburn romance featuring the King of the Dead
— Intriguing supernatural world
— Fae, Witches, Wizards, Werewolves, Vampires.
— Urban Fantasy setting
— Magic
— Close proximity
— Soulmate trope
— Trauma bonding
I definitely think fans of ACOTAR and Crescent City will enjoy this book.
This book is sprinkled with most of what I would enjoy in a fantasy romance book. It took me a while to warm up to the main characters, but they eventually won me over.
The author does a good job from the beginning at the world-building and it's easy to digest. I adore the setting of the Land of the Dead, specifically Enoh which is known as the Village of Lost Dreams.
“People look up into the sky every day, choosing a star and addressing their wish to it. Sometimes, they choose a star because it symbolizes a loved one. Before those stars fell, each one of them symbolized a dream to thousands of people. The moment the star falls, their dreams die with the star.”
I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Cassiana and Thanatos. I kind of wished there was a little bit of more tension between because it felt they easily fell for each other. Still the romance is enjoyable and the reader is eventually rewarded with quite a few spicy scenes. Once Cassiana and Thanatos let their passion loose they really gave themselves to it.
Cassiana was a little harder to warm up to but Thanatos was absolutely charming, his mannerism reminds me a little of Rhysand (not to draw any comparisons but he gave me those vibes). I liked how they started to open up to each other and allowed themselves to be vulnerable. It gave them a safe space to be themselves and speak about what they have suffered.
There were some elements I wished were a little more fleshed out but I'm satisfied with how the first book ended and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Trigger Warnings: mention of suicide, death, whipping, drowning, PTSD.
“Careful, love. Do not thank me yet.” I tensed when his warm breath caressed my skin. “You owe me now.”
Symphony of the Stars is a lovely debut into the fantasy romance genre and it's loosely based on the myths of Hades and Persephone.
What to expect?
— New Adult Fantasy Romance
— Hades and Persephone Retelling
— Spicy slowburn romance featuring the King of the Dead
— Intriguing supernatural world
— Fae, Witches, Wizards, Werewolves, Vampires.
— Urban Fantasy setting
— Magic
— Close proximity
— Soulmate trope
— Trauma bonding
I definitely think fans of ACOTAR and Crescent City will enjoy this book.
This book is sprinkled with most of what I would enjoy in a fantasy romance book. It took me a while to warm up to the main characters, but they eventually won me over.
The author does a good job from the beginning at the world-building and it's easy to digest. I adore the setting of the Land of the Dead, specifically Enoh which is known as the Village of Lost Dreams.
“People look up into the sky every day, choosing a star and addressing their wish to it. Sometimes, they choose a star because it symbolizes a loved one. Before those stars fell, each one of them symbolized a dream to thousands of people. The moment the star falls, their dreams die with the star.”
I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Cassiana and Thanatos. I kind of wished there was a little bit of more tension between because it felt they easily fell for each other. Still the romance is enjoyable and the reader is eventually rewarded with quite a few spicy scenes. Once Cassiana and Thanatos let their passion loose they really gave themselves to it.
Cassiana was a little harder to warm up to but Thanatos was absolutely charming, his mannerism reminds me a little of Rhysand (not to draw any comparisons but he gave me those vibes). I liked how they started to open up to each other and allowed themselves to be vulnerable. It gave them a safe space to be themselves and speak about what they have suffered.
There were some elements I wished were a little more fleshed out but I'm satisfied with how the first book ended and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Trigger Warnings: mention of suicide, death, whipping, drowning, PTSD.
July 22, 2022
hades x persephone retellings are my guilty pleasure, so i was excited to see what new twist/perspective this story could bring. but this was a struggle for me, unfortunately.
i couldnt quite click with the writing, i found the characters to be a little flat and inconsistent, and theres just not enough world-building for me.
i think readers who are wanting a simple hades x persephone retelling without much fuss might enjoy this but, because this particular storyline has been so overused lately, i just need more depth to my retellings.
so sad i couldnt get on board with this one.
thanks to the author for providing an ARC.
↠ 2 stars
i couldnt quite click with the writing, i found the characters to be a little flat and inconsistent, and theres just not enough world-building for me.
i think readers who are wanting a simple hades x persephone retelling without much fuss might enjoy this but, because this particular storyline has been so overused lately, i just need more depth to my retellings.
so sad i couldnt get on board with this one.
thanks to the author for providing an ARC.
↠ 2 stars
April 10, 2024
This was a mesmerising Romantasy inspired by Hades & Persephone ! ❤️ The beginning was fast paced and intriguing as we witness things quickly spiral downhill after Cassiana defies the Fae King on the night of her performance. Her death sentence is short lived as the King of the Dead appears and saves her from this terrible fate.
This story ia perfect for fans of: ACOMAF, all types of super natural creatures, Velaris vibes (Emoh 😍), forced proximity and slow burn romance (with spice that pays off!). 🔥 The pacing slows down a bit after the initial rush. The writing is lush and descriptive. Cassiana is very intrigued as to why of all people the Deathbringer himself decided to save her? We as the reader slowly discover alongside her the mysteries regarding her fate. I love the side characters throughout the story (Miriam was a fav!) and the mystical world the author built.
What to expect:
🖤soulmates
🖤slow burn romance with spice 🔥
🖤fae, vampires, witches, werewolves
🖤inspired by Hades & Persephone
Thank you to the author that gifted me a copy for review!
This story ia perfect for fans of: ACOMAF, all types of super natural creatures, Velaris vibes (Emoh 😍), forced proximity and slow burn romance (with spice that pays off!). 🔥 The pacing slows down a bit after the initial rush. The writing is lush and descriptive. Cassiana is very intrigued as to why of all people the Deathbringer himself decided to save her? We as the reader slowly discover alongside her the mysteries regarding her fate. I love the side characters throughout the story (Miriam was a fav!) and the mystical world the author built.
What to expect:
🖤soulmates
🖤slow burn romance with spice 🔥
🖤fae, vampires, witches, werewolves
🖤inspired by Hades & Persephone
Thank you to the author that gifted me a copy for review!
June 3, 2022
I was a little skeptical when I learned that the premise of this book would be based on Hades and Persephone because I personally feel like that storyline has been overly exhausted; however, considering I've been following Marie and the journey of her creating this book, I was definitely intrigued into what it held.
To start off, I think of the things I disliked most about the book was well...the main characters. The heroine Cassiana didn't seem too bad at the start, but the decisions she makes throughout the book during life-threatening situations made me question her intelligence. I understand that she wants to be a selfless hero or do anything for her friends, but when almost every situation she's in causes her to have to be saved by the hero, it's hard to keep rooting for her. Also, sometimes her emotions would go from black to white in an instance which was confusing as a reader on why she would act normal and have happy thoughts to suddenly breaking down and lashing out at everyone in the span of like 5 seconds.
I also had a slight problem with the King of the Afterlife and Cassiana's love interest, Thanatos. I feel like I was introduced into a copy-and-paste stereotypical hero I've read time and time again: he is dark and brooding, lives in solitude, has to be the biggest, strongest man you've ever seen, and is just absolutely infatuated for some reason with the heroine. Although throughout the book we get to learn more about his past and reasonings for his behavior, I still felt no real connection with him or their relationship.
The romance aspect had no real foundation for me, and I find this troubling since not much happened for about 1/3 of the book except her and him getting to know each other better...
Their relationship just reminds me of YA high school romance books where the bad boy falls for the good girl: she try's to act steadfast towards him but always fails, he GROWLS every-time they kiss, she wants to not have feelings because of his reputation, etc.
Which brings me to another problem the book for me, regarding his reputation: there is no world building. I have absolutely no idea what the world is like or how it is structured; therefore I have no reason (and am given no explanation) of why Cassiana should be "scared" to be saved by Thanatos, other than he's a king of the afterlife. I think there should have been more world building in the beginning of the book to give context as to why the reader should be nervous for Cassiana's fate in his hands. From a readers perspective, it just seems like Cassiana is in a bad situation with one king, and then this random guy comes and saves her life and suddenly we're supposed to just know all the "scary" rumors about him even though barely any are given to us.
Also, along with needing more world building, the world I am given a glimpse into doesn't seem to make sense to me. For instance, Cassiana mentions God, and Thanatos mentions Greek mythology. I was confused on why this world would have reason to create the idea of God if everyone, no matter if they are human or mythical creature, knows they go to the Kingdom of the Afterlife when they die. I think talking about God or Greek Mytholgy (which is centered around Greek Gods) doesn't make sense to whatever world this is. I know real world fantasy series can be done well (i.e. The Unearthly series by Laura Thalassa or the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout), however there is no logic to this world on how magic and fantasy can coexist with everyday normal life without there being major changes to the world we live in. If I was a human living in a world where I knew there was a king of the Afterlife, why would I still have reason to believe in a God?
The reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 was because I do have to say that the climax of the book had my attention and wasn't poorly executed. I think that considering this is Marie's first book, it was an ok debut all things considered.
To start off, I think of the things I disliked most about the book was well...the main characters. The heroine Cassiana didn't seem too bad at the start, but the decisions she makes throughout the book during life-threatening situations made me question her intelligence. I understand that she wants to be a selfless hero or do anything for her friends, but when almost every situation she's in causes her to have to be saved by the hero, it's hard to keep rooting for her. Also, sometimes her emotions would go from black to white in an instance which was confusing as a reader on why she would act normal and have happy thoughts to suddenly breaking down and lashing out at everyone in the span of like 5 seconds.
I also had a slight problem with the King of the Afterlife and Cassiana's love interest, Thanatos. I feel like I was introduced into a copy-and-paste stereotypical hero I've read time and time again: he is dark and brooding, lives in solitude, has to be the biggest, strongest man you've ever seen, and is just absolutely infatuated for some reason with the heroine. Although throughout the book we get to learn more about his past and reasonings for his behavior, I still felt no real connection with him or their relationship.
The romance aspect had no real foundation for me, and I find this troubling since not much happened for about 1/3 of the book except her and him getting to know each other better...
Their relationship just reminds me of YA high school romance books where the bad boy falls for the good girl: she try's to act steadfast towards him but always fails, he GROWLS every-time they kiss, she wants to not have feelings because of his reputation, etc.
Which brings me to another problem the book for me, regarding his reputation: there is no world building. I have absolutely no idea what the world is like or how it is structured; therefore I have no reason (and am given no explanation) of why Cassiana should be "scared" to be saved by Thanatos, other than he's a king of the afterlife. I think there should have been more world building in the beginning of the book to give context as to why the reader should be nervous for Cassiana's fate in his hands. From a readers perspective, it just seems like Cassiana is in a bad situation with one king, and then this random guy comes and saves her life and suddenly we're supposed to just know all the "scary" rumors about him even though barely any are given to us.
Also, along with needing more world building, the world I am given a glimpse into doesn't seem to make sense to me. For instance, Cassiana mentions God, and Thanatos mentions Greek mythology. I was confused on why this world would have reason to create the idea of God if everyone, no matter if they are human or mythical creature, knows they go to the Kingdom of the Afterlife when they die. I think talking about God or Greek Mytholgy (which is centered around Greek Gods) doesn't make sense to whatever world this is. I know real world fantasy series can be done well (i.e. The Unearthly series by Laura Thalassa or the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout), however there is no logic to this world on how magic and fantasy can coexist with everyday normal life without there being major changes to the world we live in. If I was a human living in a world where I knew there was a king of the Afterlife, why would I still have reason to believe in a God?
The reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 was because I do have to say that the climax of the book had my attention and wasn't poorly executed. I think that considering this is Marie's first book, it was an ok debut all things considered.
May 29, 2022
I loved this. I am a sucker for Hades and Persephone and this retelling was such a great one.
I am hooked for not only the romance and their relationship but the overall story and what is going to happen as there are so many things I need answers to and I know things are just getting started.
Such a wonderful debut and I can’t wait for book 2.
I am hooked for not only the romance and their relationship but the overall story and what is going to happen as there are so many things I need answers to and I know things are just getting started.
Such a wonderful debut and I can’t wait for book 2.
April 7, 2022
Am I the first??? DYING TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS BOOK ♥️
June 30, 2022
1,5/5 Unfortunately I did not like it. The heroine was so inconsistent, it just did not add up. On top of that she was really annoying, whiny and a self-proclaimed savior of the weak - but needed to get saved over and over again by Thanatos, who wasn’t the strong and powerful „bad guy“ he was made out to be. He can not protect his people nor his girl, has hardly any authority and seems to be super inconsistent, too. There was no worldbuilding and I did not see any foundation for their „lovestory“. It was just a really flat retelling of your generic fantasy lovestory.
My second issue with this book were the many similarities to The Bargainer series from Laura Thalassa. Did anybody else have this impression? The misunderstood king of the underworld who brings stars down for his love, who accidentally killed her abusive father figure and has a best friend who is a powerful witch? I have read this before.
I followed Marie’s writing process and was really excited for her book, but it left me disappointed and a bit confused. I know it is her debut and I can imagine it is difficult to get everything right the first time, but there were so many lose ends, so many things did not add up and the characters were very inconsistent throughout the book, I could not get myself to really enjoy it.
I hope her next book will be better, I will try to give it another shot .
My second issue with this book were the many similarities to The Bargainer series from Laura Thalassa. Did anybody else have this impression? The misunderstood king of the underworld who brings stars down for his love, who accidentally killed her abusive father figure and has a best friend who is a powerful witch? I have read this before.
I followed Marie’s writing process and was really excited for her book, but it left me disappointed and a bit confused. I know it is her debut and I can imagine it is difficult to get everything right the first time, but there were so many lose ends, so many things did not add up and the characters were very inconsistent throughout the book, I could not get myself to really enjoy it.
I hope her next book will be better, I will try to give it another shot .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
May 20, 2022Take my money ma'am....💸💸💸
July 20, 2024
not bad but not good
September 2, 2023
4 stars. Even though it's probably realistically a 3-3.5.
I feel like I'm giving a lot of 4 stars lately and being very tight on 5 stars...
Was this the best book ever written? No. Was it a great debut? Yes. Definitely yes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Anything with Hades x Persephone vibes (or any Greek/Roman/Chinese mythology!) Is my thing anyway.
This has the promise to lead to something great. There wasn't a huge amount of world building, and I'd say it's only a 🌶.5 on the spice scale but it has potential. I loved Thanatos and his story, I almost wanted MORE. I also wanted MORE about Cassiana's tragic backstory. The ended felt a little rushed, and I think this book could easily have had another 50-100 pages in it, but I really hope this develops into a series with more substance, background, and intrigue.
I just want to know more about the world, how it works. Is there going to be different books about different kinds or...?
Can't wait to see more from this author overall. Potential is there!
I feel like I'm giving a lot of 4 stars lately and being very tight on 5 stars...
Was this the best book ever written? No. Was it a great debut? Yes. Definitely yes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Anything with Hades x Persephone vibes (or any Greek/Roman/Chinese mythology!) Is my thing anyway.
This has the promise to lead to something great. There wasn't a huge amount of world building, and I'd say it's only a 🌶.5 on the spice scale but it has potential. I loved Thanatos and his story, I almost wanted MORE. I also wanted MORE about Cassiana's tragic backstory. The ended felt a little rushed, and I think this book could easily have had another 50-100 pages in it, but I really hope this develops into a series with more substance, background, and intrigue.
I just want to know more about the world, how it works. Is there going to be different books about different kinds or...?
Can't wait to see more from this author overall. Potential is there!
September 15, 2022
Read this book over the course of two evenings. It’s an easy read, I think the beginning of the story started strong, and then I would say advanced quickly, possibly a little too quickly and lacked detail.
Characters are good, could of had more depth to them but to be honest they needed another couple of hundred pages to really get them going.
Not a bad little book.
Some good quotes to be found inside, if you’re a kindle reader then look for the highlights.
Will be reading the second book as I think the storyline could become interesting and I hate to leave things hanging!
Characters are good, could of had more depth to them but to be honest they needed another couple of hundred pages to really get them going.
Not a bad little book.
Some good quotes to be found inside, if you’re a kindle reader then look for the highlights.
Will be reading the second book as I think the storyline could become interesting and I hate to leave things hanging!
December 9, 2022
Hades and Persephone retelling so I obviously couldn’t resist. Love a good spicy slow burn romance read, with of course a broody sarcastic misunderstood male with long dark hair that uses the pet name ‘love’.
June 3, 2022
It took a break reading this book because I loved it so much I didn't want it to end. Marie your way of writing is amazing. Your story Is amazing I cannot wait to see what you have in store for volume two. This really deserved the 5 star I put him. It's the best fantasy I've read in the last two years. It is truly amazing totally worth your time and the characters are amazing and well developed. Thank you to have brought this story to life !!!!
May 30, 2022
I waited a long time for the release of this book and wasn't disappointed with result. I loved the entire story and can't wait to read more. The characters are well written and the storyline is interesting. I finished it in one sitting because I couldn't stop reading and kept saying to myself that I'll only read one more chapter but I always had to start the next because I was so excited about it.
May 28, 2022
Girl your book was amazing!
24hrs within 24hrs of my copy arriving I was finished and man alive so I want more!
Beautiful characters and the development was just 👌🏻
I could see the world you have created in my mind. This book was such a beautiful read and knowing me I will reread this over and over again.
Congrats hun on your first book!!
Loved it completely
24hrs within 24hrs of my copy arriving I was finished and man alive so I want more!
Beautiful characters and the development was just 👌🏻
I could see the world you have created in my mind. This book was such a beautiful read and knowing me I will reread this over and over again.
Congrats hun on your first book!!
Loved it completely
May 29, 2022
SO GOOD!
This book had me hooked from the beginning! I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait for a second one!
This book had me hooked from the beginning! I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait for a second one!
June 8, 2022
2.75/5 stars. This is one of the most generic, cringey romance I’ve read in a while. We have the most self righteous strong female lead, and a weak plot. The writing style is clunky at best, downright cringey at worst. This book just seems so unplanned, unfortunately. There are multiple unfinished plot lines (however minor some may be), and the world building is so rushed. And there are some instances when it just doesn’t make sense. There is one sentence that just annoys me so much, when Cassiana confesses her love for Thanatos, King of the Afterlife and controls darkness/arguably is the embodiment of darkness, and says ‘you’re the brightness in my darkness’. First off, it’s so contradictory. And it feels much too textbook ‘how to write a romance’ sentence structure. The reason this book is not rated lower is because it still is a Hades/Persephone esque retelling, and I am still a sucker for them. But even then, during this entire book, I just could not help but compare it to all the other Hades/Persephone retellings I’ve read, like A Touch of Darkness (more classic/traditional) or ACOMAF (unique with nuanced characters). A Hades/Persephone retelling you can never do bad, but just this one is a repeat of any other generic romance out there, simply set in a vaguely ‘Afterlife’ resembling setting with a guy named Thanatos.
Ps. They live in DC? Everything but the afterlife is there I think but really I don’t know.
Ps. They live in DC? Everything but the afterlife is there I think but really I don’t know.
January 6, 2025
Classic dark romance for those that are starting to read! I really enjoyed and I hope to continue reading more stories.
June 29, 2022
4,5 ⭐️
Oh my goodness… 🫶🏼
Was ein starker Auftakt! Und ein starkes Debüt! ♥️
Cassiana und Thanatos… ein absolut geniales, gefühlvolles und liebenswertes Paar.
Cassiana und ich wurden nur langsam miteinander warm, aber gegen Mitte des Buches hatte ich sie doch ins Herz geschlossen.
Thanatos hingegen betrat den Raum und…. I was sowas von in Love 🔥
Das Afterlife war spannend beschrieben und die Atmosphäre durchweg spannend.
Auch die Nebencharakter waren schön ausgearbeitet und blieben nicht grau.
Viele Wendungen hatte ich so nicht kommen sehen - andere dagegen waren für mich von vornherein klar (aber stört mich das? Nö! Denn ich war froh dass ich richtig lag 😁)
Die Thematik mochte ich ebenfalls äußerst gerne und der Schluss lässt mich wirklich ungeduldig auf band 2 warten! 😍
Die einzige Kleinigkeit, die ich zu „bemängeln“ hab, sind einige Wiederholungen, die meinen Lesefluss oft gestört haben. Das war bei dem flüssigen Schreibstil manchmal ein echter Stolperstein, aber ich kam auch immer wieder fix rein 🙂
Oh my goodness… 🫶🏼
Was ein starker Auftakt! Und ein starkes Debüt! ♥️
Cassiana und Thanatos… ein absolut geniales, gefühlvolles und liebenswertes Paar.
Cassiana und ich wurden nur langsam miteinander warm, aber gegen Mitte des Buches hatte ich sie doch ins Herz geschlossen.
Thanatos hingegen betrat den Raum und…. I was sowas von in Love 🔥
Das Afterlife war spannend beschrieben und die Atmosphäre durchweg spannend.
Auch die Nebencharakter waren schön ausgearbeitet und blieben nicht grau.
Viele Wendungen hatte ich so nicht kommen sehen - andere dagegen waren für mich von vornherein klar (aber stört mich das? Nö! Denn ich war froh dass ich richtig lag 😁)
Die Thematik mochte ich ebenfalls äußerst gerne und der Schluss lässt mich wirklich ungeduldig auf band 2 warten! 😍
Die einzige Kleinigkeit, die ich zu „bemängeln“ hab, sind einige Wiederholungen, die meinen Lesefluss oft gestört haben. Das war bei dem flüssigen Schreibstil manchmal ein echter Stolperstein, aber ich kam auch immer wieder fix rein 🙂
Read
July 5, 2022While reading this book I felt everything so deeply, I was absorbing every detail and loved the connection between him and her, the feeling they gave me through their words and actions. I loved the fantasy, the people and all the little details that make this book amazing and enthralling. Definitely super excited for the next one!!
May 18, 2023
I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. The story and the world are incredibly interesting so I can't wait to see this potential on future books.I liked the consistency of the main character, she was stong and intelligent at the same time and her vulnerability with Thanatos was well balanced.
Review to come!
Review to come!
August 23, 2022
3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫
“I could still remember the first time I had come face to face with death.”
Symphony of the Stars is the first book in a New Adult Fantasy Romance series that is loosely inspired by the tale of Hades and Persephone, as well as the debut book for the author. The story follows Cassiana, a ballet dancer who is saved from execution by death himself. As she adjusts to the world he lives in she realizes that the world of death offers more life than could have realized…maybe even love.
This is a slow burn romance with beautiful spice and while it took me awhile to warm up to Cassiana and Thanatos I found the ending of the book really created some beautiful moments between the characters I won’t forget (when you figure out the meaning behind the title, you’ll know). Their banter is delightful and you can see how both of them slowly start to share their vulnerabilities and hopes. There were moments I wished it would happen fast but, all the same, it was sweet to read.
“‘Stars are born,’ as he opened his palm again, a shimmering, solid light lay in his hands, ‘ when dreams come true.’”
The author set up the series as a really interesting world and it was quick to follow. I especially loved the structure around the world of the dead from its village to even the character Kalira and why she works for Thanatos (also the name of the village is home backwards!). The setting is well developed and you get to see through the eyes of Cassiana the misconceptions people have of the Land of the Dead. There is beauty if only you look at it right.
I think I would have liked to see a bit more action and conflict in the series as it unfolds as the dialogue slows down sections of the story. Even starting the book I felt there was a slowness to it. There is a sense of more things brewing as the story progresses and definitely some things happen that show trouble on the horizon in the future and I cannot wait to see what they will bring.
I would say if you're a fan of the Hades and Persephone train happening across New Adult literature and are looking for a fantasy romance with a bit of spice and a warm relationship building then this is a pleasant read! I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book.
“I could still remember the first time I had come face to face with death.”
Symphony of the Stars is the first book in a New Adult Fantasy Romance series that is loosely inspired by the tale of Hades and Persephone, as well as the debut book for the author. The story follows Cassiana, a ballet dancer who is saved from execution by death himself. As she adjusts to the world he lives in she realizes that the world of death offers more life than could have realized…maybe even love.
This is a slow burn romance with beautiful spice and while it took me awhile to warm up to Cassiana and Thanatos I found the ending of the book really created some beautiful moments between the characters I won’t forget (when you figure out the meaning behind the title, you’ll know). Their banter is delightful and you can see how both of them slowly start to share their vulnerabilities and hopes. There were moments I wished it would happen fast but, all the same, it was sweet to read.
“‘Stars are born,’ as he opened his palm again, a shimmering, solid light lay in his hands, ‘ when dreams come true.’”
The author set up the series as a really interesting world and it was quick to follow. I especially loved the structure around the world of the dead from its village to even the character Kalira and why she works for Thanatos (also the name of the village is home backwards!). The setting is well developed and you get to see through the eyes of Cassiana the misconceptions people have of the Land of the Dead. There is beauty if only you look at it right.
I think I would have liked to see a bit more action and conflict in the series as it unfolds as the dialogue slows down sections of the story. Even starting the book I felt there was a slowness to it. There is a sense of more things brewing as the story progresses and definitely some things happen that show trouble on the horizon in the future and I cannot wait to see what they will bring.
I would say if you're a fan of the Hades and Persephone train happening across New Adult literature and are looking for a fantasy romance with a bit of spice and a warm relationship building then this is a pleasant read! I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book.
March 7, 2023
2.5 stars. Oh this book is disappointing! I was so excited for a Hades and Persephone retelling after reading the blurb but sadly I didn't find much to love in this book.
The main characters fall quite flat and everything just feels superficial. Cassiana is the main character with the story written from her perspective and while I was intrigued to start with, I soon realised she didn't really have much of a personality, questioning everything in her mind for us to see, but never challenging anyone in the story for answers and just going along with everything though her entire world has been turned upside down. Her reactions and responses to things that happen are completely out of the blue or just non-existent. She's an actress and saves a boy from being killed with no regard for her own life - that's all we get before she's taken to the Afterlife and just basically accepts her new life there and isn't proactive in discovering why she is there or what is going on and subsequently how to leave.
She does want to contact her friend which is something at least, but why she doesn't just ask the King of the Dead for help and rather endangers her life, I don't know. He as a character is woefully disappointing - there is a lot of telling rather than showing so he unfortunately comes across as plain - no where near the impressive character I was expecting. They are both quite dull and I didn't feel the emotion from these characters though I was constantly being told how they felt.
It's mainly just these two flirting and eventually acting on these flirtations rather than any plot. The plot is just sort of in the background and briefly mentioned every now and then with a somewhat loose and vague direction for the story to go in thrown in at the end.
There are also a lot of wrong tense words used, missing periods and typos which become quite irritating to encounter. I also found some of the interactions quite cringey and the CONSTANT use of the endearment 'love' was making my skin crawl. The words used by the King of the Dead like hey and the like don't fit with his character and felt completely incongruous.
I was hoping for so much more with this story and it sucks that it doesn't meet my expectations. Sadly not one for me.
The main characters fall quite flat and everything just feels superficial. Cassiana is the main character with the story written from her perspective and while I was intrigued to start with, I soon realised she didn't really have much of a personality, questioning everything in her mind for us to see, but never challenging anyone in the story for answers and just going along with everything though her entire world has been turned upside down. Her reactions and responses to things that happen are completely out of the blue or just non-existent. She's an actress and saves a boy from being killed with no regard for her own life - that's all we get before she's taken to the Afterlife and just basically accepts her new life there and isn't proactive in discovering why she is there or what is going on and subsequently how to leave.
She does want to contact her friend which is something at least, but why she doesn't just ask the King of the Dead for help and rather endangers her life, I don't know. He as a character is woefully disappointing - there is a lot of telling rather than showing so he unfortunately comes across as plain - no where near the impressive character I was expecting. They are both quite dull and I didn't feel the emotion from these characters though I was constantly being told how they felt.
It's mainly just these two flirting and eventually acting on these flirtations rather than any plot. The plot is just sort of in the background and briefly mentioned every now and then with a somewhat loose and vague direction for the story to go in thrown in at the end.
There are also a lot of wrong tense words used, missing periods and typos which become quite irritating to encounter. I also found some of the interactions quite cringey and the CONSTANT use of the endearment 'love' was making my skin crawl. The words used by the King of the Dead like hey and the like don't fit with his character and felt completely incongruous.
I was hoping for so much more with this story and it sucks that it doesn't meet my expectations. Sadly not one for me.
May 2, 2023
— 2.5 stars ✰
i have a lot to say. and none of it’s good✨
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ because everyone needs someone who’d go through hell to help them out ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
idk much about mythology so i really can’t comment on the fact that it was supposed to be a hades and persephone retelling (those names mean nothing to me, like when i hear them nothing is happening up stairs). But what I can say is that this is the second book i’ve read where death incarnate is a lame mmc lmao. like if you’re gonna write about the god of death, at least make him a lil bit scary and mean? idk. like this man is nice and into her from the start. he even calls her love the first time he speaks to her. he is always being so soft towards her and saying shit like “are you okay, love?” “do you need anything?” LIKE THAT'S FINE ON ITS OWN BUT NOT FOR THE GOD OF DEATH?? At least warm up to him being a softie and not just give it to us right away.. like why is he like that right from the jump?? how boringgggggggggggg.
~~ if i had a nickel for everytime i’ve read a book where death incarnate is a golden retriever who immediately falls for the girl, i’d have 2 nickels. its not a lot… but its fucking annoying that it happened twice.
the plot was fun, but the writing is what threw me. i feel like this could have been a pretty decent book if it was written better. there's a lot of moments where I couldn't help but cringe. like girlie calls death “buddy” at one point, and tells him to “fuck off” (which sounds fine on it’s own, but just trust me, it was cringy the way it played out). and there are lots of flirty moments but theres too much too soon imo. like it just feels out of the blue the way he constantly flirts with her idk. and why does he fall for her, we’re not sure ✨
but like, go off ms. lau. You did your thing and i read it. you were soooooo close to making this a decent novel. but like, thats ok, you did your best and we love you for that <3
“I think that you find me attractive.”
I laughed at that, but the tone was too high-pitched, too nervous. “Sure thing, buddy.” WHY DID SHE SAY THAT TO HIM, IM CRYING AND THROWING UP
i have a lot to say. and none of it’s good✨
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ because everyone needs someone who’d go through hell to help them out ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
idk much about mythology so i really can’t comment on the fact that it was supposed to be a hades and persephone retelling (those names mean nothing to me, like when i hear them nothing is happening up stairs). But what I can say is that this is the second book i’ve read where death incarnate is a lame mmc lmao. like if you’re gonna write about the god of death, at least make him a lil bit scary and mean? idk. like this man is nice and into her from the start. he even calls her love the first time he speaks to her. he is always being so soft towards her and saying shit like “are you okay, love?” “do you need anything?” LIKE THAT'S FINE ON ITS OWN BUT NOT FOR THE GOD OF DEATH?? At least warm up to him being a softie and not just give it to us right away.. like why is he like that right from the jump?? how boringgggggggggggg.
~~ if i had a nickel for everytime i’ve read a book where death incarnate is a golden retriever who immediately falls for the girl, i’d have 2 nickels. its not a lot… but its fucking annoying that it happened twice.
the plot was fun, but the writing is what threw me. i feel like this could have been a pretty decent book if it was written better. there's a lot of moments where I couldn't help but cringe. like girlie calls death “buddy” at one point, and tells him to “fuck off” (which sounds fine on it’s own, but just trust me, it was cringy the way it played out). and there are lots of flirty moments but theres too much too soon imo. like it just feels out of the blue the way he constantly flirts with her idk. and why does he fall for her, we’re not sure ✨
but like, go off ms. lau. You did your thing and i read it. you were soooooo close to making this a decent novel. but like, thats ok, you did your best and we love you for that <3
“I think that you find me attractive.”
I laughed at that, but the tone was too high-pitched, too nervous. “Sure thing, buddy.” WHY DID SHE SAY THAT TO HIM, IM CRYING AND THROWING UP
August 4, 2022
No spoilers: Honestly, I’ve always had a thing for Hades/Persephone stories and try to find them wherever I can…. That being said…
At first I really didn’t like Cassiana. She seemed to repetitive and wishy-washy. (Which there are moments throughout the book where she still is, unable to stick with a decision.) The writing at times can feel a bit redundant, but if you can ignore that, it makes for a great story.
Now, the story isn’t so much Hades/Persephone, but it does almost mimic parts of their story, with a twist, introducing new characters to the plot. After the first couple of chapters, I realised it was very similar to “A Touch of Darkness”, which you can see in the scenery of the underworld, but it does have its differences as well.
I did love the character of Thanatos. His character had more depth, and though Cassiana’s character also had depth, it took a while to find out what that was all about, though I did speculate. Sure we didn’t find out Thanatos’ past for quite some time, but I feel the development was great. I mean he is ‘Death’ after all, and we kind of expect death to be dark, moody, hidden… so it worked!
After we get passed all that, the story is actually nice and honestly made me want more. I want to see where the story leads especially with all the information you get at the end. (It’s literally like all the info in one chapter about her, but it leaves you with a “omg so now what?! What’s going to happen to them? Etc.
So all in all, I liked it and I want more. If you get easily disgruntled by the minor flaws such as the ones I found, then I would say don’t read it and spoil it for someone else. It is a fantasy YA book and it’s not exactly meant for Middle Ages adults (especially if you can’t bring yourself down a notch and think like a teen/young adult again).
At first I really didn’t like Cassiana. She seemed to repetitive and wishy-washy. (Which there are moments throughout the book where she still is, unable to stick with a decision.) The writing at times can feel a bit redundant, but if you can ignore that, it makes for a great story.
Now, the story isn’t so much Hades/Persephone, but it does almost mimic parts of their story, with a twist, introducing new characters to the plot. After the first couple of chapters, I realised it was very similar to “A Touch of Darkness”, which you can see in the scenery of the underworld, but it does have its differences as well.
I did love the character of Thanatos. His character had more depth, and though Cassiana’s character also had depth, it took a while to find out what that was all about, though I did speculate. Sure we didn’t find out Thanatos’ past for quite some time, but I feel the development was great. I mean he is ‘Death’ after all, and we kind of expect death to be dark, moody, hidden… so it worked!
After we get passed all that, the story is actually nice and honestly made me want more. I want to see where the story leads especially with all the information you get at the end. (It’s literally like all the info in one chapter about her, but it leaves you with a “omg so now what?! What’s going to happen to them? Etc.
So all in all, I liked it and I want more. If you get easily disgruntled by the minor flaws such as the ones I found, then I would say don’t read it and spoil it for someone else. It is a fantasy YA book and it’s not exactly meant for Middle Ages adults (especially if you can’t bring yourself down a notch and think like a teen/young adult again).
October 31, 2024
INTERESTING START TO THE SERIES, it could have used a little more angst or drama to hype things up, but otherwise it was a smooth-sailing romance-centric story featuring two lonely souls who have been hurt too much to trust anyone else. I might be biased because I'm a big Hades & Persephone fan right after Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera.
CASSIANA was a woman with firm beliefs - it was the one trait about her that I remember crystal clear. There were moments I liked her, and then some that I don't. Sadly, up till the end, despite having opened up about her insecurities and fears, I didn't feel like she loved Thanatos as much as he did her. There was often a voice of doubt, and it felt like she was just being swept along with everything. The plot for now, was a little lackluster, and the sexual tension was just mild. Lots of bantering, some flirting and a handful of hot and heavy scenes, though only 1 real sex scene.
THANATOS here wasn't the type of Hades I would prefer to read about, though I did like that he was a good King despite his dark reputation. I admit I like Thanatos more than Cassiana. There was something about his character that just draws you in. He reminds me of a lonely boy pining for love, and that in itself was a little sad. It was obvious from the start that he was very into Cassiana...I mean...wasn't the disguised kidnapping the BIG TELL?
OVERALL this wasn't the best Hades and Persephone retelling I've read. Not enough intrigue, the romance while there was lukewarm and the plot was still in the beginning stages. It's 2024, and we still haven't seen a Book 2, but hopefully if it's ever being published, it seems like great things will come.
CASSIANA was a woman with firm beliefs - it was the one trait about her that I remember crystal clear. There were moments I liked her, and then some that I don't. Sadly, up till the end, despite having opened up about her insecurities and fears, I didn't feel like she loved Thanatos as much as he did her. There was often a voice of doubt, and it felt like she was just being swept along with everything. The plot for now, was a little lackluster, and the sexual tension was just mild. Lots of bantering, some flirting and a handful of hot and heavy scenes, though only 1 real sex scene.
THANATOS here wasn't the type of Hades I would prefer to read about, though I did like that he was a good King despite his dark reputation. I admit I like Thanatos more than Cassiana. There was something about his character that just draws you in. He reminds me of a lonely boy pining for love, and that in itself was a little sad. It was obvious from the start that he was very into Cassiana...I mean...wasn't the disguised kidnapping the BIG TELL?
OVERALL this wasn't the best Hades and Persephone retelling I've read. Not enough intrigue, the romance while there was lukewarm and the plot was still in the beginning stages. It's 2024, and we still haven't seen a Book 2, but hopefully if it's ever being published, it seems like great things will come.
July 10, 2022
Honnêtement j'ai été agréablement surprise. je m'attendais à une romance bateau et ça la largement dépassé.
Alors oui, le personnage principal est un peu agacent, ressassent toujours les mêmes choses. Il lui manque un peu de consistance selon moi au niveau de son caractère, et des ces pensées qui tournent un peu en boucle. Représentée comme sauveuse et courageuse, elles considèrent les autres comme en quête de célébrité, alors que la peur c'est normal.
Bon à part des petits points par ci par la dont on arrive à faire abstraction, ce livre est incroyablement addictif. C'est dingue je n'arrivais plus à le lâcher.
Une romance dans un milieu fantastique, un remix de Hades et Persephone, on adore.
Les traumas sont bien traités et bien amené ils changent des malheureusement vus et revus du "viol" qui sont amené que pour le background du personnage.
Les personnages et leurs attitudes sont bien construites autour de ce qu'ils ont pu vivre. Après leur histoire aurais pu être légèrement moins centré sur ces traumas selon moi.
Enfin au niveau du scénario, faut avouer que tout est plutôt prétexte à la romance dans de différents contextes. Le plan reste tout de même bien menée et donne une histoire très satisfaisante à lire.
Donc pour conclure, c'est une romance très addictive, plus poussée que les simples romances d'été, mais quand même sans trop de prise de tête !
Alors oui, le personnage principal est un peu agacent, ressassent toujours les mêmes choses. Il lui manque un peu de consistance selon moi au niveau de son caractère, et des ces pensées qui tournent un peu en boucle. Représentée comme sauveuse et courageuse, elles considèrent les autres comme en quête de célébrité, alors que la peur c'est normal.
Bon à part des petits points par ci par la dont on arrive à faire abstraction, ce livre est incroyablement addictif. C'est dingue je n'arrivais plus à le lâcher.
Une romance dans un milieu fantastique, un remix de Hades et Persephone, on adore.
Les traumas sont bien traités et bien amené ils changent des malheureusement vus et revus du "viol" qui sont amené que pour le background du personnage.
Les personnages et leurs attitudes sont bien construites autour de ce qu'ils ont pu vivre. Après leur histoire aurais pu être légèrement moins centré sur ces traumas selon moi.
Enfin au niveau du scénario, faut avouer que tout est plutôt prétexte à la romance dans de différents contextes. Le plan reste tout de même bien menée et donne une histoire très satisfaisante à lire.
Donc pour conclure, c'est une romance très addictive, plus poussée que les simples romances d'été, mais quand même sans trop de prise de tête !
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