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Your Eyes as Honey
Persephone is powerless. Raised in the mortal realm by her goddess mother, she knows little about godly matters. When the mortal prince of her village tries to take advantage of her while her mother is away, Persephone fights back and ends up running for her life. An unlikely savior shows up - the goddess of the underworld. Persephone makes a deal that will change her life forever, and maybe, help her find her power. This dark and sexy retelling of Persephone's myth asks what would happen if Persephone chose to go into the underworld, and what if Hades wasn't the only villain?
- GenresFantasy
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2022
8 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 5, 2022
Kindle Unlimited.
A retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth.
Hades is a brooding yet alluring woman of strength and power. Persephone is more sheltered; knows she is different, and has trouble fitting in while coming into her own power.
She has experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a local King who wishes to own her, and Hades arrives to rescue her. Persephone's powers grow in her time spent in the underworld, through Hades mentorship.
Demeter, Persephone's mother, struggles with the loss of her daughter and wants to control her, in an ironic attempt to keep her safe. But she sides with the wrong person.
It becomes quite hot and heavy toward the end. But also emotionally vulnerable with discussions about consent, coercion and control. Also topics of guilt, shame and feelings about ones body. Family issues etc. It was an evocative read I would recommend to any lesfic lovers of retellings.
A retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth.
Hades is a brooding yet alluring woman of strength and power. Persephone is more sheltered; knows she is different, and has trouble fitting in while coming into her own power.
She has experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a local King who wishes to own her, and Hades arrives to rescue her. Persephone's powers grow in her time spent in the underworld, through Hades mentorship.
Demeter, Persephone's mother, struggles with the loss of her daughter and wants to control her, in an ironic attempt to keep her safe. But she sides with the wrong person.
It becomes quite hot and heavy toward the end. But also emotionally vulnerable with discussions about consent, coercion and control. Also topics of guilt, shame and feelings about ones body. Family issues etc. It was an evocative read I would recommend to any lesfic lovers of retellings.
January 15, 2024
Really interesting retelling of this story. There were errors dotted throughout and the historical accuracy of the supposed setting of the story (in the mortal realm) being set in Medieval England didn’t quite ring true to certain historical accuracies. However, overall, it was a nice book to read. I do wish parts of the story had been paced a little better, points of it felt a little rushed. However, a lovely sapphic story to read!
November 12, 2023
please consider viewing my review on my blog, I would greatly appreciate it :)
https://ohnobooks.wordpress.com/2023/...
"Your Eyes as Honey" was such a nice read! I found myself glued to the pages and couldn't stop reading. As usual, I went into the book without checking the synopsis, since the cover alone caught my eye, and it made me want to read it. It was so pretty! Later I came across another version of the cover too, and both of them are stunning. Another thing worth mentioning is the title. I think it is a reference to one of Sappho's fragments and that's so clever! Obviously, it relates to the story, but it also adds a different layer to the whole thing. Sappho's themes often explore desire and love, so we can take that as a clever little hint for the book's content.
(“gracious your form and your eyes as honey: desire is poured upon your lovely face Aphrodite has honored you exceedingly„ //Sappho)
The story tackles some heavy topics, like sexual assault and the struggle to heal from that trauma, as well as the guilt that comes with it. It puts a great emphasis on the importance of consent and the patience and understanding that is required for healing. What I appreciated most was the way the author handled these themes, making them impactful without becoming too overwhelming for the reader.
The author's writing style is simple and easy to follow, which adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. The improvement in the writing style itself is noticeable too as the book progresses. The descriptions became so much richer by the end, compared to the start of the book.
However, one issue that I would like to mention is the presence of misspellings and grammatical errors scattered throughout the book. While this didn't take away from the story, it did suggest a need for more careful proofreading or additional input from beta readers. That can be easily solved in future books, so I don't want to be too harsh about it.
The characters, especially Hades and Persephone, were really loveable, as well as the rest of the people from Hades' kingdom. Hades' gentle and sweet personality contrasted with being the god of the underworld, and I'm all here for it. Persephone had a somewhat bratty personality, but it created a nice dynamic between the two of them. The best way I can describe their vibe is doberman gf and pomeranian gf. I loved it.
Despite the heavy themes explored, the story felt complete and left me with a satisfied feeling. I think since the book was so nicely wrapped up, it doesn't need a second book, however I wouldn't complain if it would happen. I would absolutely love to explore more of the underworld and see Persephone rule alongside Hades.
Overall, "Your Eyes as Honey" was an impressive debut novel. Despite the few grammatical issues, the author's storytelling shined through, and I can't wait to see her future works. I truly believe that there is a bright future for the author, and with a little more practice, as well as with the help of a few beta readers, her books can become more popular.
https://ohnobooks.wordpress.com/2023/...
"Your Eyes as Honey" was such a nice read! I found myself glued to the pages and couldn't stop reading. As usual, I went into the book without checking the synopsis, since the cover alone caught my eye, and it made me want to read it. It was so pretty! Later I came across another version of the cover too, and both of them are stunning. Another thing worth mentioning is the title. I think it is a reference to one of Sappho's fragments and that's so clever! Obviously, it relates to the story, but it also adds a different layer to the whole thing. Sappho's themes often explore desire and love, so we can take that as a clever little hint for the book's content.
(“gracious your form and your eyes as honey: desire is poured upon your lovely face Aphrodite has honored you exceedingly„ //Sappho)
The story tackles some heavy topics, like sexual assault and the struggle to heal from that trauma, as well as the guilt that comes with it. It puts a great emphasis on the importance of consent and the patience and understanding that is required for healing. What I appreciated most was the way the author handled these themes, making them impactful without becoming too overwhelming for the reader.
The author's writing style is simple and easy to follow, which adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. The improvement in the writing style itself is noticeable too as the book progresses. The descriptions became so much richer by the end, compared to the start of the book.
However, one issue that I would like to mention is the presence of misspellings and grammatical errors scattered throughout the book. While this didn't take away from the story, it did suggest a need for more careful proofreading or additional input from beta readers. That can be easily solved in future books, so I don't want to be too harsh about it.
The characters, especially Hades and Persephone, were really loveable, as well as the rest of the people from Hades' kingdom. Hades' gentle and sweet personality contrasted with being the god of the underworld, and I'm all here for it. Persephone had a somewhat bratty personality, but it created a nice dynamic between the two of them. The best way I can describe their vibe is doberman gf and pomeranian gf. I loved it.
Despite the heavy themes explored, the story felt complete and left me with a satisfied feeling. I think since the book was so nicely wrapped up, it doesn't need a second book, however I wouldn't complain if it would happen. I would absolutely love to explore more of the underworld and see Persephone rule alongside Hades.
Overall, "Your Eyes as Honey" was an impressive debut novel. Despite the few grammatical issues, the author's storytelling shined through, and I can't wait to see her future works. I truly believe that there is a bright future for the author, and with a little more practice, as well as with the help of a few beta readers, her books can become more popular.
May 29, 2023
This is the author's debut novel, and their blossoming talent is evident. I look forward to seeing more from them. My only concern with the novel is the lack of positive representations of men--there are only three named men in the novel, and two of them are rapists [Hades does have one manservant who has a speaking role, but is only present for less than one page]. Having a more balanced list of characters would further heighten the antagonist's flaws & how his corruption was impacting not only the protagonist, but also the entire kingdom.
January 10, 2024
a brilliant sapphic retelling of a classic mythological tale
Lovely prose, charming protagonist, swoon-worthy sapphic romance, and skillful storytelling. I love Greek mythology, have read too many versions of Hades and Persephone and this is definitely my favorite. The characters are likable and relatable, and their banter is witty and cute. The story deals with SA trauma and is handled with great care. Honestly such a healing read, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes Greek mythology, lesbian fantasy romance, and feminine rage/revenge.
Lovely prose, charming protagonist, swoon-worthy sapphic romance, and skillful storytelling. I love Greek mythology, have read too many versions of Hades and Persephone and this is definitely my favorite. The characters are likable and relatable, and their banter is witty and cute. The story deals with SA trauma and is handled with great care. Honestly such a healing read, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes Greek mythology, lesbian fantasy romance, and feminine rage/revenge.
May 19, 2024
Dnf. This story had a good concept idea and one I really wanted to like, I mean a female Hades and thus FF romance, heck yes! But then you get to the actual writing in the book and just no. There are editing errors everywhere, Hades is mis-gendered a few times by the time I stopped reading (chapter 19). Chapter 8 & 9 are basically the same thing. Also I do not have proof, but I feel like several things seemed to be badly written copies/concepts of Lore Olympus, Touch of Darkness and/or Neon Gods.
This reads like a very bad poorly written fanfic.
This reads like a very bad poorly written fanfic.
June 12, 2023
I adore this retelling of an already interesting myth. As an SA survivor, it's incredibly inspiring to witness the journey that Persephone takes to reclaim her power and begin to understand that she is worthy of love. It also hits home witnessing the decline of the relationship between her and her mother, as a result of Demeter's controlling and overprotective tendencies. If this book became a series I would read the shit out of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2022
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews