Heart of Tartarus

Faeries of the Underworld #4

by Katherine Macdonald

A friendship rekindled. A love lost. A world doomed.

Confronted by an impossible decision, Hades made the ultimate sacrifice and cast himself into the deepest pit of Tartarus to save the world and the woman he loved.

Now lost to her forever, he roams the Underworld, wounded, hopeless, and alone.

But he will find allies in strange places, and while he drifts further into despair… all is not lost.

Yet.

For the Titans’ are stirring, and they will have their revenge.

Genres: Fae, Romance, Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2022

About the author

Katherine "Kate" Macdonald writes the books she wishes she could have read more of as a teen—stories of fierce girls and gentle boys, of romance and adventure, and where the "three Cs" (chemistry, communication and consent) reign supreme. There may still be a little bit of miscommunication along the way as the characters grow as people, but she tries not to rely on that trope too much!

She loves books packed with witty banter, stories where you can feel the love growing between a pair, that include excellent, well-developed side-characters and a few subtly-foreshadowed twists and turns. She despises toxic relationships and tales that rely on old-fashioned notions of male and female stereotypes. She enjoys bending expectations and crafting worlds where sexism is a thing of the past. She considers herself an LGBTQIA+ friendly author, and her stories include a range of characters from within the community and absolutely no discrimination in sight.

She holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and a PGCE in teaching English and Drama from the University of Exeter. She's been a writer since she was old enough to hold a crayon, but it was only after surviving a year of parenthood and a full-time job on less than six hours of sleep a night that she finally gained the courage to publish her debut novel, "The Rose and the Thorn." It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast inspired by a dream of a girl surrounded by snow in a field of flowers.

At her heart, Macdonald is storyteller, and it is her dream to inspire others in the way that she has been inspired.

She lives in Devon with her manic child and well-behaved cats.

Reviews

[Chesney Infalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this duology from Hades's perspective reminded me how much I adore him and Sephy. As emotional as this book made me, I loved every moment. This series is forever going to be among my favorites.

Contains:
-Trauma
-Violence
-Sexual Content

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely conclusion to Hades and Persephone's story! It was so fun to read the duology from Hades perspective both in this book and in Heart of Hades. If you loved the original duology and love Hades and Persephone, you'll love this!

I do think that Persephone's side of the story in Queen of Night had a bit of a more structured plot, so I personally would definitely recommend reading Queen of Night first. The plot is still present in Heart of Tartarus, but Hades' emotional damage from Tartarus felt like more of the focus here, so if you go into this without having read Queen of Night, you might be a bit confused.

There's also a lot of fluff and romantic reassurances in this, which is perfect if you enjoy that kind of thing but it could feel a little repetitive at times.

Overall, a very sweet companion novel to the series. I'm sad we won't see Hades and Persephone any more, but I really, really hope we get more books set in this world!

Thanks to the author for a review copy!

[Caroline Hannam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this conclusion to the Hades and Persephone retelling.
Suffering with Hades in Tartarus, fighting with him and Persephone for the kingdom and seeing him deal with his trauma and grow and develop in his relationships with Sephy and others around him was fantastic.

It was great that there wasn’t a: ‘they lived happily ever-after’ ending but had an epilogue with details of the character’s lives after the battle victory.

Again, Katherine weaves a rich and vibrant tale, with drama, emotion and plenty fighting action; all taking place in a magical, well-crafted world.
All the characters in this book are well rounded and believable and very relatable and I love Hades so much!

I have to confess I have only read Heart of Hades before this book and I don’t feel I have missed out at all, though I want to read the other two books to round out the experience.

It is a shame this is the conclusion, but I still have book 1 and 3 to look forward to!

I received this book as ARC copy from the author and am leaving this review of my own volition.

[Isabel Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending

Loved hearing the ending from Hades perspective! I could another 100 books from Katherine MacDonald about Hades and Persephone and it still wouldn’t be enough.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story, but some parts were difficult to keep straight. Mainly in the beginning when Hades is in Tartarus and he’s reminiscing about Sephy, and then it cuts right back to present time without differentiating/explaining well. The Tartarus arc felt a little rushed. Sephy explains to Hades that he’s been gone for 4 months, but the suffering he went through was more glazed over.

Persephone grew so much in those 4 months and became an amazing woman. Her character development was great!

I never want these stories to end. I would love to be 80 and still reading about Sephy and Lulliver.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[M.E. Aster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart of Tartarus breathes new life into what was already a fantastic story!

I am repeating what I said about Heart of Hades, but I LOVE getting to see Hades point of view. His perspective clicks everything together, like the final puzzle piece I didn’t know I was missing until I found it.

Filled with all the drama, angst, danger, romance, and of course whump that the original book had, this story has everything you could ever want in a Fae romance. Seeing it all through Hades eyes made for another enjoyable read by Macdonald!

*I received an ARC of this book from Booksprout and this is my honest, voluntary review.*

[Hikami D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 star read and great companion novel. However, if you've read queen of night, at times a little repetitive in writing. Aside from that, brilliant prose as always, much whump, and all the love for the pining cinnamon role hero. Also loved to get more glimpses of Rhea's character and the relationship between Hades and Rhea.

[Madelyn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book made me cry. I absolutely love Katherine Macdonald! The other three books in this series were outstanding but this book's ending was by far the best. I can't help feeling that the ending was better explained in this book than in Queen of Darkness, but I still loved all of the books! Thank you so much!

[Lyndsey Quinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Macdonald left you anxiously hanging on the edge of your seat in Heart of Hades but she will make you fly with Heart of Tartarus! This book meets every expectation you would expect from such a seamlessly crafted story and a writer of Macdonald’s caliber. Full of angst, battles, wit and hope, Heart of Tartarus follows Hades through the pits of Tartarus where it is impossible to discern friend from foe when his only goal is to return to the Underworld and Persephone. With brilliant twists on well-known mythological characters -and the introduction of some new ones -Heart of Tartarus feels like a familiar bedtime story that is full of surprises and twists. The epilogues are EVERYTHING you could ever want to completely satisfy your curiosity about ‘what happened after’ and will have you swooning, crying and grinning to yourself. This series is guaranteed to draw you in and turn you into a fae fantasy and mythology fan. If you love Lore Olympus or the Wicked Lovely series, these books are calling for you!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic conclusion to a beautifully written series! Be sure to have read the 3 previous books in the Faeries of the Underworld Series before jumping into this one!

This book is the retelling of Queen of Night from Hades's perspective. I've loved all 4 books in this series, but I find that I enjoy Hades's POV the most. He is just so appreciative for anything good that comes his way - it is quite endearing.

A lot of details are repeated here from Queen of Night which is expected, but we do get a few additional insights into what Hades suffered through when trapped beneath the gate. I enjoyed reading his POV of his rescue as well - just added a great depth to what I already knew of the story.

A great conclusion for wonderful characters! The epilogues are similar to those in Queen of Night, but again added details are here around Hades - quite lovely and a satisfying end!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amena · Rating 5 out of 5]

a pleasurable story for a fan

I’ve read the original Persephone version, Queen of Night — itself a five-star read — and I have to say this version is just as good, if not better. There is more development of Hades’ character and of his relationship with Persephone, as well as with other characters. This book resolves a lot more of the open threads left in the original, and the extended epilogue is fantastic. Literally the only complaint I have is with the title — it really doesn’t make sense to me, considering the actual content — but that’s a minor issue.

I would definitely recommend this book and this series! Especially anyone who has wondered what really might have happened between Hades and Persephone in the myth.

[Cat Bowser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.

God, seeing this story from Hades’ POV just breaks my heart even more. I wanted to scoop him up and just protect him. Yet, through it all, he just thinks of Persephone! The amount of love he has for her breaks my heart.

And dear Lord, I loved every moment in Tartarus. It’s really an amazing environment and MacDonald takes full advantage of all the mystical elements available.

Being able to pair this with the other books in this series just adds so much meat to it! It’s a wonderful way to expand and make me want to cry more.

I love this couple and I want more of them!

[Kendall Rubel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Macdonald's Heart of Tartarus is an imaginative twist to the end of Hades and Sephy's romance adventure. So much starts to happen right off the bat when it ended in the first book. I will tell you this gets you right to the point of where it was left off and all the lore, greek mythology, characters, and plot; all come together that i quite enjoy reading and didn't want it to end at all. Check-full of flirty-man pining, action, and intrigue, this book kept me captivated page after page. Can't wait to see what other books are planned in the future! Loved it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Paula lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I'm repeating myself but I screamed hell yeah when I saw that a new book was available from Kate and even better it was my favourite couple.

Not gonna lie tho, it felt a bit repetitive and honestly I rather read books with dual POVs but I'll take what I can.

The writing was exquisite as always, after all this time Kate manages to keep her writing style the same, which is great. I mean otherwise it would just read differently you know and I guess it would throw off some.

I have received the eArc of this book and I'm leaving the review voluntarily.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was another great entry in the Faeries of the Underworld Duology, I loved being able to see Hades pov from the story that I knew. It had what I enjoyed about the characters in this series. It worked as a retelling and I'm glad I was able to read this. It was another wonderful read from Katherine Macdonald, and was well written.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Step]

I enjoyed this story. I liked that they were faires instead of gods. It was nice to see Hades point of view and how he felt. Especially after(spoilers) he was tortured and his first time seeing Charon after his betrayal.I really appreciated that no matter what Hades and Persephone were willing to be there for each other.I would recommend this story and I will definitely read it again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classical twist to urban fantasy

I really liked the faerie element to this mythology retell set in London with a little sprinkling of a literary reference. Beltane & Samhain, goblins & pixies, Hyde Park & Mt. Olympus, nymphs and Titans. I totally want, nay, need to go back and read the three previous books.

Fave quotes:
‘Anything can be a weapon if you throw it hard enough.’
‘Forever is nice, but a moment is just as important.’


The floral illustrations throughout are gorgeous.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long awaited, never to disappoint, Hades returns to rule the underworld with the help of his appointed replacement, Persephone, queen of the underworld. After banishing himself to Tartarus, being subjected to the cruel treatment of the Titans, Hades is rescued, and along with Persephone, proceeds to finish the war with his mother, Zera. This was a true page turner, I enjoyed every minute of it.

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Part I of this duology, Heart of Hades, but Part II, Heart of Tartarus, is even better, if that is possible. I love the Fae aspect and Hades point of view. The story is so poignant, sad, and heart-breaking at times, but in the end (with the epilogues, it is perfect. I could not ask for a more interesting, intriguing, and compelling retelling of this story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Questions filled my head and I just couldn't put the book down until they were answered and I had all the details. Highly recommended, powerful read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Zara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was honestly more difficult for me to get into than the first book of the tale, but I enjoyed the added heart and history, which enriched the story for me. The writing is too repetitive for my taste, but it'd be great for readers who don't generally read a hundred pages in a sitting. Overall, very glad I read it and got to finish this fantastical tale!

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought part one was good but that was until I read part two and it all came together! This has been an incredible duology that has incredible world building, awesome characters and a storyline that has you hook, line and sinker. Told from Hades pov, this gives you insight that we didn’t have in queen of night and it adds a whole new dimension to the incredible story of Persephone and Hades.

[Jodie Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Book 2 of the Faeries of the Underworld Duology. This is from Hades POV. I loved the characters and the storyline. This author writes well, I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart of Tartarus is a companion novel of The Faeries of the Underworld series, told in Hades point of view. I enjoyed this book, it was wonderful to read and getting the story of the myth from Hades' perspective. The fluff from this story is amazing, they're just adorable. It's a sweet read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[DeeDeeWReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this story through Persephone's POV. Reading and seeing through Hades's tho was amazing too. I am so happy that Katherine wrote this duology.

I can never get enough of retellings by Katherine and I hope she never stops!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hades and Persephones concluding part, engaging action dama desire and steamy scenes have you hooked from the start. The characters draw you in and hold your attention through out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vita (Booksdramaqueen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avevo già letto questo libro dal punto di vista di Persephone, la protagonista femminile, e mi era piaciuto un sacco. Quindi sapevo già che avrei amato anche questa versione. Una storia davvero carina, uno young adult autopubblicato che potrebbero apprezzare in molti.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read. Katherine Macdonald has this knock for creating tales from the myths of old and bringing them new life in new and imaginative narratives. This was a very good book.

[Kaye Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picked off right where the first ended and immediately began weaving a story that caught my attention and I couldn’t put it down.