Neon Gods by Katee Robert
Series: Dark Olympus #1
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on June 1, 2021
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 380 •Format: E-Book •Source: Overdrive
Goodreads 
I love a good urban fantasy, though it feels like they are fewer and farther between these days. When I came across Neon Gods by Katee Roberts I was surprised I hadn’t seen it before. I love a good Greek pantheon story, and the twist of most of the seats being elected was super interesting! So thanks to my trusty library, I settled in during vacation to this futuristic vision of Olympus.Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…
The series starts off with the story of Hades and Persephone (because of course). Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and has three other sisters (also themed after goddesses, I believe). Her mother’s political maneuvering as one of the “thirteen” leads to her almost being forced to wed Zeus, so she flees across the River Styx for safety, right into the thick of the elusive Hades’ territory. As you can imagine, romance ensues.
Honestly I wasn’t super into this pairing, I found it a bit too insta-lovey and perhaps Persephone/Hades retellings have been ruined for me since ACOMAF. What I did enjoy was:
Persephone’s Family: I thought it was so interesting to see the dynamics of all of the sisters/Demeter’s daughters. All had such different personalities, strengths, and relationships. They all seem intriguing in their own way, and I’m excited to get to their books (especially Psyche and Callisto).
Politics: The main reason I was drawn to this series, I find this take on Greek mythology really fascinating. Most of the “thirteen” (gods/goddesses) are elected aside from the three legacy positions (Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, which makes sense given they’re brothers). I enjoyed that the politics weren’t just for background color, but actually played a big role in the plot, and it was fascinating to see how the author combined Greek mythology into a modern setting, complete with social media, paparazzi, etc.
Overall: I know this is primarily a romance but I found it to be the least interesting thing about the story. There’s a lot of potential in this world, so I can see myself continuing on with the series (and hoping some of the other couples strike more of a chord with me).
Electric Idol by Katee Robert
Series: Dark Olympus #2
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on January 18, 2022
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 375 •Format: E-Book •Source: Overdrive
Goodreads 
This hit the mark way more for me that its predecessor did! Following Persephone’s closest sister, Psyche, it chronicles her unlikely love story with Eros, son of Aphrodite. Psyche and Eros unknowingly have a lot in common, as both have created a facade for the world in order to please their politically driven and ruthless mothers. Eros is Aphrodite’s fixer and completes all sorts of crimes for her, and Psyche is a social media maven who curates a specific image for Olympus for that of the family of Demeter. When they have to enter a marriage of convenience (a trope I love!!) they of course actually ~fall~ for each other (it’s not a spoiler, it’s just the way of the romance novel).In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's ire eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.
Eros has no problem shedding blood. But when it comes time to take out his latest target, he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he marries her. Psyche vows to make Eros's life a living hell until they find a way out of this mess. But as lines blur and loyalties shift, she realizes he might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss.
Given the fact that Aphrodite has a hit out on Psyche (that Eros is supposed to complete until he marries her), there’s definitely an element of romantic suspense to this story, which I find I usually enjoy. The stakes are definitely high from a political standpoint but I enjoyed how that was juxtaposed against Psyche and Eros learning more about each other and slowly starting to like each other more and more. I especially enjoyed the body neutrality/positivity in their relationship (I thought it was realistic that Psyche read more body neutral than over the top positive to me) and how she was considered undeniably beautiful by everyone despite being plus sized. There was also a lot of discussion on social media presence which I found wasn’t too heavy handed but still added to the story and the overall arc of Psyche’s character.
We also get to learn a bit more about the upbringing of Demeter’s daughters and I loved seeing that even though Demeter is a ruthless and savvy politician, at the end of the day she will rally behind her daughters. I enjoyed seeing the family come together and embrace Eros (and I love a good, dramatic staged wedding). It was also fun getting to see Hades and Persephone as secondary characters (Demeter is amassing quite the group of son-in-laws). Also, the ending left on such a cliffhanger (!!!) for one of the sister’s stories, and I SO hope we get that one soon!
Overall: I’m pleased that this series seems to be getting better with each book for me! So far, Psyche has been my favorite main character, and I’m excited to see her and Eros move as background figures in upcoming books.
Leave a Reply