"Life is hell for Persephone. Zeus will stop at nothing to gain access to the living realm and the Underworld, and as the only living god with a right to both, Persephone’s in trouble. Captured and tortured beyond the limits of her resolve, Persephone must find the power to stand against Zeus. But will she be strong enough?
Meanwhile, Hades contemplates desperate measures to rescue his queen. Persephone never thought of herself as dangerous, but there’s a reason gods never marry for love. A being with the power to destroy all of creation shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the rest of the planet. But Hades...Hades would break the world for her.
To save the world and stop both Hades and Zeus, Persephone must make a difficult choice. One that may cost her everything."
The Iron Queen is the final installment of the trilogy determined to depict the romance between Hades and Persephone. It isn't The Goddess Test, and for that, I'm thankful. But as I said before, it is not anything like Meg Cabot's Abandon. Still, it is pretty good for a retelling. And everyone knows, I love a good fairy tale, right?
Hades is a bit more annoying than usual (and he is certainly not Romeo). Still, he is an angsty teenager. Hello? He is like hundreds, thousands years old. I don't a guy that old should be acting like typical teenagers. Unless he is a child god like Persephone, which he isn't because he is already powerful and crazy. Well, he isn't crazy, but I think he should be crazy. I always imagine Hades as crazy and eccentric and blue. Thank you, Disney.
Persephone, on the other hand, is no longer just the goddess of flowers. Oh, snap. That is a spoiler already. Never mind, I won't say what other territories she possess. I shouldn't be talking about it unless I have a spoiler blog. Let just say that she is very good at undergoing torture under the wrong stick. Zeus tries to beat her up and force her to swear, but she is too good. She makes oath after oath to make sure she won't betray those she loves. I say it is very wise of her to make some security protection in case things go south.
The Iron Queen is a wrong title for a somewhat good book. Some of the gods are good. Others are bad. Take Aphrodite as an example. She is a terrible goddess. Zeus, on the other hand, is very good. And very disgusting. I'm not sure what to make of Hera. She seems to be fairly weak. And anti... Well, I'm not going there.
Told from many POVs, the Iron Queen is an okay last installment to an okay series. I don't like how the story is told in the modern times. I prefer it if it is long, long, long ago. Then things will make more sense than the story being told in the modern times. Anyway, I better stop before I start to repeat myself.
Overall, I think this book and its series is okay. It isn't too bad. It isn't anything outstanding. It is bearable unlike the Goddess Test where I wanted to throw up in some moments. It isn't anything like Abandon, where I have to yet again praise Meg Cabot's genius brain. Still, the overall story is that this book is okay and no one will blame you if you bother to read it. There is no shame in reading books. Got me?
Rating: Three out of Five
"Some vows can never be broken.
Persephone thought she could go back to her normal life after returning from the Underworld. She was wrong.
The goddess Aphrodite is born among the waves with more charm than she can control. Zeus is stalking Persephone and her loved ones, and Thanatos is no longer content with Persephone’s silence.
He wants her soul.
Persephone can’t tell anyone about Thanatos’ betrayal, and it drives a wedge between her and Hades. Her mother is still keeping secrets, and Melissa’s jealousy of Aphrodite threatens to tear their friendship apart.
Alone, Persephone turns to a human boy for comfort. But will their relationship put him in danger? Sacrifices must be made, and Persephone must choose between her human life and her responsibilities as a goddess. If she doesn’t, she could lose them both. But will either life be worth choosing once Zeus is through with her?"
Well, this is the second book in the tale about Hades and Persephone.
Daughter of the Earth and Sky refers to Persephone. This time the title is a bit more creative than the prequel (Persephone). Earth means Demeter, goddess of crops and everything in between. (Where's Gaia?) Sky means Zeus, who is a bit creepy. Thank goodness, gods aren't related to each other by blood. That would be a lot of incest. (Remember Zeus and Hera, who are siblings and spouses).
Okay, now we get to see that Hades sounds like an angsty teenage boy. I want to tell you I'm joking, but I can't. He truly is that bad. That bad, yes. I'm sorry, but that is the way it needs to be. So right now, I'm totally disappointed in Hades. And how old is he? Two thousand years old? He needs to be a bit more mature than that. So disappointing. Old people have to act like old people. Got it? Unless the god is Apollo, Hermes, Ares, or Aphrodite. Those are the only exception. Ares is on the list, because his toys always get broken by his sister, Athena who is the goddess of wisdom. Apollo and Hermes? Well, they are travelers. And they are... Never mind. Just blame Percy Jackson for my biases.
Persephone is certainly different. She is a bit clever, but not clever enough. She couldn't stop the plot from moving too fast, unfortunately. However, she does manage to find the secrets. Specifically, Zeus' secrets. And that is very important. After all, Zeus is the enemy behind all of this, remember? Oh, wait. You never read this book. But you can probably tell who is the enemy from the synopsis.
Anything else?
Why, yes. There are a few more things I need to talk about. First of all, the setting is a bit interesting. Everything is happening in the present instead of the past. The myths were technically taking place two thousand or three thousand years ago. Of course, that is only if it were real. It is a bit interesting that everything is in the present instead of the past. There are many characters that are familiar, from Aphrodite (who isn't into all that matchmaking, at least not yet) to Orpheus (who tried to get his wife from Hades' clutches). It is a bit interesting. I don't like it, yet I don't care about it. It is neutral territory.
Overall, I think Daughter of Earth and Sky is a bit long for a title, but the book is going downhill. I don't really like it, but I think there is a chance it will improve. The plot will improve. Sorry. The book, on the other hand, has opportunities to improve, but it is published. There is little the author can do now. The characters are a bit annoying, the plot is fine, the setting is alright, the dialogue is smooth enough, and the title is a little long.
Rating: Three out of Five
"Fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver and Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush will relish this intense paranormal love story featuring Romeo and Juliet, literary history's most tragic couple, who meet again, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.
The most tragic love story in history . . .
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare"
Well, for once, I really like Juliet and Romeo thanks to this retelling. It is the oldest tale of two lovers who took their own lives. The message at the end of the book is very powerful, but it doesn't happen here. Juliet Immortal blends true love with paranormal spirits and powers. Magic may exist, but it is only implied. All I know is that there are spirits, good, and evil. And yes, Romeo is evil. To a bunch of sixteen year old girls in love with the idea of love, that isn't very pleasant. To them, Romeo seems to ultimate object that represents love.
But we aren't here to talk about obsessions. We are here to talk about the book. I need to get myself together and stop talking about Romeo, Romeo, Romeo.
The cover for Juliet Immortal is gorgeous! I just have to mention it. I really love all that. The ocean, the red dress, the rock, the expressions in that girl's shoulder. It is all very beautiful and expressive. Sorry, I get caught by this wonderful cover art.
Juliet stands for light. Romeo, for darkness. Now, everything may seem black and white, but as you slowly go through the book, you see that nothing is as it seems. There are many gray areas, and you realize that the Nurse (Juliet's Nurse) is in on it too. I wonder about the Friar, but that is not the point of this paragraph.
Juliet is a bit darker than you think. She may stand for light, but she has every desire to kill Romeo, because he "killed her." Now, notice those quotation marks. They are very important. Just like how the main character isn't always the good guy. (And I can't name any books when the bad guy is the main character. It is a bit strange, but good always wins in books). She is all about saving true love, but she is indeed darker than that. And I can't believe I'm repeating myself over and over again. It gets a bit annoying. Even I will admit that.
And Romeo is disgustingly insane. He is not all like what Shakespeare says. His sonnets aren't exactly the kindest, and he always laughs at weird things. Insane, like I said before. He is a bit sarcastic, sometimes using Shakespeare's words to annoy Juliet out of her mind. But in a strange and creepy way, he still loves her and always will. Isn't that strange? Well, I guess the insane people always find some things sane and normal.
Rating: Four out of Five
"There are worse things than death, worse people too
The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life."
Well, this is obviously the retelling of Persephone and Hades. This time the author paints their story as a story of a slow growing love instead of the rape the Greek Mythology calls it. Still, it is another version of the tale. This time Kora/Persephone doesn't realize she is a goddess until she was attacked by a deity. Her mother, Demeter, isn't as powerful as Hades, who thankfully rescues Persephone before she is killed.
I can tell you that Persephone is really fun. There are a lot of little tingles here and there when you see Hades slowly falling for Persephone. Persephone, on the other hand, tries to hide it, but you can so obviously tell that she likes him too. And it is all so adorable. Don't you agree? Oh, wait. You haven't read this book yet so you can't really agree with me. Sorry. But just imagine the chemistry between Duval and Ismae (Grave Mercy) and half that. Yeah, it is half the amount, but it is gold. I mean, Duval and Ismae are meant to be. Like what Duval's half-sister, the Duchess, said, they are well suited together. And Hades and Persephone? Well, life and death go hand in hand together like war and death (Duval is for war; Ismae is for death).
It is an awesome retelling. I really like all the little allusions here and there. It is all very fun and awesome. I really enjoyed it. Persephone is a fast-paced tale about the love between Hades and Persephone. However, this being a book, it has to be a bit longer tale than what you read on Wikipedia.
Persephone is one strong girl. She doesn't change very much throughout the book, but who cares about that? I read worse books about Persephone and Hades (cough, cough, the Goddess Test, cough, cough). Compared to those certain books (cough!), Persephone looks well-developed (despite the cheesy factors in the book) and whole. However, it isn't as good as Meg Cabot's Abandon trilogy, which is much more fun than this series. So far.
And Hades. Well, he isn't as hot-tempered as Greek Mythology believes him to be. He is this bored god who plays video games to pass the time. But with this many people dying per day (about four thousand?), I don't know how he isn't bored.
Anyway, Persephone is certainly a fun book, if your kid can't get interested enough in Greek Mythology. However, I would recommend Percy Jackson for that problem.
Rating: Three out of Five
"Book #5 in the series by Shannon Greenland
Release Date: November 2012
When someone close to TL disappears, The Specialists pull out all the stops. GiGi is brought into another mission along with Bruiser and Mystic. This time, it’s a fight to the finish, and someone doesn’t make it out alive."
Fight to the Finish is a fairly short book despite its status of being the last installment. Honestly, it should had been at least two hundred pages, but oh, well. What is done is already done, like this book and everything else I'd read. (With the exception of ARC books. They still have a chance at redemption).
GiGi returns. This time she comes back with a lot of romantic issues. Randy (also known as Professor Quirk) is causing the barrier between David and GiGi. GiGi, unbeknownst to her, is partially responsible for her actions. David is responsible for his actions while Randy remains a good friend with both of them. I have no idea how they would be good friends, but anything could be possible.
Fight to the Finish stars Bruiser and Mystic this time. Plus, there are some insider's information about TL. There is plus, but I should stop talking about the very fast plot. Instead, I should discuss the book as a whole. Maybe that will help me from talking about spoilers and little details here and there.
Before I talk about the book as a whole, I have to tell you that I'm very disappointed in the ending. I mean that girl in the end is a killer, who is alleged to be involved in manslaughter, murdering people, extortion, and everything else in between.
As a whole, Fight to the Finish is a very exciting read. There are things from fighting to mystical/paranormal intervention. It is all very interesting for a very short book of about one hundred and fifty pages. It is a bit unusually short for a book. It is loads of fun, best for a young reader who doesn't want to read.
Rating: Four out of Five
