[ 117 ]

[katara]

Title: Harley Quinn (2016-) #28
Author: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Alex Sinclair (Illustrator), John Timms (Illustrator), Tom Derenick (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.75/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: September 22, 2017 to September 23, 2017
Book Summary: “VOTE HARLEY” part one! The corrupt mayor of New York City has been a thorn in Harley’s side since the day he stepped into office…and now he’s crossed the line one time too many! Harley’s usual methods of dealing with problems like this have failed her, so it’s time for a more unconventional solution…is New York City ready for Mayor Harley Quinn? It better be!
Book Review: Real Rating: 4.75

Madison's group of thugs, the Unconquerable 25, have failed immensely after tangling with Harley, her crew, and the Gotham Sirens. Unfortunately for Madison, only the leader of this gang has survived the face-off and now is in the custody of the police. Of course, the corrupted mayor, whom seems to have to have Madison on his payroll, is not thrilled with this and let's her know that she needs to do something to ensure that the leader of the gang does not talk about his connection to them. He tells her that something needs to be done and she needs to take care of this quickly.

Madison heads down to the NYPD and takes care of the matter by killing the leader. She does this in front of a cop but the cop apparently seems to be on the payroll of the mayor as well. How he is going to cover up the murder of the gang leader is going to be interesting but at the same time it seems Madison may have started the countdown to her ultimate demise. This killing seemed to be a bit sloppy seeing as she was possibly seen going in and inquiring about the leader of the gang. The only thing saving her life at the moment is a phone number to the supervillain named Scarecrow.

As for Harley, she, Ivy, and her little gang have gone undercover to take out car thiefs. Things don't go always according to plan (anything with Harley never does) and she finds them in a bit of a situation. It is with the help of Ivy's plant skills and Red Tool that they are able to take down the thieves. It is afterwards that Harley announces her intention of throwing in the political towel for mayor.

It was nice to see Ivy still sticking around and getting them out of the sticky situation. I hope we will be seeing a lot more of her and even more of the relationship between she and Harley.

I am still enjoying this series. It has had it bumps every other issue but otherwise it is nice to see Harley continue to grow as a character and I am quite looking forward to seeing how she tackles her upcoming role in the political world.

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[katara]

Title: The Eighth House: Hades & Persephone (Flames of Olympos #1)
Author: Eris Adderly
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.95/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: September 23, 2017
Book Summary: Catch me, Darkness. Again and again.
The life of a virgin goddess might suit Artemis or Athena, but Persephone, daughter of Zeus, wants no part of it. While the rest of the immortals cavort, she grows restless in the shadow of Olympos.

Rules, rules. Always the rules. Her mother's edict forbids her the company of any male god. She can't speak to them, can't look at them. Can't even attend the Olympian feasts. As far as Demeter knows, her daughter remains a maiden.

But Persephone leads a double life. She finds her affection elsewhere, and in plentiful supply. If only the sons of Man made her happy. If only she could put a name to this need she feels. It grows by the day, dark and unfulfilled. An eternity of enforced loneliness looms, and Persephone contemplates a drastic choice to escape it.

Only one thing stands in her way.

Hades.

Where earthquakes rend hill and vale asunder, and the abyss yawns to devour falling screams, the black halls of the Underworld await. The Lord of the Dead follows only one set of rules: his own.

And he expects Persephone to obey.
Book Review: Real Rating: 4.95

This story is a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth but with a bit of a twist.

I must say I am a huge fan of the Hades and Persephone myth and I always love coming across books written about it. I even love it when there are more twists to it than the original myth itself. Here Persephone is tired of not only the Sons of Man but also the immortals who are pursuing her (namely Apollo and Hermes). None of them hold anything she wants. She wants something wicked and dark but she knows that with her Mother standing in her way, that won't ever happen.

So along comes Aphrodite. You see the Goddess of Love and Lust is a bit jealous of Persephone. She has Hermes' affection at the moment and Aphrodite isn't having it. She wants it back. It was hers and she believes that all affection should be returned to her. Thus she turns to the dark God of the Underworld with a reminder of a favor - she can get Zeus to give his permission for Hades to court Persephone if Hades will remove her from the equation. Hades is a bit reluctant about this. He has been without a Consort for quite sometime and although lonely as he is, he seems to enjoy it. But with the reminder of the favor, he agrees to do so and lures Persephone with a flower she wants to give to the human woman who she adores.

Once below, Hades and Persephone begin a game (a game that would could be seen as a cat and mouse) before it grows into something deeper. Aphrodite returns once more to offer Hades the pomegranate. This fruit would bind Hades and Persephone together.

Demeter learns that her daughter has been taken by Hades and she goes to Zeus demanding that Persephone be returned to her. Zeus refuses at first but Demeter holds the cards for the moment - without food below, there would be no people to worship in the temples. This forces Zeus' hand and he sends Hermes down below to return Persephone to the above.

When Persephone returns, she lies telling them that she has eaten the fruit belonging to the Underworld and she has returned only bring back the Harvest. This, of course, sets her and Demeter against each other and the two have a fight over her choice.

In the end, she returns to Hades with the other Gods for her wedding.

This was an awesome version of the myth. I could not put the book down and found myself immersed into the mythological world of Hades and Persephone. I equally enjoyed the fact that Cerebrus had a voice! I found that was interesting. It added something to the three-headed guardian than anything and I loved it!

This book is the first in a series and I am interested in seeing the next one that comes along. I am hoping we do get to see more of Hades and Persephone. I would love to know what happens afterward with them.