A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Black Sea: A Hades and Persephone Reimagining by Melissa Cassera

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Multiple Points of View, Hades and Persephone, Retellings, Paranormal, Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Romance, Spicy Romance, Steamy Romance, Adult, Arc from Book Sirens, Dark, Academia, Prequel, Novella, Standalone

Publication Date:
August 7, 2023

Pages Numbers:
123

Read Date:
Auguest 8th , 2023

Date Finished:
August 8th , 2023

Rating:
4.6/5

Blurb:

High school is hard enough without getting caught between two Gods.

After her reputation is annihilated, Effie (Persephone) Quinn transfers to Lockwood, an elite boarding school, to finish out her senior year, immediately catching the eye of Hayden (Hades), a misunderstood loner with a dark past, and his charismatic and dangerous brother, Cy (Poseidon).

Cy is determined to win Effie, no matter the cost, and becomes bent on revenge when she rejects him. Meanwhile, Effie finds herself drawn to Hayden, her twisted desire causing an unexplainable sense of security when she’s in his presence.

Effie is torn between two worlds, navigating the treacherous waters of desire, loyalty, and betrayal, until she’s kidnapped from Lockwood… only to discover that her captor is Hayden.

This contemporary, paranormal romance novella is filled with dark secrets, unexpected twists, and some spicy scenes. 18+

Review:

One faithful night, Hayden steps in and takes the blame for his brother's mistake. Because of this, the twins are sent to this school. While Cy becomes popular among his peers, Hayden is looked down on as an outcast, a loner, and one who people should avoid. This does not bother Hayden the least. At least, he won't be bothered by his brother's friends.

Effie's reputation was ruined by one night with a guy named Bryce. Sent here by her mother, Effie struggles to find her place within the school. Unfortunately, she finds herself the target of Cy, who wants her for his own, but Effie finds herself being drawn to Hayden. She knows she should stay away from him but Hayden is everything she wants - dark, dangerous, and twisted.

As the two gravitate toward each other, Cy begins a dangerous game to keep them apart.

Before I even dare begin this review, can I say how much I hated Cy/Poseiden in this book? Nothing in this book offered ant sort of redemption. He let his OWN brother take the fall for something he did. He did not bother to change the narrative toward his brother when they came to the school. Instead, he seemed to revel in the fact he was more popular than his own brother. And when Effie finally appeared, he saw an opportunity to possibly ruin another as he did his own brother.

But when Effie/Persephone turns down any of his advances, he becomes angry. He allows his own minions to drug her even knowing what they planned to do. I can see why Effie/Persephone did not show a single interest in him. I would have not done so either.

I don't believe the next book, which I am sure centers around him, will do anything to change my opinion.

Hades and Persephone - are both dark and twisted, which causes both to gravitate toward each other. Effie is not perfect. She does not seem to be the Persephone we have come to know - the daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of Spring...a young woman living under the shadow of her own mother while trying to navigate to coming into her own.

No, Persephone is twisted and broken. Her reputation was tattered by someone she thought loved her. Sent here by her mother to finish out her schooling, Persephone doesn't want to be part of anything. She wants to do her own thing. That is until she meets Hayden and feels the pull between them.

Hades has nearly the same flaws as Persephone. He takes the blame for his brother believing he was doing something right, but finds that his brother does nothing to correct his mistakes. Rather, he gets mad at him for doing so. Hades is ostracized by his peers and becomes quite the loner.

The downside I see wrong with this was the world-building. I don't feel like there was enough in it. It sounded interesting but we find out later about what Hayden and Cy really are. We don't know much about their family or the world they are coming from. Even Persephone's own life and world are given a glimpse here and there by her own thoughts. So, this pretty much does not give us much about any of it.

Final Thought:

This was an interesting storyline. Hades and Persephone are in a bit of a darker situation than what many of them may be used to. Even at that point, this book is still a must-read for lovers of this famous myth.

Similar Books:

Infernal (Shadow Guild: Hades & Persephone #1) by Linsey Hall
A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone) by Scarlett St. Clair
Hades & Persephone by Amelia Wilde