Joined in 2023 
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Persephone (or Kore) came over as quite immature and at times pretty annoying and Hades wasn’t much better.
For someone who has never read Greek Mythology before I was transported into a new and imaginative world. But as much as this is a story of a girl downtrodden by her father and smothered by her mother, and how she rises above the confines they put upon her, it’s also a tale of, as Fitzgerald says, “unpacking the ways patriarchy hurts boys” too. It felt like I was constantly being told that Demeter has been horrible to her daughter and Hades loves art. However it's also a pretty intelligent look at power, the desire for it and what it costs to be truly free. While this is a romance, it's mostly Persephone's story of taking her life into her own hands, empowering herself, and taking agency.He was exactly that and I was very glad Fitzgerald focused so much on him and had him be an active participant of the story. That’s all true here, as Persephone and Hades dance around their true feelings, both of them frightened of ruining the special bond they’ve formed. Girl, Goddess, Queen is an incredibly fun and wonderfully crafted reimagining of a beloved myth - bringing to life timeless gods, the complex intimacy of family bonds, a fierce protagonist, and a passionate slow-burn romance. I can’t tell you exactly how much I laughed while reading this one, I mean I also swooned a fair bit, but mostly I was just laughing at the sheer audacity of our badass Persephone and the banter between her and Hades (and Styx). I literally find it impossible to choose just one quote to share, so [insert 100 favourite and memorable quotes] here.
Like Persephone, Hades hides his true self from the world, playing the ruthless part his subjects and the other gods expect of him, whilst yearning for the things that bring him true happiness (yes, this version of Hades is adorably artistic).The King of the Underworld is nothing like Persephone expected, and everything that she’d hoped he’d be too. Fun side characters and a hopeful coming-of-age heart make this one of the most entertaining reimaginings in an ever growing list of them. The romance was also so refreshing beginning with Hades as our dark and brooding love interest, and Persephone (Kore) as a witty match and a thorn in his side.
I liked how Persephone was shown as a young girl who was trying to find her way into the world and mostly to discover herself as a person. They may have been sisters; Persephone may have been the mother; they may have been the same goddess in different guises. Zeus is an interesting character but we don't see much of him and there is just a glimpse of the other gods, though Styx makes more of an appearance than most. The writing style felt very juvenile and the constant 'girl bossiness' felt forced and tedious to read.I liked it enough to carry on reading, hoping it would improve, but I wasn't keen on the characters and how they were written. Or even better, how is he supposed to know when all she does is lie to everyone and be proud of it, but the first instance she doesn't get told something, she is outraged and threatens to burn the world down. Overall, if you like retellings of this myth and you want something sweet and low stress, you'll probably really enjoy this.
While I enjoyed the setting and the idea of the reimagining of the greek gods, the execution left me feeling disappointed. She does end up of inconveniencing Hades a little in the process, but the enemies to lovers dynamics that we see in their first encounter was utterly delicious. Bea is passionate about stories and fascinated by the way they endure and resonate through centuries and generations. Ie exposition heavy, circular, not really communicating anything, clearly there because the author wants to use a certain line.Essentially all of these changes (plus many more) made me incredibly curious as to how the older myths have now changed as a result of the author’s world building.
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