Hello hello, and welcome or welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet. Today I’m sharing my review of The Maiden and the Unseen, the first book in the Love and Fate trilogy.
Synopsis
God of the Dead. King of the Underworld. The Unseen. The Renowned…The Glorified Babysitter.
Zeus has finally decreed that the gods may leave Olympus and mingle – anonymously – with the mortals of the present. With zero warning or waiting for him to consent to this arrangement, Hades is placed in charge of not only helping the gods assimilate but also financing them. Unlike the other gods, Hades never withdrew from the mortal world. Instead he spent six months of every year among them, building a fortune befitting one of his many names. As long as the gods follow his strict rules for living among mortals, they have access to a generous monthly stipend. Break the rules, lose the privileges. No allowances. Ever.
Goddess of Spring. The Maiden. The Mistress. The Venerable One…The Social Media Manager.
For the last two years, Persephone has lived among the mortals, enjoying everything the world she was so sheltered from has to offer. It took years of begging since Zeus’s decree to get her mother to allow her to go, and she imparted some strict rules to follow. Rule 1: No fraternizing with other gods. As far as Demeter is aware, Persephone’s closest friend is definitely not Helios, the Titan of the Sun. Rule 2: No men. The mortal she’s casually dating doesn’t even know the gods exist. Rule 3: Every six months, Demeter comes by for a visit. This one Persephone can’t get out of, and if it keeps her mother from investigating Persephone’s life, what’s the harm?
Destiny. Fate. Fortune. Kismet…An absolute bitch.
Fate has other ideas for Hades and Persephone, and it does not take lightly to being denied. Struggle and fight all they want. But the threads of destiny have wrapped tightly around them and tugs them tighter and tighter, no matter what the gods themselves have to say about it.
Review
Rating: 3 stars
I read this series prior to reading A Touch of Darkness, and while I would say there are some similarities (at least as far as I’ve read in that series), there are a lot of differences too. So if you’re looking for another Hades x Persephone retelling that maybe deserves a bit more attention, this is worth looking at.
The overriding story arc throughout the trilogy is interesting and engaging, with lots of tension and possibilities for things to go wrong. The authors have clearly done their research into the pantheon, and author interpretation of the other gods our main characters encounter is often one of my favourite parts with mythology inspired stories. The side characters of Mellie and Helios were particularly interesting, and there is a novella for them to be tandem read with the third book which gives another level of insight into both of them which I really enjoyed.
Book one in this trilogy has a lot of sexual tension and build up to Hades and Persephone giving into their feelings for one another. It’s a bit of a bumpy journey and at times feels repetitive, especially with their doubting one another and their own feelings, and knowing it was inevitable too. That said, it was an easy, steamy read that still managed to tug at your heartstrings, and allow questions to arise, especially about Demeter and her parenting, that you hoped for answers for in coming books. Seeing the damage that Persephone had suffered emotionally because of her mother was not only painful, but important to the story. It had helped shape who Persephone was in this first book, and we get mentions in her chapters, and in what she alludes to with Hades about some of the ways she has been treated.
It did feel like the entire story was building up to the last few chapters, and while that’s true of many books, this could almost have been a brief prequel rather than a full novel. That said, it was an easy book to relax with, and did leave me ready to pick the next book up straight away, as the ending was so engaging.
Thanks for stopping by for this review today. These books are available on Kindle Unlimited if you’re curious, and the first two are also in audiobooks. For more reviews and other bookish things, please consider dropping me a follow below to never miss another post again.
And On She Reads 