★★★☆☆.75
A Touch of Darkness is the first book in the Hades and Persephone series by Scarlett St. Clair. It’s a loose retelling of the abduction of Persephone by the Lord of the Underworld in Greek Mythology, re-written in an urban, contemporary setting. I listened to the audiobook, which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend because I didn’t really vibe with the narrator, but the story definitely has its merits!
This book is definitely an easy read. It’s addictive and binge-worthy, and I raced through it in 4 days. The story follows Persephone, the Goddess of Spring who has been hidden from the rest of the gods by her mother Demeter, the Goddess of Vegetation. She has been allowed to leave the confines of Demeter’s greenhouse to attend university and live a normal life glamoured as a mortal, and has been brought up being told to stay away from the gods, especially Hades. This book covers just over 6 months, and Persephone doesn't just ~not~ stay away from gods, she ends up becoming very acquainted with many! St. Clair has made many changes to the initial myth to make it work for her story and her setting, and honestly, I was SO here for it!
Even knowing the myth of Persephone and Hades, this book is filled with imagination and I really enjoyed the urban setting (although it took me a bit to get used to). The biggest issue I had with this book was Persephone. Honestly, most of the notes I made whilst reading this book was just my frustration over the Goddess of Spring. One of the biggest issues I had with her was her inconsistent and wishy-washy personality. I understand that this is a character who has only been allowed into the real world for the last four years, but she was constantly contradicting herself, and just not making a lot of sense. Persephone’s character seems to have been written purposefully to aid in the whole ‘miscommunication’ trope, but instead of actually having issues of miscommunication, she just doesn’t tell Hades anything? Some of the things she thinks were just so DUMB, she was sometimes so self-absorbed, and she seemed to actively listen and believe everyone else (including gods she’s just met), over Hades, and it makes absolutely no sense.
“Oh, darling”
Scarlett St. Clair
Anyway, she was honestly my biggest problem with this book. Her, and the ‘insta love’ vibe I got. However, with the insta love, that is definitely stemming from the roots of Greek Mythology so that, I accept begrudgingly. What I LOVED about this book was Hades, Hecate, literally everyone that works for Hades and the Underworld. Getting to slowly see how Hades lives his life, find out what makes him happy, and who he is as a person behind all of the garbage nonsense that is spread around was my favourite part of this book. He withdrew from the public eye for thousands of years, and so, in his wake, rumours and gossip grew and mutated into nothing but lies about his character, and his motives. And the thing is, the reader can see this from the first encounter between Persephone and Hades, but it still takes Persephone, like, the WHOLE DAMN BOOK to get with the program. *sigh*
“If they feel you’re worthy of celebration, don’t you think that’s enough?”
Scarlett St. Clair
Hecate, the souls in the underworld, and all the gods that are portrayed in this book were so wonderful! I thought Hermes was so brilliant, and Thanatos made such an impact, even though he was only in it for a short time. The friendship that grows between Hecate and Persephone was brilliant, almost as heartwarming and Lexa and how unconditionally she loves her friend! Definitely an underrated character. This book was also VERY steamy. Like, surprisingly so. This is your warning 😂 If you want to know more about Scarlett’s research, inspirations and development of the book, then I would definitely recommend you watch Erica’s interview(s) with her over on Youtube!
So, if you’re looking for an easy read, steamy, greek mythology retelling, then this is definitely the book for you! I got so much more invested in the relationship than I was anticipating (obviously because of Hades), and I am so excited to continue on with the series. You’ll also find many, many tidbits from Greek mythology all throughout the book including common names and other myths! I love it when authors incorporate as many references and nuances as possible! In saying that, I’m definitely more excited to read the Hades perspective than the Persephone. Have you read this book? Which perspective do you prefer?