Review: A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★★☆.5 This is by far my favourite from the Hades x Persephone series so far! This is a non-spoiler review, but will spoil the earlier books!

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What is the book about?

A Touch of Malice is the third book from Persephone’s point of view from Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades x Persephone Series. The series is a steamy retelling of Persephone’s abduction by Hades from Greek Mythology, written in an urban setting called New Greece where the gods play an active role in the lives of the mortals. There are three main storylines happening in tandem during this instalment in the series; Zeus deciding whether to agree to let Hades and Persephone get married, Demeter plunging New Greece into a dangerous snow storm, and the ongoing threat of Triad and the Demigods who are getting restless over what they think is the Greek gods tyrannical rule.

“I am not sure who you think I am,” she said. “But let me be clear—I am Persephone, future Queen of the Underworld, Lady of Your Fate—may you come to dread my presence.

My thoughts on the book

Without a doubt this is my favourite book of this series so far, with A Game of Fate in a very close second (which is book number one from Hades point of view). I think the biggest thing that struck me in this book is how far some of the characters (Persephone, Hades and Apollo) have come. The personal development of these three characters in particular really struck me in this book, and it honestly warmed my heart. One of the tropes I dislike the most in books is the miscommunication trope, and is something that was evident between Persephone and Hades in the previous books, but not this one!! I was so proud of how they had grown both independently, and as a couple. Their communication and ways in which they worked together in this book made me feel as if I was a proud mother.

Having enemies is a universal truth. It means you have something worth fighting for.

The character driven style of this book really resonated with me, and I think that may be why I liked it so much. Not only do we see how Persephone’s life is evolving both in the upper world and her business, but in the underworld as future Queen, but we also get a bit more insight into what motivates some of the other characters actions.This book was full of smaller story lines, and introduced a few moving pieces which will surely climax (no pun intended) in the final instalment of this series. I loved the details we got, and the introduction to new characters and deities, and although the ending was heavily foreshadowed throughout the novel and was completely unexpected (although totally keeping with the developing story), I am still eagerly anticipated the conclusion of this story in late 2023 *sobs*. If I keep talking , I am inevitably going to spoil something, so I’ll leave my review there! Have you read this series? Do you have a favourite book? Let me know in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read!

Review: A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★★☆.5 I enjoyed Hades point of view more than Persephone’s. Although, the narrator took a bit to get used to.

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Scarlett St. Clair’s series on Hades and Persephone is like a jigsaw puzzle, and each book you read, you get a bit more clarity on who these characters are. In case you aren’t familiar with Scarlett’s series, she has published three books from Persephone’s point of view (A Touch of Darkness, A Touch of Ruin and a Touch of Malice - the third one I have yet to read), and she is also writing the same stories from Hades point of view (A Game of Fate, A Game of Retribution and A Game of Gods - only the first of these three are out in the world). Then, the final book, A Touch of Chaos, will be the final book with both of their perspectives. Now, I know you may be thinking, wouldn’t that be a bit repetitive reading the exact same book from the other main characters point of view? And may I say that it never felt repetitive. Reading this book felt like a fresh look at a story I was familiar with, but in such a different way it felt like an entirely different story entirely. It's hard to explain, but if you’re worried that it’ll get repetitive, it doesn’t.

“What is evil to one is a fight for freedom to another.”

I really enjoyed reading this book from Hades point of view. A lot of this story from Persephone’s point of view made me frustrated because of how bad they were at communicating with each other, but having Hades’ thoughts on each interaction sort of cleared any annoyance I was feeling towards them, because now I have both sides. Being privy to each of their thoughts is such a special thing as a reader, and it’s something I would love to see more authors do.

One of the best things about having a whole book from Hades point of view, is for his inner thoughts on his progressing relationship with Persephone, and a new insight into the world of the gods that we don’t get with Persephone. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, but none of the other gods know who she is or that she is a goddess. So, in Persephone’s books, we get her life in the mortal world, detached from the issues and antics of the gods (and there are a lot). With Hades, however, we get to see most of the olympians in this book, and we get an early glimpse into their relationships and issues that will surely be a larger part of later books. This book shows us that Hades is so much more than the god of the underworld who owns a nightclub. He deals with so much behind the scenes that Persephone doesn’t get to see, and you start to understand the layers to the god in this book.

I loved the dynamic between Hades, Hecate and Hermes. There is both a mutual respect and a deep friendship between the three of them, even though Hermes is like an annoying little brother (well… nephew) to Hades. They have all been living for thousands of years, and you could really feel the depth of their relationships, and the history between them all which I loved. Hades and Hecate are such a fun duo, and any scene that had them in it were always super enjoyable to read. And of course, every appearance Hermes makes reminds me of why he is my absolute favourite character in this series.

“Don’t ruin this for me. I might be dreaming, but I’m about to live out one of my top five fantasies—” Hades slapped the god, who looked shocked. “This isn’t a dream, Hermes.” They stared at one another, and in the silence, Hades raised a brow. “Top five, huh?”

This series created by Scarlett St. Clair is so much fun. She has obviously done A LOT of research on Greek mythology, and then used it to inform her urban setting, and her interpretation of the characters. I absolutely loved listening to this, and I am super keen to sink my teeth into A Touch of Malice!

April Wrap-Up 2021

★★★☆☆.75

May 1st! It’s the last month of Autumn in Australia already, how absolutely bonkers. What a whirlwind April was! I feel like I was so busy for the entire month, I blinked on April 1st and found myself at May 1st. It was a great month for me, life-wise and reading-wise. Here’s the thing with me, if I read just one book, or I start a book that’s been on my tbr for a while, or I read a book I really like, that’s a good reading month for me. It isn’t about how many books I read but about how much I enjoy the time I have spent reading. With that in mind, let’s get on to my wrap-up for April 2021! This month was all about Greek Mythology reimaginings, and I was all for it! I read a total of four books this month, two of them audiobooks, one hardback and one paperback.

★★★☆☆.5

The first book I finished was the audiobook of A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair. A Touch of Darkness is a retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, but Scarlett has brought it into an urban setting. This book was steamy and binge-worthy and I was absolutely hooked the moment I started listening to it (although the narrator was much more bearable once I got it on 1.2x speed). At its heart, this book is the story of the abduction of Persephone (the goddess of spring) by Hades (the god of the underworld), but Scarlett imbued it with a new life. She has created an alternative world that is so unique, and she has depicted the gods and their stories in new and interesting ways. Persephone annoyed me a lot whilst reading this (and the next one too), but after watching Scarlett’s interview with Erica from MoanInc, I understand her thought processes and motivations better now. This book was like a reality TV show in book form, with roots in Greek myth and legend and I really enjoyed it! I would recommend this (very raunchy series) to all lovers of Greek mythology who are looking for something a bit different! You can read my full spoiler-free review here!

★★★★☆

My second read of the month was The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi and translated by William Scott Wilson. This was a bit of a different read for me, as it’s a manifesto written by the undefeated samurai Musashi, at the end of his life. The Book of Five Rings goes through the Ways needed to learn and master in order to become the best samurai possible, but some of the lessons can definitely be transferred to everyday life. It was a fascinating read, written by an incredibly interesting person from Japanese history, and I thought the translation by William Scott Wilson was easy to read. Find my full review of this book here!

My third read for the month was A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair which was, again, in audiobook format. I actually enjoyed this one more than the first one, even though we definitely didn’t get enough Hecate. We did get more Hermes (my ultimate favourite character), and some new gods took more of the spotlight than the first book, namely Apollo. I’ve heard that I need to read A Game of Fate, which is the first book from Hades’ point of view, to understand more about his motives and perspective, and I’m really excited to read it, especially because he was sort of absent in this book? Understanding more about Scarlett and her choices when writing the perspective of Persephone has caused me to warm a bit more to her POV, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy Hades’ perspective more 😂 Anyway, my opinions on this series are sort of chaotic but it’s safe to say they are still VERY steamy, unique and overall, enjoyable reads!

★★★★☆

The final book I read for the month of April was Lore by Alexandra Bracken. Similar to A Touch of Darkness, Bracken brought Greek Mythology into an urban setting, but most notably, Bracken brought them into our world. I have NEVER read a book quite like this before. For a week every seven years, 9 of the 12 Olympians are sent to earth and turned mortal, and the bloodlines of many greek heroes such as Perseus, Kadmos and Heracles hunt down the gods and if you kill them, you become the new god and assume their power. This book only covers one week, and it was a wild ride from start to finish. I really enjoyed this book, and I had A LOT of opinions and thoughts about it, which you can read all about here! Lore was definitely my favourite read of the month!

This month I also posted a couple of different blog posts, one on the Mycenaeans and one on Greek Mythology and where to begin if you want to start learning about it. I decided to write the ‘So you Want to Learn About Greek Mythology’ post after chatting to some friends about what a good place to start would be if you’re just beginning to learn about Greek myths, and also because I FINALLY started reading the Odyssey. You guys really seemed to enjoy those posts, so thank you so much for reading them and engaging with my posts on Instagram, really means a lot! Let me know in the comments (or on my insta) what your favourite book of April was, and if you have any requests for guides like my Greek mythology post, or topics for bite-sized ancient history!

So you want to learn about Greek Mythology?

Hey friends, and welcome to a different kind of post! I recently made a video for work called The 12 Olympians: The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greek Mythology and for me, I had so much fun writing and filming it, and it was probably because I was already really familiar with the stories from Greek Mythology. I thought to myself, this would be a good place to start for people who are just starting to get into the wealth of stories that Greek mythology has to offer, but where should they go from there? So, this is a little post with some book recommendations for people who want to learn about Greek mythology but have no idea where to start, or are a bit overwhelmed with the number of books out there! I am absolutely going to be drawing on my own experiences from learning about Greek mythology, so if you have any suggestions or helpful tips for those people who want to learn more, please leave a comment down below!!

Books to Read (Fiction!)

I know this may sound weird, but the place I started on my journey to learning about Greek mythology and becoming completely obsessed with it was Percy Jackson. Unlike many other people, I didn’t read this until I was about 15 or16, and honestly, I wish I had read it sooner. Not because I thought that it was too young for me (I still adore it), but because it meant I would have been exposed to the world of Greek myths far sooner. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is the place I’d start for anyone wanting to dip their toe into Greek mythology. It’s a 5 book series but they’re all pretty short, easy to read and very entertaining. But, while you’re reading about Percy, Annabeth and Grover go on quests, you’re actually being exposed to a lot of the core gods, monsters and myths of Greek mythology. So much of these books were inspired by myths, and once you finish this series, you will be familiar with the basic family tree of the Greek gods (well, as familiar as a person could be with that incestuous mess), as well as key monsters and stories which you will find in the ancient sources such as the Odyssey by Homer and Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days. If you’re looking for more of a Young Adult book with a bit of action, then I would recommend giving Lore by Aexandra Bracken a read. It isn’t as full of Greek stories as the Percy Jackson series is, but you do still get a good glimpse into some of the beliefs of the ancient greeks, and specifically the myths of the goddess Athena. Along these same lines would be A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (definitely more of an adult book), which is a re-imagining of the myth of Hades and Persephone, but it’s set in an alternate, urban setting. These books are fun, but also dive into a bunch of different myths concerning the goddess Persephone, the god Hades and a bunch others!

Online resources (Articles, Videos and Podcasts!)

This is the part of this blog post where I’m just going to hype up the company I have the pleasure to work for, as well as some of my friends who are doing an amazing job bringing Greek mythology and history to a modern audience, and making it accessible! Online resources are so handy, especially since they’re easily accessible and more often than not, they’re free! If you’d prefer to read some stuff, then I would recommend World History Encyclopedia (I am biased because I work for them, but they also do amazing work.) You can find an introductory article here on Greek Mythology which is such a great place to start, and from there you can find articles on all the main gods, goddesses, myths and legends! If you’re more of a video lover, then you’re in luck because we publish youtube videos twice a week, and so far we have published this video on the 12 Olympians, a video all about Hermes, a video on Artemis, and a bunch more! If you’re looking for some fun videos that combine cute makeup looks with greek myths, then you should definitely check out Hannah’s videos on YouTube! I LOVE her videos on the myths of Persephone and Hades, and Echo and Narcissus, they’re short and sweet, easy to follow and end up with a super cute makeup look! Finally, your one-stop-shop for videos on mythology, ancient history, philosophers, as well as interviews and book reviews is Erica’s incredible website Moan Inc. You can find Erica and Moan on Instagram, Youtube, podcasts and via her website, and she’s working so hard to bring the ancient world to a modern audience in an engaging and fun way!

Where to Next? Ancient Epics, Texts and Retellings!

Looking for something a bit more challenging? Already know the basics and you’re ready to dive in deeper? I would definitely recommend beginning with Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days. It’s a really short read, and although it’s an ancient text, it’s easy to read and is a great intro to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. If you want to know a bit more about Theogony and Works and Days you can have a look at my review here! From here, I would then recommend The Library of Greek Mythology (also known as Bibliotheca) by Pseudo-Apollodorus. It reads very similarly to Theogony and Works and Days, but it’s a bit longer and delves deeper into the stories and myths of Greek Mythology, and you will find the stories of heroes such as Heracles, Theseus and Jason. Then, of course, you have the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer! I would personally recommend the E.V. Rieu translation of these two which are written in prose but still keep their poetic roots, and they’re super easy to read for stories that are over 2000 years old. You can read my thoughts on the Iliad here! Just remember, every translation is different, so if you’re not clicking with the first translation you try, pick up a different one! If you’re a fan of theatre, then reading Ancient Greek theatre is an awesome way to become familiar with some of the important figures and stories from Greek myths, and even though only a handful survive from what would have been hundreds of plays, we still have plays about some of the most interesting figures from Greek mythology such as Medea, Jason, Antigone, Oedipus, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Orestes and Electra (just to name a few!) They’re definitely easier to read than something like Shakespeare, and many editions now give you fantastic commentary and background info on the plays! My favourites are Medea by Euripides, Antigone by Sophocles and the Oresteia by Aeschylus. One thing I’ve noticed particularly in the past year or so is a HUGE boom in retellings, especially feminist retellings or retellings from female points of view. This surge in retellings seems to have been pioneered by Madeline Miller with her books The Song of Achilles and Circe, which are both brilliant, but if you’re just starting to dip your toe into Greek mythology, give Stephen Fry’s books Mythos, Heroes and Troy a go! Fry has such an entertaining way of retelling the myths but making them feel new - and, his somewhat linear narrative of the foundational Greek myths in Mythos is truly a massive feat. I would definitely recommend Mythos as an easy and enjoyable first step in learning about Greek mythology. If you’re interested in reading Classical Greek stories from a females point of view, I have a bunch on my TBR pile which include Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships, Pandora’s Jar and The Children of Jocasta, as well as Pat Barker’s Silence of the Girls and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne. I haven’t read some of these yet, but I can only assume it would be helpful to come into them with a bit of a basis for the original stories and texts, so maybe hit these types of books once you’re nice and familiar with the core gods, goddesses, myths and monsters of Greek mythology.

Hopefully I have given you everything you could possibly need to start your journey with Greek mythology! As noted, this is from my personal experience, so if you have any book recommendations or tips on getting familiar with Greek mythology then please, leave a comment below or reach out on instagram where you can find me at @kell_read!

Review: A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★★☆

A Touch of Ruin is book 2 in the Hades and Persephone series by Scarlett St. Clair, and, once again, I listened to the audiobook. This time though, I listened to it at 1.2x speed and it was SO MUCH better! The narrator drawled less, and it seemed like there was more enthusiasm in her narration. Whether it’s due to the fact that I sped it up, or if she was just better this time I’m not sure, but if you decide to listen to the audiobook, definitely speed it up! I have been really enjoying listening to books, it’s easy to make notes and the emotion and extra layer of performance you get is so wonderful. Another point here is that this book is written SO WELL! I love the writing style and I would recommend this series to everyone!

Much like book 1, I still have VERY conflicting emotions with this book (and series). In saying that, this book and whole series so far is incredibly binge-worthy and addictive and I am mildly obsessed with this series 😍 I was hoping that after the events of book one, Persephone would begin to grow as a person, to trust Hades, and continue to improve her communication skills with the man she claims to love. I hoped to see her healing from her mothers’ treatment of her, and growing into her newfound power and position next to Hades. What I got instead was an increasingly annoying, stupid, bratty, and insecure Persephone, who seemed to learn absolutely nothing from the events of Book 1. I can understand the insecurity she continues to feel, she was locked up by her mother for so long, and was taught to believe that she had to work hard for love and affection, and if she did something wrong it would be taken away. I understand how this can mess with a person, but this doesn’t have to make a person PLAIN STUPID?

“The first rule of men, Persephone, is that they’re all idiots.”

Scarlett St. Clair

In the last, maybe 2 chapters did I begin to actually warm to Persephone, but I don’t think she actually learned from any of her mistakes?? (And there were A LOT she could have learned from). I think she feels guilty and feels remorse, but I also think she still feels bad for herself more than actually learning from the mistakes she has made. This brings me to the question of why Hades deals with her? I know that they’re fated to be together blah blah, but they’re both immortal? Why not let her grow up a bit rather than dealing with her absolute crap. Persephone uses 98% of this book to lie to Hades, break the multiple promises she has made to him, and then wonder why he leaves her to her own space? She never gives him the chance to explain himself, and although he makes mistakes, at least he is trying? He has MILLENIA of habits he needs to unlearn, and the fact that Persephone expects him to be perfect within months of meeting is so selfish and self-absorbed. I was really hoping their communication would improve in this one, and that’s one more thing that I didn’t get. I got more weird, passive-aggressive sex scenes and arguments that were never resolved. However, every time Hades asks Persephone if she is well makes my heart melt.

I definitely don’t agree with Jaison’s treatment of Persephone though. Yes, he is Lexa’s boyfriend, but Persephone has been best friends with her for YEARS, and the fact that Jaison is Lexa’s significant other does NOT undermine the relationship between the friends. Like, I’m sorry but his attitude was atrocious and I’m pretty sure he never apologised. I also found this subplot (or actual plot?) quite out of place. This leads me to the issue of the plot? Where was it? Someone tell me where it was, because I have no idea. There was a lot of sex, and there was a lot of brooding and whining but not a lot of actual events or communication. There were a bunch of subplots that I felt were left open, but probably not important enough to be resolved in the next book, and the fact that at one point, Helen was left in the lobby waiting for Persophne and then never mentioned again? I don’t vibe.

“Create the life you want, Persephone, and stop listening to everyone else.”

Scarlett St. Clair

What I DO vibe with, is pretty much all of the secondary characters; Hermes, Hecate, Sybil, Thanatos, and even Apollo. In the beginning, as I’m sure that St. Clair wanted, I felt for Sybil and hated Apollo. Throughout the course of Persephone writing slanderous articles about a god after being specifically asked not to (???), Apollo started to grow on me. I’m not completely sold on the fact that after millennia of being a god and acting how he has, Persephone does like, three things, and Apollo decides he wants to change? But, apart from this, he started to grow on me. Hermes is still 100% my favourite character in this book, he is the sassy comedic relief we really need in this book after pages and pages of constant whining and literally NOTHING HAPPENING. We definitely didn’t get enough of Hecate in this one (thanks to Persephone being so stubborn and ignoring the underworld altogether).

So, with another chaotic review completed, it is safe to say that I will keep reading this series and I TRULY hope that Persephone is redeemed in the next one. Keeping this review non-spoiler was so difficult, especially due to the number of random small subplots sprinkled through the chaotic book (that’s right, I reckon my review and this whole book are both chaotic). I got 2 chapters of bonus content at the end of the audiobook from Hades’ point of view, and I want to read the series from his POV SO BAD! I’ve enjoyed the three chapters I’ve been blessed in his point of view more than I’ve enjoyed most of this book in Persephone’s. If you’ve read this book, what are your thoughts? Did you like it more than book one? Let me know here, or find me over at @kell_read on Instagram!

Review: A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★☆☆.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?