Author: Scarlett St. Clair
Genres: Mythology, Fantasy Romance, New Adult, Retellings
Published: May 23, 2019
Pages: 379
Format read: Paperback
Triggers: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harrasment, Emotional Abuse, Addiction, Death, Violence, Alcohol Abuse
Quick Thoughts: I wouldn’t mind going into a contract with Hades
This book was self purchased.
All reviews are entirely honest and my own opinion.
Rating:
Characters:
Plot:
Spice:
Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.
Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can’t resist.
After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows―a love that is both captivating and forbidden.
This might be my absolute favourite retelling of Persephone and Hades. But honestly, I have a weakspot for that specific piece of Greek Mythology as it is. This book had everything that I loved; Spice, Romance, a misunderstood MMC. It felt very Bad Boy x Good Girl at the start, but it developed into something so much more!
I have waited lifetimes for you
The book itself was an easy read, though the chapters sometimes were just one or two pages too long for my squirrel brain. But if I am entirely honest, that didn’t bother too much. Most of the time I was too busy squeeling about Hades and Persephone and simply wanted to know more of their story. The flow of the book was pretty fast paced and casual, which was all good for me. It worked for this specific story and made it for a very relaxing read. The book was mostly told in 3rd person, from Persephone’s perspective. I don’t really have a preference between first and third person, but I felt like this was a good choice for Touch of Darkness.
I liked the concept of this book: A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone. Where the gods have come to earth and live among us. More or less. I also really loved the fact that the other gods didn’t really know about Persephone, allowing her to masquerade as a mortal. This worked really well for the story, as well as for her character. It gave her an understanding for the mortal way of life, something that made her character less dull than it felt like in the beginning.
That’s right, I said what I said. At the start of the book I felt like Persephone’s character was a little flat and dull. There was just some flavour missing, but this was very quickly corrected. After the first chapter, layers began to be added to her personality. Persephone had a nice character development, which was really needed to make this book and her character work. At times I found that she really got on my nerves. Some of her decisions simply made me question her intelligence. But I am very happy that I continued reading, because her development was marvelous and quickly I understood why she reacted the way that she did. After all, she did grow up in a glass greenhouse without any contact with the outer world.
Hades was an entire different story, I loved him from the start. But what can I say? I simply love misunderstood Male Main Characters, especially if they are bordering on Morally Grey.
While we’re on the subject of characters, the side characters were an absolute delight! My favourite character? Hermes! And I really loved Lexa too. The friendship between Lexa and Persephone was a joy to read. I love it when there is a strong female friendship in a book. Talking about female side characters, there is one other I really have to mention: Hecate! I am so happy that they added her to the book, because she brought some of the best plot-oriented scenes.
There is no shortage of steam and spice in this book. Maybe a little bit too much, at times. Some scenes felt a little bit misplaced, coming right after a big plot scene. Luckily these were far and wide in between, with most of the smutty scenes taking place at the right times.
I want you. Be my first. Be my everything.
This book had me hooked after the first couple of chapters and I couldn’t put it down anymore. The world building and the character developments swept me up in this whirlwind of a story. This modern-day re-telling is well done, full with witty banter and steamy scenes.
Good bits
Bad bits
- The passion between Hades and Persephone
- Strong female friendship
- Hermes is a great comic relief
- A nice fast pace
- Character development
- An actual plot with my smut!
- Some smut scenes are a little ill placed
- Persephone’s choices sometimes got on my nerves
- Three more books from Persephone’s POV
A Touch of Darkness is a lovely modern-day retelling of the Hades and Persephone story. It takes a lot of liberty, straying from its inspiration quite a bit. But that was what made this story good for me, I didn’t feel as if I read it already. There is plenty of steamy scenes to keep me entertained, as well as plenty of plot and character development to keep me invested. A really enjoyable read!