Cora: The Unwilling Queen is the first part in a great re-telling of the Persephone myth (which happens to be one of my favorites). Cora has been selected by the ruler of the underworld to be his new queen, taking her away in her dreams to try and convince her to stay with him. She's suspicious and holds off his advances while she discovers the truth about what her dreams may really mean. She meets several other people of the underworld along the way, with one being quite memorable to her and the reader.

I enjoyed the character of Cora and her two best friends. None of them were perfect, but there were genuinely good people that cared about each other. The only part I found hard to swallow was how accepting Cora's parents were of her situation. I know it's fiction, but there was very little "shock factor" that was written in when she told them of her trips to the underworld.

All in all an enjoyable first part to the Persephone myth re-told in modern days. The myth itself is even mentioned a few times as the girls try to figure out what is going on.