The perfect second book in what promises to be an epic series from Robert.  

Neon Gods thrust readers into the high stakes world of Olympus, where the Thirteen rule the city and will do just about anything to keep that power -- and Electric Idol shows us exactly what that “anything” can mean.

The chemistry between Eros and Psyche is so sweet and undeniable: I have a soft spot for a hero who’s a fixer-upper, and boy howdy does Psyche help Eros fix himself up. Which, like, of course, because Psyche is a boss-ass woman who knows just how to play a crowd to maintain her power and her facade.  How can we not fall for Eros, a morally-gray bad boy who accidentally really loves his super hot marriage-of-convenience wife and who thinks her career as an influencer is both valid and also impressive?

The strong sense of place that I got from Neon Gods is necessarily sacrificed here in favor of deepening our understanding of the machinations of the Thirteen: we no longer need to be convinced that some of them are the bad guys and that there are innocent people worth protecting, and so we can focus more on how deeply these power structures run throughout the city, and the way that alliances seem to shift with the breeze.  It’s deeply engrossing and Robert lays down plotlines for several more books for which I am on the edge of my seat.

Just like Neon Gods, Electric Idol has the gritty coziness of a film noir, making it the perfect winter read; you can almost feel the rain pounding against the window, and it begs for a steaming cup of coffee or a whiskey on the rocks.  Strong heroes fall in love with beautiful, cunning heroines, and we follow right along, happily.  What an engrossing read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC!

CW:

fat shaming, attempted homicide, shooting