The plot in this book is generally really interesting. Great world building, and I loved both the premise and the main character.

But. The prose itself was stilted and the dialogue was all quite odd. I suspect it's probably a translation issue. The plot overall, looking at points A -> B -> C, is great, but sometimes getting from point to point is meandering and odd.

I wish I didn't hate the main romance (implied? hinted?) of the novel. I just really disliked the other character involved and how relentlessly mean he was to the MC. I kept waiting for the redemption arc, especially with all of the humanizing backstory, but he's ultimately just very cold and needlessly cruel.

I generally liked the first two books of this series, but the romance in this one was insufferable.

The FMC was fine, delightful, etc, nothing really wrong with her. We learn her tragic backstory, as all of the FMCs in this series have, and her personality.

The MMC? Hated him. He was unpleasant when he was introduced in book one, and now that he has his own story, he’s just insufferable. He’s mean, he’s cruel, he’s still in love with someone else through most of the book. He blackmails the FMC, he distrusts her, he forces himself on her (even if she eventually acquiesces).

The whole plot line is heavy on dubious consent and after one scene in he breaks into the FMC’s room, steals her correspondence, immediately uses it to threaten and blackmail her, tries to seduce her and then starts talking about the woman he’s truly in love with again….. I just could never get past his behavior and unlike ability. I find it impossible to root for the relationship, as the FMC deserves better than the abusive MMC she’s got.

Writers realize that you aren’t like, legally required to make the MMC’s big flaw misogyny, right? There are other things for a couple to overcome besides the MMC not even seeing the FMC as a full human being with thoughts, ideas, pain, etc. I mean, not in this book but like, in theory.

Is this a myth retelling or just 50 shades of grey fanfic? Powerful dude whose parents died, causing him trauma and literal scars, red room of pain, weird BDSM but clearly not stuff. So much of the dynamic and a number of the scenes are very similar to 50 shades, which is truly not a compliment.

I didn’t mind the whole, Hades is clearly too perfect in every way and their relationship had no inner conflict whatsoever thing that other people objected to. The criticisms are valid but sometimes you want to read fluff, and that’s okay. What I did mind was the confusing and lackluster world building. Nothing about this version of Olympus is explained or makes any sense.