graphic novel – Awakening Bibliophile

Title: Persephone: Hades Torment

Author(s): Allison Shaw

Genre: Graphic Novel

Format: Ebook

Would I Recommend? Not Likely

Book Rating:

Spice Rating:

Synopsis

In the traditional story of Hades and Persephone, Hades is the villain who is madly in love with Persephone. Persephone is the poor girl who was kidnapped, forced to marry Hades, and eventually fell in love with him by proximity. Sounds like a dream come true….NOT!

In this story, their love story is mutual from the beginning, but Hades has to decide if he is going to make a move.

Thoughts?

Like many other people, I fell into the Hades and Persephone trap. Growing up, I loved mythology from around the world, but Greek/Roman mythology was some of my favorite. When authors decided to use the story of Hades and Persephone and manipulate it into various stories, I just couldn’t resist.

I was scrolling through Kindle Unlimited and came across this graphic novel. I was immediately enamored by the artwork on the cover. It was something different than what I was used to reading. My go-to is novels rather than graphic ones, so I figured I would try them.

At the story’s start, you are introduced to Apollo, Eros, and Persephone. Apollo wants Persephone, Persephone is not interested; but when Hades stops by and ceases Apollo’s charade, he meets Persephone for the first time. Naturally, he is instantly attracted, but this time, Persephone is also attracted.

The book starts off strong. I was intrigued because it had similar plot points to the original story but made its own, in a less kidnappy sort of way. In this story, Hades has to decide what he will do. I thought it would build, and Hades would essentially be tormented until the end of the story. To some extent, I guess he was tormented until the end, but the book’s middle part focused on the trouble makers, Eros and Apollo. Hades deals with them, he gets the girl, and the story ends.

Not much happens… It is short and to the point. Hades gets Persephone, Persephone gets Hades, they get naked, end of the story. I was a little disappointed because I felt there was a lot of missed potential with everyone’s individual stories. Instead, it fell flat.

I will say that the artwork was gorgeous; it was well done and enjoyable to look at. The story was just underwhelming in the end.

I do want to address the spice rating. This one was a little difficult to gauge because overall, there is just sexual/romantic tension; HOWEVER, there is also nudity portrayed. Therefore, the combination of the two resulted in its spice score. Not a heavy focus, but enough to mention it. This is not suitable for young readers.

Final Review

Do I think this is a good book?

Not really. Good artwork. Subpar story.

Was this a new take on Hades and Persephone?

From what I have read to this point, yes and no. I have not read anything that has this particular plot line or characters, but I imagine there are some similarities to other Hades’ and Persephone-inspired works. It is the closest to the original story but not anything special.

Would I recommend this to anyone and everyone?

No…I’m going to pass on this one.

I liked the artwork but didn’t care for the little plot that existed. There was a lot of missed potential; it made me sad. If you are the type of person who likes to try anything mythology based or appreciate the artwork over the story, then sure… but otherwise, you can probably just pass.

Volume 1: The Apocalypse Suite

Title: The Apocalypse Suite

Author(s): Gerard Way

Genre: Graphic Novel

Format: Ebook

Would I Recommend? Yeah, probably…

Book Rating:

Spice Rating:

Synopsis

What happens when seven “adopted” children with super powers grow up under a strick asshole and a monkey with the ultimate goal of “saving the world?” You get the Umbrella Academy.

On one strange day forty seven women who were not previously pregnant gave birth to a child. Odd right? It gets weirder. These children (in theory) are all born with special abilities. Of course there is always that one person, in this case Reginald Hargreeves (AKA the Monocule), who wants to figure out what happened. What does he do next? He adopts seven children and explores what makes them unique.

Number 1 (Space): Half gorilla, half human. Has lived in space on a mission for a hot minute. He is strong and the leader of the group.

Number 2 (Kraken): He throws knives, and throws them well!

Number 3 (The Rumor): “I heard a rumor….” and whatever she says goes. She is also dealing with a divorce and has a daughter. Also her relationship with number 1 is different.

Number 4 (Seance): He sees the dead, deals with the otherside, and floats.

Number 5 (The Boy): His time traveling power got him into some trouble when he travelled too far forward and couldn’t return. Now his concern is aging or un-aging.

Number 6: Is dead.

Number 7 (Vanya): She doesn’t have a cool name because she is believed to not have a power. She is just really good at playing the violin.

Thoughts?

When the TV show was released on Netflix, I fell in love with this story. It was intricate, it was different, and I loved all the sass from these characters. Naturally after completing season 3 I became intrigud by the idea of reading the graphic novels.

The first thing I noticed was the interesting cover. I understood where it came from because of the show, but I wasn’t entirely sure where it played into the graphic novel. But once I started the book, I was not really enjoying it. The artwork was a little too chaotic for me. Not only that but the initial storyline was a tad confusing. I did not really understand the premise of the characters or their powers.

With all that being said, while I knew the tv show and the comics would be different, I did not fully comprehend why. The main difference that I noticed is that in the tv show, you are able to learn more about the characters, the backstory, and sprinkled in is the superhero action. The comic book, just dives right into the action with a sprinkle of character development.

Both are good for their own purposes, but I wasn’t as excited to finish the graphic novel. That being said, I will likely still finish the series.

Final Review

Did you like the artwork?

Not particularly, but I can appreciate it. Just because it wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean it isn’t still good.

Which was better the tv show or the graphic novel?

Personally, I liked the tv show better. I was able to understand the characters and the storyline easier. I also think that based on the graphic novel, Netflix did an excellent job with the casting,

Would I recommend this to anyone and everyone?

Probably. If you like Gerard Way, the origins of tv shows/movies, superheros, and unique stories then you might enjoy this. I will say that it is likely for an older audience (older high school plus).