A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
A Touch of Darkness was my most recent retelling read and I adored it. The story of Hades and Persephone is one of my favourites, not only in Greek mythology but also as retellings. I know Hades is a huge red flag in the original story but I love seeing how authors change our perception of him within their retellings. I loved Hades in A Touch of Darkness, so much so that I’m willing to read this story again but from his perspective.
This book is basically ‘spicy Lore Olympus’. The stories aren’t exactly the same but the vibes are similar. I think it’s mostly them being in a modern day Olympus with social media and smart phones.
I actually listened to the audiobook version of this for ‘free’ with Audible plus, so if you have that subscription I’d highly recommend checking it out. To be fair, I would have been happy to pay for this audiobook or any format of A Touch of Darkness. It’s not a five star read by any means but it’s really entertaining and you do find yourself rooting for Hades and Persephone. I’m a big fan of slightly mean but flirtatious banter so they were just perfect for me.
Hades is at his broody pining, brutally in love best in this book and honestly, it’s a good look for him. I’m glad this isn’t yet another story of him using his power to create an imbalance with him and Persephone. He actually helps her realise how powerful she is.
Synopsis: Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.
Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.
After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the 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—and it’s forbidden.
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Books inspired by Mulan are not something I come across very often and since reading Spin the Dawn I haven’t seen another one. I read this quite a while ago now but I remember absolutely adoring every page of it and that was back when books took me much longer to get through as I was working full time in retail so had basically no free time.
The ‘Mulan’ elements of this don’t play out for the entire book but having Maia pretend to be a man so she can enter a dress making competition is definitely a unique take on the story. The dress making scenes are probably my favourite in the entire book. I love when books detail what the characters are wearing and Spin the Dawn takes that to an entire new level. Every garment is so easy to picture although trying to imagine what ‘laughter of the sun’, ‘tears of the moon’ and ‘blood of the stars’ look like is not easy, but very fun.
Sadly, my love for this series does start and finish with the first book. The second one didn’t live up to my high expectations. It was still a good read but when you give the first book five stars you have high hopes that the second will be just as great.
Synopsis: Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: Summer 2025