Well hello, beautiful people! I bring you a review today! If you haven’t guessed by the title, I am going over my thoughts and feelings of Neon Gods by Katee Robert.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth…a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

It seems like everyone is redoing the myth of Hades and Persephone these days. There are a plethora of options out there to choose from. Neon Gods is the second of these retellings I have read. I kind of want to read more, if they are all this well written that is.

Neon Gods is not the kind of book that I usually read. It’s a spicy romance book. Given that it’s my second book of the spicy variety that I have read this month, maybe it is. What I liked about this particular book was the actual plot. See, I like my romance stories to have good plots. This one has a good plot.

Persephone finds herself suddenly and unexpectedly engaged to Zeus, a man who has had three previous wives (or Heras) who have all died. Zeus also happens to be the head of the Thirteen Houses. This all leads Persephone to essantially run for her freedom to the River Styx. When she crosses it, she knows she will be safe from Zeus and the rest of the Thirteen. But who should rescue her but the mysterious, and heretofore thought gone, Hades? Once she is rescued, she and Hades come up with a plan to further thwart Zeus and his machinations. Of course, it involves spicy times. Public spicy times. So trigger warning for that.

I enjoyed how these familiar characters were portrayed. Zeus, often mentioned and rarely seen, proved an ominous presence in our protagonists lives. Persephone’s mother Demeter is painted, not as a doting mother missing her daughter, but as calculating, manipulative, and perfectly willing to set her daughter up to further her quest for power. Hades is gruff, but also kind and caring. Persephone isn’t all that she seems. She paints a picture of ditzy socialite, but is actually very cunning. I found myself liking her alot.

I loved the world building, for all that it’s just a world like ours. I liked how Olympus wasn’t a towering mountain but instead a formidable tower in the heart of a city. The undercity is equally as vibrant, and I loved seeing it through Persephone’s eyes.

If your wanting me to review the spicy stuff, um…it was good? I don’t know. How does one review spicy scenes without it seeming weird. It seems weird.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book. I had a good time reading it and found myself fully immersed in the story. And I may have already bought the sequel. All in all, four stars!