A Touch of Darkness | Hades X Persephone Book 1 | Scarlett St Clair

Favourite Quote: "Respect could build an empire. Trust could make it unbreakable. Love could make it last forever."

Star rating: 5/5            Spice level: 9/10        Cover Art rating: 10/10  

A Touch of Darkness is the Greek Mythology retelling of Hades & Persephone. It is a story of love and it's a refreshing read. When you think of Hades and Persephone's tale, you think of deception and forced love, but this novel opens up the opportunity to see their relationship in a new light. 

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."

Review;

The story is told from Persephone's point of view and it is set in a modern timeline. Retelling such a well known story must of been a daunting thought, but St Clair did it flawlessly.  It is set in modern day & i think this will connect well with 18-35 year old readers as the modern setting allows readers to connect with the characters on a personal level and they might relate to what they are experiencing. From the offset we find out that the Gods are known to mortals to be real, and they live among them in the main location of the story, which is known as New Athens. Centuries prior to this, Zeus waged war on the mortal world, and after much blood shed, a truce was met. The Gods now own businesses & attend parties down in New Athens. I think it's great that St Clair has added a modern touch to this story as i believe it will attract readers who prefer Contemporary novels and are starting to branch out into the fantasy genre. 

The main focus of the story is Persephone trying to fulfil her contract to Hades within six weeks; her contract being 'create life in the Underworld'. At the beginning, you share Persephone's worries as even though she is the Goddess of Spring, she has never grown anything in her life. Every plant she touches dies. As the story progresses, you realise that Hades means to bring forth Persephone's powers that have been dormant. I personally loved this part of the story as both characters wish to bring out the best in one-another, and for me that is something you should strive for in your own personal relationships. You see Persephone grow as a character, she goes from a girl who is scared of her mother and is using her powers, to a strong, independent woman *snaps fingers* who has finally gained access to her powers through the love and worship of Hades. 

I want to also touch on the spicy scenes... and they are spicy! They are up there with ACOTAR series, but not as spicy as ACOSF. I wouldn't say this book is for the faint hearted, it doesn't leave much to the imagination. I don't know why but the way sexual scenes are described in novels are so much more romantic than describing it in a matter-of-fact way. I hope that makes sense, because i don't think it would be appropriate to go into too much detail!! 

Anyway, I could write for ages about this book, but i think overall it is such a great story and St Clair doesn't taint the original myth at all. There is no ulterior plot line, it's literally all about Hades & Persephone, and how they come together and fall in love. That's all you need from a book sometimes.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!