Book Reviews/ August 9, 2023September 2, 2023

A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair Book Review

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Blurb

Become enchanted by the fantasy world of gods and mortals in bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair’s reimagined New Greece. Readers are “hopelessly addicted” to the story of Hades and Persephone.

Hades, God of the Dead, does not take sides or bend the rules. He makes no exceptions to these values—not for god or mortal, even his lover, Persephone, Goddess of Spring.

Usually, fear prevents retaliation.

But not this time.

When Hera, Goddess of Women, approaches Hades with a plan to overthrow Zeus, he declines to offer help. As punishment, Hera sentences Hades to perform a series of labors. Between killing mythical monsters and recovering deadly stolen artifacts, each feat seems more impossible than the last and draws his attention away from Persephone—whose own tragedy has left her questioning whether she can be Queen of the Underworld.

Can Hades maintain the balance he craves?

Sensitive Content

Here is the potentially sensitive content I observed white reading:

Blood
Car Accident
Death
Gaslighting
Gore
Grief
Injury
Kidnapping
Murder
Physical abuse
Profanity
Sexual Assault
Suicidal ideation
Torture
Toxic relationship
Vomit
War

Ratings

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There are possible **SPOILERS** beyond this point!

Overall Rating

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Game of Retribution is spicy fantasy romance story about Hades and Persephone told only from Hades perspective?! You’re looking at one of my favorites! This book has all the myths woven into a modern setting. There’s action and complicated relationships that become strained alliances or bitter rivalries. I loved the action with Hades showing how he’s both incredibly smart but also strong. The magic in this book is also so cool. There is everything I want from a fantasy book right here!

I love Hades. He is my favorite Hades, period. He’s broody and broken from all he’s been through in the years of his existence. His heart is fragile though it hides behind the grumpy, snarky and sarcastic remarks. His growth from the beginning of this book, and even from the beginning of A Game of Gods, has been so satisfying to watch! I love seeing him win! Persephone has changed his life in both good and bad ways. To see him work through the challenges he faces with her, the other gods and ultimately himself, was a privilege!

The romance! Hades and Persephone are a couple who have disagreements. They have arguments and they separate and my heart breaks over and over for them but I love it! Hades makes mistakes but so does she. What I love is the communication! It improves more and more over time and that’s what kept me interested. Their journey in knocking down all the walls that stand between them. They are my favorite brat and brat tamer dynamic if I’m honest. But they’re learning together! The fights are explosive but the making up is just as explosive!

Expect plenty of spicy scenes in this one. Of which, Scarlett, we are all so grateful! The intimacy of this book feels so real because we see this couple go through all their ups and downs, we truly know them; all their darkest secrets and greatest vulnerabilities as each one is revealed.

The supporting cast for this book was also fantastic! In particular, I want friends like Hermes and Hecate. They are honest with Hades when he is dumb or short-sighted. I like that they support him even when he’s being so hard on himself too. They are so funny and each time they came into the story, I loved them more!

I highly recommend this book and this series to romantasy lovers! I dropped every other book I was reading to put my single focus and attention on it because it deserved it! I loved it from beginning to end!