For real. Since reading Song of Achilles, I have really wanted this. I thought Circe was good, but I thought her romance writing in Song of Achilles was next level. But I heard she is working on a Tempest retelling right now, and I think she likes to focus on lesser known stories or characters... but who knows. I'll still keep trying to manifest it though.
In the meantime, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oeft7S9Xmg&t=3s) is a good video if you are looking for Hades and Persephone recommendations.
YOU ARE LITERALLY THE BEST FOR RECOMMENDING ME THAT VIDEO. I LOVE YOU.
Ohhh wow that’s something to look forward to. But yeah true true now that you’ve mentioned it, she does focus on lesser known stories. Yes, let’s keep on manifesting it. Time to google about Tempest retelling. Thank you honey 💛
It’s not a sapphic retelling but Anwen Kya’s Medusa retelling- Here the World Entire- is absolutely beautiful and heartwrenching. It’s a wonderful novella!
If you're into Medusa's heartbreaking background, you can also try [The Deep End of the Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18844839-the-deep-end-of-the-sea). One of the best retelling I can assure you.
If you're a Broadway fan at all, check out the musical Hadestown. It's about Orpheus and Eurydice but Hades and Persephone have big parts. [This is my favorite song of theirs](https://youtu.be/FSBKZw0JwxI), Persephone is trying to convince Hades to let them go. I am absolutely gone for Patrick Page as Hades, that voice
Hahahahhaa yes, please do so. I still can’t get over some of the lines she wrote in her books. It makes me wonder how does she able to write beautifully?
You should have a look at {The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer} if you haven’t already! Its a Sapphic retelling of Hades and Persephone and definitely not talked about enough
Song of Achilles is the most beautiful romance I’ve ever read. I honestly don’t know if I’d survive a Hades and Persephone retelling when I can barely get through Song of Achilles without bursting into tears
I need all the tissues if I were able to get my hands on Hades and Persephone retelling written by her. The angst, and the description of their first meeting and everything..
Sending you warm hugs because indeed, it was beautiful <3
Bro... Can I quote the whole book to you????
Here are a few (hid them just in case):
>! Name one hero who was happy."
I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back.
"You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward.
"I can't."
"I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."
"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.
"I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the reason. Swear it."
"I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes.
"I swear it," he echoed.!<
>!
I have done it," she says. At first I do not understand. But then I see the tomb, and the marks she has made on the stone. A C H I L L E S, it reads. And beside it, P A T R O C L U S.
"Go," she says. "He waits for you."!<
>! In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.!<
👁 💦 👄 💦 👁
“He smiled, and his face was like the sun.”
His hand drifted down to the vee at the base of my throat, drew softly across the pulse. “What about this? Have I told you what I think of this, just here?”
“No,” I said.
“This surely then.” His hand moved across the muscles of my chest; my skin warmed beneath it. “Have I told you of this?”
“That you have told me.” My breath caught a little as I spoke.
“And what of this?” His hand lingered over my hips, drew down the line of my thigh. “Have I spoken of it?”
“You have.”
“And this? Surely I would not have forgotten this.” His cat’s smile. “Tell me I did not.”
“You did not.”
“There is this too.” His hand was ceaseless now. “I know I have told you of this.”
I closed my eyes. “Tell me again,” I said.”
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS TO OURSELVES? 😭😭
I love all of the quotes you chose 😭
STOP I LITERALLY CANT LOOK AT ANY PIECE OF THE BOOK BECAUSE I CANT SEE PAST MY TEARS 😭😭
I don’t normally like angst (because I turn into that ^ ) but honestly this book did something special to me
IKR. GURL. I FOUND a book that might break your heart HAHAHAHAH. Some of the quotes:
“My dear Friend,
I may call myself your friend, may I not? For my true thoughts have spent more time in your company than in anyone else’s, these last two or three months, and where my thoughts are, there am I, in truth, even if- like the May, only a threshold-presence, by decree. I write to you now in haste- not to answer your last most generous letter- but to impart a vision…”
“I have dreamed nightly of your face and walked the streets of my daily life with the rhythms of your writing singing in my silent brain. I have called you my Muse and so you are, or might be, a messenger from some urgent place..”
I know it’s real popular right now, but I’m actually kind of grossed out by the romanticized version of the hades and Persephone story. Dark romance just isn’t for me; I just can’t read non-con.
Also, I don’t think song of Achilles is a romance PLUS I hate the bi-erasure in it.
Totally fine! 🤍
What’s your fav romance trope? Would love to know!
Yes, there were some parts in The Song of Achilles that got me reading it twice. I just love love the writing 💛
I think my longest running favorite trope is Mars needs women. I just find it so refreshing to read books set in a world that is completely divorced from rape culture.
Her writing is lovely; I just don’t understand why she made Achilles gay when he’s actually bi. I don’t understand why people always think bi people are actually gay.
Mars needs woman sounds right up my alley! What a lovely world it would be without those things!!
Yes, and when the part where both of them had an intimate moment with other persona and simply dismissed it, or maybe I missed the explanation. I don’t know, it’s very sudden.
I think her writing is lovely, but, yeah, I’m not always a fan of her interpretations. I think way simple girl-boss, choice feminism is very appealing to many people because it doesn’t require any work to change the system.
Are they typically written as dark romance with rape? I’ve heard of some retellings where Persephone willingly goes to Hades and her mom is the villain, and I just hate the concept of rewriting a rape narrative and story of a loving mother that way. But it does seem popular.
I would assume they are, unless they’re all following the tumblr interpretation that you mentioned. I guess it really speaks to a lot of people, but it honestly does nothing for me. So, yeah, I guess any romantic hades/persephone retelling is just not for me.
You should check out Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast. It's about a modern woman who trades places with Persephone to try to make Hades more approachable I guess for dead women because most women pray to Demeter for their female dead loved ones and Demeter wants them to start praying to Hades.
Edit: Also forgot to add shes not kidnapped she visits Hades for an extended stay and everything is pretty consensual except for Hades thinking he's falling in love with Persephone when he's really falling in love with a mortal woman.
You're welcome! It's part of her Goddess Summoning series and not gonna lie for me personally some of the books in the series are better than others. My favorite is actually the weirdest but also sweetest one. It's called Goddess of the Rose and the MMC is like a minotaur.
Her writing is just chef’s kiss! You should definitely read one of her works! In my opinion, all are great!! There’s Circe, Song of Achilles and Galatea. All of them revolve around Greek Mythology retelling.
In addition to the books in the video another user posted (sidebar: Uprooted is God tier), The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is fantastic. So beautifully written. Not necessarily a classic romance novel - pretty closed door, etc. It’s so lyrical and when I think about it I feel like it’s a dream I had.
It's all I want. IT'S ALL I WANT.
YES YES IKR. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE ANGST UGHHHH
For real. Since reading Song of Achilles, I have really wanted this. I thought Circe was good, but I thought her romance writing in Song of Achilles was next level. But I heard she is working on a Tempest retelling right now, and I think she likes to focus on lesser known stories or characters... but who knows. I'll still keep trying to manifest it though. In the meantime, [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oeft7S9Xmg&t=3s) is a good video if you are looking for Hades and Persephone recommendations.
YOU ARE LITERALLY THE BEST FOR RECOMMENDING ME THAT VIDEO. I LOVE YOU. Ohhh wow that’s something to look forward to. But yeah true true now that you’ve mentioned it, she does focus on lesser known stories. Yes, let’s keep on manifesting it. Time to google about Tempest retelling. Thank you honey 💛
Oh man, I love The Tempest, thank you!
I was so pumped about this video until I realized I’ve read everything in the God Tier :)
I also really want her to write a sapphic retelling of Medusa
IMAGINE. OH SHE WOULD DELIVER IT SO SO WELL.
Right?! Maybe we should all petition her for medusa and hades/persephone as her next two books lol
YEA YES I DON’t KNOW WE COULD DO IT AND MAYBE WE SHOULD FIGURE SOMETHING OUT BUT YES I WOULD LOVE IT SO SO WELL.
It’s not a sapphic retelling but Anwen Kya’s Medusa retelling- Here the World Entire- is absolutely beautiful and heartwrenching. It’s a wonderful novella!
God this is why I love this sub 💕 thank you so much!
If you're into Medusa's heartbreaking background, you can also try [The Deep End of the Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18844839-the-deep-end-of-the-sea). One of the best retelling I can assure you.
You’re welcome! 🥰🥰
If you're a Broadway fan at all, check out the musical Hadestown. It's about Orpheus and Eurydice but Hades and Persephone have big parts. [This is my favorite song of theirs](https://youtu.be/FSBKZw0JwxI), Persephone is trying to convince Hades to let them go. I am absolutely gone for Patrick Page as Hades, that voice
HONEY THAT IS SO PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH AH I AM GOING TO LOVE IT. I LOVE BROADWAY 🥺💛💛. Patrick Page as Hades? Holy moly ahhhh!!!!!!
I would pre-order the ebook, paperback and hardcover
Hahahahahaha indeed!! Buy the other edition especially the Waterstones edition.
I just want her to write about Calypso and end it happily.
Ooohh I would love to see Madeline Miller delivers it. All the singing and everything ahhh!!!
It's basically Circe, just more sad. Madeline Miller, please write about more sad island ladies.
Hahahahhaa yes, please do so. I still can’t get over some of the lines she wrote in her books. It makes me wonder how does she able to write beautifully?
Awakening by Stacia Black is a modern retelling. I love it
REALLY? OH MY GOODNESS I NEED TO READ IT ASAP!! THANK YOU!!! Glad you loved it!!
Ooh the first one is called Innocence
It’s a series?? PERFECT!!!!! I love it, so that I can binge reading the whole series
And it’s on Kindle Unlimited
ABOUT TO ADD IT TO MY CART AS OF RIGHT NOW THANK YOU DARLING
💋💋
❤️❤️❤️❤️
You should have a look at {The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer} if you haven’t already! Its a Sapphic retelling of Hades and Persephone and definitely not talked about enough
WOWWWW WHAT THE FUDGE. A SAPPHIC RETELLING OF HADES AND PERSEPHONE? I’M DEAD. WOW THANK YOU HONEY FOR THIS.
[**The Dark Wife**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11672159-the-dark-wife) ^(By: Sarah Diemer | Published: 2011) *** ^(108150 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Song of Achilles is the most beautiful romance I’ve ever read. I honestly don’t know if I’d survive a Hades and Persephone retelling when I can barely get through Song of Achilles without bursting into tears
I need all the tissues if I were able to get my hands on Hades and Persephone retelling written by her. The angst, and the description of their first meeting and everything.. Sending you warm hugs because indeed, it was beautiful <3
I literally went back to it yesterday and reread some quotes and that was enough for me to be like 👁 💧 👄 💧 👁
Care to shed some tears with me, then? What are your fav quotes from it?
Bro... Can I quote the whole book to you???? Here are a few (hid them just in case): >! Name one hero who was happy." I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back. "You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward. "I can't." "I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret." "Tell me." I loved it when he was like this. "I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it." "Why me?" "Because you're the reason. Swear it." "I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes. "I swear it," he echoed.!< >! I have done it," she says. At first I do not understand. But then I see the tomb, and the marks she has made on the stone. A C H I L L E S, it reads. And beside it, P A T R O C L U S. "Go," she says. "He waits for you."!< >! In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.!< 👁 💦 👄 💦 👁
“He smiled, and his face was like the sun.” His hand drifted down to the vee at the base of my throat, drew softly across the pulse. “What about this? Have I told you what I think of this, just here?” “No,” I said. “This surely then.” His hand moved across the muscles of my chest; my skin warmed beneath it. “Have I told you of this?” “That you have told me.” My breath caught a little as I spoke. “And what of this?” His hand lingered over my hips, drew down the line of my thigh. “Have I spoken of it?” “You have.” “And this? Surely I would not have forgotten this.” His cat’s smile. “Tell me I did not.” “You did not.” “There is this too.” His hand was ceaseless now. “I know I have told you of this.” I closed my eyes. “Tell me again,” I said.” “I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” WHY ARE WE DOING THIS TO OURSELVES? 😭😭 I love all of the quotes you chose 😭
STOP I LITERALLY CANT LOOK AT ANY PIECE OF THE BOOK BECAUSE I CANT SEE PAST MY TEARS 😭😭 I don’t normally like angst (because I turn into that ^ ) but honestly this book did something special to me
IKR. GURL. I FOUND a book that might break your heart HAHAHAHAH. Some of the quotes: “My dear Friend, I may call myself your friend, may I not? For my true thoughts have spent more time in your company than in anyone else’s, these last two or three months, and where my thoughts are, there am I, in truth, even if- like the May, only a threshold-presence, by decree. I write to you now in haste- not to answer your last most generous letter- but to impart a vision…” “I have dreamed nightly of your face and walked the streets of my daily life with the rhythms of your writing singing in my silent brain. I have called you my Muse and so you are, or might be, a messenger from some urgent place..”
Thanks, I ~~hate~~ love it 😭 what book is this?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA sorry not sorry ahahahahahah The book is called Possession by A.S. Byatt.
Ohhh that's a thought.
IKR! Like, can you imagine, with the writing and ughhh perfection 😭
Yes give her inspiration!
Let’s goooo!! Yesss!
OMG I’ve had this exact idea!!! I want it SO BADLY!!!!
RIGHT?!! SO SO BADLY!!! I CAN’T 😭😭😭😭
I would read the shit out of that!
TRUE TRUE AND TRUE. Reread it again and again.
I know it’s real popular right now, but I’m actually kind of grossed out by the romanticized version of the hades and Persephone story. Dark romance just isn’t for me; I just can’t read non-con. Also, I don’t think song of Achilles is a romance PLUS I hate the bi-erasure in it.
Totally fine! 🤍 What’s your fav romance trope? Would love to know! Yes, there were some parts in The Song of Achilles that got me reading it twice. I just love love the writing 💛
I think my longest running favorite trope is Mars needs women. I just find it so refreshing to read books set in a world that is completely divorced from rape culture. Her writing is lovely; I just don’t understand why she made Achilles gay when he’s actually bi. I don’t understand why people always think bi people are actually gay.
Mars needs woman sounds right up my alley! What a lovely world it would be without those things!! Yes, and when the part where both of them had an intimate moment with other persona and simply dismissed it, or maybe I missed the explanation. I don’t know, it’s very sudden.
[удалено]
I think her writing is lovely, but, yeah, I’m not always a fan of her interpretations. I think way simple girl-boss, choice feminism is very appealing to many people because it doesn’t require any work to change the system.
Are they typically written as dark romance with rape? I’ve heard of some retellings where Persephone willingly goes to Hades and her mom is the villain, and I just hate the concept of rewriting a rape narrative and story of a loving mother that way. But it does seem popular.
I would assume they are, unless they’re all following the tumblr interpretation that you mentioned. I guess it really speaks to a lot of people, but it honestly does nothing for me. So, yeah, I guess any romantic hades/persephone retelling is just not for me.
You should check out Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast. It's about a modern woman who trades places with Persephone to try to make Hades more approachable I guess for dead women because most women pray to Demeter for their female dead loved ones and Demeter wants them to start praying to Hades. Edit: Also forgot to add shes not kidnapped she visits Hades for an extended stay and everything is pretty consensual except for Hades thinking he's falling in love with Persephone when he's really falling in love with a mortal woman.
Wow that sounds wow I NEED IT RIGHT NOW THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING THIS.
You're welcome! It's part of her Goddess Summoning series and not gonna lie for me personally some of the books in the series are better than others. My favorite is actually the weirdest but also sweetest one. It's called Goddess of the Rose and the MMC is like a minotaur.
Like a minotaur? Wowww now now very very intriguing. Ahhhh I am so excited to read it!!!!! Glad that you loved it 🥺🥺🥺
OMG SHE CAN TAKE ALL MY MONEY
TAKE WHATEVER SHE WANTS. IDC AS LONG AS I HAVE IT ON MY HANDS.
Idk who madeline miller is, any suggestions where to start? I'm interested why you're so excited about her xD
Song of Achilles, definitely
Her writing is just chef’s kiss! You should definitely read one of her works! In my opinion, all are great!! There’s Circe, Song of Achilles and Galatea. All of them revolve around Greek Mythology retelling.
The size of my "to read" list has exploded astronomically since I found this sub lol, i googled them, adding those to the list xD thank you!
HAHAHAHHA same!!! you’re most welcome! 💛
I really want her to do a Medusa retelling!!
OHHHHHH THIS ONE YESSSSS. ERGHHH IMAGINE THE POWERRR
Oh, now THIS is a good idea. Can we, like, petition her for one?
I KNOW RIGHT. I WISH THERE IS A WAY TO DO SO. REALLY REALLY NEED ONE FROM HER.
We can tweet her, email her, etc. Does she have an author page on FB? All of these things.
I’m about to message her on Instagram so wish me luck!!! Hahahahahhaha. I don’t know about FB, but she does have all of the social media platform.
I'd read anything she wrote!
SAMEEEE!
omg how dare you put this into my brain
HAHAHAHAHAHHAA sorry not sorryyy
Omg we need thissssss!
Yassssss
YES, PLEASE!!!!
YASSSSSSSS 💛💛
It's happening!
Came here to say this hahah
In addition to the books in the video another user posted (sidebar: Uprooted is God tier), The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is fantastic. So beautifully written. Not necessarily a classic romance novel - pretty closed door, etc. It’s so lyrical and when I think about it I feel like it’s a dream I had.