Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

 

I decided to be trendy for my next read and picked up Lore Olympus - Volume 1, the graphic novel version of the web comic that it seems like everyone is reading lately. I had seen multiple positive reviews for it over the past few months, and each time I was intrigued by its bright, vibrant cover art and its Greek mythology-based story. I was in the mood to see what everyone was raving about, so I brewed myself up a cup of coffee and got started.

The story is a modern retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. In this volume, we meet the brooding and handsome Hades, who is deeply unhappy with his life as the story begins. He is lonely and wants a wife, like his brothers Zeus and Poseidon. The relationship he is currently in, however, is very toxic and doesn't have much of a future to it. He finds a reason to become more hopeful when he meets the young and beautiful Persephone at a party one evening. Persephone's mother, Demeter, has only recently let her venture out into the world, and she is still very naive. Through some trickery performed by Aphrodite, the pair is thrown together for the night and they both feel a powerful attraction to each other.

The next day, Persephone reconnects with her roommate Artemis, who is horrified to learn that she was hanging out with Hades all night long. Hades, she warns her friend, is bad news--a dangerous person that is only interested in her for her body. Persephone isn't sure that's true though. He was quite a gentleman during their time together, and she is definitely developing a big crush on him. She must decide whether to follow her instincts and continue seeing him, or follow the advice of her friends and stay away.

As this is a collection of very short web comics, there wasn't a ton of story progression in this first volume, but what was there was very entertaining. The best part of the novel hands-down was the art style. The colors were vibrant and striking, and the art was gorgeous. It was a pleasure just to turn the pages and look at the images. The modern take on the Greek gods and goddesses was very fun as well. It was odd to see them texting each other and driving around in cars, but in a good way. Aside from Hades and Persephone, many other gods are featured and they were all interesting in their style and personality.

Lore Olympus handled some serious topics as well as the fun and romantic ones. Emotional abuse and issues surrounding consent were explored, so this is definitely not a story for young readers. I thought that Smythe handled the discussion around this parts in a realistic way. As this is only the first part of a longer story, there wasn't much resolution to these aspects yet. but I am looking forward to seeing how the characters resolve these issues in future volumes.

So overall, this was a fun, quirky comic and I can see why so many people are enjoying it. There was one thing in the back of my mind while I was reading though-- the original myth. The myth of Hades and Persephone is very dark and includes things like kidnapping and rape. I'm really curious to see how Smythe works around (or with) those elements as the plot moves further along. I already pre-ordered volume two, so I'm all set to find out next summer.

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 28/50 (keep)

Total Books Read in 2021: 53