Tuesday, June 25, 2013

ARC Review: Persephone's Orchard by Molly Ringle

Persephone's Orchard by Molly Ringle
Persephone’s Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories #1)
By Molly Ringle
Publisher:
Central Avenue Publishing
Publication Date: June 28, 2013

* An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

To Sum It Up:

Sophie Darrow is about to start her freshman year at college, but adjusting to university life is going to be the least of her worries. She’s barely had time to settle in when she’s whisked away to another realm, where she meets the mysterious Adrian Watts, a young man who actually isn’t the total stranger Sophie believes him to be. Adrian hopes Sophie will unlock her memories of the past, which stretch farther back than she realizes, and which tell a story that’s something like a tale straight out of Greek mythology.

Review:

I’ve had some very good luck with mythology retellings lately, and that streak continues with Persephone’s Orchard. I absolutely loved Molly Ringle’s inventive reimagining of Greek mythology, in which deities are reborn into new lives throughout time, and the Underworld isn’t that scary a place (and neither is the god usually associated with it, Hades). I really liked the idea of the gods and goddesses living in the present day under different identities. It was fresh and creative, plus you still get to spend plenty of pages reading about them during their lifetimes as the figures you might be familiar with from mythology. It was this clever, seamless blending of the traditional images I have of these legendary characters with more contemporary versions of them that really sold me on this book. Needless to say, Ringle pulled it off effortlessly.

One of the things I most look forward to whenever I read a mythology retelling is how the author characterizes the gods and goddesses. Each of the characters in Persephone’s Orchard has a unique personality, and I was especially fond of a hilarious and roguish Hermes. Hades, given quite a tragic past here, wasn’t all, “Your soul is mine for eternity, mwahaha!” He’s the total opposite of that; instead, he’s into seeking justice for murdered souls and finding out if the plants that only grow in the spirit realm can be used to cure disease. Persephone is a very relatable character, with her jumble of confused feelings when she begins seeing Hades, whom she’s grown up around, in a different, and romantic, light. As interested as I was to read about Sophie and Adrian in the present, I was completely engrossed in the flashbacks to Persephone and Hades’s past.

The romance in the book leaned a little more toward the epic, swoony side than I normally go for, but I was okay with that because it worked so well for the novel. I’m not a firm believer in soul mates and such, but even I found myself rooting for Sophie and Adrian. It’s difficult not to with a remarkable history like theirs.

I admit that I was a tad skeptical of this book at the beginning because Sophie wasn’t in hysterics over being transported by a stranger to another realm to meet another stranger spouting some babble about souls and a spirit realm. She was startled all right but didn’t have a meltdown, which would have been my reaction. Since Sophie got through it, I decided to shove my doubts away and give this Adrian fellow a chance, too. This proved to be a wise choice because Persephone’s Orchard was a fantastic read, from its take on mythology to the literally timeless love story.

All in All:

If you love Greek mythology, particularly the story of Hades and Persephone, then you should definitely add Persephone’s Orchard to your TBR list. I was very impressed with Molly Ringle’s reworking of the myth, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the series.

The eBook edition of Persephone's Orchard is going to be available for only $0.99 for the first two weeks after its release on June 28, 2013!
Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo

14 comments:

  1. Great review, Lee. I love the mythology spin offs and retellings, but they aren't always delivered well and this sounds like it was, so that's exciting :)

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    1. This retelling was original and very well done. I have very high hopes for the rest of the series!

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  2. Ohh I want to read this one, love mythology spinoffs!

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    1. Me too! I don't think I could ever read enough of them!

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  3. Fantastic review Lee - I love mythology too but what really got me was your comment that in this retelling Hades is NOT the typical Lord of the Underworld and that even the Underworld isn't the stereotypical take on it! That sort of twist is just the thing that I tend to go crazy about! I'm glad you read this one (& enjoyed it) because I hadn't heard of it before so thanks for bringing it to my attention :D

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    1. This Hades isn't the type who's ready to incinerate you on sight if you were a bad person in your mortal life, lol. He's very fair and open-minded, and he's much keener on helping souls than punishing them for eternity.

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  4. I can't read your review because I'm reading this one right now, but I wanted to check on what you rated it. I'm thrilled that you loved it so much :D Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

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    1. Ooh, I can't wait to hear what you think of it, Jaclyn! I hope you love it, too! :D

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    2. OK so I just read your review and I love everything that you touch on! Hades being this person who brings bad guys to justice was so fun. I love the glimpses into the past with these two so much as well. It really was such a great story and I loved how different the take on the myth was. We rated it the same :D

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    3. Yay! The way the book connected the past and present story lines was really impressive. Can't wait for the sequel!

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  5. It must be hard for authors to come up with ways to turn Gods/Goddesses into modern characters, so it's great when they get it right!

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    1. It is! I've been lucky to read some really great modern retellings lately!

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  6. Saw your review in GR and had to stop by & tell you that I'm reading this now. I know you're a fellow myth junior and your rating is making me optimistic.

    Happy weekend!

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    1. I hope you're enjoying it! Looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

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