Title: Lore Olympus Volume 1

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey 2021

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place—and her own power.

This volume collects episodes 1–25 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

A friend had been demanding that I read this one and I finally picked it up. In truth, I started reading the Webtoons but put a hold on the physical book also. The Webtoons on my phone was a bit annoying as it didn’t like to load that fast. The book is all right there. Anyway, I started reading this and completely full in love with this version of the Hades and Persephone story. I love the juxtaposition of modern in the immortal realm and the classical in the mortal realm. The world building is great and then we move into the characters. I loved how Smythe constructed each character relying on their classical stories, but also injecting some modern traits and quirks. Seriously, Hermes is my favorite. Hades becomes properly layered with heroic tendencies, but also really big flaws. Persephone can be a bit too naive for my tastes, but hopefully her character will evolve. So sad that this volume only contains the first 25 issues and that the second volume hasn’t hit the library yet. Guess I will have to go back to the Webtoon to continue reading.

Next up on the TBR pile: