Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald Review

Title: Girl, Goddess, Queen

Author: Bea Fitzgerald

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Penguin UK

Pages: 496

Release Date: 20 July 2023

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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I'm sharing my review of YA fantasy rom-com debut —Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald. A swoon-worthy and utterly feminist take on Greek mythology (and the Hades & Persephone myth) that lured me in with it’s bold and refreshingly assertive approach to Persephone’s tale.

Synopsis

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.

The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

Review

As a self-confessed Hades and Persephone fan girl I knew I needed to get my grabby, Greek Myth-loving hands on a copy of this ASAP! It took awhile but I finally managed to win a copy in a giveaway and I’m glad to report that it lived up to all of my expectations.

Our Persephone, traditionally portrayed as sweet tempered and kind, is transformed into a daring and fabulously fierce (Ancient Greek) Girl Boss, determined to seek out happiness by any means necessary—even if it means taking on the patriarchy in all its toxic, oppressive forms.

Her emotional journey and growth from dutiful daughter into a confident, formidable Queen was really satisfying to watch, as was her fury and defiance regarding Zeus and Demeter’s plans for her future.

She does end up of inconveniencing Hades a little in the process, but the enemies to lovers dynamics that we see in their first encounter was utterly delicious. And the achingly romantic, slow burn tension that develops between Hades and Persephone (taking them from enemies- to friends and beyond) was beautifully written and really gave us a chance to explore the nuances of the trust, respect and love that gradually grows between them.

I also really liked Fitzgerald’s depiction of Hades, who is portrayed as a kind, gentle and introverted person with a love of art and heaps patience and compassion for Persephone. I loved how supportive he was and really enjoyed how his sensitive personality subverts not only traditional gender stereotypes, but pretty much every recent portrayal I’ve seen of Hades (which usually casts him in the brooding, alpha male role.)

His openness about his innermost thoughts/ vulnerabilities and the lighthearted banter he loves to partake in with Persephone (and his closest friends) was a surprisingly refreshing aspect that, when paired with the depth and emotion we see in (the brief exploration into) his backstory, really made this my favourite retelling of the Hades and Persephone Myth.

I also loved river goddess Styx (one of the supporting characters) the best and sassiest wing woman a Goddess (or God) could ask for! Her enthusiastic support for Hades and Persephone’s relationship was super entertaining and her overly dramatic, OTT asides into her own romantic endeavours kinda have me eager for a Styx-related spinoff—hopefully with cameos from Charon and Thanatos.

It does explore some heavier topics and briefly mentions topics such as misogyny, sexual assault and the trauma of War, so I definitely suggest checking TWs beforehand.

Overall, a vibrant, fun and thoroughly refreshing Hades and Persephone retelling that YA loving, romantasy fans should definitely be adding to their TBRs (and suitcases) this summer!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Bea Fitzgerald is an author and content creator. She has worked in publishing for a number of years and has a degree in English Literature from the University of Reading, where she also studied several classes in Ancient History.

Bea is passionate about stories and fascinated by the way they endure and resonate through centuries and generations. When she's not writing, she's entertaining her followers on TikTok and Instagram with her mythology-themed comedy account @chaosonolympus.

Girl, Goddess, Queen is her debut novel.

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