When Fate Demands Everything
The Mistress & The Renowned picks up exactly where The Maiden & The Unseen left off, and while Persephone has finally reached the Underworld, things are far from the happily-ever-after she might have expected. Not everything that glitters is gold, after all, not even in the palace of the King and Queen of the Dead.
Because there is one rather significant problem: Hades is nowhere to be found.
Through NetGalley I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Mistress & The Renowned by Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune
Series: Love & Fate #2
more Volumes: The Maiden & The Unseen
Genre: Adult, Gods, Greek, Mythology, Retelling
Published on 11. Jul 2023 by Rose and Star Publishing
Pages: 417
Format: ARC, Kindle Edition
ISBN-13: 9798986305066
ASIN: B0C4DNHMLK
Language: English
Source: NetGalley
Link to Goodreads
My rating: | Spice:
God of the Dead. King of the Underworld. The Unseen. The Renowned ... The Glorified Babysitter.
Zeus has finally decreed that the gods may leave Olympus and mingle - anonymously - with the mortals of the present. With zero warning or waiting for him to consent to this arrangement, Hades is placed in charge of not only helping the gods assimilate but also financing them. Unlike the other gods, Hades never withdrew from the mortal world. Instead he spent six months of every year among them, building a fortune befitting one of his many names. As long as the gods follow his strict rules for living among mortals, they have access to a generous monthly stipend. Break the rules, lose the privileges. No allowances. Ever.
Goddess of Spring. The Maiden. The Mistress. The Venerable One ... The Social Media Manager.
For the last two years, Persephone has lived among the mortals, enjoying everything the world she was so sheltered from has to offer. It took years of begging since Zeus's decree to get her mother to allow her to go, and she imparted some strict rules to follow. Rule 1: No fraternizing with other gods. As far as Demeter is aware, Persephone's closest friend is definitely not Helios, the Titan of the Sun. Rule 2: No men. The mortal she's casually dating doesn't even know the gods exist. Rule 3: Every six months, Demeter comes by for a visit. This one Persephone can't get out of, and if it keeps her mother from investigating Persephone's life, what's the harm?
Destiny. Fate. Fortune. Kismet ... An absolute bitch.
Fate has other ideas for Hades and Persephone, and it does not take lightly to being denied. Struggle and fight all they want. But the threads of destiny have wrapped tightly around them and tug them tighter and tighter, no matter what the gods themselves have to say about it.
Buy here: Amazon*
More Books by the Author: The Maiden & The Unseen
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The Mistress & The Renowned ♦ J. Rose, A. Rune
An ARC Review
Opinion
Persephone is understandably angry with him. He made a monumental decision concerning her life and future without giving her a choice, and although we as readers know that Hades had his reasons, Persephone doesn’t have the same luxury. Fate prevented him from explaining everything to her, but that doesn’t erase the fact that she now finds herself in an entirely new realm with a crown she never asked for and without the one person who should be there to help her understand any of it.
At the same time, her anger is increasingly accompanied by worry. Hades was supposed to come to the Underworld and introduce her to the realm they are meant to rule together. Yet he never arrives. Combined with the nightmares plaguing Persephone, it quickly becomes apparent that something is very wrong.
Welcome to the Underworld
One thing I particularly enjoyed about this second volume was getting to see more inhabitants of the Underworld. Early on, we meet Hekate, who welcomes Persephone as its new queen, and naturally, Cerberus isn’t far behind. And honestly, who doesn’t love a supposedly terrifying three-headed monster who turns out to be rather affectionate toward the right person?
Thanatos also takes on a more important role and eventually becomes an ally to Persephone when she discovers what has happened to Hades: the God of the Dead is being held captive in Tartarus.
Without venturing too far into spoiler territory, what follows is much more than simply a rescue mission.
More Than a Love Story
What surprised me most about The Mistress & The Renowned was the emotional depth of the story. Beneath the mythology, gods, fate, and dangers of Tartarus lies a story heavily focused on self-discovery and identity.
Persephone has to figure out who she truly is rather than simply accepting the identities and expectations others have placed upon her. Becoming Queen of the Underworld isn’t merely about wearing a crown or standing beside Hades. She has to decide what that title means to her and what she is willing to become in order to claim her own place in this world.
The relationship between Persephone and Hades also continues to explore something I already appreciated in the first volume: communication.
There is an important distinction between wanting your partner to communicate with you and demanding that they reveal something before they are emotionally ready to do so. At the same time, withholding information can have consequences of its own. The authors allow both sides of that conflict to exist, rather than presenting communication as something that can magically solve every problem with one heartfelt conversation. That gave their relationship considerably more substance than I initially expected from this series.
A Little Too Much Spinning in Circles
My biggest criticism is similar to the one I had with The Maiden & The Unseen: the characters occasionally spend far too much time trapped inside their own thoughts.
There are moments when Persephone and Hades seem to circle around the same worries, fears, and insecurities repeatedly. Their thoughts become a carousel that keeps passing the same scenery, and while I understand why those emotions are important, some passages could have been tightened without losing any of their impact.
Thankfully, this never became frustrating enough to overshadow everything I enjoyed about the story.
Conclusion
Overall, The Mistress & The Renowned surprised me with how much depth it brought to Persephone‘s journey. The mythology remains an important part of the story, but identity, trust, communication, and the question of how much one is willing to sacrifice for someone else form its emotional core.
And that final point becomes particularly important by the end. Persephone has sacrificed everything for Hades.
So there really isn’t much of a question about what comes next for me. The Queen & The King, the third volume of the Love & Fate series, is already calling my name. After that ending, leaving Persephone and Hades hanging would practically be a crime against the Underworld.
4.5 stars for a sequel that gave me considerably more emotional depth than I expected, expanded the Underworld beautifully, and left me very curious about what Fate still has planned for its Queen and King.
Love & Fate
Quartet
| The Maiden & The Unseen (#1) | The Mistress & The Renowned (#2) |
| The Queen & The King (#3) | The Nightmare & The Daydream (#4) |
About Jeanette Rose
Jeanette Rose first of her name, became interested in writing when she majored in Classical Civilisation with a minor in Latin from Tulane University. From here she went on to get another two degrees (show off or what?).
She then wrote her debut novel, Queen of Vampire Hearts and completely fell in love with storytelling. Through her writing journey, she adopted a number of fledgling authors and wrapped them in her daddy like wings. From this, Rose & Star was born.
About Alexis Rune
Alexis Rune has been a lover of fantastical tales and morally grey characters since she picked up her first book in the genre years ago. Yet, she never thought to be an author of one. Until a chance meeting in a bookclub spawned an explosion of words and worlds, and a friendship stretching across the globe. Through writing, Alexis has found her voice, one that only keeps getting louder and stronger.
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