Name: Ingrid 's review of Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Item: Lore Olympus
Rating: 4
Author: Ingrid

Rachel Smythe

Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love - witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology's best-known stories. 'Steamy, often laugh-out-loud funny and emotional' Jennifer L. Armentrout, # 1 New York Times bestselling author of From Blood and Ash ____________________________________ 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 edition of Smythe's original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story, and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel. This volume collects episodes 1-25 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Lore Olympus

Experience the propulsive love story of two Greek gods--Hades and Persephone--brought to life with lavish artwork and an irresistible contemporary voice. Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love--witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology's most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe's original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel. This volume collects episodes 1-25 of the #1 WEBTOON comic, Lore Olympus.

Srijita Sarkar 

Beth Bartholomew

Ingrid 

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel about Hades and Persephone. Beautiful artwork and looking forward to continuing the series. 

Kirsty Watson

Love the character designs and art, a fun story to follow, characters are very likable 💓

Spacey Honey

Linara K.S

I really liked this book I give it a 4.5 ⭐️ rating I think that the illustrator did an amazing job with the illustrations and I love the color theme that they chose for the book which is one of the reasons why I picked it up in the first place. I think that the story was very interesting and I can’t wait to read the second volume to see what happens in it. 

Chulandon leanday Bradley 

Bria

I don't think I can wait for the next volume 😭

Chloé

Kat 

Sarah Sammis

Volume one covers the meeting of Hades and Persephone. Persephone while portrayed as naive and protected by her mother (smothered might be a better word), is given a rare bit of agency among the many retellings of this myth I've read. The chemistry between Hades and Persephone reminds me most of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (2011) but with the supernatural snarkiness of Lucifer.

Lore Olympus: Volume One

liana

4.5⭐️

-You don’t need some amateur Goddess barging in on your Sunday morning.
-I would pay you a salary to barge in on every single aspect of my life.

Wow. This was just AMAZING. 
I discovered WEBTOON a couple of days ago and decided to read this beautiful graphic novel when I downloaded the app and I’m so grateful I did!!! 
So Hades has always been one of my favorite Gods from the greek mythology and I loved the way the author changed his and Persephone’s myth in this cute and beautiful retelling! The real myth per se involves kidnapping and I have always thought mythology as something so unfair to women… I loved how it was changed and it was so cute and also super funny!! I find this story so original because the author sticks with mythology but at the same time mixes it all up with real-life problems like Persephone’s insecurities. I’m not really into romance that much but this one… I’m already addicted.

The characters:
Persephone is so cute, I feel like I want to protect her at all costs and I can’t wait for her to develop as a stronger woman; Hades has all this “bad boy” vibes that we all love but he seems like an amazing person, and the dogs??? I just want to marry him😂; his brothers Zeus & Poseidon are so freaking funny; Arthemis & Hera are THE women, they barely appear but omfg I love them so much; Eros seems like such a good friend but he’s a mama’s boy, I hope he changes😂; and Apollo you can go FUCK YOURSELF thank you.

-His coat is SO shinny, what do you feed him?
-The souls of murderers and sometimes egg whites.

The drawings are so freaking beautiful, like wtf I want to have that much talent😂 I can’t even draw a straight line🫠. I don’t give this first volume 5 stars because this was more like an introduction to the story and its characters and I know I’m going to love the next volumes and I can’t wait to keep on reading. 
Can I read this on webtoon? Yes. Am I going to buy the physical copies of this? Also yes.

Before reading this though, I advise you to check the trigger warnings as it contains some topics that might be disturbing (such as SA).








(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes please let me know).

Ana Luiza

Meu Deus que quadrinho mais lindooooo!!!! No primeiro episódio eu ja tava torcendo loucamente pela Perséfone e o Hades. Eles sao muito lindos 🥺
Além disso é muito engraçado, a arte é linda! Só acho que termina em um momento tao nada a ver que nao deu a sensação que eu tinha terminado um livro, mas acho que alguns quadrinhos são assim mesmo.
Uma outra coisa é que eu nao vi ninguem alertando que esse quadrinho tem cenas graficas e bem pesadas. Varios trigger warnings

sharkie

Julia Moran 

I mean the story is pretty meh but holy fuck THE ART is AMAZING absolutely beautiful.

Charlotte Massie

Omg this was so cute!!!!! 🥰


I loved it so much! Finally an healthy relationship that was still exciting and cute and hot. 

And the sexual agression and domestic abuse subjects were done beautifully in a sensible manner that really touched me. 

I will read volume 2 and I highly recommend this series. The art is amazing and I don’t know why I wasn’t sure if I would like the story. I’ve been thinking about buying the book for a long time, but now I read it on WEBTOON, and I’m so happy I did. 

So yes I do recommend it, but be aware of the warnings, it touches sensitive topics.

finished this back in july apparently... 

matti horckmans

finished this back in july apparently... 

anyways the art is sooooo pretty



If you know me you know I’m a sucker for anything Greek Mythology. It’s my comfort genre. I really enjoyed Rachel Smythe’s modern, steamy retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades. Her modern perspective allows her to criticize the fucked up aspects of Greek Mythology, while utilizing a base of fantastic, layered characters and mythology. 

cedar winslow

Denaiir

That was FANTASTIC! I haven't been so into a web comic ever, amazing art, perfect rythme, cinnamon bun characters that I love so much <3

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement! Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe follows the love story of Hades and Persephone in a modern retelling that will have you thirsty for more. Not only that, you get a glimpse into the twisted and complicated world of the Greek gods on Olympus, amongst the mortals, and even the Underworld.

With this book being a graphic novel, I have to talk about the visuals! They are gorgeous! The colors! The style! It all pops off the page in a magical way. Not only that it also frequently breaks the standard boxy structure which makes it really entertaining to read. Not only does the non-traditional layout keep you on your toes, the multiple POVs do as well. Oftentimes you get multiple POVs in one chapter. It is drawn in such a way that you get sucked in, and it's almost like you are watching a movie. 

Not only are the visuals amazing, the characters are too! Each character has a deep backstory that stems from the original myths, but with a bit of a twist. It is really entertaining to see classic figures in this modern world such as Aphrodite in a nightclub. The author does a great job at keeping everything fresh. Not only that, the love story between Hades and Persephone! IT is soooo good! They have such chemistry and great banter. It's impossible not to root for them! As someone who doesn't know know much about Greek mythology, this book was amazing at pulling you and putting all these amazing details together in a way that didn't overwhelm or confuse me. You don't have to know every story and every character's many victories and losses to appreciate the time and effort and amazingness that is this book. 

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone, graphic novel fan or not. I cannot stress how amazing this book is!

Kendall V

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement! Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe follows the love story of Hades and Persephone in a modern retelling that will have you thirsty for more. Not only that, you get a glimpse into the twisted and complicated world of the Greek gods on Olympus, amongst the mortals, and even the Underworld.

With this book being a graphic novel, I have to talk about the visuals! They are gorgeous! The colors! The style! It all pops off the page in a magical way. Not only that it also frequently breaks the standard boxy structure which makes it really entertaining to read. Not only does the non-traditional layout keep you on your toes, the multiple POVs do as well. Oftentimes you get multiple POVs in one chapter. It is drawn in such a way that you get sucked in, and it's almost like you are watching a movie. 

Not only are the visuals amazing, the characters are too! Each character has a deep backstory that stems from the original myths, but with a bit of a twist. It is really entertaining to see classic figures in this modern world such as Aphrodite in a nightclub. The author does a great job at keeping everything fresh. Not only that, the love story between Hades and Persephone! IT is soooo good! They have such chemistry and great banter. It's impossible not to root for them! As someone who doesn't know know much about Greek mythology, this book was amazing at pulling you and putting all these amazing details together in a way that didn't overwhelm or confuse me. You don't have to know every story and every character's many victories and losses to appreciate the time and effort and amazingness that is this book. 

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone, graphic novel fan or not. I cannot stress how amazing this book is!


Marie

I loved it one of the best stories of Persephone and Hades I have ever read yet, I have been reading it on Webtoons. So of course I had to buy the book to add to my collection, and I can't wait to own the second volume as well when it comes out.

Over here at the Apollo PR Department are issuing a C&D under the thread of a libel lawsuit for defamation of character.

I am not a big fan of "feminist" retellings of the Persephone myth - I find they simply get it wrong too often, focusing too much on redeeming/excusing Hades (be it under the pretext of giving Persephone agency or not) and too little on what the myth is actually about. Contrary to - seemingly - popular belief, myths had themes and moral to their narrative, even if they do not always align with modern ethical values. Missing out on this makes this feel like another shallow retelling of the story, albeit fun and with strong stylistic art which I greatly enjoyed.

And do not get me wrong - "Lore Olympus" may not be innovative but it is 

 bingeable. It also manages to depict something very gentle and delicate about Persephone and Hades and their relationship. This - 

So I am trying to make sense of the purpose of including (tw) [SPOILER] Apollo sexually assaulting Persephone [END OF SPOILER]. I admit some bias* here but I still wonder about this narratively, especially given that the women in Persephone's life are shown to care about her deeply and I assume this will affect her relationship with Artemis. (There is a myriad of complex implications here. Will this be treated as simply of a flaw of Artemis by the narrative? Will it veer into territory of the protagonist's best friend making excused for what her brother has done? No offence but this does not strike me as a work prepared to unpack all of this).

I will give the remainder of the books I have on me a chance because the story might yet address some of the themes and implications it is hinting at. I know it could only do this if it were deliberate, though, and I am not quite certain it is on par for that yet.

*To be clear, I do not mind any of the gods being depicted as dickheads - they are, that is a pretty significant part of Greek mythos. I am still not convinced the inclusion of this does much for the narrative.

Over here at the Apollo PR Department are issuing a C&D under the thread of a libel lawsuit for defamation of character.

I am not a big fan of "feminist" retellings of the Persephone myth - I find they simply get it wrong too often, focusing too much on redeeming/excusing Hades (be it under the pretext of giving Persephone agency or not) and too little on what the myth is actually about. Contrary to - seemingly - popular belief, myths had themes and moral to their narrative, even if they do not always align with modern ethical values. Missing out on this makes this feel like another shallow retelling of the story, albeit fun and with strong stylistic art which I greatly enjoyed.

And do not get me wrong - "Lore Olympus" may not be innovative but it is extremely bingeable. It also manages to depict something very gentle and delicate about Persephone and Hades and their relationship. This - this - is its strongest draw.

So I am trying to make sense of the purpose of including (tw) [SPOILER] Apollo sexually assaulting Persephone [END OF SPOILER]. I admit some bias* here but I still wonder about this narratively, especially given that the women in Persephone's life are shown to care about her deeply and I assume this will affect her relationship with Artemis. (There is a myriad of complex implications here. Will this be treated as simply of a flaw of Artemis by the narrative? Will it veer into territory of the protagonist's best friend making excused for what her brother has done? No offence but this does not strike me as a work prepared to unpack all of this).

I will give the remainder of the books I have on me a chance because the story might yet address some of the themes and implications it is hinting at. I know it could only do this if it were deliberate, though, and I am not quite certain it is on par for that yet.

*To be clear, I do not mind any of the gods being depicted as dickheads - they are, that is a pretty significant part of Greek mythos. I am still not convinced the inclusion of this does much for the narrative.

Cherryreads

It was a nice change of pace, and a good intro to graphic novels ✨ I can’t wait to pick up volume 2. 

samantha lias

doux

Lo primero que resaltar es que el arte es hermoso, se hace muy ameno y se puede disfrutar muy bien por eso, además del uso de los colores, es magnífico.

ADORO demasiado cómo ha adaptado los mitos, ha añadido guiños a muchos de una forma muy inteligente y sin que se notase forzado o que fuese infodumping sin más. Se nota que conoce de lo que habla y que eso le gusta mucho, que lo plasma con mucho amor.

Se hace muy ameno y se acaba a mando mucho a sus personajes, lo he amado mucho !

Sway 👾🎧

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.

Ingrid &
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

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Ingrid &Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

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Ingrid &
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe