A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

Summary:

Persephone is a goddess in name only as she has no powers of her own. She enjoys living as a mortal away from the watchful eye of her mother. When she meets a handsome stranger at an infamous nightclub, she unknowingly enters into a contract. Hades, known for impossible bargains, is intrigued by the goddess and challenges her to create life in his realm, the Underworld. Along the way, Persephone will discover a darkness inside her and a forbidden attraction that calls to her.

My Thoughts:

This book was trying to be so many things but it didn’t fully deliver in my opinion. I have very mixed up feeling about this one so we’ll just dive right in.

The writing kept me engaged but certain plot choices left me confused and annoyed among other things. 

Persephone as a character is so weak willed. I’m not trying to be harsh but that’s how I saw her. She was so judgmental of Hades and held to her judgements even after repeatedly letting her attraction to him take over. If she truly thought he was such a terrible god, why constantly allow yourself to be drawn in?

On that note, the author’s intentions may have been good girl attracted to bad boy trope but it came across as girl has no spine. 

Now, following Persephone’s story and how controlling her mother is, maybe she was meant to be swayed easily. Again, if that’s what the story was going for, it did not translate well. 

There are explicit scenes which I have no problem with. However, I did have some issue with the fact that said scenes took priority over any real communication. There was an even a scene at the end where sex was used to prove a point. It just wasn’t giving what I would call a healthy relationship. 

Ending on a positive note, I loved the description of Hades and the Underworld. The author did a great job of making Hades irresistible. 

The idea of the gods being part of the modern world was also very interesting but ultimately overshadowed by all the other parts of the book. 

My final thought: I read this book for anyone who considered picking it up. Make sure to read the reviews first!