Series Review: "Lore Olympus" Volumes 1-7 by Rachel Smythe

Volumes: 1-7

Series Title: Lore Olympus

Author: Rachel Smythe

Overall Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

WebToon

An aspect of reading that I've been embracing the last few years has been graphic novels. I never read them much as a kid but began reading them in college (starting with Saga). While I don't read them as often as I'd like, I've loved every graphic novel I've read. And Lore Olympus is no different. In fact, it might just be my favorite graphic novel series I've ever read (though Heartstopper is pretty tough competition). 

Lore Olympus started out on WebToon, the same platform Heartstopper began on. It has over a billion views across 269 episodes. That success led it to being collected and released in a series of volumes from Inklore. Currently, there are five volumes released with a further two coming in 2024 that encompass episodes 1-179. Luckily, though, we can still read it for free on WebToon (which is extra good considering there's almost four more volumes worth of content on WebToon that hasn't been collected into a volume yet). 

All this to say, Lore Olympus is an extremely popular WebToon/graphic novel series and I binged the hell out of it. We follow the Greek Gods in a glitzy modern world of society and drama with a twist on the original story of Persephone and Hades. There's romance, backstabbing, magic, friendship, and so much more. 

I picked up Lore Olympus from the library the first weekend after I moved back to the United States. I'd seen it get talked about when it was first getting published years ago but hadn't yet made the jump into reading it. Then I fell right in and didn't stop until I'd finished the first seven volumes worth of content.

This series is addicting as hell and pulled at my heartstrings so much. I love Persephone and Hades so much and getting to see them grow as characters has been so wonderful. These two and their love drive the heart of the series and it's been so wonderful watching it develop. Of course, the other characters are growing on me a lot. I'm loving seeing the various friendships developed (both with Persephone and with each other). 

The plot is engaging. There's the drama and the glamour but there's also a lot of difficult topics that it addresses in very respectful ways. It's a slower moving plot but it works well as I don't feel like we're missing any important details. It also means the series can continue for a long time and I'll get even more content with everyone :)

Overall, this is just a wonderful graphic novels series and I'm so obsessed with it! I can't wait to continue reading it on WebToon and eventually pick up all the collected volumes. Mostly, though, I'm just glad that this series was here to fall into to distract me from all the difficult issues happening in my life. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "Neon Gods" by Katee Robert

Title: Neon Gods

Author: Katee Robert

Series: "Dark Olympus" #1

Genre: Adult Romance

Page Length: 380 pages

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Hands up if you like romance or Greek mythology? Boy do I have the book for you...

I first encountered Neon Gods last summer when it got big on BookTok. I've had it on my TBR since then, but the timing to read it never felt right. I wanted to wait until I was reading it because I was interested, not because I wanted to fit in. And, well, that time finally came. 

This book was everything I wanted and expected it to be. It hit my expectations dead on, which sometimes doesn't happen in a book. However, it also didn't exceed my expectations which is something I always wish for. That being said, this was a strong novel that kept me engaged from the first page.

So, let's dive into it then. The main thing I liked about this book was the main character. I liked our narrator, I liked her character voice, I liked that she was strong but also accepted help when she needed it. I just liked her a lot. When it comes to the love interest, I enjoyed him. I think he's a lot more nuanced than a lot of romance leads tend to be a lot of the time. But I mostly enjoyed him when he was interacting with the main character.

The romance itself was great. I liked how it seemed to grow naturally. It felt, to me, that even if there was insta-lust at the beginning the emotional elements of the relationship grew on their own. And we actually got to see some of that formation rather than these characters just being instantly in love and as close as can be. Obviously I read romance books for the romance, and this one didn't disappoint. 

When it comes to most romance books, I always kind of expect some level of steam to them. But I also have to be in the mood for steamy books and I'm not always wanting to read these types of scenes. I purposefully waited until I was in the mood for this kind of spice before reading this book because I didn't want the necessary steamy scenes to negatively impact my reading when they otherwise would make it better. Since I did wait until I wanted them, I really enjoyed them. I won't get too deep into the sexual dynamics in this book but, honestly, it all was great and very much what I'm into reading about. 

What honestly sets this romance book apart for me from so many others that I've read is the world, the relationships outside of the love pairing, and the plot. This is such an interesting world based in Greek mythology and I'm so fascinated with the world and society itself outside of any romance plot lines. I would probably read a book that had no romance in it that was set in this world purely because it fascinates me so much.

The plot itself was a little similar to some romance books but because of the way the world and society are set up, it seemed unique while reading it. Even if looking back it has familiar elements, the way it was done for me was unique as someone who doesn't read a lot of dark romance or mafia romances. If I read more of this type of romance, which I always enjoy but don't reach for nonstop, I would probably have found the plot a little less original. But, because I don't read this as often it was perfect. 

Additionally, the characters had relationships (friends, family, etc) outside of the main romance pairing and it was nice to see these explored and discussed. I think not only did it add depth to this book, but it also made me care about the characters that we're going to be seeing featured in future books set in this world. 

Overall, this book was great. I was sucked in from the first page and read it in one sitting. I loved the world and enjoyed the characters a lot. I am excited to see how the rest of the series goes and can only hope that they are as good, if not better, than this first book. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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