The myth of Hades and Persephone has always been a favorite of mine. There have been so many tales even now the whole myth is being reimagined even in romance novels. Always made the two of them fall in love, but I always wondered if he did love her in such a way. I could only fathom that his desire to have her had been that his life below had been lonely. All the other gods had their other half beside them. Hades had no one other than Cerberus and Charon, but never a queen. So, I can imagine that the moment he had seen her that he decided then and there she was the perfect goddess to take up the role of his queen. Now tales always seem to be uncertain about the number of seeds Persephone consumes. One says three and others say six. It just depends on who you hear the tale from.

This novel follows the format of the myth surrounding Hades and Persephone. He sees her, goes to Zeus for permission, and carries her away from the ground above using the tactic of a beautiful flower to draw her away. In the Underworld, she sees Hades's world through different eyes. Meanwhile, her mother is searching high and low for her missing daughter, even going as far as to cast herself as an old crone looking for help. We do get a glimpse of another myth of Demophoon (another myth for another day). To make this story short, Demeter and Persephone reunite and of course, Persephone must spend a third of the year with her husband.

I had no idea that this graphic novel ever existed until just now. I was surprised to come across and yes, I had to have it. I liked the tale but it always felt underwhelming. The art and style were nice. I think the only thing I have against this was the fact that the whole who got what between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots. Zeus did not decide who got what. If one is going by myth, then this should have been a bit of an accurate account. I think that is the only thing I have against this novel. ( )

This graphic novel tastefully depicts the tale of Persephone, the daughter of goddess Demeter, being kidnapped by Hades and brought to the underworld. The drawings are engaging and appropriate for younger readers in that they are not overtly sexual. The text gives readers an opportunity to understand the inner thoughts of all the characters, which makes the story a little easier to relate to. Ages 7 and up. ( )