When I initially read A Touch of Ruin by Scalett St. Clair, I was wondering what the heck Hades was doing the majority of the time. He's apart from Persephone for a large amount of time, not to mention he doesn't really get into his motives or reasons for things. So, I was looking forward to A Game of Retribution coming out. Now that it's been released, I'm sharing a tandem reading guide between the two. This is not perfectly lined but as close as possible without going by the page.
A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair is A Touch of Ruin from Hade's POV. While the two books occur at the same time with many of the same scenes, there are a lot of new things. Scenes are expanded upon or shown completely differently. As Hades picks up on things that Persephone doesn't, and some additional ones that don't make appearances at all in A Touch of Ruin. So, even though they are essentially the same book, they are different enough that you could enjoy both. Plus, the plot regarding what they do apart is different, which makes A Game of Retribution a good read.
I enjoy reading books in Tandem when they are related (take place at the same time), I flip back and forth between the stories to get the whole picture of what's going on. Usually, I read the books this way on the second reading rather than the first time. So, my experience it's hindered by going back and forth between two different books. Or I've already read the first book. But sometimes that can be really helpful. So, I thought I would share a reading guide for a tandem read of A Touch of Darkness (ATOD) and A Game of Fate (AGOF) by Scarlett St. Clair.
I haven't done a post like this since March, while there have been new releases since then there wasn't a lot to the point where I felt inclined to write a post like this. But in June there are five books that I'm looking forward to coming out this month. Of course, there will be other books that I will be reading as well. Most of which will be off Kindle Unlimited, got to get my money's worth out of that subscription. Which never seems to be an issue, since I signed up for it.
I don't recall where I first saw this book. Either it popped up on my Amazon when I was looking at what to read next, or I saw it on TikTok at some point. Considering, how many book recommendations come across on there, it's completely possible. Especially since it's Hades and Persephone reimagining and romance. It's a dark romance at that, there are trigger warnings with this book. So, be warned before going into this book if you're going to pick it up yourself. But I wanted to check it out after reading six out of eight books of The Millennium Wolves on Galatea (I'm not going to review them as it would mostly be a review of the app) for the last week. As I needed something that was a mix between romance and fantasy before going back to the other books I have to read.
The Savage and The Swan by Ella Fields is loosely inspired by Hades and Persephone, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Swan Princess. There are elements of each tale woven throughout the book while telling its own unique tale of the King of Wolves, Dade, and the Swan, Opal. This is a standalone romantic fantasy novel, and the first book by Ella Fields I have ever read. I didn't know too many details before going into this book, other than seeing a mention of it on BookTok that it fell into the enemies to lovers trope.
I love a retelling of Hades and Persephone. I've read quite a few, and I wasn't quite ready to return to YA Fantasy or NA Fantasy books quite yet. So, I decided to read Neon Gods by Katee Robert. This book tells the tale of Hades and Persephone with a modern lens where they are not gods or goddesses, but rather the name is a title. This book is the first book in the Dark Olympus universe. Each book focuses on different characters in the world with the next book focusing on Psyche and Eros.
A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair is A Touch of Darkness from Hade's POV. While the two books occur at the same time with many of the same scenes, there's a lot of new things. Scenes are expanded upon or shown completely differently. As Hades picks up on things that Persephone doesn't, and some additional ones that don't make appearances at all in A Touch of Darkness. So even though they are essentially the same books, they are different enough where you could enjoy both. Plus, the plot regarding what they do apart is different. Which makes A Game of Fate a good read.
After finishing A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair, I was curious where the rest of the series was going to go. For the most part, everything had been wrapped up. The only real thing that didn't get reflected in the book from the mythology was Demeter declaring wore and Hades/Persephone becoming married. Granted, there were plenty of things to suggest marriage would happen. And Persephone did stand up to her mother. So, that's where I figured A Touch of Ruin was headed. The fallout over Persephone not doing what her mother wanted. Not to mention Persephone and Hade's relationship is now public after they made out in public before vanishing. I won't share too many spoilers for the book, but I did want to share some thoughts.
I have been fascinated by Greek mythology since I was in high school. One of the stories that intrigued me was the tale of Hades, the God of the Dead/Underworld, and Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. So, when I learned there was a modern retelling of their story by Scarlett St. Clair called A Touch of Darkness, I wanted to check it out.