Release Day Book Review + Giveaway: Underworld's Daughter (The Chrysomelia Stories # 2) by Molly Ringle
Author: Molly Ringle
Release date: June 27th 2014
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Series: The Chrysomelia Stories # 2
Age Group: Adult / General
Genre: Fantasy
Add to your library: Goodreads
New immortals are being created for the first time in thousands of years thanks to the tree of immortality discovered by Persephone and Hades. But Sophie Darrow is not one of them. Nikolaos, the trickster, has given the last ripe immortality fruit to two others, the reincarnations of the gods Dionysos and Hekate: Tabitha and Zoe, currently Sophie's and Adrian's best friends.
While the disappointed Sophie struggles to remember Hekate and Dionysos from ancient Greece, she must still face her daily life as a mortal university freshman. Tabitha and Zoe have their own struggles as they come to terms with being newly immortal and their own haunting dreams of past lives and loves. The evil committed by Thanatos invades all of them in heartbreaking memories, and worse still, Sophie and her friends know their enemies are determined to kill again. And even the gods can't save everyone. (via Goodreads)
While the disappointed Sophie struggles to remember Hekate and Dionysos from ancient Greece, she must still face her daily life as a mortal university freshman. Tabitha and Zoe have their own struggles as they come to terms with being newly immortal and their own haunting dreams of past lives and loves. The evil committed by Thanatos invades all of them in heartbreaking memories, and worse still, Sophie and her friends know their enemies are determined to kill again. And even the gods can't save everyone. (via Goodreads)
HAPPY HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO UNDERWORLD'S DAUGHTER. May a lot of awesome readers start to get lost in your world.
I received an e-copy of this from Michelle Halket of Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This however did not influence my opinion of the book or of the author in any way..
Review
I waited one year for this. And man was it ever worth it. Don't continue reading this review if you haven't read Persephone's Orchard. Spoilers might be present for that one.
Underworld's Daughter surely did surpassed Persephone's Orchard (for me so don't argue). Both are lengthy but I guess that's already a given. All the aspects I loved in Persephone's Orchard were the same things I loved in this sequel. The plot. The mystery. The drama. The magic. The mythology. The characters. The romance (or the lack thereof in this one). So what made this one even more special? I'll go with the story itself.
Underworld's Daughter focused more the underworld's daughter of course. That's obvious. Anyway, it also presented the slow-by-slow unveiling of the Greek Gods' memories and how whatever they have done thousand years ago still affect their lives in the present they were born in. It was both fun and painful to know what have happened to Sophie and others before. A lot happened. Both during their past and their present. Literally. A. Lot. Things were now understood as to why they were happening to them. Especially with Thanatos' existence. Can I just say that Thanatos is quite uhm scary? And violent, I can't forget that.
More lost souls were present here and their presence stirred up a bit of turmoil. Zoe and Tab were fabulous in learning their past lives. Things happened as they usually do because hey, Thanatos is always after the Greek Gods. I don't honestly understand Thanatos' issue. Especially with that "traitors" thing. I think they really have a different outlook on the Greek Gods. They do believe in the 'Gods' sense of them. And hey, Molly, that one surprise at the end was such a surprise. I wonder how Adrian and the others will handle that lost soul in the next installment.
Adrian and Sophie were having trouble in paradise. I didn't mind that a bit. As much as I want to swoon over them, I had my fair share already with Persephone's Orchard. I guess it's time to let the others shine. The problems were mostly Sophie's. And I just get her. If I were her, I'd probably think about how if I didn't eat that fruit and all. Maybe things were a little different for her and for the people around her.
Of all the minor characters I've met since PO, Niko or should I say Hermes, is the most endearing for me. I told you not to continue this if you haven't read Persephone's Orchard. See? Spoiler for you already. Anyway, Niko reminds me of Puck from The Iron Fey series. I guess it's because of the charm. So yes, I love Niko. His character can be very sarcastic at times but at least he was being truthful.
The story alternates between the past and the characters' recollection of their memories. I loved that part of the novel because it somehow shows how the present was quite the repeat of the past. Just thinking about it makes me sad as the way the things ended in the past and even in the present.
When the end was fast approaching, I wasn't surprised as to how it happened. I guess at the back of my mind, I know something like that was going to happen but that doesn't still make it any less sad.
Underworld's Daughter is truly an entertaining and amazing sequel that will leave you wanting for more (I swear I'd give anything just to read the next one.) Prepare to be mesmerized by the Greek Gods and their memories and by the absolutely thorough writing of Molly .
P.S. You're right, Michelle. It totally gave a soap opera vibes. I honestly think the plot of this series will be a good one for a TV show.
Molly Ringle has been writing fiction for over twenty years. With her intense devotion to silly humor, she was especially proud to win the grand prize in the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest with one (intentionally) terrible sentence. Molly grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and lives in Seattle with her husband and children. Her studies include a bachelor of arts in anthropology and a master of arts in linguistics. She was a Tri-Delta in college, in an old sorority house that was supposedly haunted, which inspired some of the central ideas for 'The Ghost Downstairs.' She also loves folklore and mythology, and is working on new novels about the Greek myths. 'Persephone's Orchard' is the first in the series. When not writing, she can often be found experimenting with fragrances, chocolate, and gardening.
Underworld's Daughter surely did surpassed Persephone's Orchard (for me so don't argue). Both are lengthy but I guess that's already a given. All the aspects I loved in Persephone's Orchard were the same things I loved in this sequel. The plot. The mystery. The drama. The magic. The mythology. The characters. The romance (or the lack thereof in this one). So what made this one even more special? I'll go with the story itself.
Underworld's Daughter focused more the underworld's daughter of course. That's obvious. Anyway, it also presented the slow-by-slow unveiling of the Greek Gods' memories and how whatever they have done thousand years ago still affect their lives in the present they were born in. It was both fun and painful to know what have happened to Sophie and others before. A lot happened. Both during their past and their present. Literally. A. Lot. Things were now understood as to why they were happening to them. Especially with Thanatos' existence. Can I just say that Thanatos is quite uhm scary? And violent, I can't forget that.
More lost souls were present here and their presence stirred up a bit of turmoil. Zoe and Tab were fabulous in learning their past lives. Things happened as they usually do because hey, Thanatos is always after the Greek Gods. I don't honestly understand Thanatos' issue. Especially with that "traitors" thing. I think they really have a different outlook on the Greek Gods. They do believe in the 'Gods' sense of them. And hey, Molly, that one surprise at the end was such a surprise. I wonder how Adrian and the others will handle that lost soul in the next installment.
Adrian and Sophie were having trouble in paradise. I didn't mind that a bit. As much as I want to swoon over them, I had my fair share already with Persephone's Orchard. I guess it's time to let the others shine. The problems were mostly Sophie's. And I just get her. If I were her, I'd probably think about how if I didn't eat that fruit and all. Maybe things were a little different for her and for the people around her.
Of all the minor characters I've met since PO, Niko or should I say Hermes, is the most endearing for me. I told you not to continue this if you haven't read Persephone's Orchard. See? Spoiler for you already. Anyway, Niko reminds me of Puck from The Iron Fey series. I guess it's because of the charm. So yes, I love Niko. His character can be very sarcastic at times but at least he was being truthful.
The story alternates between the past and the characters' recollection of their memories. I loved that part of the novel because it somehow shows how the present was quite the repeat of the past. Just thinking about it makes me sad as the way the things ended in the past and even in the present.
When the end was fast approaching, I wasn't surprised as to how it happened. I guess at the back of my mind, I know something like that was going to happen but that doesn't still make it any less sad.
Underworld's Daughter is truly an entertaining and amazing sequel that will leave you wanting for more (I swear I'd give anything just to read the next one.) Prepare to be mesmerized by the Greek Gods and their memories and by the absolutely thorough writing of Molly .
P.S. You're right, Michelle. It totally gave a soap opera vibes. I honestly think the plot of this series will be a good one for a TV show.
About the Author
Molly Ringle has been writing fiction for over twenty years. With her intense devotion to silly humor, she was especially proud to win the grand prize in the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest with one (intentionally) terrible sentence. Molly grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and lives in Seattle with her husband and children. Her studies include a bachelor of arts in anthropology and a master of arts in linguistics. She was a Tri-Delta in college, in an old sorority house that was supposedly haunted, which inspired some of the central ideas for 'The Ghost Downstairs.' She also loves folklore and mythology, and is working on new novels about the Greek myths. 'Persephone's Orchard' is the first in the series. When not writing, she can often be found experimenting with fragrances, chocolate, and gardening.
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