Spring has sprung! It is now April, and that means it’s time to exchange the dreary cold of winter for flowers, spring rains, and sunshine (at least here in my part of the world)! In honor of the changing of the seasons, I want to highlight some books that give a fresh spin on the spookiest of spring goddesses: Persephone. According to Greek legend, Persephone is the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. One day while she was out gathering flowers, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the dead, and taken down to the underworld. While in Hades’ realm, Persphone ate six pomegranate seeds, which obligate her to return to Hades for six months out of the year before returning to her mother. When her daughter is away, Demeter mourns and neglects the earth, but when they’re together, they make flowers bloom and plant life grow. This myth serves to explain why vegetation flourishes for half year but becomes dead and barren in the winter. Persephone is a fascinating and paradoxical character, serving both as a maidenly goddess of spring and as the queen of the underworld. Below are a few of my favorite books that incorporate the myth of Persephone in unique ways: Continue reading Persephone Myth Retellings
Tag: Persephone
Strangely Beautiful Review—New Life for a Strangely Beautiful Book
An amazing series is back from the dead—and full of new, vibrant life! You may have noticed by now that I love Leanna Renee Hieber’s gaslamp fantasy novels. I have previously read and reviewed Darker Still and The Eterna Files, the first books in her Magic Most Foul series and Eterna Files series, respectively. My obvious next move was to go back and read her first published series, the Strangely Beautiful saga. The only problem: it’s been out of print since the publisher went out of business several years ago. But we have good news! Leanna is re-releasing the series with her new publisher, Tor! Strangely Beautiful—the updated “author’s preferred edition” of the first two books of the series—comes out April 26th.
Preorder the book now, or pick one up from your local bookstore in just over a week. If you’re in the New York City area, you can also come hang out with me and Leanna for a Strangely Beautiful event at the historic and haunted Morris-Jumel Mansion on Saturday, April 30! Grab a book, get it signed by the lovely Leanna, and stick around for refreshments, storytelling, and sartorial extravaganza. And if that’s not enough Leanna for you, check back with The Gothic Library next week—I’ll be hosting a guest post by the author herself on the varieties of feminine strength as it relates to the protagonist of her Strangely Beautiful series. Continue reading Strangely Beautiful Review—New Life for a Strangely Beautiful Book