“Neon Gods” was written by Katee Robert and is the first book of her “Dark Olympus” series. This beautifully written rendition of a new-age Olympus keeps you hooked till the very end. It follows a young, 24-year-old Persephone who longs to leave the spotlight as one of the four daughters of Demeter. Little does she know Zeus has his eye on her, and her mother intends to use her as a pawn in his game to gain more power. For years she had been fascinated with Hades, always wondering how his bloodline died out. After Zeus ambushes her with a proposal, she flees from his home chased by two of his henchmen. Persephone makes the courageous decision to cross the River of Styx into the Lower City, AKA Hades’ territory. Afraid to go home for fear of joining Zeus’ late Heras, she decides to make a “deal with the devil” to stay in the Lower City until she turns 25 (and gains access to her trust fund). 

Robert does a beautiful job incorporating part of authentic Greek mythology with a very modern take. It is a great, young adult novel with many twists and interesting concepts riddled through the thoughtfully crafted pages. Though fictional beings, Robert did a remarkable job at capturing the personalities of Hades and Persephone as well as Zeus. Overall, this was a very well crafted novel and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance novels.