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Losing Beauty

by Johanna Garth (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 86 ratings · 20 reviews

Child abuse, cross-dressing, theft, adultery—people in Persey Campbell’s town have terrible secrets and she is the unfortunate repository for all of them. What she can’t figure out is why everyone is so desperate to tell her their worst secrets.

Daniel Hartnett is a lawyer who has it all. People think he’s lucky. What they don’t understand is Daniel has a crap-o-meter that...more

Kindle Edition, 321 pages

Published (first published May 10th 2011)

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May 25, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-book, read-in-2011

From Little Shelf, my blog:

4.5 stars!

What a unique story!

What would life be like if you knew everyone's deepest, darkest secret? What if no matter what you did, when you were alone with someone they were drawn to you and compelled to tell you the worst things about themselves?

That is Persey's reality. It was so awful to have to live that through her! It was like never being able to escape all the bad things in the world. In fact, the leader of The Underworld himself is attracted to her! It's no...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2012 Kristy ConQueso rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-has-been-a-weird-year, i-want-to-cuddle-it, oh-thats-just-my-boyfriend, paranormal-whatsits, romantical, lets-get-international

I am an absolute sucker for Greek Mythology and Losing Beauty was right up my alley. It's a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone and it holds tight to its roots in many ways, while still managing to be modernized and fresh. It's obsessive and dark and gritty and desperate. It's disturbing, but in an enchanting way. Hades, who goes by Haden, is ruthless in his pursuit of Persey, but at the same time, I liked him. I crushed him hard. Maybe I wasn't supposed to, but I did. He's not a romantic,...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Alison DeLuca rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've wanted to read this book for over a year now. Losing Beauty was on my Summer Reading List along with some other books, and I finally found time to get to it. And it was certainly worth the wait!

Persey is a girl who inspires confidences. When people look into her eyes they find themselves telling her everything - EVERYTHING - about themselves. This attracts several boys, primarily Aaron, who wants to put aside his high-school jock image and protect her.

Persey and Aaron get married and move t...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

About:
When Haden Sarantos arrives in the small town of Iowa claiming he is the new librarian, something is very different about him. He knows when people will die and I wondered if he was the grim reaper.
The beautiful Persephone Campbell is well known in her small home town. She was raised by a single mom, her father having died in a car crash before she was born.
After meeting Persey, the one thing Haden notices right away is that as the ruler of death, he cannot 'see' how she will die. Haden k...more

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May 29, 2011 Jo Schaffer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Johanna Garth brings Greek Mythology into a modern setting in a creative and intriguing way. Her characters are well developed and interesting. The plot kept me turning those pages!

Persey has an unfortunate gift--people are compelled to tell her all of their darkest secrets. They have to confess to her. Disturbed and troubled by this she withdraws into herself. Persey grows tired of feeling used, all she wants is to be loved and listened to herself for once. But she can't prevent the way she att...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from the author for review

Johanna Garth's Losing Beauty was quite the interesting tale. As you may know I love Greek mythology so when offered to review this one I took it! And it was pretty good too.

The story starts at the very beginning, Persey is a child and basically we go through her life, there's big time jumps, but the point was to see Persey as a small child and see her powers in the beginning. Haden is also there, he takes on different forms by possessing bodies of...more I received this book from the author for review

Johanna Garth's Losing Beauty was quite the interesting tale. As you may know I love Greek mythology so when offered to review this one I took it! And it was pretty good too.

The story starts at the very beginning, Persey is a child and basically we go through her life, there's big time jumps, but the point was to see Persey as a small child and see her powers in the beginning. Haden is also there, he takes on different forms by possessing bodies of people who made deals with him. There's a structure to Haden's ruling of the Underworld and it's pretty simple really, he needs souls. He also can see how a person will die just by looking at them. Except for Persey which is why he suddenly becomes drawn to her.

It was a little odd at first, he's in a grown man's body and Persey is a child, but nothing happens. It just seemed odd. He was never lewd or anything like that. But still when a god feels drawn to a child like that, it's just odd. But again, it wasn't disgusting or inappropriate.
Throughout Persey's life Haden is there every few years in another body, she never knows that he's really there or who he is. He just becomes someone she confines in at times. When she reaches an appropriate age, Haden wants her to be his queen in the Underworld more than ever, but Persey has been living her own life.

There is some romance, firstly Persey is with someone else for a good portion of her "adult time" in the story. Daniel becomes one of the lawyers that hires her at the firm. He has his own special "powers" as we know, but it doesn't seem to work on Persey. Persey is special and everybody wants her. Then Persey's life takes a turn for the worse and Haden is the cause.

Overall the story wasn't too bad. The pacing was a little slow, I was expecting to start seeing the heroine at such a young age and then proceed through high school and what not. What also irked me just a bit was when Haden would see when so-and-so would die. We basically learn whether a character makes it to the end or not. I mean I understand it was his power, but it's like being told the ending of a movie and that someone dies. (**Which one of my friends in high school did to me with Van Helsing! I was sooo mad at him!)

I liked the novel and the storyline. The characters were all good. It was told in multiple third person p.o.v. so we get to "see" a lot of their inner minds which can be good to know their depth. My only problems were when Haden tells you certain characters are going to die and the pacing by a tad. But then again, I see where needing to know Persey's backstory was important. I just felt like maybe it could've been done shorter or in a different way. The cover description made me think the story was going to be about Persey as an adult and not her (nearly) whole life story.

Overall rating 3.5/5 stars--a good read and one that you may want to look into sometime if you love Greek mythology like I do. It was a nice spin to the tale of Persephone and Hades! And there was quite a surprising ending too!(less)

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Dec 14, 2012 Megan Hartman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Losing Beauty is a modern day retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth (and boy am I a sucker for retellings of myths) with some twists. The first in what is to be the Persephone Campbell trilogy certainly left me ready for more. This is a story that is at its core a struggle of good and evil on all scales. It is also full of mystery, intrigue, and romance. In the end you are still left with questions pulsing through you, and all I wanted was to pick up the next book and fin...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Had me hooked from the first page. Johanna Garth knows how to tell a story! The pacing was steady--it never let up. The character development was good, and the story was engaging. I would put this book beside Stephen King's books on my bookshelf, and am inclined to add this: sometimes, when I finish a book that has consumed me (like "Losing Beauty" did) I feel a letdown when I come back to the real world--stop suspending my disbelief. But, like many of King's book made me feel, I felt a sort of...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Alyssa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, pnr, mythology

4/5
I enjoyed the book, but I must admit the ending left me going: "What?! It's over?!" The ending just did not seem to do the wonderful story justice. However, despite that one concern, I was overall entertained by the story.
Persephone "Persey" Campbell is the main character of this modern retelling of Hades and Persephone. Persephone has a certain gift (or curse, however you would like to view it). People are drawn to her -- not for her beauty, but out of a need to tell her their deepest and da...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Connie Jasperson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Losing Beauty by Johanna Garth is an urban fantasy in the broadest sense, being a modern take on the Hades - Persephone tale. I am a sucker for mythology of any sort, and Greek mythology offers a lot opportunity for new retellings, as Rick Riordan has shown us in his Percy Jackson Series.

I met Johanna in the course of business since we are both published by Fantasy Island Book Publishing. I was intrigued by the cover of her book, and when I bought the Kindle book I found myself completely absorb...more Losing Beauty by Johanna Garth is an urban fantasy in the broadest sense, being a modern take on the Hades - Persephone tale. I am a sucker for mythology of any sort, and Greek mythology offers a lot opportunity for new retellings, as Rick Riordan has shown us in his Percy Jackson Series.

I met Johanna in the course of business since we are both published by Fantasy Island Book Publishing. I was intrigued by the cover of her book, and when I bought the Kindle book I found myself completely absorbed in her tale.

The story begins with Persephone Campbell, a girl with a problem. Persey is a beautiful girl, and everyone loves her. Even as a child, people find themselves telling her their problems: terrible things which no normal person would ever tell anyone, much less a child. Even so, people can't resist telling her their deepest and darkest secrets; a thing which continues into her adulthood. Her ability to draw the deepest secrets from people is strange, and it emerges that she was adopted as a baby and her father was listed as 'unknown'.

I admit that I was afraid that Persey would be too perfect, too wonderful - but she is not. Persey is not always honest with herself and allows her sense of obligation to rule her life, for reasons that make sense to her at the time.

Three men love her to the point of obsession. After high school, Persey marries her high-school sweetheart, Aaron Strait out of a sense of duty, more than anything else. She loves her husband, but she realizes that her love for him is not the sort of love that a wife should feel for her husband. Still, she does love him and remains a loyal wife.

Persey goes to work for the same company as Daniel Hartnet, a man with an uncanny ability to read people, that he calls his crap-o-meter. This ability to read motives is every bit as uncanny as is Persey's ability to draw out secrets. He discovers that he can't read Persey, and that really intrigues him. He soon becomes obsessed with her, but like the moderately decent man he is, he respects her commitment to her marriage.

Johanna Garth draws her characters well. Haden is a bad man, selfish and focused only on his own desires but quite seductive and very compelling. Daniel Hartnet is not lily-pure in his motives, but he is a basically good man and also quite seductive. Aaron is a simple, high-school jock-made-good; a man who is solely driven by his desire to protect and provide for her; and she is completely aware of that. Aaron becomes very successful, and on the surface everything looks perfect.

What she does not realize is that she is the one true love of Haden, also known as Hades, God of the Underworld. He has followed her progress since her earliest childhood, grooming her to be his wife in various different guises. He has even posed as the coach in her highschool. There is no length that he won't go to to have her. When she marries Aaron, Hayden puts a terrible plan into action, using all of his resources as Lord of the Underworld; and soon she finds herself tied to the last person she wants to be tied to. That is where the adventure really begins.

Persey is a nice girl, but her secret ability is hard for her to bear; and she feels that she is responsible for a tragic event that is the sole responsibility of Haden. He, of course, uses her insecurity to bind her to him even more tightly.

Johanna Garth has written an urban fantasy that is sophisticated, and romantic. It is a wonderful adventure that takes Persey from rural america to New York to Asia, and has many twists and turns that are quite unexpected. The ending was quite unexpected!

I freely admit that I had a great time reading this story and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good romantic urban fantasy. I am now a fan! I will definitely be reading anything Johanna Garth writes!
(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Alyse Carlson rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a fun read! This story is a modern retelling of the Hades/Persephone story and reads a little like a myth in tone, but with modern situations, characters and problems (opportunities!). Normally I don't like a character that EVERYONE is drawn to, but for poor Persey, the draw of people... the need it gives them to confess their secrets, is such a heavy burden that she is sympathetic. I really liked the twists and turns and stayed engaged all the way through.

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Jul 11, 2011 Magdalena rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved every word of it. I read it almost in one go. Couldn't work, sleep or walk. Thankfully, I survived walking with my eyes stuck to tiny letters on my iPhone not minding the traffic or other possible dangers. Even if I would have suffered from twisted ankle it would have been worth it.
the book draws you to itself and keeps you heart pounding with hunger for more.

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Sep 12, 2012 Scarlett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Welcome to Persey Campbell's world!

Life will never be the same for her and those she loves, once she's fallen under the spell of Hades, himself. I was immediately drawn into the life of young Persephone, overwhelmed and withdrawn with her gift, until the King of the Underworld sets eyes on her. For the first time in her young life, someone not only understands her but provides a distraction from her worries.

Now all grown up, Persey discovers true love. But she soon finds this one won't be all t...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Jaybird rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books that you can't put down. It grabs you from the first page and holds you in its grip until the last. Love, loss, suspense, and the very best and worst of human nature are all represented in this break-out novel from Garth. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to read the sequel, to find out what happens to Percey next!

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Jun 02, 2011 Cheryal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-fairy-tale

Hmmmm. Well, I didn't think the language was necesary, no one was a cop. I don't think the sexual talk was necessary, the story didn't need the detail. The story line was good, It is a good versus evil thing. Left a cliff hanger with evil still succeeding so you know I am not happy with that. I must say it is a clever story line, even though the some of the situations are disturbing.

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Dec 08, 2012 Brittany Collins rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of Greek mythology this book is probably for you. I am in love with the story of Hades and Persephone so I have a tendency to read anything I can find with their names within. Tough this book isn't well known it brings a wonderful twist to the aspect of the love affairs Gods and Goddesses. Loved it!

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Jul 06, 2011 Jillian rated it 1 of 5 stars

While this book had a strong and interesting start I lost interest quickly. I didn't like the main character's disconnectedness.

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May 14, 2013 Winter rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was okay, neither great nor horrible. Rather odd at times and more than a little confusing. But I was compelled to finish it to find out what happened to Persey.

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Apr 26, 2013 Isabelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very original take on the myth!

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Jul 08, 2011 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Better than I expected.

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Jun 16, 2013 Devon Mcnamara marked it as to-read

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Shelves: to-buy

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