RECEIVER OF MANY
So I want to take a minute to sing the praises of this book I found a while back.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m all about stories. I live, breathe, and adore tales of all natures, but I’ve always had a huge soft spot for Greek mythology.
Because of this I’m kind of a snob when it comes to retellings, and I’m the pickiest about adaptations of Hades X Persephone. It’s very hard to impress me on this matter because so many authors don’t do justice to their story. In fact, I’ve never found an adaptation I’ve liked well enough to recommend to other readers.
Then a few months ago I stumbled across kata-chthonia‘s story. I started it with some trepidation after being let down time and again by other retellings. Reading one chapter led to reading another, and one hour became two until it was dawn and I couldn’t remember what I had just been watching on television (it took a few minutes to realize I’d been reading).
Now I tell y’all this so I can try to adequately convey how incredible Receiver of Many is.
Rachel Alexander has gone above and beyond what I could have ever hoped for as both a reader and a fan of Greek mythology.
Her prose is simply beautiful, and so easy to get immersed in. And her characterizations of the gods that we’re all so familiar with (and those that we aren’t) is phenomenal! She’s breathes a new, fresh life into the portrayls of Hades and Persephone, of Demeter and Hecate, that is so refreshing. She’s fleshed them out beyond the tropes they are often confined to, and made them into fully realized people with heartaches, motivations, and needs.
I would be remiss in not mentioning the research that has gone into this work, which was a huge hook for me. Customs of the era, the original myths, the language- Even the clothing of the time period has been meticulously studied to set as authentic a scene as possible.
Receiver of Many is available on September 23 in both e-book and physical format. You can pre-order both now (the hard copy is actually on sale at the moment). This is the first half of the epic love story of Hades and Persephone that Ms. Alexander has crafted. The second part, Destroyer of Light, is due out on March 20, 2016, and the sequel to both, The Good Counselor, is currently in production.
So anyone who is looking for a great retelling of Greek mythology (specifically Hades and Persephone), a romance with a heroine who comes into her own and takes control of her destiny (and also features some very steamy, well written sex scenes), or just a good read in general, I urge you to treat yourself and pick up Receiver of Many.
