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Captive in the Underworld
Some flowers bloom only in the dark…
In the land of the dead, Queen Hades’ word is law. Hades gets what she wants—always—and what she wants is a certain goddess of the springtime.
Innocent Persephone chafes beneath her mother’s hawkish gaze and mercurial temper. Demeter has rebuffed all her daughter’s suitors, but she is not yet satisfied; she strives to crush Persephone’s spirit.
Still, when Hades pulls her into the dark realm of the underworld, Persephone longs for the world above, even if it means an eternity under her mother’s thumb.
With her tears and pleas for freedom ignored by pitiless Hades, Persephone must learn to satisfy her keeper in all ways, lest she suffer the consequences.
And though she cannot deny that something blooms within her, something forbidden, Persephone despairs of ever feeling the sun upon her skin once more.
No matter the cost, Hades intends to keep her.
Forever.
* * *
Captive in the Underworld is a standalone dark lesbian romance novel set in mythological ancient Greece. It is rooted in the misogyny and cruelties of the Hades/Persephone myth and contains sensitive material. Due to mature content and dark themes, this book is intended for adult readers only. It contains scenes depicting non-consensual sex, death, abuse, kidnapping, assault, and other intimate partner violence. It is not recommended for readers sensitive to such content.
In the land of the dead, Queen Hades’ word is law. Hades gets what she wants—always—and what she wants is a certain goddess of the springtime.
Innocent Persephone chafes beneath her mother’s hawkish gaze and mercurial temper. Demeter has rebuffed all her daughter’s suitors, but she is not yet satisfied; she strives to crush Persephone’s spirit.
Still, when Hades pulls her into the dark realm of the underworld, Persephone longs for the world above, even if it means an eternity under her mother’s thumb.
With her tears and pleas for freedom ignored by pitiless Hades, Persephone must learn to satisfy her keeper in all ways, lest she suffer the consequences.
And though she cannot deny that something blooms within her, something forbidden, Persephone despairs of ever feeling the sun upon her skin once more.
No matter the cost, Hades intends to keep her.
Forever.
* * *
Captive in the Underworld is a standalone dark lesbian romance novel set in mythological ancient Greece. It is rooted in the misogyny and cruelties of the Hades/Persephone myth and contains sensitive material. Due to mature content and dark themes, this book is intended for adult readers only. It contains scenes depicting non-consensual sex, death, abuse, kidnapping, assault, and other intimate partner violence. It is not recommended for readers sensitive to such content.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2021
257 people are currently reading
5995 people want to read
About the author
Lianyu Tan
7 books288 followers*** For content warnings, look inside each book or visit lianyutan.com ***
Lianyu Tan is a Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author of sapphic speculative fiction. She is the author of The Wicked and the Willing, a lesbian gothic horror vampire novel set in 1920s Singapore, and Captive in the Underworld, a lesbian dark romance retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth. Her short stories have been published by Cleis Press.
Lianyu lives with her wife in Australia. Find links to her work at lianyutan.com and on social media at @LianyuTan. Subscribe to her newsletter for bonus content and short stories: https://lianyutan.com/subscribe
Lianyu Tan is a Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author of sapphic speculative fiction. She is the author of The Wicked and the Willing, a lesbian gothic horror vampire novel set in 1920s Singapore, and Captive in the Underworld, a lesbian dark romance retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth. Her short stories have been published by Cleis Press.
Lianyu lives with her wife in Australia. Find links to her work at lianyutan.com and on social media at @LianyuTan. Subscribe to her newsletter for bonus content and short stories: https://lianyutan.com/subscribe
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 537 reviews
January 12, 2021
"Name me, Persephone.” She made herself look into Hades’ eyes, which were as black as Erebus. “Hades, Queen of the Underworld, daughter of Kronos and Rhea.” “And?”“And my wife,” Persephone said in a whisper. “And?”“My abductor, and my defiler!
My excitement for this book was INSANE!
FF
Dark Romance
Hades & Persephone
I was sold without even reading the blurb lol. This is my first book by this author, I’m not entirely sure if it’s her first published book so don’t quote me on this but I believe that it is.
I love Hades, he has always been one of my favorites and I was really curious to see how the author would incorporate this huge change into his story. Not a lot of people are willing to take a risk like this and change the gender of a beloved character so shout out to Lianyu for taking a risk!
"I’ll never stop trying to escape you,” Persephone said. “Then you are bound to be disappointed.”
This was a well written book, from her ability to suck you into Ancient Greece, to her play on words. This is the first FF book that I’ve read that I actually finished. While I enjoyed the dynamic between Hades & Persephone I just felt like we needed more. The time gaps is this story is crazy, and I do understand that they’re basically Gods so time has little meaning to them but the hundred year time jumps Wasn’t it!
Persephone was always going to be the annoying heroine in the story so I was hoping that Hades would of made up for it. Unfortunately she did not, her character was always straddling that line of being Great but never really crossing it.
Also a good percentage of the book is about Persephone’s journey in the underworld and not the actual love story between her and Hades. I felt like this took away SO MUCH from the story because we never got to actually see them fall in love....and I’m still bitter because we didn’t get Hades POV.
This book was also marketed as a Dark Romance and for me it was not. Yes I know I’m a bit unhinged when it comes to dark romances but this truly wasn’t.....the scenes that were included where I could of justified it being dark was more fade to black than actually giving us detailed content. This book was written for adults so I have no idea why the author chose to not include the graphic scenes.
Also the sex........I was so disappointed guys.
Again this is an adult book and after the first sexual moment between the characters I was so fucking hopeful because the Chemistry.......It was so intense.....But then it fell flat!!!!!
Im sorry but if the sex is boring or mostly non existent in a dark romance then it’s automatically a no from me. In total I think this book had 3 sex scenes and they were all fucking dull.
I’m not going to spoil the ending but after so much build up to the "angst” I was expecting something .....we kinda got nothing!
This felt more like a fantasy than a Dark Romance.
So, Unfortunately this book just missed the mark for me.
2 1/2 stars!
Side note- I read a review from someone claiming that there are "graphic” rape scenes and abuse and honesty it’s misleading. Everyone has a level of dark that they’re comfortable with.
Yes the sex scenes, were slightly dub con but it was not graphic rape scenes and Persephone’s ability to disassociate from reality was not a result of this.
Also....why the fuck are y’all reading Dark Romances to complain that content is Dubious.....it’s 2021 pick another genre or stop complaining!
My favorite quote from the book down below!
"I feel...” Hades paused. “You disarm me. I burn in Tartarus each day from your hatred, when all I wish is to have and to keep you and to never allow another person to lay hands upon you again.” She leaned back in her chair, her gaze raw with longing. “You stole my heart, and now it beats, fragile and weeping, within your fist. I should despise you for that.”
My excitement for this book was INSANE!
FF
Dark Romance
Hades & Persephone
I was sold without even reading the blurb lol. This is my first book by this author, I’m not entirely sure if it’s her first published book so don’t quote me on this but I believe that it is.
I love Hades, he has always been one of my favorites and I was really curious to see how the author would incorporate this huge change into his story. Not a lot of people are willing to take a risk like this and change the gender of a beloved character so shout out to Lianyu for taking a risk!
"I’ll never stop trying to escape you,” Persephone said. “Then you are bound to be disappointed.”
This was a well written book, from her ability to suck you into Ancient Greece, to her play on words. This is the first FF book that I’ve read that I actually finished. While I enjoyed the dynamic between Hades & Persephone I just felt like we needed more. The time gaps is this story is crazy, and I do understand that they’re basically Gods so time has little meaning to them but the hundred year time jumps Wasn’t it!
Persephone was always going to be the annoying heroine in the story so I was hoping that Hades would of made up for it. Unfortunately she did not, her character was always straddling that line of being Great but never really crossing it.
Also a good percentage of the book is about Persephone’s journey in the underworld and not the actual love story between her and Hades. I felt like this took away SO MUCH from the story because we never got to actually see them fall in love....and I’m still bitter because we didn’t get Hades POV.
This book was also marketed as a Dark Romance and for me it was not. Yes I know I’m a bit unhinged when it comes to dark romances but this truly wasn’t.....the scenes that were included where I could of justified it being dark was more fade to black than actually giving us detailed content. This book was written for adults so I have no idea why the author chose to not include the graphic scenes.
Also the sex........I was so disappointed guys.
Again this is an adult book and after the first sexual moment between the characters I was so fucking hopeful because the Chemistry.......It was so intense.....But then it fell flat!!!!!
Im sorry but if the sex is boring or mostly non existent in a dark romance then it’s automatically a no from me. In total I think this book had 3 sex scenes and they were all fucking dull.
I’m not going to spoil the ending but after so much build up to the "angst” I was expecting something .....we kinda got nothing!
This felt more like a fantasy than a Dark Romance.
So, Unfortunately this book just missed the mark for me.
2 1/2 stars!
Side note- I read a review from someone claiming that there are "graphic” rape scenes and abuse and honesty it’s misleading. Everyone has a level of dark that they’re comfortable with.
Yes the sex scenes, were slightly dub con but it was not graphic rape scenes and Persephone’s ability to disassociate from reality was not a result of this.
Also....why the fuck are y’all reading Dark Romances to complain that content is Dubious.....it’s 2021 pick another genre or stop complaining!
My favorite quote from the book down below!
"I feel...” Hades paused. “You disarm me. I burn in Tartarus each day from your hatred, when all I wish is to have and to keep you and to never allow another person to lay hands upon you again.” She leaned back in her chair, her gaze raw with longing. “You stole my heart, and now it beats, fragile and weeping, within your fist. I should despise you for that.”
December 9, 2020
I noped right out after Hades slapped Persephone for having the audacity of not wanting to be raped.
September 29, 2024
CW: rape, assault, abuse, sexism
I hated this.
If I could go back in time to a few days ago, I'd advise myself to check the ratings and heed the warnings for this book. Coming from a 5-star read down to this mess makes me want to apologize to my 5-days-ago self, because while she wasn't expecting another great book to follow that read, she absolutely didn't think the next one could be this abysmal.
I didn't find anything redeeming about ALL the characters AND the story. I get having questionable morality, but are gods and goddesses supposed to be this rotten?
Persephone's naiveté in the beginning was understandable. But to have her still pining for her mother's affection until the very end, after everything Demeter made her suffer through, was just plain stupid. Where's the character development?
For Hades, hoping for her redemption arc was like searching for a needle in a haystack. I saw no convincing signs she and Persephone were falling in love. They lacked chemistry and their endgame simply felt obligatory. There was this huge rift between the abuses and Persephone suddenly longing for Hades' touch. That kind of development REQUIRES a good place to emerge from, but I couldn't fathom where the shift sensibly originated.
What's sad is this story could've been great. But I couldn't find it in myself to justify the author's choices for Hades' actions. She was needlessly made to be abusive. We weren't provided deeper meanings to explain her decisions nor to make her misdeeds a tad defensible. I didn't even get a sense of remorse from her.
The whole book is a sadistic limbo of having a main character meet relentless cruelty on all fronts. I'm not new to dark romances nor stories mired with content warnings. There was just little to no rest from it on this one. My entire reading experience was so unpleasant that if I had a physical copy of this book, I'd burn it.
I wish I had the prescience of readers who DNF this. They made the right decision.
The book's only saving grace is its beautiful cover and its well-woven prose. I normally would've given it 2 stars for the latter, but sadly this time, it's not enough to save the title from its own tale.
I hated this.
If I could go back in time to a few days ago, I'd advise myself to check the ratings and heed the warnings for this book. Coming from a 5-star read down to this mess makes me want to apologize to my 5-days-ago self, because while she wasn't expecting another great book to follow that read, she absolutely didn't think the next one could be this abysmal.
I didn't find anything redeeming about ALL the characters AND the story. I get having questionable morality, but are gods and goddesses supposed to be this rotten?
Persephone's naiveté in the beginning was understandable. But to have her still pining for her mother's affection until the very end, after everything Demeter made her suffer through, was just plain stupid. Where's the character development?
For Hades, hoping for her redemption arc was like searching for a needle in a haystack. I saw no convincing signs she and Persephone were falling in love. They lacked chemistry and their endgame simply felt obligatory. There was this huge rift between the abuses and Persephone suddenly longing for Hades' touch. That kind of development REQUIRES a good place to emerge from, but I couldn't fathom where the shift sensibly originated.
What's sad is this story could've been great. But I couldn't find it in myself to justify the author's choices for Hades' actions. She was needlessly made to be abusive. We weren't provided deeper meanings to explain her decisions nor to make her misdeeds a tad defensible. I didn't even get a sense of remorse from her.
The whole book is a sadistic limbo of having a main character meet relentless cruelty on all fronts. I'm not new to dark romances nor stories mired with content warnings. There was just little to no rest from it on this one. My entire reading experience was so unpleasant that if I had a physical copy of this book, I'd burn it.
I wish I had the prescience of readers who DNF this. They made the right decision.
The book's only saving grace is its beautiful cover and its well-woven prose. I normally would've given it 2 stars for the latter, but sadly this time, it's not enough to save the title from its own tale.
December 23, 2020
Captive In The Underworld is a dark, erotic sapphic romance based on the myth of Persephone and Hades. This basic premise has been explored before with another novel, The Dark Wife, along with countless straight interpretations, but I found author Lianyu Tan’s version to be entertaining, captivating, and exceptionally enjoyable.
The plot itself hits many familiar beats, as one might expect from a story based on a well-known Greek myth, merged with some modern romance novel tropes. Persephone is stolen away from the world above and forced to marry Hades, Queen of the Underworld. However, the character motivations are what make Tan’s debut novel shine.
The story is told almost entirely from Persephone’s perspective in third person, with only a few scenes that deviate. These deviations are always clearly labeled, so I was never confused. My impressions of Persephone were positive from the start, since I enjoy fish-out-of-water narratives. I appreciated that she never descended entirely into despair, no matter how her situation worsened. Like the small plants she nurtures into being, she constantly searches for the light she needs to grow, even if that means creating it from within herself.
It took some time for me to get a firm grip on Hades’ motivations and feelings, but when I did, I empathized with her greatly. (Maybe because I’m weak for seemingly cold, unreadable characters who are softies underneath for their sweethearts.) Without spoiling too much, the pressures of holding such a formidable position as the Goddess of Death while being born a woman are heavy indeed.
The sex scenes are graphic, well-written, and right up my alley as a self-admitted kinkster. They expertly straddle the line between the fantasies of dubious consent (specifically, the “wedding night” trope) that many queer women have, but don’t always feel safe exploring in media made by and for cis, straight men.
If dubious consent isn’t your kink, you should give Tan’s book a pass despite the strong character developmental aspects. However, for those of us who are understandably into that shit, you are going to love this book and should buy your copy immediately. For me, it was the perfect balance of delicious dubious consent, being an object for someone else’s passions, wrapped in the safe, snuggly blanket of a Happily Ever After, without any gratuitous physical torture.*
(Note: There is a whipping scene later on, but it is plot-related rather than sexualized. If this is triggering for you, maybe give the book a pass.)
Besides three hot sex scenes and an enjoyable protagonist, Captive In The Underworld explores several aspects of mental health, self-care, and familial abuse with commendable nuance. The ending was like several consecutive (but also good and entertaining?!?) punches to the gut until the denouement, as I realized the full extent of Persephone’s dysfunctional relationship with her mother.
The writing style is clear, easy to read, and suitably descriptive for the genre. There’s some lovely prose and sensory details, particularly in relation to Persephone’s ‘dreaming’ of the earth, plants, and flowers. The pacing is tight, which I personally appreciate in a book. However, people looking for massive fantasy worldbuilding instead of a dark romance might feel it’s a bit short.
Different books serve different purposes, and Captive In The Underworld accomplishes its purpose in a very entertaining fashion. I read it twice in a row without stopping, and if the above description sounds at all interesting to you, I suggest you do the same immediately! Support an independent, debut author. I’m so glad I got the chance to read it before its release.
To summarize…
The Pros:
Relatable protagonist. Persephone remains determined despite facing considerable adversity, and becomes strong without losing her softness.
Well-written sex scenes. Excellent use of dubious consent and the “wedding night” trope, for those of us who enjoy that sort of thing.
A hot love interest. Tan effectively makes the transition from “early book” Hades, who is quiet, sexy, and dangerous, to a more sympathetic, open character later on.
Good pacing. A nice balance of familiarity (standard myth retelling) and uniqueness (exploring a dysfunctional family dynamic and themes of mental health).
Clear writing style. Vivid prose when it comes to describing nature.
The Cons:
This book is not for everyone. If sex scenes that explore themes of dubious consent (with a HEA to follow) aren’t up your alley, there are plenty of other books to read.
There is a plot-and-character related whipping scene (nonsexual) which didn’t strike me as unnecessarily violent, but might upset readers whose tolerance is lower than mine.
This is an unabashedly misogynistic world. It’s not really a “con” per se, but if you’re looking for an escape from misogyny instead of witnessing two women finding their own power in a sexist world, read something else.
As a Greek American, I enjoyed the Greek worldbuilding details thrown in, but could have done with even more. But that might just be my own cultural thirst regarding Greek stories of all kinds talking.
Overall, this is a really good book,
The plot itself hits many familiar beats, as one might expect from a story based on a well-known Greek myth, merged with some modern romance novel tropes. Persephone is stolen away from the world above and forced to marry Hades, Queen of the Underworld. However, the character motivations are what make Tan’s debut novel shine.
The story is told almost entirely from Persephone’s perspective in third person, with only a few scenes that deviate. These deviations are always clearly labeled, so I was never confused. My impressions of Persephone were positive from the start, since I enjoy fish-out-of-water narratives. I appreciated that she never descended entirely into despair, no matter how her situation worsened. Like the small plants she nurtures into being, she constantly searches for the light she needs to grow, even if that means creating it from within herself.
It took some time for me to get a firm grip on Hades’ motivations and feelings, but when I did, I empathized with her greatly. (Maybe because I’m weak for seemingly cold, unreadable characters who are softies underneath for their sweethearts.) Without spoiling too much, the pressures of holding such a formidable position as the Goddess of Death while being born a woman are heavy indeed.
The sex scenes are graphic, well-written, and right up my alley as a self-admitted kinkster. They expertly straddle the line between the fantasies of dubious consent (specifically, the “wedding night” trope) that many queer women have, but don’t always feel safe exploring in media made by and for cis, straight men.
If dubious consent isn’t your kink, you should give Tan’s book a pass despite the strong character developmental aspects. However, for those of us who are understandably into that shit, you are going to love this book and should buy your copy immediately. For me, it was the perfect balance of delicious dubious consent, being an object for someone else’s passions, wrapped in the safe, snuggly blanket of a Happily Ever After, without any gratuitous physical torture.*
(Note: There is a whipping scene later on, but it is plot-related rather than sexualized. If this is triggering for you, maybe give the book a pass.)
Besides three hot sex scenes and an enjoyable protagonist, Captive In The Underworld explores several aspects of mental health, self-care, and familial abuse with commendable nuance. The ending was like several consecutive (but also good and entertaining?!?) punches to the gut until the denouement, as I realized the full extent of Persephone’s dysfunctional relationship with her mother.
The writing style is clear, easy to read, and suitably descriptive for the genre. There’s some lovely prose and sensory details, particularly in relation to Persephone’s ‘dreaming’ of the earth, plants, and flowers. The pacing is tight, which I personally appreciate in a book. However, people looking for massive fantasy worldbuilding instead of a dark romance might feel it’s a bit short.
Different books serve different purposes, and Captive In The Underworld accomplishes its purpose in a very entertaining fashion. I read it twice in a row without stopping, and if the above description sounds at all interesting to you, I suggest you do the same immediately! Support an independent, debut author. I’m so glad I got the chance to read it before its release.
To summarize…
The Pros:
Relatable protagonist. Persephone remains determined despite facing considerable adversity, and becomes strong without losing her softness.
Well-written sex scenes. Excellent use of dubious consent and the “wedding night” trope, for those of us who enjoy that sort of thing.
A hot love interest. Tan effectively makes the transition from “early book” Hades, who is quiet, sexy, and dangerous, to a more sympathetic, open character later on.
Good pacing. A nice balance of familiarity (standard myth retelling) and uniqueness (exploring a dysfunctional family dynamic and themes of mental health).
Clear writing style. Vivid prose when it comes to describing nature.
The Cons:
This book is not for everyone. If sex scenes that explore themes of dubious consent (with a HEA to follow) aren’t up your alley, there are plenty of other books to read.
There is a plot-and-character related whipping scene (nonsexual) which didn’t strike me as unnecessarily violent, but might upset readers whose tolerance is lower than mine.
This is an unabashedly misogynistic world. It’s not really a “con” per se, but if you’re looking for an escape from misogyny instead of witnessing two women finding their own power in a sexist world, read something else.
As a Greek American, I enjoyed the Greek worldbuilding details thrown in, but could have done with even more. But that might just be my own cultural thirst regarding Greek stories of all kinds talking.
Overall, this is a really good book,
February 23, 2021
Captive in the Underworld: A Dark Lesbian Romance Novel by Lianyu Tan is a re-telling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. The re-telling is in the gender bending of Hades, now sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
Persephone is both physically and emotionally abused by her mother Demeter who is really a mega bitch in this story. Later in the book we get a good idea of just how far this abuse goes. One day an enraged Demeter kicks her daughter off her lands to teach her a lesson and Persephone promptly gets snatched up by Hades who can’t believe her luck. Turns out her and Zeus had made a deal and the marriage contract has been waiting ever since. Persephone is wedded and bedded in record time and she hates everything about this arrangement. So much so that she tries to do anything she can to escape the Underworld. Hades is not pleased.
The author gives us fair warning that the book contains sensitive material like death, abuse, kidnapping, assault, and intimate partner violence. If this triggers you better steer clear of this one. As per the usual all the Greek deities are assholes, Hades included. Persephone is clearly the victim in all of this but her stubborn, reckless and often child-like behavior was maddening at times (I blame Demeter here as well). Hades needed to haul ass and save her skin plenty of times.
I knew not to expect warm fuzzies here, it’s not that type of romance. Besides, Greek Mythology is often laced with cruel acts, especially when it comes to the treatment of women. The writing was good and I was eager to find out at what point Persephone would warm up to Hades. If you like your Greeks be sure to give this a try.
f/f dubious consent galore
Themes: what Hades wants she takes.
4 Stars
Persephone is both physically and emotionally abused by her mother Demeter who is really a mega bitch in this story. Later in the book we get a good idea of just how far this abuse goes. One day an enraged Demeter kicks her daughter off her lands to teach her a lesson and Persephone promptly gets snatched up by Hades who can’t believe her luck. Turns out her and Zeus had made a deal and the marriage contract has been waiting ever since. Persephone is wedded and bedded in record time and she hates everything about this arrangement. So much so that she tries to do anything she can to escape the Underworld. Hades is not pleased.
The author gives us fair warning that the book contains sensitive material like death, abuse, kidnapping, assault, and intimate partner violence. If this triggers you better steer clear of this one. As per the usual all the Greek deities are assholes, Hades included. Persephone is clearly the victim in all of this but her stubborn, reckless and often child-like behavior was maddening at times (I blame Demeter here as well). Hades needed to haul ass and save her skin plenty of times.
I knew not to expect warm fuzzies here, it’s not that type of romance. Besides, Greek Mythology is often laced with cruel acts, especially when it comes to the treatment of women. The writing was good and I was eager to find out at what point Persephone would warm up to Hades. If you like your Greeks be sure to give this a try.
f/f dubious consent galore
Themes: what Hades wants she takes.
4 Stars
February 28, 2023
I was excited to read this as it's my first dark lesbian romance and a Hades and Persephone retelling. However for me to enjoy an dark romance there need to be a clear show of both partners wanting, needing and loving each other. While I can accept a lot of " morally grayness" I do not like rape or can excuse such behavior.. Not only where Persephone abused by her mother, Hades where no better. Not only did they not have any chemistry but one: Persephone said no, multiple times yet Hades took what see wants because number two: Hades always get what she wants, and she wants Persephone. To me this wasn't a case of "darker themes" nor "morally grey personally traits". This was straight up abuse and rape.
December 29, 2020
Reading this book were my first steps into the sapphic dark romance trope. A couple of months ago I did read a M/F dark romance, but that was way more carnal and aggressive than Tan's Captive in the Underworld.
Main characters in this book are the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. For the benefit of this story, Hades is Queen of the underworld and has her eyes set on Persephone: Goddess of spring. I had fun getting my Greek Mythology lessons polished with this book. Besides Hades and Persephone, Demeter (mother of Persephone and Goddess of harvest) also plays a large role in this book, their characters are all very well developed. When one thinks the dark theme of this romance solely evolves around Hades and Persephone is wrong. Demeter surely turns out the most terrible character in this romance novel.
(Please note that reading further below, you may come across minor spoilers. But I think they are functional for those who are a first-time-reader of dark romance)
The way Demeter controls Persephone and also how Persephone lets herself be controlled like that is almost disturbing and made me root for Hades to finally get her hands on Persephone. When Persephone has to get married to Hades against her will and the marriage is consummated (also against Persephone's will), the darkish feel of the novel turns into a full-on dark romance. At this point, the non-con comes around. However, as this is a dark romance you know before reading it that this is part of the deal. Because of the writing style and also to not too explicit or descriptive writing in this part, it is perfectly balanced for me as a first reader of sapphic dark romance. The non-con quickly turns into dub-con and soon after the relationship between Hades and Persephone shifts into different dynamics.
Without any knowledge of the dark romance trope, I think I would qualify this novel as an entry-level dark romance. After reading this novel you can decide if you either like it like this, like it darker or this is not your trope.
Even if you conclude that this isn't your trope. You will have to admit that Tan has a way with words. I really enjoyed her writing style and usage of old words perfectly fitting the ancient Mythology theme of this book. Despite having used my Kindle dictionary to look up some of the ancient words, this novel is easy to read. The storyline and world-building are done very well. Towards the end, I would have appreciated a chapter dedicated to the thoughts and feelings of Hades and how she fares when Persephone is unconscious for such a long stretch of time (for us mortals half a lifetime). But also without that, I had a great time reading this novel.
I recommend you to check out Tan's website for more information about what dark romance means for her: https://lianyutan.com/faq/
Are you interested in reading it, check out the buy links on her website: https://lianyutan.com/book/underworld/
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Check out other reviews on my blog http://lesfic.home.blog/
Main characters in this book are the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. For the benefit of this story, Hades is Queen of the underworld and has her eyes set on Persephone: Goddess of spring. I had fun getting my Greek Mythology lessons polished with this book. Besides Hades and Persephone, Demeter (mother of Persephone and Goddess of harvest) also plays a large role in this book, their characters are all very well developed. When one thinks the dark theme of this romance solely evolves around Hades and Persephone is wrong. Demeter surely turns out the most terrible character in this romance novel.
(Please note that reading further below, you may come across minor spoilers. But I think they are functional for those who are a first-time-reader of dark romance)
The way Demeter controls Persephone and also how Persephone lets herself be controlled like that is almost disturbing and made me root for Hades to finally get her hands on Persephone. When Persephone has to get married to Hades against her will and the marriage is consummated (also against Persephone's will), the darkish feel of the novel turns into a full-on dark romance. At this point, the non-con comes around. However, as this is a dark romance you know before reading it that this is part of the deal. Because of the writing style and also to not too explicit or descriptive writing in this part, it is perfectly balanced for me as a first reader of sapphic dark romance. The non-con quickly turns into dub-con and soon after the relationship between Hades and Persephone shifts into different dynamics.
Without any knowledge of the dark romance trope, I think I would qualify this novel as an entry-level dark romance. After reading this novel you can decide if you either like it like this, like it darker or this is not your trope.
Even if you conclude that this isn't your trope. You will have to admit that Tan has a way with words. I really enjoyed her writing style and usage of old words perfectly fitting the ancient Mythology theme of this book. Despite having used my Kindle dictionary to look up some of the ancient words, this novel is easy to read. The storyline and world-building are done very well. Towards the end, I would have appreciated a chapter dedicated to the thoughts and feelings of Hades and how she fares when Persephone is unconscious for such a long stretch of time (for us mortals half a lifetime). But also without that, I had a great time reading this novel.
I recommend you to check out Tan's website for more information about what dark romance means for her: https://lianyutan.com/faq/
Are you interested in reading it, check out the buy links on her website: https://lianyutan.com/book/underworld/
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Check out other reviews on my blog http://lesfic.home.blog/
June 22, 2023
2023 update:
I received an ARC copy of the new audiobook and loved it just as much this time around. The narrator does a fantastic job and really fits the tone of the story well! If you're in for some steamy, dark, lesbian romance, look no further. As always with LT's books, MIND THE TRIGGER WARNINGS - they're no joke!
Original review:
I'm just going to open this with a content warning because I'm sure this will not be for a lot of people: f/f marital rape is absolutely a thing here. So if that sounds off-putting or unbearable to you, steer clear, and definitely check out all of the trigger warnings before reading. This is purported as a 'dark lesbian romance' - it is!
That out of the way, I quite enjoyed this as a sapphic retelling of the Hades-Persephone kidnapping story. I'm a sucker for sapphic retellings of any kind really, I love Greek mythology, and I like dark sh*t too, so this was definitely up my alley. I really liked the romance, it wasn't light-hearted or easy, it was gritty and dark, but still felt heartwarming in the end - and its fitting to the times and cruelty of the gods.
There were a few steamy bits (of both the dark and not dark variety), a ton of lore and known characters/places from Greek mythology, and good character development. Minding the trigger warnings, I'd recommend it.
I received an ARC copy of the new audiobook and loved it just as much this time around. The narrator does a fantastic job and really fits the tone of the story well! If you're in for some steamy, dark, lesbian romance, look no further. As always with LT's books, MIND THE TRIGGER WARNINGS - they're no joke!
Original review:
I'm just going to open this with a content warning because I'm sure this will not be for a lot of people: f/f marital rape is absolutely a thing here. So if that sounds off-putting or unbearable to you, steer clear, and definitely check out all of the trigger warnings before reading. This is purported as a 'dark lesbian romance' - it is!
That out of the way, I quite enjoyed this as a sapphic retelling of the Hades-Persephone kidnapping story. I'm a sucker for sapphic retellings of any kind really, I love Greek mythology, and I like dark sh*t too, so this was definitely up my alley. I really liked the romance, it wasn't light-hearted or easy, it was gritty and dark, but still felt heartwarming in the end - and its fitting to the times and cruelty of the gods.
There were a few steamy bits (of both the dark and not dark variety), a ton of lore and known characters/places from Greek mythology, and good character development. Minding the trigger warnings, I'd recommend it.
February 14, 2021
One day I’m reading about cute cupids and cheeky gods and the next I’m on the dark side of that universe. This sapphic retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone sees the young goddess of spring fleeing her overbearing mother’s home after a long-overdue fight over Demeter’s attempts at keeping her daughter by her side forever. Persephone ends up all alone and helpless in a cave far away from home. The perfect place for Queen Hades of the Underworld to pick her up from and bring her to her kingdom, where Persephone is forced to marry her. Besides her reluctant attraction to a goddess she didn’t choose to give herself to, Persephone also struggles with living in the kingdom of death, when her raison d’être is spring, the earth and all that grows on and from it.
The reviews are all over the place for this book and it’s really interesting. For experienced dark fantasy readers, it seems it’s not dark enough. For newbies, like me, it’s plenty dark and I had to prepare myself and accept that what I usually need to enjoy a romance wouldn’t necessarily be there. Once I managed that shift, I really liked this story and the characters. I’m very grateful to Karin for her review of this book, which allowed me to go in knowing what to expect. If you believe in consent (as I do), forget it. This is dark fantasy, with non-consent and dubious consent elements. Even if everything didn’t begin with kidnapping and what amounts, essentially, to rape, when the imbalance of power is such, consent is a mirage. Also, gods are not good people. They take what they want. That Hades seems to believe that what she wants is what’s best for Persephone doesn’t change the fact that, for the longest time, Persephone has no say in what’s happening to her. Her only choice is to fight and suffer or accept and suffer less.
What Persephone endured for centuries at the hand of her mother explains in part her attitude towards Hades. Another glimpse into what drives her can be found in Breathless: An F/F Hades and Persephone Short Story, a companion short story to this one: “Persephone was still a goddess. She turned toward worship as a daisy turned toward Helios”.
As the author writes on her website, in the content tags for Breathless, “this is fiction not a manual, do not try at home, if someone treats you like this, run”. Before picking up this book, check the content tags the author provides.
Despite everything I wrote above, this is first and foremost a romance. Both characters are a lot more complex than they appear at first. Persephone is just as sweet and gentle as she looks, but she’s also driven and strong, which may come as a surprise even to herself, after centuries of abuse from her mother. Hades is the very definition of tall, dark and dangerous. As the story progresses, her motivations in kidnapping Persephone become less sinister, as does her personality, including her surprising sense of duty. She’s not the monster Persephone first believes she is. Or, rather, she is, but that’s not all she is. Lianyu Tan describes perfectly the conflict of emotions and reactions Hades awakes in Persephone, for example in this excerpt: “Everything about Hades was a contradiction: her cold gaze and warm hands; her hardened heart and tender words. So perhaps it was no surprise that Persephone learned to both dread and hunger for the night, when Hades’ touch would set her body aflame”.
The world this book is set in is fascinating, especially the underworld, where most of the story happens. Since it is told from Persephone’s point of view, we get to experience the darkness of the underworld, the variations in temperatures, all that differs from the overworld through her. The contrast is painful at first but over time, without explicitly noticing, Persephone gets used to her new normal.
The cover is beautiful, the writing is excellent, the narrative is well-paced. The main weakness is the timeline and time skips. Since the characters, for the most part, are gods and goddesses, the story spans over centuries, not years, and I sometimes had a hard time keeping up. Also, the romance itself isn’t as developed as the sexual relationship, and I think had the author delved deeper into that aspect of the relationship, the whole story would have benefited from it. I would have been happy with more magic and special effects too, but that’s just me being greedy.
ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.
The reviews are all over the place for this book and it’s really interesting. For experienced dark fantasy readers, it seems it’s not dark enough. For newbies, like me, it’s plenty dark and I had to prepare myself and accept that what I usually need to enjoy a romance wouldn’t necessarily be there. Once I managed that shift, I really liked this story and the characters. I’m very grateful to Karin for her review of this book, which allowed me to go in knowing what to expect. If you believe in consent (as I do), forget it. This is dark fantasy, with non-consent and dubious consent elements. Even if everything didn’t begin with kidnapping and what amounts, essentially, to rape, when the imbalance of power is such, consent is a mirage. Also, gods are not good people. They take what they want. That Hades seems to believe that what she wants is what’s best for Persephone doesn’t change the fact that, for the longest time, Persephone has no say in what’s happening to her. Her only choice is to fight and suffer or accept and suffer less.
What Persephone endured for centuries at the hand of her mother explains in part her attitude towards Hades. Another glimpse into what drives her can be found in Breathless: An F/F Hades and Persephone Short Story, a companion short story to this one: “Persephone was still a goddess. She turned toward worship as a daisy turned toward Helios”.
As the author writes on her website, in the content tags for Breathless, “this is fiction not a manual, do not try at home, if someone treats you like this, run”. Before picking up this book, check the content tags the author provides.
Despite everything I wrote above, this is first and foremost a romance. Both characters are a lot more complex than they appear at first. Persephone is just as sweet and gentle as she looks, but she’s also driven and strong, which may come as a surprise even to herself, after centuries of abuse from her mother. Hades is the very definition of tall, dark and dangerous. As the story progresses, her motivations in kidnapping Persephone become less sinister, as does her personality, including her surprising sense of duty. She’s not the monster Persephone first believes she is. Or, rather, she is, but that’s not all she is. Lianyu Tan describes perfectly the conflict of emotions and reactions Hades awakes in Persephone, for example in this excerpt: “Everything about Hades was a contradiction: her cold gaze and warm hands; her hardened heart and tender words. So perhaps it was no surprise that Persephone learned to both dread and hunger for the night, when Hades’ touch would set her body aflame”.
The world this book is set in is fascinating, especially the underworld, where most of the story happens. Since it is told from Persephone’s point of view, we get to experience the darkness of the underworld, the variations in temperatures, all that differs from the overworld through her. The contrast is painful at first but over time, without explicitly noticing, Persephone gets used to her new normal.
The cover is beautiful, the writing is excellent, the narrative is well-paced. The main weakness is the timeline and time skips. Since the characters, for the most part, are gods and goddesses, the story spans over centuries, not years, and I sometimes had a hard time keeping up. Also, the romance itself isn’t as developed as the sexual relationship, and I think had the author delved deeper into that aspect of the relationship, the whole story would have benefited from it. I would have been happy with more magic and special effects too, but that’s just me being greedy.
ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.
January 28, 2021
tw // mentions of sexual assault, physical assault, domestic violence. Also swearing (by me).
We live and learn, I guess, and today I learned another thing that I did not know before.
Yesterday, I thought "dark romance" means a relationship that has some unhealthy components that sort of damage a fundamentally loving relationship. Things like unhealthy obsession, jealousy and the like. I also thought a "dark romance" would deal intelligently with those topic, discuss their moral implications (as far as the story allows), maybe show why such relationships are problematic and not recommended, but unavoidable in the face of human failings, especially when in love.
Today, I learned it basically means "Let's say sexual assault, physical assault, forced marriage, human trafficking and domestic violence are good when the perpetrator is really hot"
Let's start with the writing itself, just as a short interlude. It's not good. It's clumsy, it's awkward and in general the pacing is a mess. Yes, divine perception of time is different, but you don't have to make it so boring, kay? Packing "Oh, 70 year timeskip, but all the characters are immortal so there is no fucking point why it couldnt be less" into a single line of writing is just dumb.
Characters are flat and boring, it is immediately obvious what we are supposed to think about each character, and the narrative can't resist clubbing us over the head with things we definitely need to know, but also can't actually take time to develop properly.
Which, I guess, would be pointlessly mean to say about a debut novel, but I really am fucking angry with this one.
Okay, let's get to the meat of the matter.
This book is for people who looked at the stalker-ish, non-con parts of Twilight and 50 shades and thought "Okay, but what if me made it CREEPIER?"
Hades, the love interest of the main character is a kidnapper, a domestic abuser, a human trafficker (not talking about the souls of the damned here) and a r*pist.
Persephone is her victim. She is forced into a marriage without her knowledge or consent, she is humiliated, routinely physically hurt in various ways, and sexually abused in various ways.
At the end of the book, these two, the r*pist and her victim, psychologically shattered like a beaten dog, are a loving couple.
Seriously not trying to kinkshame people, but I genuinely think that anyone liking this sort of stuff and rooting for their romance needs to go into therapy. This isn't like a horror movie, where it is pretty clear that the "appeal" such as it is for some people lies in the feelings of revulsion without actual danger, this book seems to be supporting the notion, quite popular among those most vile degenerates of misogynists on the internet, that long abuse will eventually lead to love. So the "romance" that's part of the story description is essentially "Every bit of resistance against her abuser has been beaten out of Persephone"
There is no meaningful character growth, merely the illusion of it. An abuse victim learning to stand up to people other than their abuser is not character growth, it's a coping tactic.
The flimsy attempts of the novel to improve Hades' image by trying to make everyone else seem crazy and abusive is kind of a lost cause. Throughout my reading period, when I wasn't feeling revulsion and disgust at the love interest we are supposed to root for, I cheered myself up by imagining Hades being fed into a woodchipper, and if you think that way about the love interest, something has gone very, very wrong.
There's no complexity, no moral gleamed from this mess. It's basically just snuff for people I would not want to associate with.
To be quite frank, if Hades had just stabbed Persephone to death somewhere in the first third of the book, it would have been a happier ending than this deplorable... thing.
Oh, also, it seems like a lesser crime next to everything else that Hades does (and isn't that a depressing thought), but Hades beating Persephone while she was disassociating from being r*ped has to be one of the pettiest, disgusting things any author has ever put in a novel.
So yeah, a healthy "fuck you" to this book, and I hope that nothing like this ever gets anywhere near my sphere of interest ever again.
Go read The Dark Wife instead. All the sapphic Hades x Persephone goodness, but well written and with actual character growth, and, most importantly, without the sexual and physical assault.
We live and learn, I guess, and today I learned another thing that I did not know before.
Yesterday, I thought "dark romance" means a relationship that has some unhealthy components that sort of damage a fundamentally loving relationship. Things like unhealthy obsession, jealousy and the like. I also thought a "dark romance" would deal intelligently with those topic, discuss their moral implications (as far as the story allows), maybe show why such relationships are problematic and not recommended, but unavoidable in the face of human failings, especially when in love.
Today, I learned it basically means "Let's say sexual assault, physical assault, forced marriage, human trafficking and domestic violence are good when the perpetrator is really hot"
Let's start with the writing itself, just as a short interlude. It's not good. It's clumsy, it's awkward and in general the pacing is a mess. Yes, divine perception of time is different, but you don't have to make it so boring, kay? Packing "Oh, 70 year timeskip, but all the characters are immortal so there is no fucking point why it couldnt be less" into a single line of writing is just dumb.
Characters are flat and boring, it is immediately obvious what we are supposed to think about each character, and the narrative can't resist clubbing us over the head with things we definitely need to know, but also can't actually take time to develop properly.
Which, I guess, would be pointlessly mean to say about a debut novel, but I really am fucking angry with this one.
Okay, let's get to the meat of the matter.
This book is for people who looked at the stalker-ish, non-con parts of Twilight and 50 shades and thought "Okay, but what if me made it CREEPIER?"
Hades, the love interest of the main character is a kidnapper, a domestic abuser, a human trafficker (not talking about the souls of the damned here) and a r*pist.
Persephone is her victim. She is forced into a marriage without her knowledge or consent, she is humiliated, routinely physically hurt in various ways, and sexually abused in various ways.
At the end of the book, these two, the r*pist and her victim, psychologically shattered like a beaten dog, are a loving couple.
Seriously not trying to kinkshame people, but I genuinely think that anyone liking this sort of stuff and rooting for their romance needs to go into therapy. This isn't like a horror movie, where it is pretty clear that the "appeal" such as it is for some people lies in the feelings of revulsion without actual danger, this book seems to be supporting the notion, quite popular among those most vile degenerates of misogynists on the internet, that long abuse will eventually lead to love. So the "romance" that's part of the story description is essentially "Every bit of resistance against her abuser has been beaten out of Persephone"
There is no meaningful character growth, merely the illusion of it. An abuse victim learning to stand up to people other than their abuser is not character growth, it's a coping tactic.
The flimsy attempts of the novel to improve Hades' image by trying to make everyone else seem crazy and abusive is kind of a lost cause. Throughout my reading period, when I wasn't feeling revulsion and disgust at the love interest we are supposed to root for, I cheered myself up by imagining Hades being fed into a woodchipper, and if you think that way about the love interest, something has gone very, very wrong.
There's no complexity, no moral gleamed from this mess. It's basically just snuff for people I would not want to associate with.
To be quite frank, if Hades had just stabbed Persephone to death somewhere in the first third of the book, it would have been a happier ending than this deplorable... thing.
Oh, also, it seems like a lesser crime next to everything else that Hades does (and isn't that a depressing thought), but Hades beating Persephone while she was disassociating from being r*ped has to be one of the pettiest, disgusting things any author has ever put in a novel.
So yeah, a healthy "fuck you" to this book, and I hope that nothing like this ever gets anywhere near my sphere of interest ever again.
Go read The Dark Wife instead. All the sapphic Hades x Persephone goodness, but well written and with actual character growth, and, most importantly, without the sexual and physical assault.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 31, 2020*I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Reading Captive in the Underworld was a wonderful, immersive experience. The writing was so gorgeous and engrossing I devoured this story in a matter of hours. I really adored the main heroine Persephone, who was so sweet and kind even after the years of abuse she endured living with her narcissistic mother. Their relationship was the most fascinating part of this story for me, as it was so rooted in the realism of having to deal with a parent or loved one who suffers from this particular personality disorder.
Though the ending may seem abrupt and jarring to some, I appreciate that the final scene ended with just a simple conversation between Persephone and her mother, in which she finally becomes empowered and breaks ties with her once and for all, despite her mother's final attempts to gaslight her and make her feel like she must remain with her forever.
Hades... was a bit harder to connect to as a character. Throughout the novel she always seemed way too remote. I believed she was in love with Persephone, but I still could never understand the inner workings of her character or her motivations beyond simply wanting to keep her wife with her in the Underworld.
I also wished that this story had been a little bit darker, but that's just a personal preference. It was briefly non-consensual in the first couple chapters, but quickly became dub-con and I knew that Hades was going to lose some of her stony harshness and become a softer character. I know that Persephone's choice to stay in the Underworld was an important part of the development of her and Hades romance, especially when you consider her past history, but I still was disappointed when the story took a gentler turn.
Though Hades wasn't exactly the unapologetic alpha I wanted her to be in the second half of the story, I'm still just so happy that anyone decided to write a dark f/f romance at all. I've only read one other dark f/f romance, and it was terribly written. It was such a pleasant surprise to pick up this novel and read such a beautifully written, atmospheric story.
I'm conflicted on how to rate this novel, so I'm not going to for right now, but I am definitely a fan of Lianyu Tu's work and am excited to see what she writes next.
Reading Captive in the Underworld was a wonderful, immersive experience. The writing was so gorgeous and engrossing I devoured this story in a matter of hours. I really adored the main heroine Persephone, who was so sweet and kind even after the years of abuse she endured living with her narcissistic mother. Their relationship was the most fascinating part of this story for me, as it was so rooted in the realism of having to deal with a parent or loved one who suffers from this particular personality disorder.
Though the ending may seem abrupt and jarring to some, I appreciate that the final scene ended with just a simple conversation between Persephone and her mother, in which she finally becomes empowered and breaks ties with her once and for all, despite her mother's final attempts to gaslight her and make her feel like she must remain with her forever.
Hades... was a bit harder to connect to as a character. Throughout the novel she always seemed way too remote. I believed she was in love with Persephone, but I still could never understand the inner workings of her character or her motivations beyond simply wanting to keep her wife with her in the Underworld.
I also wished that this story had been a little bit darker, but that's just a personal preference. It was briefly non-consensual in the first couple chapters, but quickly became dub-con and I knew that Hades was going to lose some of her stony harshness and become a softer character. I know that Persephone's choice to stay in the Underworld was an important part of the development of her and Hades romance, especially when you consider her past history, but I still was disappointed when the story took a gentler turn.
Though Hades wasn't exactly the unapologetic alpha I wanted her to be in the second half of the story, I'm still just so happy that anyone decided to write a dark f/f romance at all. I've only read one other dark f/f romance, and it was terribly written. It was such a pleasant surprise to pick up this novel and read such a beautifully written, atmospheric story.
I'm conflicted on how to rate this novel, so I'm not going to for right now, but I am definitely a fan of Lianyu Tu's work and am excited to see what she writes next.
February 12, 2022
There is so much fluff in the sapphic genre out there, so I was DELIGHTED when I found this. Female Hades kidnapping a helpless maiden in need? Say no more
Hades is really a cruel biatch, and still I hate most men in this book more lol, but man those 100 lashes, queen has no chill. I just saw poor Jamie in front of me.
Okay so this didn’t work completely for me for different reasons. Mainly, it didn’t make sense for Persephone to want to stay/go back to Hades. Literally 95 % of their encounters were based on r*pe (nothing dubious about it), assault, or cold conversations, so I don’t know when the hell they had time to get to know each other and fall in love??? Like, give me SOMETHING else here??
I’m sad because it could’ve been soooo good
Hades is really a cruel biatch, and still I hate most men in this book more lol, but man those 100 lashes, queen has no chill. I just saw poor Jamie in front of me.
Okay so this didn’t work completely for me for different reasons. Mainly, it didn’t make sense for Persephone to want to stay/go back to Hades. Literally 95 % of their encounters were based on r*pe (nothing dubious about it), assault, or cold conversations, so I don’t know when the hell they had time to get to know each other and fall in love??? Like, give me SOMETHING else here??
I’m sad because it could’ve been soooo good
February 19, 2021
This wasn't what I expected, but overall I enjoyed it. The writing and worldbuilding were lush and gorgeous, and it definitely felt more of a dark fantasy novel with a romance subplot than a dark romance.
I saw people take issue with the sexual content, so I was expecting violent sexual assaults, but what actually felt viscerally awful and made my stomach churn was how fucking abusive Demeter was. Like, major, major, MAJOR trigger warning for extreme mental & physical abuse from a parent. That being saif, there is some questionable dub con that leans more towards non-con in the beginning of the book, and I would really have preferred if the author had left the long, drawn out sex scenes for later and started with fade to black for the first few questionable ones.
All in all, not bad, but I'd recommend adjusting your expectations before beginning to avoid being disappointed or surprised by the content.
CWs: Extreme emotional & physically abuse from a parent, dub-con leaning towards non-con, maybe a few other things but those were the big ones.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Booktok | Book Blog | Twitter
I saw people take issue with the sexual content, so I was expecting violent sexual assaults, but what actually felt viscerally awful and made my stomach churn was how fucking abusive Demeter was. Like, major, major, MAJOR trigger warning for extreme mental & physical abuse from a parent. That being saif, there is some questionable dub con that leans more towards non-con in the beginning of the book, and I would really have preferred if the author had left the long, drawn out sex scenes for later and started with fade to black for the first few questionable ones.
All in all, not bad, but I'd recommend adjusting your expectations before beginning to avoid being disappointed or surprised by the content.
CWs: Extreme emotional & physically abuse from a parent, dub-con leaning towards non-con, maybe a few other things but those were the big ones.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Booktok | Book Blog | Twitter
Read
July 9, 2021Please consider the content warnings for this book.
Captive in the Underworld is a dark lesbian romance retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth. By dark, I mean that this book begins with an abusive and unhealthy relationship and includes scenes with non-con/dub-con content. For seasoned dark romance readers, this book skews grey/light.
With:
❤️ icy/controlling but ~soft on the inside~ female Hades
❤️ innocent, determined Persephone
❤️ unmedicated narcissist Demeter
I hope you enjoy my version of this classic myth. If you liked this book, don't forget to subscribe for exclusive access to the bonus short story, Breathless.
Captive in the Underworld is a dark lesbian romance retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth. By dark, I mean that this book begins with an abusive and unhealthy relationship and includes scenes with non-con/dub-con content. For seasoned dark romance readers, this book skews grey/light.
With:
❤️ icy/controlling but ~soft on the inside~ female Hades
❤️ innocent, determined Persephone
❤️ unmedicated narcissist Demeter
I hope you enjoy my version of this classic myth. If you liked this book, don't forget to subscribe for exclusive access to the bonus short story, Breathless.
February 3, 2023
Hopefully my time in hell will be shortened since I’ve already suffered greatly after reading this book
June 12, 2023
ETA: audiobook listen june 2023:
i was lucky enough to get a spotify code for this book from the author, and it was my first experience with spotify audiobooks. (you can download if you don't have premium with the code, but from what i can tell, only on mobile, which sucks bc i like to download and have backups of all the ones i own/save them on an external hard drive, but is still very lovely!). greek myths have been my fav since i discovered them when i was like... 10-11ish? idk, late elementary/middle school me was iNTO greek ladies. i always actually hated this tale, lol. bc it was very... het/rape/etc in many of its forms, and i was much more of the persephone/demeter side of it and hated hades. it's only in retellings that flip the switch a bit on the narrative, some gender flips, i've come to enjoy it more as i've grown up. this was also one of my first forrays into "dark romance" and initally i wasn't sure it was for me, but i've read more since and do enjoy them from time to time. i think this interpretation of demeter is not my fav (i love her) but i appreciate the change up/interpretation of the narrative. maybe it's the performance (it was lovely! a new to me narrator as far as i'm aware, and she did a fantastic job) but i just... never quite got on board with hades much on this go around. this is... (i think?) my third time reading this story and it's interesting to see what different things i pick up on and hone in on more each time. overall, this isn't for everyone, but if you like greek myths, retellings, complex/toxic/dark romance, sapphic stories, and a great narrator, this is a great one to try!!
~~~~~
Liked it just as much the second time around. It’s certainly not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and honestly iirc, upon first read, it took me a bit to get into it. This was one of the first sort of, “purposefully kinda fucked up dynamic” romances that I’d read, and initially, I wasn’t sure I’d like it, powering on through my childhood (and still into adulthood) love of Greek mythology. This tale in particular always held my interest and to see it flipped into a sapphic dynamic was just *chefs kiss*.
i was lucky enough to get a spotify code for this book from the author, and it was my first experience with spotify audiobooks. (you can download if you don't have premium with the code, but from what i can tell, only on mobile, which sucks bc i like to download and have backups of all the ones i own/save them on an external hard drive, but is still very lovely!). greek myths have been my fav since i discovered them when i was like... 10-11ish? idk, late elementary/middle school me was iNTO greek ladies. i always actually hated this tale, lol. bc it was very... het/rape/etc in many of its forms, and i was much more of the persephone/demeter side of it and hated hades. it's only in retellings that flip the switch a bit on the narrative, some gender flips, i've come to enjoy it more as i've grown up. this was also one of my first forrays into "dark romance" and initally i wasn't sure it was for me, but i've read more since and do enjoy them from time to time. i think this interpretation of demeter is not my fav (i love her) but i appreciate the change up/interpretation of the narrative. maybe it's the performance (it was lovely! a new to me narrator as far as i'm aware, and she did a fantastic job) but i just... never quite got on board with hades much on this go around. this is... (i think?) my third time reading this story and it's interesting to see what different things i pick up on and hone in on more each time. overall, this isn't for everyone, but if you like greek myths, retellings, complex/toxic/dark romance, sapphic stories, and a great narrator, this is a great one to try!!
~~~~~
Liked it just as much the second time around. It’s certainly not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and honestly iirc, upon first read, it took me a bit to get into it. This was one of the first sort of, “purposefully kinda fucked up dynamic” romances that I’d read, and initially, I wasn’t sure I’d like it, powering on through my childhood (and still into adulthood) love of Greek mythology. This tale in particular always held my interest and to see it flipped into a sapphic dynamic was just *chefs kiss*.
July 5, 2025
4 Stars
It’s everything Persephone and Hades’s story is, but lesbians.
It’s a Lianyu Tan creation so there’s obviously TW. This is the second book by this author I’ve read and I’ve come to recognise a brutality that comes with the author’s work. It’s straight up r8pe. No excuse for Hades. There’s no wriggling out of that one. Let’s not forget that what happened to Persephone never was and never will be romantic.
On a different note, the author painted the Underworld vividly. It is beautiful in its own way. And I appreciate the touch of other aspects that usually do not come up in some depictions of the Underworld such as Cerberus guarding the gates, Tartarus and its special inhabitant, the asphodel meadows, etc.
My personal opinion only. I felt the confrontation before Persephone left the Underworld was lacking. Hades’s profession of love was lacklustre and I was sad about it. In addition, the part right after climax, the falling action was also tame. It feels like all the action, drama and thrill was poured into everything running up to the climax. Anyway, as I said, my opinion only.
I enjoyed the lesbian Persephone and Hades. However, Greek Mythology shouldn’t be romanticised. They are not love stories. They serve as warning.
It’s everything Persephone and Hades’s story is, but lesbians.
It’s a Lianyu Tan creation so there’s obviously TW. This is the second book by this author I’ve read and I’ve come to recognise a brutality that comes with the author’s work. It’s straight up r8pe. No excuse for Hades. There’s no wriggling out of that one. Let’s not forget that what happened to Persephone never was and never will be romantic.
On a different note, the author painted the Underworld vividly. It is beautiful in its own way. And I appreciate the touch of other aspects that usually do not come up in some depictions of the Underworld such as Cerberus guarding the gates, Tartarus and its special inhabitant, the asphodel meadows, etc.
My personal opinion only. I felt the confrontation before Persephone left the Underworld was lacking. Hades’s profession of love was lacklustre and I was sad about it. In addition, the part right after climax, the falling action was also tame. It feels like all the action, drama and thrill was poured into everything running up to the climax. Anyway, as I said, my opinion only.
I enjoyed the lesbian Persephone and Hades. However, Greek Mythology shouldn’t be romanticised. They are not love stories. They serve as warning.
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September 28, 2024
The beginning was great but the middle sagged and the ending fell a little flat for me.
The concept of a gender-swapped Hades and a sapphic Hades/Persephone dark romance was absolutely phenomenal. I loved it. I really loved Hades and Persephone as separate characters, and their initial time was fantastic, although I wanted more reconciliation and more character change from both of them.
Although it faltered from the uneven pacing and some undeveloped themes, I really enjoyed this book. I love Hades/Persephone retellings, and this was definitely a solid read.
The concept of a gender-swapped Hades and a sapphic Hades/Persephone dark romance was absolutely phenomenal. I loved it. I really loved Hades and Persephone as separate characters, and their initial time was fantastic, although I wanted more reconciliation and more character change from both of them.
Although it faltered from the uneven pacing and some undeveloped themes, I really enjoyed this book. I love Hades/Persephone retellings, and this was definitely a solid read.
dnf
January 11, 2021dnf @ 38%
i actually really liked the beginning of this, but i’m not one who can stomach non-con scenes that are essentially just rape. i get that it’s something people like reading in dark romance, but it’s just not for me
i actually really liked the beginning of this, but i’m not one who can stomach non-con scenes that are essentially just rape. i get that it’s something people like reading in dark romance, but it’s just not for me
October 12, 2023
“You stole my heart, and now it beats, fragile and weeping, within your fist. I should despise you for that.”
3.5 stars. And I waffled a lot on whether or not I'd round up or down on that. I liked the writing and the setting and the themes (obsessive love: my eternal catnip), but this turned out to be a little too dark for me. And I mean, of course, I knew it was going to be dark, and it was probably just a little less dark then the author's other book The Wicked and the Willing, which I did enjoy more. But the ways in which it was dark were just... woof. A little too much for me. But it's still an interesting and enjoyable book.
This is an f/f Hades/Persephone retelling that sticks pretty close to the original myth in some ways, and deviates a bunch in others. There's some interesting world-building, great atmosphere, compelling characters. I love mythological retellings, and in one like this, I don't want all the darkness taken out. Like, I don't think a saccharine Hades would ever really work for me; that moves a little too far from the source. But Hades in this was just a liiiiittle too much of a nightmare, haha. I think I would have come around on her a bit more if there'd been just a more consent in those first encounters, a little more consideration. But then, that would have been a completely different book. I did come around on her slightly, but not much. It helps that Persephone did, but even that felt more like capitulation than anything else. I'm grateful that there was no attempt at rationalising Hades' behaviour, and there's the implication that she's going to have to work for forgiveness, but that's my biggest problem. I wanted to SEE her putting in more work for that. I wanted to see Hades grovel big time. Or at least the sexy powerful underworld queen version of grovelling. Something. Because it felt like all take and no give on her part, and while Persephone grows and matures by leaps and bounds, comes to accept her desires and figure out her place in the world, it feels like Hades barely budges by comparison. I mean, she does change! But I wanted to see more. There's unfortunately a lot of stuff about Hades and Persephone's' developing relationship that is left off-page, or just mentioned, and it's a shame because I feel like seeing some of those moments could have really improved this. Same with some of the Demeter stuff: it just needed to be seeded a little earlier.
So yeah, a complicated read for me, not something that I could ever completely love, but overall I did like it. I really enjoy the author's writing, which always has this sensual, dark, decadent feel. Listened to the audiobook as read by Eva Caine, which was pretty okay. Not sure I loved the accent, but I really liked her voice. Not a new favourite, but it did solidify my willingness to try just about anything from this author.
Content warnings:
October 13, 2024
"Some flowers bloom only in the dark."
5 stars. I definitely understand why this has the rating that it does. It’s not going to be everyones thing but because I’m weird and an awful person it totally worked for me. Hades does some terrible, inexcusable things to Persephone that was hard to read about. This really isn’t a romance despite how it ends because so much of the book is Persephone genuinely hating Hades with a passion. She wants her, sure, but she hates that she does for the longest. These two are the definition of toxic but I have to say that I loved this book. It’s so dark and messed up but it was so addicting from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down once I started it.
I liked Persephone a lot. Life just keeps beating her down at every turn but she was so resilient and strong. I appreciate that she stood her ground and was not afraid to go toe to toe with Hades. Hades herself is a whole different thing. She’s an enigma and so hard to figure out. Again, she does awful things to Persephone so I can’t say that she was someone I particularly liked but she made for a very interesting character. There’s some damn hot sex scenes in this and I did like seeing them bond.
The writing was good, it’s paced well, and the story is very entertaining. I could see myself re-reading this at some point and I’m definitely interested in reading more by this author.
5 stars. I definitely understand why this has the rating that it does. It’s not going to be everyones thing but because I’m weird and an awful person it totally worked for me. Hades does some terrible, inexcusable things to Persephone that was hard to read about. This really isn’t a romance despite how it ends because so much of the book is Persephone genuinely hating Hades with a passion. She wants her, sure, but she hates that she does for the longest. These two are the definition of toxic but I have to say that I loved this book. It’s so dark and messed up but it was so addicting from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down once I started it.
I liked Persephone a lot. Life just keeps beating her down at every turn but she was so resilient and strong. I appreciate that she stood her ground and was not afraid to go toe to toe with Hades. Hades herself is a whole different thing. She’s an enigma and so hard to figure out. Again, she does awful things to Persephone so I can’t say that she was someone I particularly liked but she made for a very interesting character. There’s some damn hot sex scenes in this and I did like seeing them bond.
The writing was good, it’s paced well, and the story is very entertaining. I could see myself re-reading this at some point and I’m definitely interested in reading more by this author.
June 12, 2024
Read the content warnings. Pay attention to them; the writer is not kidding.
This is the Hades and Persephone myth through a sapphic lens (like The Dark Wife, which I much preferred), but it takes some interesting angles on elements of the myth. It's supposedly a "dark romance", which apparently means that most of the sex scenes are rapes.
I can't really talk to this without including spoilers, but feel free to keep reading if you want to read me venting a bit.
This gets more than one star, because this whole conception of the Greek Gods as actually existing is reasonably clever, and the world-building is pretty solid. Persephone's journey to a sliver of self-determination is also pretty good, but do note that it's a sliver, and she goes back to her rapist.
Pay attention to the content warnings.
This is the Hades and Persephone myth through a sapphic lens (like The Dark Wife, which I much preferred), but it takes some interesting angles on elements of the myth. It's supposedly a "dark romance", which apparently means that most of the sex scenes are rapes.
I can't really talk to this without including spoilers, but feel free to keep reading if you want to read me venting a bit.
This gets more than one star, because this whole conception of the Greek Gods as actually existing is reasonably clever, and the world-building is pretty solid. Persephone's journey to a sliver of self-determination is also pretty good, but do note that it's a sliver, and she goes back to her rapist.
Pay attention to the content warnings.
January 23, 2021
I'm a sucker for Greek mythology, especially the stories revolving around the underworld, so there was no question I was going to like this book.
The fact that Hades is portrayed as a woman intrigued me, and I was curious how it will influence the several versions of the Hades/Persephone myth I've read. I think it was very well done, and I really liked the attention to detail in fitting the change into the mythological background (e.g. why Hades got the underworld and why she wore mostly black).
As for the sensitive content, I knew exactly what I was getting into: the content warning is clear not only at the beginning of the book but even on the blurb (which is not something I see often). Due to this, I expected much more violence and more graphic scenes than what I got, so that was a nice surprise. (Frankly, Demeter's scenes upset me ten times more than the non-con content, but that's my personal view, and I'm sure it's different for everyone.)
In the end, it's a retelling of an abduction story from thousands of years ago. Do I personally prefer the modern interpretation that Persephone went willingly to the underworld? Yes, I do. Did I enjoy reading Lianyu Tan's story that was truer to the most well-known version of the myth? I absolutely did!
The fact that Hades is portrayed as a woman intrigued me, and I was curious how it will influence the several versions of the Hades/Persephone myth I've read. I think it was very well done, and I really liked the attention to detail in fitting the change into the mythological background (e.g. why Hades got the underworld and why she wore mostly black).
As for the sensitive content, I knew exactly what I was getting into: the content warning is clear not only at the beginning of the book but even on the blurb (which is not something I see often). Due to this, I expected much more violence and more graphic scenes than what I got, so that was a nice surprise. (Frankly, Demeter's scenes upset me ten times more than the non-con content, but that's my personal view, and I'm sure it's different for everyone.)
In the end, it's a retelling of an abduction story from thousands of years ago. Do I personally prefer the modern interpretation that Persephone went willingly to the underworld? Yes, I do. Did I enjoy reading Lianyu Tan's story that was truer to the most well-known version of the myth? I absolutely did!
May 8, 2025
I really don't think I can fully impress upon you how much I loved this book. I have read THE WICKED AND THE WILLING by this author and while I appreciated the allegory of vampirism as the destructive force of colonialist powers, the graphic violence and not-so-happy ending were a tough sell for me. CAPTIVE IN THE UNDERWORLD, on the other hand, takes everything I loved about Lianyu Tan's other book-- beautiful writing, dangerous and morally grey women-- and multiplies it tenfold in what is truly a sapphic dark romance masterpiece.
CAPTIVE IN THE UNDERWORLD starts out with Persephone being nagged by her narcissistic and emotionally abusive mother as they are on their way to a party. Persephone manages to escape her mother's clutches and hobnob a little before accidentally observing Zeus and (female) Hades having a somewhat heated discussion: Zeus wants Hades to bring one of his human lovers back from the dead and Hades says no.
Meanwhile, Persephone finds out that Demeter has been turning away her suitors. Ostensibly because none of them are good enough, but really, because she can't stomach the idea of yielding her oppressive control over her daughter's life. When Persephone fights back, Demeter banishes her as punishment, which results in her being abducted by Hades into the underworld and married against her will.
Hades is a true morally grey dark romance hero in this book: there is non-con and dub-con and she is brutal and cruel (but just, in a twisted sort of way). She slaps Persephone once, but Persephone throws a water pitcher at her head (to which Hades says, "Are you trying to seduce me?"). I don't normally like physical violence in romance novels from one of the love interests, but knowing that they are Greek gods, and how canonically cruel they are to each other (and not human) made it easier to stomach. I also liked how Tan showed how Hades extended Persephone small mercies that she didn't give others.
Also, you just got to appreciate a dark Greek romance that has female Hades railing Persephone with a strap-on.
But on a serious note, I LOVE how the focus of this book was on Persephone coming out from her mother's thumb, overcoming her mother's emotional abuse and learning to embrace her powers and not second guess herself at every turn. It was beautifully done.
I loved this book so much and my literal only complaint is that there aren't more books in this world.
5 stars
CAPTIVE IN THE UNDERWORLD starts out with Persephone being nagged by her narcissistic and emotionally abusive mother as they are on their way to a party. Persephone manages to escape her mother's clutches and hobnob a little before accidentally observing Zeus and (female) Hades having a somewhat heated discussion: Zeus wants Hades to bring one of his human lovers back from the dead and Hades says no.
Meanwhile, Persephone finds out that Demeter has been turning away her suitors. Ostensibly because none of them are good enough, but really, because she can't stomach the idea of yielding her oppressive control over her daughter's life. When Persephone fights back, Demeter banishes her as punishment, which results in her being abducted by Hades into the underworld and married against her will.
Hades is a true morally grey dark romance hero in this book: there is non-con and dub-con and she is brutal and cruel (but just, in a twisted sort of way). She slaps Persephone once, but Persephone throws a water pitcher at her head (to which Hades says, "Are you trying to seduce me?"). I don't normally like physical violence in romance novels from one of the love interests, but knowing that they are Greek gods, and how canonically cruel they are to each other (and not human) made it easier to stomach. I also liked how Tan showed how Hades extended Persephone small mercies that she didn't give others.
Also, you just got to appreciate a dark Greek romance that has female Hades railing Persephone with a strap-on.
But on a serious note, I LOVE how the focus of this book was on Persephone coming out from her mother's thumb, overcoming her mother's emotional abuse and learning to embrace her powers and not second guess herself at every turn. It was beautifully done.
I loved this book so much and my literal only complaint is that there aren't more books in this world.
5 stars
Read
January 27, 2021Un libro del genere con dei TW così pesanti merita delle riflessioni più approfondite che delle stelline su Goodreads, soprattutto per non minimizzarne il contenuto. L'autrice, lo dimostrano le avvertenze all'opera, era consapevole di quello che stava scrivendo: nel libro sono presenti violenza e abuso, rapimento e stupro... come accade nel mito di Ade e Persefone. Alla fine, come in ogni retelling della storia in questione, si finisce per romanticizzare eccessivamente la relazione tra queste due figure controverse; l'importante è non romanticizzare gli abusi sessuali e giustificare questo tipo di violenza, che non è quello che fa l'autrice, anche se la chiusura alla sindrome di Stoccolma è scontata, visto l'evolversi del sopra citato mito.
Se tematiche del genere vi turbano, ricordatevi che ci sono dei TW a specificare che questo non è il libro che fa per voi. Tutto sommato l'opera è molto scorrevole e si fa leggere come una fanfiction, inoltre mi ha dato molti spunti di riflessione relativamente al mito di Ade e Persefone, il loro rapporto e a come affrontare opere che presentano al loro interno violenze sessuali.
Se tematiche del genere vi turbano, ricordatevi che ci sono dei TW a specificare che questo non è il libro che fa per voi. Tutto sommato l'opera è molto scorrevole e si fa leggere come una fanfiction, inoltre mi ha dato molti spunti di riflessione relativamente al mito di Ade e Persefone, il loro rapporto e a come affrontare opere che presentano al loro interno violenze sessuali.
Read
November 22, 2021DNF about 150 pages in. I gave it a shot but there's only so much forgettably bad literature my brain can take.
February 14, 2023
i read this last year and i can't stress how much i loved it, so i might come back for a re-read just because it's pride month
January 16, 2021
This was a different read for me. I’ve not read much Dark Fantasy and it’s definitely something that is not for everyone. I recommend looking into it before pick it up thinking you’re getting a happy fairytale. That being said I knew what I was getting into before I read the book and I loved it. It was hard to put down for things like work and sleep. I will definitely be watching for more books from Tan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2024
I wasn't sure I was going to like this with it being a Dark Romance... There were a few scenes some would definitely feel uncomfortable with . I enjoyed the actual story 👍🏻
January 10, 2023
i think i’ve found a new author i’ve fallen in love with! this author’s writing is just so good and compelling that even with the stories’ faults, i can’t help but still overall enjoy the novels.
let me start by saying this is easily my favourite portrayal of hades. i’ve seen people do darker versions of him and people do that soft guy™️ weird infantalization thing but i think this one is the best version that makes her sympathetic (to an extent) and pretty brutal, as i’d imagine you’d have to be. the original portrayal of this myth has been dumbed down so much in an attempt to make it seem as though hades is The Nice God that i think people forget, it’s kinda fucked up! so i’m glad the author didn’t feel the need to make hades’ character totally sweet and innocent (especially since a lot of gay/lesbian retellings love to un-evil characters in attempt to make the rep more sanitized ig)
though, i would’ve liked MORE. from the story. something i’ve realized from this author is that she has one really interesting and obviously well thought out character (hades, verity), her mcs are kinda…meh, they have a few key moments of standing up for themselves but it’s just meh overall and then the other major female character involved kinda feels one note? (demeter, po lam). like i really wished there was more nuance to demeter’s portrayal? don’t get me wrong, the relationship between her and persephone was relatable a bit (thankfully my mom isn’t quite as brutal) but still, i feel like it would’ve been better to not just make her the stereotypical evil mom that every other retelling makes her? also would’ve been nice if zeus showed up and was like yeah i did that or summ…idk
overall though, i enjoyed the story though! after reading two of the author’s works i know for sure i’ll be patiently waiting for another one. and i’m loving my dive into the lesbian dark romance genre so far…
let me start by saying this is easily my favourite portrayal of hades. i’ve seen people do darker versions of him and people do that soft guy™️ weird infantalization thing but i think this one is the best version that makes her sympathetic (to an extent) and pretty brutal, as i’d imagine you’d have to be. the original portrayal of this myth has been dumbed down so much in an attempt to make it seem as though hades is The Nice God that i think people forget, it’s kinda fucked up! so i’m glad the author didn’t feel the need to make hades’ character totally sweet and innocent (especially since a lot of gay/lesbian retellings love to un-evil characters in attempt to make the rep more sanitized ig)
though, i would’ve liked MORE. from the story. something i’ve realized from this author is that she has one really interesting and obviously well thought out character (hades, verity), her mcs are kinda…meh, they have a few key moments of standing up for themselves but it’s just meh overall and then the other major female character involved kinda feels one note? (demeter, po lam). like i really wished there was more nuance to demeter’s portrayal? don’t get me wrong, the relationship between her and persephone was relatable a bit (thankfully my mom isn’t quite as brutal) but still, i feel like it would’ve been better to not just make her the stereotypical evil mom that every other retelling makes her? also would’ve been nice if zeus showed up and was like yeah i did that or summ…idk
overall though, i enjoyed the story though! after reading two of the author’s works i know for sure i’ll be patiently waiting for another one. and i’m loving my dive into the lesbian dark romance genre so far…
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