Normally, I’m hesitant to read books based on Greek mythology as they often disappoint me. Nevertheless, a close friend recommended Daughter of Darkness, stating that it had a unique approach, so I decided to give it a chance and I’m glad I did.

To start with I did love the unique approach to Greek mythology in this book. The new take on Orpheus and Eurydice was refreshing. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The idea of children being born with the mark of god on their forehead and magical abilities, and being sorted into specific houses based on these abilities, was an interesting addition to the story. The fact that they become indentured to serve their assigned house for life added a dark element to the plot, unless they manage to repay their debt through their services. The book’s masterful portrayal of the underworld, with its intricately crafted world and gripping plot twists, suspense, and adventures, was impressive.

However, I struggled to understand the rationale behind the authors’ decision to switch Hades’ gender. It’s possible that the gender switch was intended to add a surprise element to the story, but in my opinion, it didn’t add any significant value to the plot. Although the characters were well-crafted, I found it challenging to connect with any of them.

Despite her claims of selflessness and her willingness to help her friends at any cost, Deina’s actions proved to be extremely self-centered. When faced with a choice between her own happiness and that of her friends, she consistently prioritized her own desires over theirs.

Theron was a misogynistic character who consistently belittled Deina in every possible way. He came across as an unpleasant individual from the very beginning, and I found it challenging to empathize with his character. It was also difficult for me to understand why Deina was drawn to him despite his behavior towards her because they ‘used to be friends’ and his claims of doing all those things just to relate to his male friends didn’t impress me either.

I found it hard to connect with Chryse’s character too. Despite the authors’ attempts to portray her as naive and victimized, she across as selfish. Moreover, the relationship between Deina and Chryse, being the only significant female friendship in the story, lacked depth and felt superficial.

I’m uncertain if the characters Aster or Drex added much to the overall story. Although I found Drex slightly more interesting than Aster, both characters failed to capture my attention and fell short of expectations.

I was never a fan of teenage girls sleeping with timeless entities so I found it very difficult to swallow Thanatos’ filtrations interactions with Deina.

My relationship with this book was a mix of both positive and negative emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid world-building and the constant stream of plot twists, but when it came to the characters, I found it difficult to connect with them and couldn’t fully immerse myself in the story.