Book Review: The Iron Queen by Kaitlin Bevis

Title:  The Iron Queen
Author:  Kaitlin Bevis
Genre:  YA mythology retelling
Series:  Daughters of Zeus #3
Publisher:  Musa Publishing
Format:  Ebook
Acquired via:  Purchased through iBooks

Rating:  


Synopsis from goodreads.com:  Life is hell for Persephone. Zeus will stop at nothing to gain access to the living realm and the Underworld, and as the only living god with a right to both, Persephone’s in trouble. Captured and tortured beyond the limits of her resolve, Persephone must find the power to stand against Zeus. But will she be strong enough? 

Meanwhile, Hades contemplates desperate measures to rescue his queen. Persephone never thought of herself as dangerous, but there’s a reason gods never marry for love. A being with the power to destroy all of creation shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the rest of the planet. But Hades...Hades would break the world for her.
To save the world and stop both Hades and Zeus, Persephone must make a difficult choice. One that may cost her everything.

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You know I have to really love a series to be willing to read a book using an e-reader.  The Daughters of Zeus series is only available as an e-book, so I've been reading them on my iPod touch.  And as annoying as that is, this series is so worth it.

The Iron Queen is the third book of the Daughters of Zeus, and hopefully not the last.  I stayed up late to read this, because like the previous two books, once I started, I couldn't put it down.

What I loved

• Different perspectives  -  The story was told from multiple perspectives, which I always love.  It adds more depth and fills the reader in on things happening elsewhere in the story.  The book switched between Persephone, Hades, and Aphrodite.  It was interesting to see how each character reacted to the situations around them.  It also provided more insight into their personalities as well.
• Unexpected twists  -  There were definitely things that happened that I didn't see coming.  It's always refreshing when a story can take you by surprise.  The ending was also great because it wasn't a killer cliffhanger, but it did leave some things open so there could be more books. (Please let there be more books!)
• Hades  -  Yes, I am going to gush like a silly fangirl here because I LOVE Hades.  He's currently at the top of my fictional crushes list because he's gorgeous, passionate, romantic, heroic... I could go on, but I will spare you.
• New characters  -  I loved some of the new characters that were introduced.  Several of the other major Olympians make an appearance, such as Athena and Ares.  There were plenty of demigods and minor gods who got some attention as well.  At first, I was worried that adding so many new characters would make things confusing, but it actually enhanced the story.  I'm hoping that if there are more books that some of these characters come back.
• Lots of movement and action  -  Just like the first two books of the series, this book had lots of action and a fast pace, which made for a quick but exciting read.  It kept me on the edge of my seat (bed), wanting to see what happened next.
• Character development  -  Even though the book moved quickly, there was still time for character development.  Hades and Aphrodite especially got some great depth to their characters.  I still think Aphrodite is one of the most annoying people ever, but at least now she's a much less superficial character than before.

Greek mythology retellings are my favorite, especially Hades & Persephone's story, and this is one of the best adaptations I've read yet.  I'm really hoping for another book to this series because I do not want it to be over.