+ A kind, tenacious main character you can empathise with
+ Easy, flowing writing
+ Sweet and believable relationships between characters
+ Strong supporting characters
YMMV
+/- The writing was in places a little too breathless for me
Cons
- The After was a little disappointing
I saw a recommendation for this book on the author Jenny Trout's blog and, as I've always been a fan of myths retold, bought it. And then, in the usual way of things, it sat unread for a few months before I saw it again and thought, oh hey, I'll read that one now.
I didn't have any particular expectations, but fell in love quickly with both the author's writing style and Persephone, the main character. For quite a young and naïve girl she has the strength to stand by her convictions, even when they run the risk of backfiring spectacularly on her--and there never felt like there was any guarantee that they wouldn't. It always felt as though there was an element of danger to her decisions. It also didn't read like a "classicly YA" story; I quickly forgot its genre as it contains certain delicately-written love scenes that wouldn't be out of place in some of the non-YA romance I've read.
The ending was satisfying, which is possibly why the After section felt a little like a let-down, jarring in comparison to the end of the story itself. It makes sense and fits in, it just felt a little discordant following on from the rest of the story--but it certainly doesn't detract from the overall effect of a touching love story that converts a myth into something wonderful.
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