lore olympus vol 3 by rachel smythe

Persephone starts her internship with the Underworld Corp, and is struggling with her scholarship with the Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood. Eros gets her to open up about what's happened, and she breaks down. He brings her to his home, full of Venus' other children, and Venus figures out everything as well - what Apollo did, and that she has a crush on Hades. Persephone swears them to secrecy. Meanwhile, Hades is still trying not to have a crush on Persephone and work things out with Minthe, but Persephone being near him is enough for his resolve to crumble. They tour the Underworld together for several as part of her orientation, not realizing the passage of time. Then, Hecate gifts Hades with something personal - a letter between her and Persephone that tells of the actual first meeting between Hades and Kore, which Hades has no memory of at all.

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There is quite a lot of talking in this volume, but it's definitely needed. After the last two books had some shock value to them, it's nice that we get to see Hades and Persephone actually form a friendship - it's not a montage or told to us later. There are a lot of helpful things about this book as well - characters advocate for therapy and self-care to deal with traumatic incidents. It's yet to be seen whether anyone will take the advice, but the representation is important, and it's good to see that characters treat trauma delicately and appropriately.

The art is a stand-out again in this volume. Smythe really used the new medium to be able to expand some panels that already had an impressive amount of detail so it feels really immersive.
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Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
ISBN: 9780593160312​​ (Hardcover)

​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Graphic Fiction, Mythology, ​Romance, Del Rey