Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Review: Cora: The Unwilling Queen by Amy Hutchinson

Title: Cora: The Unwilling Queen
Author: Amy Hutchinson
Genre: Young Adult - Mythology Retelling
Media Type: Trade Paperback
Published: December 22, 2012
Length: Novel
Reviewer: Jasmyn

What if the ancient story of Persephone and Hades wasn't just a myth?

Cora Dell has, up until her junior year, lived the ordinary life of an ordinary teenager. But that was before the dreams started-vivid dreams of another world and a darkly seductive stranger who whispers intriguing promises into her ear. When her dreams turn into nightmares, however, she suspects that her nightly journeys into this foreign world may be more than fantasy. With the help of her two best friends-and an unexpected ally-Cora struggles to find a solution that will keep her safely in the world she calls home.


Cora: The Unwilling Queen is the first part in a great re-telling of the Persephone myth (which happens to be one of my favorites). Cora has been selected by the ruler of the underworld to be his new queen, taking her away in her dreams to try and convince her to stay with him. She's suspicious and holds off his advances while she discovers the truth about what her dreams may really mean. She meets several other people of the underworld along the way, with one being quite memorable to her and the reader.

I enjoyed the character of Cora and her two best friends. None of them were perfect, but there were genuinely good people that cared about each other. The only part I found hard to swallow was how accepting Cora's parents were of her situation. I know it's fiction, but there was very little "shock factor" that was written in when she told them of her trips to the underworld.

All in all an enjoyable first part to the Persephone myth re-told in modern days. The myth itself is even mentioned a few times as the girls try to figure out what is going on.


 

No comments:

Post a Comment