I just love the Hades and Persephone written this way, him wanting to protect her and her making him feel safe and wanted. ( )

This series is an extraordinary retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. Myths change and adapt to new settings and Rachel Smythe has facilitated that process in a stellar fashion. It is really the best comic out there. ( )

I love the Lore Olympus books and Volume 4 was no exception. They’re so stunning to look at and full of such great scenes. I loved the further exploration of Persephone’s trauma and the ways in which she tries to establish boundaries with Hades. She’s really coming into herself and building confidence which — we love to see.

Can’t wait for the next installment in October! ( )

Not my favorite installment of the series - but still good enough to keep me going. We start to learn more about Persephone's childhood and Hades motives. I like this series and the illustrations in this graphic novel are unmatched. I can't wait for the 5th one. ( )

Thanks to Random House & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this beautifully written and well-researched story of two 21-year-old sisters at the outbreak of World War I. Identical twins Peggy and Maude have worked since they were 12 years old as bindery girls at Oxford University’s Clarendon Press. They live on the Oxford canal in a book-filled narrowboat named Calliope, now alone since their mother died about four years ago.

Despite Peggy’s improbable desire to study at Somerville College and become a writer, she feels she can’t leave her sister Maude, who is on the spectrum with autism-like issues. And without a scholarship there is no way Peggy would be able to attend anyway. Every day they work at folding, gathering, and sewing the pages of books that they are forbidden to read: “Your job is to bind the books, not read them.” The novel is told by Peggy, who says, “I want to write the books. I want my ideas to be printed, I want my experience to count. I want to share something.”

In addition to the description of working in the bindery, the author does an excellent job of describing the women’s suffragette movement, the inequalities and limitations women face, as well as the cultural changes taking place due to the Great War, and the repercussions of the Spanish Flu.

A few of the characters recur from “The Dictionary of Lost Words,” Pip Williams’ earlier historical novel that I also rated 5 stars. Both books feature the bindery, highlight young women who love words and books, and who have a future of great potential but are held back by the culture of the time and their place in society.

It was easy to become involved with the characters’ lives and the history of the period. I was sorry when the novel ended. I highly recommend this “immersive and compelling tale.” ( )