Series- Daughters of Zeus Book #1
There are worse things than death, worse people too.
The "talk" was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they're a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn't until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.
Title- Daughter of the Earth and Sky
Series- Daughters of Zeus Book # 2
Some vows can never be broken.
Persephone thought she could go back to her normal life after returning from the Underworld. She was wrong.
The goddess Aphrodite is born among the waves with more charm than she can control. Zeus is stalking Persephone and her loved ones, and Thanatos is no longer content with Persephone's silence.
He wants her soul.
Persephone can't tell anyone about Thanatos' betrayal, and it drives a wedge between her and Hades. Her mother is still keeping secrets, and Melissa's jealousy of Aphrodite threatens to tear their friendship apart.
Alone, Persephone turns to a human boy for comfort. But will their relationship put him in danger?
Sacrifices must be made, and Persephone must choose between her human life and her responsibilities as a goddess. If she doesn't, she could lose them both.
But will either life be worth choosing once Zeus is through with her?
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Book Info:
Title- The Iron Queen
Series- The Daughters of Zeus Book # 3
By- Kaitlin Bevis
Genre- YA Paranormal
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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Playlist:
Can you share the playlist you listened to while writing ‘Persephone’ with us?
I don't listen to music while I write, and I'm really not a music person. I like songs, but they don't inspire me to write. But...every now and then, sometimes years after the book has been written, I'll hear one and I'll think "wow, this really fits." So I've made a list of a few of those. Full disclaimer, I'm not a music person. Never have been. So if my song choices feel completely wrong to you after reading the book, please suggest some, lol.
1) A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars
"It's a beautiful lie
It's the perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful it makes me..."
This song makes me think of Persephone because that's what her life was at first. A beautiful lie, but reality was starting to shine through the cracks, making her feel that while her life was perfect, she didn't belong in it.
2) (Don't Fear) The Reaper by the Blue Oyster Cult
Yeah there's no point in even pulling a quote from this one because the title says it all. This song might as well be Thanatos' theme song. At least for book one. He spends so much time trying to convince Persephone not to be afraid of him or his Reapers. Also, the song is creepy if you think about it, so it fits.
3) Magdalena by Perfect Circle.
I bear witness
To this place, this prayer, so long forgotten
So pure
So rare
To witness such an earthly goddess
Really it's just the fact that thing song mentioned a goddess that made me think of it.
4) Into the Night by Santana
"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell,
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,
how the devil himself could be pulled out of me,
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,Every soul in the room keeping time with there hands,
And we sang."
My friend actual suggested this song, and when l listened to it, I was thrilled with how well it fit. It reminds me of the scene at the Brumalia festival wen Persephone and Hades are dancing.
4) A Lifetime by Better than Ezra or Last Kiss by Pearl Jam
"Allie woke up 8AM
Graduation day.
Got into a car,
And crashed along the way.
When we arrived late to the wake,
Stole the urn while they
Looked away,
And drove to the beach
'Cause I knew you'd want it
That way.
And you were standing
On the hood of the car
Singing out loud
When the sun came up.
And I know I wasn't right,
But it felt so good.
And your mother didn't mind,
Like I thought she would.
And that REM song was playing
In my mind.
And three and a half minutes
Felt like a lifetime"
The only thing about these songs that makes me think of Persephone is the mood they evoke. Seriously, listen to the whole song (either one), read the lyrics and try not to cry. I feel like Orpheus sang something like this to plead his case to Persephone and Hades.
5) Age Aint Nuthin by a Number
Obvious reasons on this one. So obvious the title says it all. Age is a major point of contention for Hades and Persephone, as it should be.
6) Alive by P.O.D
Sunshine upon my face
A new song for me to sing
Tell the world how I feel inside
Even though it might cost me everything
I, I feel so alive
For the very first time
I can't deny you
I feel so alive
I, I feel so alive
For the very first time
An' I think I can fly
This song makes me think of the way Hades feels about Persephone.
8) Bring Me to Life by Evanescence
"Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling
Only you are the life among the dead"
This song makes me think of what happened after Orpheus went public and all the dream stuff with Boreas. Sorry, it's really hard to describe while this fits without spoilers, lol.
7) Demons by Imagine Dragon
There is *so* much about this song that fits that I'd literally have to paste the whole song here. I feel like it perfectly captures that jaded sense that the older gods in my series have, and the driving need Hades has to protect Persephone from him but his unwillingness to lie to her that ends up drawing her to him. This is really more Hades' anthem for the whole series, because it takes him awhile to get past what this song describes.
10) Roar by Katy Perry.
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake your ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now
Persephone started the book shy, and easily pushed around but by the end of the first book she'd grown much more confident in herself and her abilities and she fought back. There's a lot to this song that doesn't fit, but the basic attitude of it fits.
Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book, and a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. She's always wanted to be a writer, and spent high school and college learning everything she could so that one day she could achieve that goal. She graduated college with my BFA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and is pursuing her masters at the University of Georgia.
Her young adult series "Daughters of Zeus" is available wherever ebooks are sold. She also writes for truuconfessions.com and Athens Parent Magazine.
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Persephone:
The branch crashed in front of me, scraping my legs. I ran for the parking lot as fast as I could. The frost closed in, surrounding me. I’d never been claustrophobic, but as the frost cut off my escape path with a solid white wall, I panicked.
Fog rolled in, like cold death, cutting off my view of the park. It curled around me, brushing against my face, arms, and legs. I turned back to the tree and ran faster, my dress tangling between my legs as the fog and icy wind blew against my skin.
The parking lot is the other way! my mind screamed. The other way was cut off by a mountain of ice. I felt as if I was being herded. By ice?
I slipped on the icy ground, falling face first into the frost. Ice crept up my toes and along my legs. I thrashed and screamed. I felt the fog becoming a solid mass above me, pinning me to the ground. The ice piled around me. Am I going to be buried alive?
I dug my nails into the frigid snow in front of me and tried to claw my way out of the frosted death trap. I was so panicked I didn’t feel it when my nails broke against the impenetrable wall of ice, leaving red crescents of blood welling up on sensitive skin. An hysterical sob worked its way out of my throat as I gouged red lines into the ice. The ice was above my knees, snaking its way up my thighs. I shivered.
Shivering’s good, I reminded myself. It means your body hasn’t given up…yet. The cold was painful, like a thousand little knives pricking my skin. A violent tremor went up my spine, sending waves of pain through me.
“Help me!” I screamed, knowing it was futile. I was going to die here.
Except I couldn’t die. Could I? Mom said I was immortal, but was that all-inclusive? Did I have a weakness? Was snow my Kryptonite? If I got hurt, would I heal or would I be trapped in an injured body in pain forever?
I suddenly didn’t know if immortality was a good thing or a bad thing. The cold hurt. I was kicking, screaming, and clawing my way out of the frost, but for every inch I gained a mountain piled around me. I thought I heard a man’s laughter on the wind, the sound somehow colder than the ice freezing me into place.
The ground before my outstretched hand trembled. The shaking increased. The earth lurched beneath me. The surface cracked and the sound was so loud that for a moment all I could hear was high-pitched ringing in my ears. The ground split into an impossibly deep crevice. My voice went hoarse from screaming as I peered into the endless abyss, trapped and unable to move away from the vertigo-inducing edge.
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