A Game of Fate (Hades Saga, #1) by Scarlett St. Clair

A Game of Fate (Hades Saga, #1) Reviews

• 
  human

  This book was basically just
  A Touch of Darkness but told through Hades' perspective.
  
  So, naturally, everything was 100x funnier and 100x less annoying. (Basically, Hades spends the entire book being angsty and horny.)
  
  The writing is still the same, the drama is still the same, and, of course, the smut is the same.
  
  There was, however, an additional plotline because apparently he doesn't just simp for Persephone in his free time, and we see a lot of the other gods, too, which I enjoyed as well.
  
  Overall, this was probably better than A Touch of Darkness.
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  why didn't they stick to the same font family as the main series??
  my EYES
  rtc
• 
  • Lindsey Dahling •

  Does this book add much to the plot of book 1? No.
  Did I read this book for plot? Also no.
  
  If you’re like me and reading this book for territorial, ready-for-bone-town-24/7 Hades, then hot damn will this pay off. I’m pleased. No complaints.
  
  The book does have other charming elements:
  
  1. It brings me life each time Hecate calls Hades an idiot.
  She’s not wrong. I laugh every single time.
  
  2. Hades’s banter with Hecate and Hermes.
  The way all three of them troll each other is truly spectacular, particularly how the two of them love to gang up on Hades. 🤣😈
  
  3. “Fucking Fates.”
  Hades is really sick of their shit and I need his catchphrase engraved on my tombstone.
  
  4. You get to see more of the other gods.
  My Greek mythology knowledge begins with Disney’s Hercules and ends with the first Percy Jackson book, so this was exciting. I especially liked seeing Hephaestus. Didn’t even know he existed before reading this, so this was a very educational experience.
  
• 
  Labibliotecadidaphne

  Un po' meno, Ade. Un po' meno.
  Ok che lei è bellissima ed è tutto quello che hai sempre desiderato, però cribbio fatti una doccia fredda ogni tanto.
  
  Bollenti spiriti a parte, questo libro mi è piaciuto più di A touch of darkness. A differenza del primo volume, qui la trama è più definita e ho trovato piacevole seguire la storia del Dio degli Inferi, tra un'anima da salvare e una da punire.
  
  Mi è dispiaciuto vedere che alcune volte le conversazioni non fossero riportate pari pari al primo libro, ma oltre a questo è stata una lettura davvero piacevole.
  
  Sono sicura che ognuno avrà una sua opinione riguardo a questo libro (giustamente), ma non pecco di arroganza se dico che siamo tutti d'accordo che il miglior personaggio della saga sia Ecate, vero?
  Più capitoli con Ecate ed Ermes a prendere in giro Ade, grazie.
  
  3 stelle belle piene.
• 
  Madita

  3.5 Stars
  
  Okay so this is a touch of darkness out of hades Perspective and yes I did really REALLY love this sometimes embarrassed, confused type of Hades but wow there were wayyyyyyyy too many sex scenes for my liking.
  Do not get me wrong, the plot was there and the characters too (I especially loved how we saw the business side of Hades) but it was just a bit too much and repetitive.
  
• 
  jaymiej

  4.5/5 ⭐
  2.5/5 🌶️
  
  “Are you well?” GODS. I LOVE THAT. Love that…
  
  A Touch of Darkness from Hades’s POV. This was perhaps the BEST retelling of a good book from the romantic partner's POV EVER. I've always been a big fan of the Hades and Persephone myth. Their physical attraction to each other and the Greek mythology was brilliant.
  
  Quotes:
  “Take her, and I will destroy this world. Take her, and I will destroy you. Take her, and I will end us all.”
  
  “No one prays to the God of the Dead, my lady, and when they do, it is already too late.”
• 
  Angie Cox

  2 ⭐️ A story about how Hades’ d!ck gets hard every time Persephone walks in the room
  
  This story added absolutely nothing of value to this series. Sure, it’s nice to have Hades POV but not when there’s hardly any depth to him. I felt like I understood his character more from
  A Touch of Darkness.
  
  
  And the way this story was told . . . it was disjointed, often skipping from one scene to the next without any warning. I never felt like I had time to connect to what was going on before we moved onto another scene.
  
  
  The romance (if you could even call if that) was nonexistent. Its was all about sex for Hades, even though we know that’s really not true. But that’s how it comes across. Every fucking time Hades sees Persephone, his dick gets hard and he’s on the verge of coming. First off, slow down buddy, she’s more than just a piece of ass. Second, it’s like the author forgot to write about their emotional connection and made their relationship entirely superficial. Plus, all the sex scenes were rushed. One minute they’re playing cards and the next he’s making her scream his name while ‘balls deep’ inside her. The way their entire relationship was written is such a turn off.
  
  
  Here are just a few (ridiculous) examples of Hades getting horny:
  
  When he sees Persephone for the first time:
  "His cock grew hard, pinned against his leg and trousers."
  
  When he thinks about Persephone:
  "His head started to rush, and a warmth spread through him that went straight to his cock. He groaned; he was going to have to expel some of this energy."
  
  When Persephone looks at him:
  "She lifted her chin and narrowed those lovely eyes, and he had the fleeting thought that he would like for her to look at him like that while she rode his cock, hard and fast."
  
  When Persephone leaves him:
  "Hades teleported to his chambers, naked, cock straining, desperate for release. . . he braced himself against the table and wrapped his fingers around his swollen length, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes."
  
  When they play strip poker:
  "Lust ran through his veins, straight to his cock. . . He wanted her naked, spread before him. He wanted to be balls-deep inside her."
  
  When he wakes up next to Persephone:
  "Hades woke instantly, his cock hard."
  
  When they have an argument:
  "She crossed her arms over her chest, and he couldn’t help letting his gaze fall there. . . "
  *Eyes up, buddy.
  
  When Persephone dances:
  "It wasn’t long before she approached him, eyes burning and body dripping in gold. It was something out of a fantasy, and he could not help imagining her kneeling before him to take his cock into her mouth. Already it strained, restricted by his robes."
  
  When Persephone teaches him how to bake:
  "Hades left the kitchen, disappearing down a hallway until he found the bathroom. He shut himself inside and leaned against the door, reaching into his pants and clasping his cock. He’d have much rather had Persephone’s hand on him, her mouth around him, her sex clenching his own, but this would have to suffice until they were alone. He worked himself until he came."
  *This one is ridiculous. He legit has to go to the bathroom to rub one out. He couldn't wait a few hours till they were alone and could bang??? Good gods, he has no control.
  
  
  Hades is a horny mofo, and honestly, it's a bit much. He's over a million years old, so why is he acting like a horny teenager? It's one thing to be desired, but an entirely different thing when it becomes a weird sexual obsession. I was really hoping for some good insight into Hades' emotional connection to Persephone, but all we got was horny Hades. I know he views Persephone as more than just something to put his d!ck in, he even says it, but there wasn't enough character development or inner dialogue for me to actually believe otherwise.
  
  
  The only thing I enjoyed was the additional world building aspect i.e. learning more about the Gods, Fates and the storyline with Sisyphus. These side plots were interesting and helped explain the politics, history, and personalities of the gods of Olympus. I especially loved every encounter Hades had with Hecate, Hephaestus, and Hermes. But while I enjoyed these scenes, I was mostly reading for Hades x Persephone, and that aspect of the book sucked. . . so hence, the overall disappointment.
  
  
  While this book did not live up to my expectations, I'll still continue reading the series because I’m intrigued by the general storyline and I like the world-building. Just hoping that Scarlett St. Clair finds a way to show depth between Hades and Persephone in the next books.
• 
  paige

  "What was evil to one was a fight for freedom to another."
  
  °•*⁀➷
  
  I love the push and pull between Hades and Persephone no matter what version of them I am reading. It's entertaining and always incredible as far as the romance goes. This series is not the exception.
  
  I read Persephone's perspective before I read this and wanted to give myself enough time in between to not feel like I was reading the same book for the second time when I read Hades. And I'm so glad that I did. I feel like I would have enjoyed his perspective more anyways, but with the time between, I enjoyed this so much.
  
  I found Persephone to be very whiny and a lot of her decisions to have no true base, but when you read them from Hades side, and you see her struggle... it made it feel almost realistic (I say almost because she should have treated him better. Everyone should).
  
  I love Hades. I love that current stories paint him as the misunderstood God with a bad reputation. I can't wait to see what he has to say about the next book... because from Persephone's side, I did not like it very much at all.
  
  - Paige
• 
  Shirin T.

  My favorite Greek Mythology god, Hades' perfection is irresistible and tempting as hell.
  
  
  
  “She looks so…happy,” Hades said, more to himself than anyone else, but Hecate was there to answer.
  “Of course she’s happy. She just spent four years in purgatory.”
  “College, Hecate,” Hermes corrected. “I think you mean college.”
  “Same thing,” she shot back.
  
  
  
  I love them.:)
  
  Full review for book 2, jumping to it!
  
  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• 
  chantalsbookstuff

  Hades has discovered what the Fates have instore for him, that Persephone is his future wife. Persephone is very strong willed and makes it quiet hard for Hades.
  
  I did like this book, the story was good and character building was well-developed. However, after about the 6th smut scene I kind of just switched off.
  
  A little less smut and this would have been a 4 star for me. I read this book as I received an ARC for the second book.
• 
  Ali Mohebianfar

  ری تلینگ جذابی از افسانه دوست داشتنی هیدس و پرسفونه+دیگر خدایان و الهه های یونان.
  
  داستان در زمان حال و جهان امروزی روایت می شه. هیدس، خدای مردگان، یه کلاب داره که در اونجا با مشتریانش قمار می کنه و در ازای برنده شدن یا باختن، لطفی به مشتریانش می ده یا می گیره.
  بعد از اینکه با آفرودیت، ایزدبانوی عشق، شرطبندی می کنه، با پرسفونه، دختر دمتر، الهه حاصلخیزی که بدجوری از هیدس نفرت داره، رو به رو می شه. و این شروعیه برای عشق ممنوعه این دو.
  از طرفی دیگه، سیسیفوس�� پادشاه ظالم کرینت، همونجور که در افسانه ی خودش دوبار مرگ رو فریب می ده و از چنگال اون می گریزه، در جهان امروزی هم همین کارو انجام می ده و خشم خواهران تقدیر رو شعله ور می کنه. خواهران تقدیر که خواستار مرگ سیسیفوس هستن، از هیدس می خوان که اونو به جهان مردگان برگردونه، وگرنه تقدیرِ پرسفونه رو از تقدیرِ هیدس جدا می کنن و مانع از بهم رسیدن این دو می شن...
  
  ترکیب جهان امروزی و اساطیر یونان همیشه برای من جذاب بوده. مخصوصا که وقتی نویسنده ها خلاقیت به خرج بدن و از افسانه های ریز و درشت در جای جای قصه خودشون استفاده کنن. از این رو، نویسنده این اثر به خوبی از عهده این کار براومده و در جای جای قصه از ریزه کاری هایی استفاده کرده که برای مخاطب اساطیردوست، شدیدا جذاب و زیرکانه ست. استفاده از قصه سیسیفوس که زیاد مشهور نیست و ترکیبش با قصه هیدس و پرسفونه، حضور هکاته و هرمس و آفرودیت و هفاستئوس در گوشه و کنار قصه، اضافه شدن داستان آدونیس و...
  همه و همه، تسلط و خلاقیت نویسنده رو نشون می دن و منو کنجکاو می کنن که توی جلدای بعد چه برگ برنده هایی رو می خواد برامون رو کنه!
  
  نکته جالب درباره این مجموعه اینه که نویسنده به شما حق انتخاب راوی داستان رو داده. چجوری؟
  سه جلد رو با همین داستان از زاویه دید پرسفونه نوشته که با کتاب A Touch of Darkness شروع می شه. و سه جلد رو با همین داستان از زاویه دید هیدس که با همین کتاب (A Game of Fate) شروع می شه. کلیت هردو داستان یکیه ولی خب چون راوی ها متفاوتن، ریزه کاری ها و جزئیات متفاوتی هم دارن. کتابای هیدس جنبه اساطیری بیشتری دارن و حضور الهه ها و خدایان دیگر توی این کتابا نسبت به کتابای پرسفونه پررنگ تره.
  در نهایت و در کتاب A Touch of Chaos که هنوز منتشر نشده، هردو مجموعه به هم می پیوندن و قصه به صورت یک فصل در میون با زاویه دید هیدس و پرسفونه، به سرانجام می رسه.
  
  واقعا از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم و نه تنها میخوام ادامه مجموعه رو بخونم، که می خوام مجموعه A Touch of Darkness رو هم به TBR اضافه کنم و در آینده بخونم😊
  
  پ.ن: قصه صحنه های اروتیک داره پس به رده سنی +۱۸ توجه کنید.
• 
  Ms reads a lot

  4.5 stars ⭐️
  
  I read this right after reading A Touch Of Darkness, which is Hades and Persephone’s story, told entirely from her POV . I thought this book would be essentially the same story but told from his perspective.
  
  I don’t normally like books like this. I’ve always felt that these types of books were kind of a money grab, because it’s basically a recycled plot, just with different inner monologue. BUT I actually really loved this one! Largely because it’s NOT the same story as A Touch Of Darkness. The only parts that were the same were the parts where H & P were together, but this book had an entirely different plot from ATOD, and the plot in this one was actually WAY better than ATOD.
  
  This book was also smuttier than ATOD. The author actually used grown up, R rated words, to describe body parts, as opposed to “centre” and “hardness” 🙄, which was one of the things that annoyed me about ATOD. There were also additional smexy scenes that weren’t in ATOD. I loved everything about this book!
• 
  jessica

  this review is going to be the same thing i write for every book that has been rewritten from the POV of the male main character - this is really nothing new, but i obviously must enjoy the story if i am willing to read it again.
  
  i do like how the reader gets some glimpses into the life of a god - we didnt get to see a lot of that in ‘a touch of darkness.’ i also found hades to be a much more sympathetic MC than persephone - i could relate to his decisions and feelings more.
  
  overall, this is exactly what i expected it to be. nothing more. nothing less.
  
  ↠ 4 stars
• 
  Tricia

  Historically POV switch retellings have been mostly misses for me but this one was a total hit! I loved getting Hades perspective on how things went down in A Touch of Darkness and even better it was great to see more of what some of the other Gods were up to that we had not previously seen in ATOD. More Hecate and Hermes is NEVER a bad thing imo and I really enjoyed the happenings with Aphrodite and Hephaestus as well. It was fun and surprisingly fresh and I can't wait for more!
• 
  ♥Milica♥

  So, my first impression of this book was that Hades's PoV is cute. My second impression is that this and A Touch of Darkness should've been squished into one book, but with alternating PoVs.
  
  The reason is that this series is a companion to the main series, and I don't think it stands that well on its own.
  
  For example, all the jumping around. If I hadn't read the first Persephone book I'd be lost as to how the characters were suddenly in a different place, and the connection between them seems slightly less real in this one.
  
  I did guess correctly that Hades knew Persephone was his fated lover from the start so that was nice, but he didn't always act like it.
  
  I do want to read A Game of Retribution (I have to, in fact), and I thought I could read that one first instead of A Touch of Ruin, but judging by this book I'm not so sure...I think I'll have to read Persephone's PoV first again to get the full picture and then Hades's PoV for the fillers.
• 
  Yeganeh

  ~3.5 stars~
  
  If you ask what my main problem with the
  A Touch of Darkness series is I would say:
  
  PERSEPHONE
  
  so naturally, everything was 10 times better and not annoying the way Persephone thinks. in Persephone's pov, Hades were only there for just smut( I refuse to say that cringe 3 word). even though I have to admit, in here Persephone basically was the same thing Hades was in that books, I preferred the way things handled here. It was less cringy to be honest.
  
  Also, Hades is much more compelling and complicated god that to only be occupied with Persephone's need. Here, I could see what was really going on behind Persephone's back in that series. we didn't get to see a lot of that in ‘a touch of darkness.’ I also found Hades to be a much more sympathetic MC than Persephone
  
  So, If you ask me honestly, I would have say just go ahead and read this series instead of
  A Touch of Darkness. 🤷🏼‍♀️
• 
  Danielle (The Blonde Likes Books)

  While I did really like A Game of Fate, I preferred reading Persephone's POV in A Touch of Darkness. I felt like ATOD did a great job of really building up the tension between Hades and Persephone, as well as allowing the reader to better understand how Persephone's opinions about Hades changed over time. I did appreciate seeing Hades' perspective in this book, however without understanding Persephone's mindset shift, it felt like they quickly went from "enemies" to lovers, and it made that transition feel more abrupt. That said, I still really liked the book and can't wait for A Game of Retribution!
• 
  Kiana

  I just love Hades' pure heart, such a gentleman
  the way he called Persephone “darling” in his mind🤧
  and he is a feminist king so😭🔥🔥😭🤭😍
• 
  Δανάη Ιμπραχήμ

  A Game of Fate is basically
  A Touch of Darkness from Hades's POV. And like so many readers I liked it better. This book had more magic, more Hades interracting with other gods and we got to see how exactly he rules Underworld. We also got deep into his soul. We already knew that in St Clair's universe, Hades isn't the brutal, heartless god we've seen in other adaptations. He's actually come a long way since antiquity, cares about the souls and wishes to help those who want to be helped. Not to mention how much he hates predators and is super cute with his animals. Best Hades depiction ever!
  
  From time to time I wished this was the main book series and not the side story. We understood better the Fates' games and how it affected his connection with Persophone. However, there were a few moments where he might seem a little obsessive, if we hadn't known how Persephone wanted to get into her pants since day one. So I guess the parallel thing is going somewhere and I'm still curious to see how the story will flourish.
  
  P.S. I want more Aphrodite and Hephaestus if not an entire series about them. And they better fix their relationship because they adore each other and this is torture.
• 
  Emma Canning (Emma's Chapter)

  Will you rule your relationship as you rule your kingdom? Or revel in the chaos?

  
  Hades, God of the Underworld is used to control, but he is not prepared for Persephone, Goddess of Spring and the woman the Fates chose as his future wife and Queen. Only Persephone was raised to stay clear of Hades and his ruthless and cruel ways. Now he must do the impossible, prove her wrong...
  
  I was apprehensive going into this as it is basically
  A Touch of Darkness but from Hades perspective so I was unsure as to how different it would be. Would I just be reading the same book twice? The answer is not really.
  
  While the essence of this book is nothing new and there were multiple scenes and chapters that were exactly the same as A Touch of Darkness just with Hades' internal monologue instead of Persephone's, I was surprised to find that it was boring or sluggish because of the amount of new content we get. There's a whole new side-plot with Hades tracking down a mortal that cheated death and we actually learn a little bit more about the Triad which was interesting and I really hope the author runs more the Triad storyline in future books because it adds stakes and potential obstacles that are more interesting than just the relationship between Persephone and Hades.
  
  I loved reading more about the mythological side of this series. With Persephone living in the mortal world and keeping distance between herself and the others Gods and Goddesses you're limited to the Upperworld and the Underworld and only meet the odd character such as Hermes, Hecate, Aphrodite and obviously Demeter. Whereas in this book we go to Mount Olympus and meet a plethora of the other Gods and Goddesses like Zeus, Poseidon and Hephaestus which made it all the more interesting.
  
  Overall, it is essentially same book, different POV, but if you liked A Touch of Darkness and want a little more from Hades and the other Gods and Goddesses then there really is not reason to not read it.
  
  
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• 
  Aaliyah Reads

  I started this one a while back (2 or so months ago) but luckily i had also read this story in persephone’s POV as well last year.
  
  I love them both, my babes Persephone and Hades!!
  
  This one was more political intrigue and business but with the obvious romance!
  
  It was super interesting see this story in hades POV because damn something we didn’t get to know or see go on in persephone’s pov was so interesting
  
  If you’re gonna read this series! highly recommend also reading hades books!
  
  There wasn’t as much angst but i still really liked it!❤️
  
  3.75/5⭐️
• 
  R Smith

  DNF …. Really hypocritical main character. Doesn’t like violence against women but the woman he supposedly loves ends up indebted to him. Control is a form of violence - and saying you’re using it as a way to bring out their best/improve them….. a justification I’m sure many men use. Just ugh
• 
  Hilal Kahraman

  This user is a whore for Hades
• 
  rachel (taylor’s version)

  this book was basically a touch of darkness but less annoying and 100 times funnier.
  
• 
  Lisa Marie 🌙

  Oh my Gods I love this series!! On to the next 🖤
• 
  Julia

  *cradling A Game of Fate* AND IIIIIII-EEEEEE-IIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
  
  In all seriousness, thank you so much to Scarlett St. Clair for allowing me to read an eARC of AGOF. This does not affect my view in any way.
  
  I absolutely adored A Touch of Darkness; when I heard Scarlett was writing Hades perspective I was eager to dive in, but A Game of Fate is so much more than ATOD from Hades POV! He has his own trials and demons to overcome, so this is a totally new story for fans to devour!
  
  I loved being in Hades head. He’s a wonderfully complex character because of his past, and you get a much better feel for who he is and how he thinks by following his journey rather than seeing fragments of him through Persephone’s POV.
  
  I loved getting to see more of the gods and the relationships between them. Hermes, Hecate, and Thanatos are precious to me, and Hades interactions with them never failed to make me smile. Seriously. They are adorable. As for Hades and Persephone, oh my GODS. Somehow this was so much more erotic than ATOD and I loved every second of it. Honestly, I think I might love AGOF more than ATOD 🙀
  
  All in all, I loved it. It was perfect. It answered all of my questions, gave me precious moments with side characters, and most importantly, it gave me more Hades content. I can’t begin to tell you guys how excited I am for A Game of Retribution.
  
  **Oh! It’s also worth mentioning that I would highly recommend new readers read A Touch of Darkness before diving into A Game of Fate! You get a better feel for the structure of the world through Persephone’s POV in ATOD.
• 
  Raeesah Da'Neer

  If you liked a touch of darkness then you’ll like this one. If you didn’t then idk for you. This was filled with soft intimate moments, I adored hades POV!
• 
  Becky

  It took me quite a while to read this and I'm not sure why. I felt like I didn't connect as much to Hades as I did to Persephone. He was so different from ATOD, which I knew would happen as you would how he was actually feeling and thinking. I think I preferred him a bit more in ATOD.
  
  The story was the literally the same as A Touch of Darkness so there isn't much to say about the plot. The writing, the drama, and, of course, the smut is the same. I did love the additional plotline of the him interacting with the other Gods and a greater understanding into the not-so-talkative god, and what he does in his own time when he isn't lusting over Persephone. I can see why its advised to read this before A Touch of Malice and I am excited to see how THAT plotline works and its consequences. I also really loved the deeper look into Hades and Hecate's relationship, they are so funny and sassy with each other I loved.
  
  Overall I enjoyed this book, it was 90% Hades being angsty and Horny but also funny. Can't wait for his other POV book!
• 
  Xandra Noel

  I started reading this because it was on kindle unlimited but expected to find out something more that the same story retold on a different pov. I didn’t understand the point and even though there were some backstories and some new characters, it felt blank for me
• 
  Rachael

  Sexy God of Death that wants to endlessly “worship” his Goddess?!?! HELL YES. I thought I liked ATOD but this was sooo much better from Hades POV. My favorite Hades & Persephone retelling, hands down. Can’t wait for the rest of this series!
• 
  Roos

  Addicting and so much fun! Loved the world of the gods that St. Clair has created. Can't wait for the next book from Hades perspective