Hecate's Spell is the seventh installment in Lacey Carter Andersen's Monsters and Gargoyles series. Hecate is being kept prisoner in the Underworld by the sadistic god Hades. Her only comfort is Andros who swears his brother will make the hard journey to rescue the two of them. Orion, Andros' brother, and Blaise have spent years trying to figure out how to enter the Underworld. Will Hecate and Andros be freed or will they suffer for all eternity?
It always puzzles me that in modern times Hades is synonymous with Satan. It also puzzles me that the Underworld has been turned into the same thing as Hell. Neither is true. The only reason I can think of is because death is scary and Christianity influenced how we view various mythologies. Hades was not sadistic, he just made sure that the Underworld functioned correctly. The Greek Underworld had basically three areas to send people depending on if they were damned, nothing special, or lived a great life.
Tartarus is the Greek equivalent of Hell. But it was only one part. This book describing nearly all of the Underworld as Tartarus and Hades as sadistic is baffling but par for the course in modern times. Oh, and this book of course leaves out the fact Hades wasn't the god of death. That title belongs to Thanatos.
Another annoying aspect of the book is that Hades and Persephone don't love each other. Really long story short, how Persephone and Hades got together makes more sense in the context of Ancient Greece. There are also various versions of how they got together. Some implying Persephone didn't like her mother being so controlling and loved that Hades treated her as an equal and respected her greatly. In these versions Persephone knowingly ate the pomegranate seeds. In any case Hades and Persephone are portrayed as a loving couple in most of mythology.
Do you know whose images newly wed couples would get? Hades and Persephone. If you don't get why that's a big deal: Hera was the goddess of marriage. But, hey Hera and Zeus didn't have a happy marriage because he could never keep it in his pants.
I didn't mean to go on such a long rant but those things really bothered me in the book. I'm used to Hades being the villain in films, shows, and books so this shouldn't have bothered me. So I don't know why it was so different this time. Maybe it's because him and Persephone weren't portrayed as relationship goals. I think I've discovered my OTP of Greek mythology.
Besides how the author wronged Hades, the book is pretty decent. It's nothing great or special but it's fun. You have Hecate and Andros in a dreadful situation but finding love anyways. Once you get over the fact Hecate isn't a goddess, she's a fun character to be with. She's strong but also prone to weakness.
My favorite character has to be Blaise. He's actually the reason I picked up the book in the first place. He's a phoenix that has a sarcastic personality. Yet he isn't all laughs and can feel deep emotional pain. It's like his humor is a shield from the rest of the world. I think I really have a type.
The book really flourishes when it doesn't focus on the Underworld. This is mostly achieved when Orion and Blaise are looking for the entrance to 'Hell'. And, of course, those parts have lots of Blaise in them which is fine by me.
I would recommend Hecate's Spell by Lacey Carter Andersen for fans of reverse harem.
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