Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

Thaedus, god of death, has isolated himself in the underworld to help the transition of the souls into the afterlife and hasn’t had a lover for a millennia. Prosoper, son of the goddess of beauty, has been isolated from the world for two centuries because of his mother’s overprotectiveness. After the verdict of trial forces Prosoper to spend time with Thaedus in the underworld, romance blossoms in place where everyone thought only death resides.

*Content contains mature/explicit scenes and strong language

*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.

Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)

Halloween season 2021 is upon us!! I’m so excited as this is my favorite month of the entire year! With my gothic loving heart and supernatural/paranormal interests, it’s no surprise.

To kick off my Supernatural Spectacular Celebration this month, I’m starting us off with a cutesy fairytale between the demigod, Prosoper, son of the goddess of beauty, who has an unlikely, sweet romance with Thaedus, the reclusive god of death.

Who knew a kiss from death could make one feel so alive?!

Check out 2021’s Supernatural Spectacular Celebration book selections to cozy up to under the full moon!

1. Son of Beauty, God of Death by Sera Trevor
2. Time of the Hunter’s Moon by Victoria Holt
3. Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman
4. The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

My Commentary

Prosoper and Thaedus make such a cute, heart-warming couple! This novella is the perfect treat if you’re in the mood for a sweet same-sex romance with a sprinkle of mythology and fairytale.

Prosoper has been locked up in the paradise world his grandmother and mother have created to protect their precious boy from the ugliness and evilness of the world. He longs to leave his place and experience the world with all its imperfections. His mother and grandmother are adamant on keeping him confined in their paradise regardless of how much Prosoper fights to break free. What’s a boy to do?

Thaedus has lived alone, unless you count the souls in the underworld, for centuries after turning his back on his siblings and leaving the paradise of Mount Alympos. Thaedus enjoys tending to human souls who have passed on into the afterlife, hoping that these souls rest in an eternal slumber with him as their watcher rather than have them lost forever in the Beyond. Thaedus has not loved another since his previous lover passed away. He’s content with the way things are.

As mortal deaths increase and souls pour into the underworld, the goddess of wisdom and Thaedus’s self-appointed best friend, Certia, cooks up a scheme to help Thaedus believe in love again because she believed that the world’s rising mortality rate was influenced by Thaedus’s closed heart. As Certia points out to Thaedus “regardless of [his] intentions, the mortal realm feels [his] coldness. Life is hard when the god of death values it so little.”

When a serendipitous opportunity is presented, and Thaedus and Prosoper are forced to live together for some time, Certia along with the men’s siblings are overjoyed that this might be the turning point in both these men’s lives.

A classic story of your friends or family meddling into your non-existent love life and it actually resulted in a happy ending where you found the love of your life. Yeah, don’t tell your friends and family that. Then they’ll never stop meddling in your life.

The world-building in the story is beautiful, imaginative and intriguing! It’s a modern, male/male relationship rendition on the classic Greek tale of Hades and Persephone. Thaedus’s underworld was far from the bleak, gloomy and gruesome depiction of most underworlds. It was enchanting and compassionate, very fitting for a fairytale story and for Thaedus’s character, a sensitive lover who’s heart was broken by a tragedy. I loved Sera Trevor’s explanation of the importance of the underworld in this story!

Speaking of characters, it warmed my heart that Trevor made Thaedus’s character, a version of Hades’s character, not evil or cruel! I mean maybe I’m just naïve and believe Hades is usually portrayed as the villain because I watched way too much of Disney’s Hercules. But this book’s god of death is very sensitive, sentimental, and compassionate and cares deeply for all the souls of the afterlife. Thaedus is a little angsty, brooding and reclusive, but damn, I’m into those types of characters so he won my heart quick! *swoon-worthy* On the flip side, you have the spirited, curious, young Prosoper who is bouncing with excitement at this rare opportunity to see a world beyond his paradise. And the liveliness and beauty of Prosoper stuns even the god of death. Prosoper is cheeky and hilarious! It was a joy to read about his character, but even more entertaining to read about how the pair interacted with each other and loved one another.

The flower motif throughout the story added to the beauty and romance because you have two masculine figures with a deep appreciation for and interest in flowers and gardens (which have traditionally been associated with feminine energy/figures). It served to demonstrate just how beautiful, delicate, and vibrant Thaedus and Prosoper themselves are. Awwww, these two adorable softies!

I will say that the romantic development between Prosoper and Thaedus felt a little rushed. I would have liked there to be more scenes showing the slow burn and sexual tension between the two.

Their love scene though: SEXY (for mature audiences only). Not disappointed at all. It will make you blush it was so HOT! Love it!

There’s a scene towards the end that will very likely bring tears to your eyes. Just fair warning, ha ha.

This book felt more angsty so if you’re into that, you’ll really love it too. Right up my alley as I love angsty romance books. The story felt like a mix of Greek mythology, Beauty & the Beast, and Rapunzel. But it’s not all mopey. Many parts were lively and amusing.

The supporting cast provided plenty of laughs and had memorable personalities, even if some of the gods and goddesses felt cartoonish and stereotypical – though I thought it added to the humor. It was cool that the names in the book were a play on the names of the original Greek gods and goddesses because this gave Son of Beauty, God of Death its personal uniqueness rather than repeating the same old characters from myth. Prosoper’s relationship with Chilon, his tutor and probably closest friend, and Thaedus’s relationship with his adorable little imp companion, Zil, were some of the sweetest scenes!

The philosophical discussions throughout the book were intriguing and profound (you just gotta read it for yourself). I mean it’s a book about gods and goddesses, you gotta have some philosophy! It didn’t preach or detract from the main romance rather it breathed life into the story in ways that were beyond what I was expecting.

Overall, solid work by Sera Trevor as always!

Final Thoughts

MUST READ. And why wouldn’t you? It’s short but a fleshed out adventure and romance that will leave you satisfied. Plus, Prosoper and Thaedus make one handsome couple.

Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some poor, overworked, ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”