Persephone's Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories #1) by Molly Ringle

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Persephone's Orchard
The Chrysomelia Stories #1
By:  Molly Ringle
Release Date:  6/28/13
Central Avenue Publishing
Source:  Publisher


GR's Summary:

Coming June 28, 2013: Get your copy of the ebook for 99 cents for two weeks after release only!

The Greek gods never actually existed. Did they? Sophie Darrow finds she was wrong about that assumption when she's pulled into the spirit realm, complete with an Underworld, on her very first day at college. Adrian, the mysterious young man who brought her there, simply wants her to taste a pomegranate. And soon, though she returns to her regular life, her mind begins exploding with dreams and memories of ancient times--of a love between two Greeks named Persephone and Hades. But lethal danger has always surrounded the immortals, and now that she's tainted with the Underworld's magic, that danger is drawing closer to Sophie.

 

My Take on this Journey:

Persephone's Orchard is about Sophie Darrow, a curvaceous beauty, that has just been delivered to her dorm on Oregon State University campus.   Out of nowhere, Sophie comes face to face with this odd fellow named, Nikolaos, who acted as though he was lost.  He asked for Sophie's help with his Greek accent, looking helpless, and when she says "yes," he puts his arms around her, and they vanish in to another realm.  She has been kidnapped by this odd character.  When they land in a golden field somewhere, he now has a British-English accent, and the Greek accent is completely gone.  He tells her she shouldn't be so trusting with strangers.   There weren't any people, nor civilization, as she knows it, only enormous scary lions that were evolved to this new realm, and she was far from her new college campus.  Sophie didn't know what Nikolaos had done to her.  She didn't know if he had drugged her,  she was dreaming, or dead?  She was thrown for a loop, and was completely caught off guard.  Nikolaos kidnapped Sophie for his friend, Adrian Watson.  Adrian, and his dog, Kiri, knew Sophie in a past life, though the details are kept from her, and the reader.  Adrian is about 21 years old, with beautiful curly black hair, very thoughtful face, with dark shiny eyes, perfect skin, and hot, hot hot!  The Greek tragedy of Persephone and Hades is brought to light, in the mind of Sophie, though nothing is confirmed at the beginning.  Sophie wants out, and Adrian bribes her with seeing her long deceased Grandpa, if she will stay and hear him out.  He gives her time to think about his proposal.  Sophie calls him back to get her, because she wants to see her Grandfather so badly.  Adrian takes her to the spirit realm, and everything has a lesson and an explanation.  Adrian takes her to the, "Cave of Souls."

I found this story intriguing.  The way Ms. Ringle explains the mysteries of the afterlife, the green light that zooms like a meteor in the sky when another soul has passed was  magical.  It was a great explanation, and it was very insightful.  I loved the prose, and the characters were amazing, and well rounded.  The Greek Mythology, and the questions of another realm, another dimension, an afterlife, the underworld, the ghost like spirits, was something that everyone questions at sometime in their lives.  This was an amazing  journey, with so many secrets, twists and turns, and hope for seeing your loved ones again, once they have passed.  The idea of being able to see your loved one, one more time, and tell them you love them, and any other unfinished business was a mixture of emotions, such as, sadness, happiness, and great joy.


The reader realizes from Sophie's point of view that she really has nothing to lose, (because she is so lonely, and sad about what is happening in her real life.)''  It took a huge amount of trust to get to that point, brought on by some vivid dreams that help reveal her past to her.  There is danger lurking around the corner, but what could it be?  The dreams were so real, and the author put the reader right there beside the characters.


Persephone's Orchard will take you on the journey of a lifetime.  This story is brilliant, insightful, magical, alluring, and breathtaking.  Ms. Ringle has done a wonderful job of teaching her readers life lessons, giving them a great perspective on how things might really work when we leave this world for the next.  She makes her readers think about the spirits and the souls of the departed, past lives, and consequences for deeds done on earth.  I felt a deep connection with this beautiful retelling of this Greek Myth, (which is my favorite) and how she has wound it all together into this delectable story.  I believe Ms. Ringle's readers will be enthralled by this journey too!


I give Persephone's Orchard, by Molly Ringle, 5 Magical, Mystical, Brilliant Stars!


  

My Favorite Quotes:

"As she observed them in return, she noticed some of them holding hands.  At least upon death you and your fellow departed could still touch each other, even if you couldn't touch the world of the living."  (eARC pg. 49)

"And every year, when Persephone had to return to Hades, Demeter repeated her withdrawal of fertility in the Earth.  The myth explained the seasons."  (eARC pg. 63)

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About the Author:

Molly Ringle has been writing fiction for over twenty years. With her intense devotion to silly humor, she was especially proud to win the grand prize in the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest with one (intentionally) terrible sentence. Her academic studies include a bachelor of arts in anthropology (University of Oregon, Clark Honors College) and a master of arts in linguistics (University of California, Davis). Molly lives in Seattle with her husband and kids, and worships fragrances and chocolate. 

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