Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel SmytheMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The fallout of Zeus’ arrest warrant for Persephone and Demeter along with Persephone’s disappearance in the Underworld, meanwhile Apollo hides his true self from Artemis with the help of their mother, and then Minthe finds herself in some crosshairs. Lore Olympus Volume Six by Rachel Smythe sees Hades offer protection to Persephone after Zeus’ arrest warrant which allows them to slowly get closer, unfortunately when Minthe goes to confront Hades who wants to move on she says too much in front of the wrong person.
Covering episodes #127-152 of her webcomic, Smythe focuses on Persephone and Hades revealing to each other their dark secrets and traumas while Zeus, Hera, Apollo and Artemis continue their own arcs while Minthe’s arc appears to have come to an end. As Smythe really focuses on the relationship building between the two protagonists, it isn’t the “romantic” cliché tropes but something that aims to incorporate their traumas and secrets to build trust, which is something nice to read—not the traumatic stuff obviously just how it’s incorporated—that makes this series unique in my reading so far. Persephone’s situation puts a rift between Hades and Zeus, a split among the Olympians which doesn’t seem like it’ll end well especially given the latter’s bad marriage with Hera who Persephone confides in about Apollo’s pictures. Persephone starts coming between Artemis and Apollo, each of whom view her for different things. Then finally Minthe confronts Hades about being replaced and in her anger reveals what she instigated with Zeus, unfortunately in front of Persephone and the result isn’t good for Minthe. Persephone being the inciting incident to various subplots is par for the course for this genre, but how Smythe crafts the twists and turns independent of Persephone after that gives this story more depth. Yet if the glimpses seen in these episodes, Smythe is laying down clues of what could possibly happen in the future of the overall story. I was really engaged throughout this volume, and I can’t wait to get to the next.
Lore Olympus Volume Six by Rachel Smythe seems like the webcomic is a transition point as the protagonists are starting to really invest in one another while dealing with other issues that are happening in reaction to them either as a couple or individually. The artwork by Smythe continues to be fantastic, which given it was why I was drawn to the first volume is a relief.
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