Book Review: My Ex from Hell by Tellulah Darling

My Ex from Hell is the first book in the new young adult series, The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, by Tellulah Darling. Sophie Bloom is a sixteen year old boarding school student with a smart mouth and snarky attitude. She has few worries in the world, mostly dealing with a trio of popular girls and surviv
ing school probation. A prank ends with an earth shattering kiss, that awakens bits of the past, revealing that Sophie is really Persephone, and that at least part of Greek mythology has a basis in reality. Now she needs to master her powers, and figure out how she figures into the war between Olympus and Hades. Not to mention the fact that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

My Ex from Hell turned Greek mythology on its ear, and I do not mind. Being a mythology fan, many times books that have a thread of mythology hold a familiar feel, and I can see where the story is going to take me. Not so here. Sophie is a ball of snark, and I love that. She is smart, quirky, and independent. Her best friends Hannah and Theo, are fantastically built characters. Hannah and her intelligence, particularly the strange and unexpected, and Theo who has their backs at all times, make the trio something to contend with and high in entertainment value. Kai, Sophie's 'Ex' is the son of Hades, and the love of her life from the past. He is the very definition of a bad boy, complete with a god's view of the world, and a plan of his own design. Bethany is the resident mean girl, but Sophie is not one to sit back and take it, so enjoy the sparks the conflicts bring.

There is suspense as we discover just who the players from mythology are, and how they differ from the traditional tales. I like the twist on the Persephone myth, and the interaction of the characters. Do not expect traditional Greek mythology to hold true here, the desires of the gods to be powerful remains, but the specifics are very different. Figuring out who is who, and what Sophie cannot remember from the past, while figuring out where they need to go and what they need to do now, makes for an enthralling plot. I am a big fan of character development and interaction driving a story, and here there is a solid blend of that and some serious action.  I think the blend will keep all readers interested and turning the pages. The conflicts and larger picture are extremely well fashioned, and left me eager to find out where the story goes from here.

I highly recommend My Ex from Hell to readers that enjoy young adult novels with strong characters, books with roots in mythology, coming of age stories, action and adventure, and journeys of self discovery. There is plenty of adventure, snark, humor, and god-like power to keep teen and adult readers entertained, and eager for the next two books. Unfortunately there will be a wait, since the second book My Date From Hell is not scheduled for release until October 31 2013.