Book recs based on your favorite character in Hades

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
HADES EDITION

During quarantine, I decided to invest in a Switch. I mean, what else is there to do stuck indoors except invest a lot of time and money in fictional stories and characters? (Wait, I just realized that that sounds very similar to books. Huh… who would’ve thunk it.) It seemed like a good idea at the time. In fact, it was such a genius idea that all of the US decided to join in on the fun. It was virtually impossible to find a Switch, and it took me a few months to get my hands on one.

Now that I’ve got one, I’ve become super obsessed with this little game called Hades. You might’ve heard of it. It won The Game Awards for Best Independent Game and Best Action Game in 2020. While I don’t know much about The Game Awards (or care, to be frank), I can understand why it won. It’s a super fun game, and it has fantastic artwork. If you’re looking to take a break from gaming, but want something Hades related, this is the place for you. If you’re looking for book recommendations in general, this is also the place for you. We welcome gamers and non-gamers alike here.

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I should point out that the interactions and relationships between the characters in this game are not entirely consistent with the actual Greek mythology. I’m basing these recommendations less on the mythology and more on the game.

Also, if you want to check out the Goodreads’ page for a certain book, you can click on the title and it should take you there.

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Hades + Persephone: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the game, Hades is god of the Underworld and hates pretty much everything except his wife who left him. Let’s just say that his relationship with his family has left him pretty jaded. Persephone is much kinder, but left Olympus for her own reasons. If there was a literary pair that captured their dynamic, it would be Hun-Kame and Casiopea from Gods of Jade and Shadow. [review]

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Zagreus: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Zagreus is the son of Hades trying to escape the Underworld. He gives off this underdog, rebelling against his parents, angsty yet charming vibe. If that doesn’t scream Elias from An Ember in the Ashes, I don’t know what does. Elias wants to escape Blackcliff (a military academy), despite being one of the top soldiers there. His mother is the Commandant there, and she’s a fantastic villain. Overall, even if you don’t like Zagreus, I recommend this series! [review]

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Dusa: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Dusa is this hardworking, sweet, kinda frazzled gorgon. She’s just trying to pave her way despite the negative stereotypes against her kind. Maia is sort of the same way. She’s a hardworking tailor who is trying to keep her family afloat in a world where girls are only seen as good for marriage. She poses as a boy to enter into a competition to become the imperial tailor, but fumbles as she tries to keep her disguise up around the other contestants. [review]

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Megaera/the Fury sisters: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Fury sisters don’t get along very well. Or… at all. [review]

(badass females with problems, toxic relationships)

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Thanatos: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Thanatos is an angsty bringer of death. Kaz is an angsty prodigal criminal. Both have been swindled in the past and have been punishing said swindler for the rest of their days. Thanatos can teleport. Kaz is basically uncatchable. Both are experts at being hot and moody. The similarities between these two are uncanny.

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Achilles + Patroclus: Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

Achilles and Patroclus are the ultimate badass gay power couple in this game. They’re both really skilled warriors, and they reminded me of Bitty and Jack from the Check, Please! graphic novel series. Bitty and Jack are players on the Samwell University hockey team. While they get off on the wrong foot at first, they start to develop feelings for each other as they spend more time together. [review]

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Cerberus (a.k.a. the goodest boi): Heartstopper: Volume 1

I talked a little bit about this in my review, but Nick has a dog named Nellie, who is the cutest literary dog in existence. There isn’t a lot of her in the first volume, but I hope she’s show up more in the next couple volumes. Everything about this series is so gosh darn cute. The characters are cute. The story is cute. The dog is the cutest. (can you tell I really like dogs?) If you need a cute af graphic novel, this is the story for you. [review]

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Nyx / Chaos: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Nyx and Chaos are both ethereal concepts manifested into physical beings. Their seemingly endless power and immortality reminds me a lot of Luc, a.k.a. one of the gods after dark from Addie LaRue. He has a lack of humanity that reminds me of Chaos and his dark powers are much like Nyx’s night. They are all “not from this world.” Luc is one of the old gods in TILOAR and Nyx and Chaos are different from the Olympian gods. [review]

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Charon: The Final Empire (Mistborn) by Brandon Sanderson

Charon has a silent, mysterious aura to him. He’s the boatman who ferries souls to the Underworld. He’s powerful and obsessed with money. If that doesn’t sound like the Mistborn to you, I don’t know what does. Mistborns are people who have the power to use all the metals to instead of just one to their advantage. One common thing they do is keep a bag of coins with them so that they can use these portable circles of metal to get from place to place or to fight. It’s like they’re the Avatar from A:TLA, if the people got their powers from consuming and burning metals in their bodies.

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Hypnos: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I know a lot of people don’t like Hypnos, but I personally think he’s endearing with his bubbly attitude. His intentions are good, but his execution is… not so great. Similarly, while the Aurora Rising crew have the best intentions, things go south pretty quickly. I think the tagline sums it up pretty nicely: they’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic. [review]

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the Olympians: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

I know this is cheating, but if you like the Greek gods and/or big, dysfunctional families, Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods is a pretty fun book to read. It’s about the Greek gods (who would’ve thunk?) but in Percy’s perspective. He’s as sassy as ever, and I highly recommend listening to it on audiobook. The attitude really shines through.

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Asterius / Theseus (but mainly Asterius): We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Asterius and Theseus are friends and have this sort of bromance. When I think of guy friends, I immediately see Nasir and Altair from We Hunt the Flame. They complement each other in so many ways. Nasir and Asterius are gruff and broody while Altair and Theseus are chatty. All of them are excellent at fighting and showcase their skills often. [review]

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Skelly: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Skelly is a gregarious, prankster skeleton with a mysterious past. Luc is a sassy alien hybrid with more secrets than anyone should legally have. Both are super supportive of the main character while managing to not get overshadowed by them. The Darkest Star is a spin-off series to the Lux series. Aliens have come to earth (and they’re super hot), and they’re on the run from the government.

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Orpheus + Eurydice: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Orpheus and Eurydice are a couple known for their singing. Orpheus is more known for his songs while Eurydice acted as his muse. She’s also an amazing cook, according to Zagreus. They have a sort of homey vibe where you can just hang out with them and it’s chill. With the Fire on High also has that feeling where you can just be comfortable. The main character is also a fantastic cook, just like Eurydice. [review]

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Sisyphus / Bouldy: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Sisyphus is atoning for his sins when he was alive and king. His punishment is to push a boulder (who he fondly names Bouldy) to the top of a mountain over and over again. He was known to be an awful king, but in the Underworld he comes off more benevolent. Everyone in the Underworld seems to dislike Sisyphus except for Zagreus. Similarly, Wrath is one of princes of Hell, and everyone is terrified of him except Emilia. Wrath has done some terrible things, but sometimes his nice side shines through. [review]

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Whew… that took a long time to draft. Hope you enjoyed these recommendations, even if you haven’t played Hades before. (Although, if you own a Switch and are looking for a fun game, I highly recommend.) If you have any Switch game recommendations, please let me know (I’m currently playing Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley)!

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Stay awkward and amazing! ❤