Review Detail

Cute, magical, and heartfelt. Think Percy Jackson, but about two girls escaping from the underworld's biggest and baddest (demons, Prometheus, carnival games…). The adventure also features a sentient cloak and boat, a raven tutor, and Charon as beleaguered father figure and ferryer of souls. High likelihood of tears at the end.

Senka is such a fun character. As soon-to-be assistant to Charon, she's full of knowledge about the underworld, yet fascinated by tales of mortal things, like classrooms and sunshine and CD players. She's known to play a prank or two, but she earnestly wants to become a helpful assistant, and when Poppy comes across her path, clearly in distress, Senka can't help but want to help her out.

The underworld itself blends classic myth and new invention, from the spooky depths of Tartarus (with a visitor center) to the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice (maybe Hades didn't want mortals to know the true story...). The few breaks in non-stop action allow Senka and Poppy to discuss grief, the power of memories, and the sometimes blurry line between doing something for someone and doing it for yourself.

This book reads as a standalone, and the promise of a series to come makes it even more a must-read for fans of mythology and spunky heroines.