LORE OLYMPUS 1 by RACHEL SMYTHE
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN
I’d like to start this review off with an apology to Rachel Smythe:
Dear Rachel, I’m very sorry I’ve never read Lore Olympus before now. I regret my decision immensely.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s talk about this wonderful graphic novel. Before being published in print, Lore Olympus is a long-running 
web comic on the WEBTOON platform, of which there’s an app you can download onto your smartphone. Which you should. Lots of great stories on there. Anyway, I’ve heard of Lore Olympus through the WEBTOON app but I never actually got around to reading it until the print version finally came out recently. Lore Olympus is a modern-day retelling of Greek mythology, specifically the Hades and Persephone myth. Here’s a good refresher if you need one. Anyway, if you know the original myth, I’m sure you’ll love Lore Olympus. Even if you don’t know the original myth, you’ll love Lore Olympus simply because it’s a great graphic novel.
Lore Olympus starts with Persephone, young and new to the city of Olympus, attending a party. Through a series of unfortunate events, Persephone winds up at Hades’s house. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that the God of the Underworld isn’t quite as bad as everyone says he is. Though there’s not a lot of plot in this volume, I didn’t care. I just had a great time reading about all the hijinks the gods get up to. The whole gang is here, from Hades and Persephone to Aphrodite and Zeus, the king of the gods. Though their appearances in the book may be brief thus far, I loved all the characters (especially Hades and Artemis) and loved seeing how they would interact with a modern setting.
The art of Lore Olympus is especially stunning, the vivid blue and pink color scheme giving every page a dreamy feel and signaling to the reader that this is indeed Hades and Persephone’s story. Smythe’s art style is expressive and vibrant and very funny sometimes. Some of the expressions on the characters’ faces made me laugh out loud as I read. It’s a very funny book while also tackling some heavy topics. Rachel Smythe provides content warnings at the very beginning, which is nice, but if you do decide to read Lore Olympus, know that there’s some sexual content and cursing.
You can (and should) pick up our copy of Lore Olympus at the Oreana Library today!