Title:
Radiant Sin
Author:
Katee Robert
Series:
Dark Olympus
Release Date:
February 7, 2023
Format:
E-Book
Genre:
Romance
Sub-Genre:
Mythology, Retellings
Rating:
Read-A-Likes:
Summary: As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.
On one condition: when it’s all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.
Apollo may be the city’s official spymaster, but it’s his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there’s no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.-From The Storygraph
What I Liked: I really enjoyed the concept and setup for this story, taking the locked room mystery trope and writing a romance using it. Putting Cassandra and Apollo into a situation fraught with outside tension ratcheted up the sexual tension between them. Cassandra herself was a great character and her motivations were clear. I liked that she would do anything for her sister, even put herself into danger. As is expected in a Katee Robert book, the sex scenes were interesting and added to the story. I also enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the previous books make an appearance and hope this continues throughout the series.
What I Didn’t Like: This has been my complaint with the other books in the series and the same thing happened with this book: I find the world and the immense amount of characters confusing. Especially when a character has a name and then their name changes when they ascend to be one of the Thirteen. I don’t think enough time is spent away from the Thirteen to understand their motivations and how the bigger world works. As much as I liked the romance between Cassandra and Apollo, I felt that Apollo was underdeveloped as a character. And that’s a shame because what we learn about him is interesting! I liked that he was portrayed as one of the only decent members of the Thirteen and wanted to know more.
Who Should Read It: At this point, if you’ve read the other books in this series you’ll want to continue reading. Readers new to this world wouldn’t be completely lost but I would recommend starting with the first book.
Review Wrap Up: This book wasn’t the strongest in the series and I found the vastness of the world Robert has created to be confusing at times. Despite these issues, I enjoyed Cassandra as a character and the locked room mystery aspect of the story. I would only advise reading this one if you’ve read any of the others in the series.
The Spinster Librarian 