Earl Grey Books

It’s been a little while since I’ve had one of these to share with you all, but today it’s time for another Angel and Ely discussion! We’re looking at Electric Idol by Katee Robert and sharing our thoughts on it, so let’s ump straight into it today.

Ely: Well obviously this was a read we were both highly anticipating. I think we’ve both talked pretty extensively on our respective blogs about our love for Neon Gods, but what were your first thoughts going into Electric Idol? 

Angel: Oh I think most people know already how much I loved Neon Gods, but I was very intrigued going into Electric Idol. We have met both of the protagonists before and I was very interested to see how their stories intertwined. They both come from very different worlds in a sense and I was not disappointed. It’s a fantastic marriage of convenience that starts off dark and twisted. 

E: They definitely have very different views and experiences of the world and I loved the way that contrast played out. I guess we should start talking about the characters—what did you think of Eros and Psyche now that we’ve gotten to see them properly rather than just as side characters?

A: I loved them. Eros is dark and broody. He has had his whole life controlled by his mother. And then he meets Psyche. I adored with everything in me that Psyche is this plus-sized protagonist, who is also an influencer and doesn’t take crap from most people. Like the worlds they live in, they are very different from one another. And then Eros is sent to kill Psyche and he can’t do it. And it’s so good. What did you think of them? 

E: I really like Psyche, but there was just something about Eros that made me kind of love him. I think on their own they’re both very interesting characters, but they’re incredible when they’re together—just the way they bounce off one another is perfect. One of my favourite things about this series is the way that yes it’s smutty as hell but both Hades and Persephone in Neon Gods and now Eros and Psyche have a sort of softness about them. Do you agree?

A: Eros is such a complex character that makes loving him so easy. He has been bought up to do the evil bidding of this mother—but he isn’t really like that. Only he thought he was. I mean he would still do anything for Psyche—and I mean anything. But he wouldn’t do something because someone told him to do anymore. Oh, I have to agree for sure. Neon Gods is sexy. Electric Idol is hot. And not just because it’s smutty. But because of this softness. I said this in my post, Eros is feral in a good way and that makes the sexy time kinky and heartwarming. 

E: Their relationship is honestly so adorable. At the start, you’ve got this extremely damaged guy and a girl who has never really felt good enough or like she fits in and by the end, they’ve learnt how to build each other up but they’ve also learnt for themselves that they’re more than what they thought they were. I know a lot of people expect or believe that the romance genre is just made up of empty, vapid HEA’s but there is so much more to the genre and I think Electric Gods is such a perfect example of that. There’s so much heart to the story, but also discussions of manipulative, abusive parents, self-esteem and body positivity on top of all those sexy moments.

A: Their relationship just melted me so much. And as you said the character growth of both of them was fantastic. Throughout the book we are able to see them both grow more comfortable with one another, but also within themselves. Katee Robert has done exceptionally well in all the books I’ve read of hers to explore real-life problems through her characters, while not also making it the be all and end of her characters. As you said there is so much more than the romance and smut in Electric Idol. And this series so far has exceeced my expectations. The world that Robert has created is really interested. While it’s not your usual mythology retelling. I love it. What do you think? 

E: I love everything about this world that Robert has created. It’s extremely rich and well-thought-out. I love that it gives me a little bit of Lore by Alexandra Bracken vibes from the like modern mythology and the Gods being a title rather than an actual person per se, but they’re both still extremely different stories. Robert has this way of creating worlds that just make sense—I’ve found the same in her Wicked Villains series, she’s just so good at writing the worlds that they just work.

A: Yes, yes, yes about Lore. That is what immediately comes to my mind when thinking about a retelling, that is modern but also stands out from the rest. Roberts world development is top-notch. It’s well thought out, buildable and makes sense. She is also fantastic at creating stories that you don’t want to put down. I mean the whole ‘I was sent to kill you, but I can’t so let’s get married.’ It just works so well. 

E: Her books, for me, are definitely one of those ‘I’ve started this and now I can’t stop until I’m finished’ kind of books. She’s just so good at grabbing hold of your attention and not letting go until the end. In my opinion, she’s one of the best romance writers releasing books at the moment.

A: I have to agree. It’s not that she is writing brilliant romances. She is writing such a range of them as well. With different relationships, different sub-genres and all these amazing tropes. I can’t stop reading her things. I’m really excited to read the rest of this series. I am excited to see all the different relationships that are going to happen in this series. And you know what I love most. These are traditionally published romance books and Katee Robert is pushing the boundaries and yes!

E: It’s so great to see stories like this getting traditionally published and getting into the hands of so many different readers who may never have found this book, or this type of story, otherwise. A huge congratulations to Katee Robert and other authors like her who are, like you said, pushing the boundaries. 

And thank you to all of you for joining us in this discussion, we’d love to hear your thoughts below. And of course, thanks to you Angel for joining me. Remember you can see our other discussions here on Earl Grey Books and on Angel Reads.