Winter Harvest

When her beloved daughter Kore vanishes, Demeter is distraught. Suspecting betrayal and mistrusting of her family, she searches across the world, unable to come to terms with such a loss. But Demeter is one of the original goddesses of Mount Olympus, and a force not to be underestimated. She is determined that she will find her daughter, even if it means destroying humanity in the process. Winter Harvest is a brand-new, dark reimagining of the tale of Demeter and Persephone by Greek author Ioanna Papadopoulou. Steeped in lore and with a deep understanding of the many different facets of Demeter's personality, this retelling will change your perspective on one of the most well-known stories of Greek mythology. Praise for Winter Harvest: "WINTER HARVEST is a retelling that feels as primal as the myth itself. In her struggle to define and wield her divinity against her power-hungry brothers – Zeus, Poseidon and Hades – Demeter discovers the essence of Nature: that the power to nurture is also the power to starve, that creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin. Demeter' s quest to save her abducted daughter, Kore, depicts her as a true ancient goddess, vindictive, arrogant and volatile. And yet, we cannot but sympathize with her, for the abuse she has suffered, for the injustice her siblings have inflicted upon her, for her unrelenting motherly love. Demeter's story is symbolic and vast in its scope, yet immediate and raw; mythical yet painfully personal. Demeter is a mother, a goddess and a force of nature who speaks to every woman who suffered the pain of loss." — Jelena Dunato, author of Dark Woods, Deep Water "There is a dark, merciless, and terrifying side to motherhood not every mother is forced to face, but every mother is aware that it lurks behind her ribs, waiting for that one moment that changes everything. Papadopoulou unflinchingly exposes this side of motherhood in Winter Harvest. The transformation of Demeter from a grain harvest goddess to the harbinger of death is brutal, devastating, and left me breathless. She holds nothing back. This is Demeter like you have never seen her before." — Heather Ventura Vassallo, co-editor of Musings of the Muses and Daughter of Sarpedon and co-owner of Brigid's Gate Press "Winter Harvest chronicles the long and tumultuous journey of Demeter through a landscape of mercurial, scheming gods whom she defies in order to reclaim her power. Ioanna Papadopoulou deftly weaves a tapestry of stories as ancient and timeless as nature herself." — Eugenia Triantafyllou, Ignyte, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards nominee "A Greek myth retelling by a writer with such a deep connection to the culture and landscape of Greece is a rare, beautiful thing. Here you will find the Greek gods as you have never encountered them before." — Natalia Theodoridou, Nebula Award Finalist and World Fantasy Award winner "An epic journey through loss, reconnection, and the spectrum of human emotion, WINTER HARVEST portrays women's power and suffering in equal measures. In Ioanna Papadopoulou's skilful hands, this novel interweaves famous tales and lesser-known legends to create a gloriously complex picture of Demeter. Nourishment and destruction view for place, as Papadopoulou reminds us that while the goddess of harvest can provide sustenance, she can also take it away - and a mother figure can be the most frightening power of all." — Elyse John, author of Orphia and Eurydicius From the moment of her birth, Demeter, the second born daughter of Kronos and Rhea, lived in darkness, trapped inside her fathers stomach, always fearing that inside her body a monster lived and she had to keep it caged. This rage inside her didnt cease or grow any weaker when she was freed by her youngest brother, nor when she and her siblings defeated Kronos and his allies during the Titanomachy, the war that forever changed Greece. It stayed under her skin, always reminding her of its presence but never gaining control. All that changed when her precious only child, Kore, vanished from the face of earth and Demeter found herself alone in her quest to regain her daughter. Unable to contain her rage, she gives in to all she tried so hard not to become and begins a period of starvation that brings humanity to the brink of extinction as she embarks on a journey to find Kore, filled with humiliation, further betrayal and desperation which reshapes her Godhood and changes her in a way she never expected nor wanted. Winter Harvest is a stand-alone feminist mythology retelling which explores Demeters place in the Dodecatheon and her harsh and painful life as she becomes a chthonic Goddess, linked with both death and life. The novel combines various myths about Demeter, shaped like a fantasy novel which focuses on Demeter as a female goddess, struggling to fit into the patriarchal status quo of Olympus while she is constantly changing her identity in an attempt to find her place in the world and what it means to be female.