Radiant Sin, the fourth installment in Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series, follows Apollo and Cassandra. A disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra has seen firsthand what the infamous Thirteen are capable of. But when her sweet-as-sin boss Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a mysterious new power player, Cassandra reluctantly agrees – on one condition: when it’s all over and Apollo has gotten the intel he needs, she and her sister are free to leave Olympus. For good. Despite what the rest of Olympus says about Cassandra’s family, Apollo’s got a nose for who he can trust—and Cassandra is one of the people he trusts most. He doesn’t want to lose his most trusted advisor. But when their fake-dating scheme turns into something more real and a very real danger surfaces that none of them saw coming, they’ll have to decide whose fate to put first—that of Olympus, or their blossoming romance.
I know I say this with every Robert book but I adore her writing style—it’s so easily digestible without forfeiting intricacy. It can’t be easy to have so many characters and yet still make everyone have a distinctive personality— but somehow, Robert manages to do that without overwhelming descriptions or long paragraphs that run on. Instead, the writing is accessible to a point where the pages just fly by.
What I enjoyed most about Radiant Sin is that we get to see the world of Olympus from a slightly different viewpoint. In previous installments, we’ve usually followed characters who are very high up in the hierarchy of Olympus. With Cassandra’s POV, we now see a quasi-outsider and her perspective on the rulers of Olympus. Cassandra isn’t blinded by love or power and thus sees all the machinations and schemes that go on behind the scenes of every interaction between the famous Thirteen. To follow someone who wants nothing more than to escape from Olympus rather than become a power player herself and is so protective of her sister’s present and future made this book stand out on its own as well as a part of the overarching plot of this series.
With that in mind, this book felt a bit like a game changer in the series. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still an amazing romance but this very much felt like it was setting up for a future focus on the politics of Olympus. Some factors (and characters) were introduced that are sure to make for delicious chaos in the next installments.
As for the characters: while Cassandra is a very strong personality, it takes quite a while for Apollo to truly stand out as his own man. Cassandra’s protective instincts and her desire to keep her sister from harm paired really well with Apollo’s own protective and genuinely kind nature. Every interaction between Cassandra and Apollo will make romance lovers rejoice—as always, Robert delivers on the tropes and this time, fake dating with a deadline gets its time to shine. Stuck together in what can only be described as a mystery/party house with political allies, enemies and the in-between, both Cassandra and Apollo have to watch their every step and it’s so much fun following them as they try to keep up the fake dating ruse while also increasingly becoming more attracted by the other. Especially Cassandra struggles with her attraction since she’s supposed to hate Apollo and his connection to the Thirteen, yet his kindness and fervour continue to draw her in. Similarly, Apollo knows that all Cassandra wants is to leave this world and the people in it behind—but he can’t let her go without a fight. Chances are that you’ll swoon over both of these headstrong, loving and undeniably badass characters.
Simultaneously delivering a deep dive into the political machinations of Olympus, a house party mystery, and an Apollo/Cassandra romance that’s the perfect balance of fluffy and spicy, Radiant Sin is sure to keep you up all night!
Radiant Sin is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of February 7th 2023.
Will you be picking up Radiant Sin? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
There’s nowhere more dangerous than Olympus…and no one more captivating than its golden god: Apollo. Keeper of secrets, master of his shining realm…and the only man I am powerless to deny.
*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Apollo and Cassandra that’s as sinful as it is sweet.*
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.
