Book Review: Junkyard Dog by Katja Desjarlais

A slow burn romance, “Junkyard Dog” takes an alternative look at Cerberus, the hounds of hell and establishes their presence on modern day earth.

Just to establish a baseline, in Greek mythology, Cerberus, often called the “hound of Hades”, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. On the other hand, in this book, Cerberus is described by author Katja Desjarlais as the “original junkyard dog”

Again, based on mythology, Cerberus has three heads. In this book, Cerberus’ three heads can fully separate into three different individuals both in Hades and on earth (topside). They only come together when Hades is holding court and they sat beside him.

With that established, we can finally move on to the review and meet Alex Echidna, one of the heads of Cerberus in human form and separated from the other two members of the triad. They had been sent topside by Hades to hunt for the living human descendants of Pirithous, who in Greek mythology was the companion and helper of the hero Theseus in his many adventures, including the descent into Hades to carry off Persephone.

It was during this mission that Alex (or Alexandros as Persephone called him) met Park Ranger Charlotte. The attraction was mutual but of course, there is the big difference between them – Alex was a hellhound and Charlotte is your average and normal human being.

“Junkyard Dog” is an interesting story to read but it is very slow. I understand slow burn romance, yet even with the visits of Hades and Persephone, the story was not moving forward fast enough for me. Add to it the very slow development of Alex and Charlotte’s relationship, it became sluggish.

Nevertheless, if you are interested in mythology and fantasy, “Junkyard Dog” has its rewards. We see a different side of Hades and Persephone. And yes, most important, we see the human side of Cerberus which in mythology is one of the scariest monsters.

“Junkyard Dog” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance is strongly advice due to fantasy/mythology violence and that though “Junkyard Dog” is based on real characters in Greek mythology, the books is an alternative retelling of their stories.