The Safest Way to Read Lore Olympus
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe is one of the most beloved webtoons ever published — a gorgeous, modern retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. It’s an Eisner Award winner, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and with Volume 11 (the finale) arriving October 6, 2026, it’s one of those rare series that sticks the landing.
If you’re looking for a legal, creator-supporting way to read it, there are exactly two routes: the original digital platform and the official print volumes. Everything else — aggregator sites, unofficial readers — cuts the creator out. Here’s where to go.
Official Sources for Lore Olympus
WEBTOON (Free + Fast Pass)
WEBTOON is the home of Lore Olympus. Rachel Smythe launched the series on March 4, 2018, and the complete run lives at webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus. Many episodes are free; WEBTOON’s Fast Pass coins unlock the most recent ones early. The WEBTOON app (iOS and Android) supports offline reading once episodes are downloaded.
- Cost: Free (back catalog); Fast Pass coins for latest episodes
- Platforms: Browser, iOS app, Android app
- Link: Read on WEBTOON
Print Volumes (Inklore / Penguin Random House)
All eleven volumes are available in hardcover and paperback from Penguin Random House’s Inklore imprint. Volume 11 — the series finale — releases October 6, 2026, and includes a never-before-seen bonus short story. These are gorgeous collector editions sold at major book retailers worldwide.
- Publisher: Penguin Random House (Inklore / Del Rey)
- Official series site: loreolympusbooks.com
- Penguin Random House: Browse all volumes
- Amazon: Shop all volumes
Rachel Smythe’s Official Site
For creator news and series announcements, rachelsmythe.com is the primary source. It’s the best place for updates on the finale and future projects.
8 Manhwa to Read After Lore Olympus
Finished the series and already missing it? These officially published manhwa share the same emotional DNA: strong heroines, gorgeous art, romantic tension, and worlds worth getting lost in.
1. Who Made Me a Princess
A young woman reincarnates as Princess Athanasia — the character in her favorite novel who dies at the hands of her own father, the cold Emperor Claude. Her plan: survive by winning him over before the plot catches up with her. The art is some of the most consistently beautiful in romance manhwa, and the father-daughter relationship is genuinely touching.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: Complex power dynamics between a terrifying man and a woman who disarms him with love, wrapped in a color palette that rivals Lore Olympus itself.
Our score: 9.0/10
Platform: WEBTOON — Read on WEBTOON | Print edition
2. The Villainess Turns the Hourglass
Aria’s lowborn mother married a Count, and Aria spent years living in luxury — until her stepsister Mielle’s scheming leads to her execution. Given a second chance via a magical hourglass, Aria decides to become the perfect villainess herself and beat Mielle at her own game. The power-reversal fantasy is deeply satisfying, and the revenge arc is one of the best in the genre.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: Morally complex women, lush period fashion, and a protagonist who rewrites her own fate on her own terms — the same energy as Persephone refusing to be a victim.
Our score: 9.1/10
Platform: WEBTOON — Find on WEBTOON | Print edition
3. Villains Are Destined to Die
Penelope Eckart reincarnates as the adopted daughter of Duke Eckart — the villainess of a reverse harem dating sim — set to hard mode, where every wrong choice triggers a death. It’s a tense, high-stakes story about survival in a world literally designed to kill you, wrapped in gorgeous art and a genuinely oppressive atmosphere.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: A woman fighting a system stacked against her, a romance that earns every moment, and the same sense that divine/noble power structures don’t care about your feelings.
Our score: 8.7/10
Platform: Tapas — Read on Tapas
4. Beware the Villainess!
A modern college student wakes up inside a classic romance novel as Melissa Foddebrat — the designated villainess whose job is to be horrible to the saintly heroine. Unwilling to play along, she begins tearing apart the novel’s absurd plot logic from the inside. It’s funny, self-aware, and sharply feminist in a way that feels genuinely refreshing.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: The same playful subversion of genre tropes, and a heroine who refuses to be reduced to the role the story assigned her.
Our score: 8.5/10
Platform: Tapas — Read on Tapas
5. The Fantasie of a Stepmother
After her husband dies, young Shuri is left to manage his vast estate and four children who resent her. Determined to be a real mother anyway, she keeps showing up — until she realizes she’s trapped in a time loop and the children she loves will never remember her love. A tearjerker with genuine emotional weight.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: The same sense of love that persists despite impossible circumstances, and a protagonist whose kindness reads as strength rather than weakness.
Our score: 8.4/10
Platform: Tapas — Read on Tapas
6. I Shall Master This Family
Firentia, born of a Lombardi father and a peasant mother, watches the great Lombardi family collapse after her grandfather’s death. Given a chance to return to the past, she decides to take control of the family herself — not for romance, but for power and justice. A rare story where the heroine’s goal is political and earns every bit of it.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: The same mix of family loyalty, power dynamics, and romance that develops slowly and meaningfully on the edges of bigger stakes.
Our score: 8.6/10
Platform: Tapas — Read on Tapas
7. The Monstrous Duke’s Adopted Daughter
Leslie has always lived in the shadow of her sister Eli, used as a tool for the family’s ambitions. When she’s adopted by the feared Monstrous Duke, she expects the worst — and finds the one family that actually sees her. A quieter, warmer take on the villainess-adjacent romance subgenre with exceptional character writing.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: Found family, a terrifying man who turns out to be deeply gentle, and a heroine who grows into herself gradually across a long story — very much Hades-and-Persephone energy.
Our score: 8.2/10
Platform: WEBTOON — Find on WEBTOON | Print edition
8. This Villainess Wants a Divorce!
The heroine reincarnates as Canaria, the villain of a popular novel — and according to the plot, her husband is supposed to execute her. Her solution: secure a clean divorce and disappear before the story reaches that chapter. A lighter, comedic take on the villainess genre with a heroine whose number-one priority is simply not dying.
Why Lore Olympus fans will love it: Irreverent humor about power structures that have already decided your fate, and a female protagonist who writes her own ending anyway.
Our score: 8.3/10
Platform: WEBTOON — Find on WEBTOON