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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Suprisingly good. Expected a typical teen drama, but ended up with a great story. Apparently Greek gods are my thing!
Personally, I love greek mythology, and I liked this book very much. This is a whole new perspective on Persephone's myth and I was impressed. I loved the Percy Jackson series, and I was glad there was a series for young adults that revolved around greek mythology.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The story starts off with a girl named Kate who is taking care of her mother (who has cancer). One of her mother's last wish (besides wanting Kate to live her life and enjoy her teenage years) was to go back to the town she was raised, which is Eden. And, when they get there, Kate enrolls in the local high school and mights the typical jocks, geeks, and preppy girls. The jock: Dylan, The geek: James, and The preppy girl: Ava.
She (slowly) becomes friends with James and is socially attacked by Ava. Cause Ava thinks Kate is trying to take Dylan away from her, so Ava pulls a prank. By telling Kate that they are going to a party, Ava takes Kate to the river by a Mansion right outside of Eden. Kate is terrified of water, but she still follows Ava across, and that's were Ava leaves Kate alone on the other side, and jumps back in the water to escape. But unfortunately for Ava, she dived in a shallow end of the river and hit her head. Despite what Ava did to her, Kate faced her fear and jumped into the river to save Ava's body, but it was too late. Ava died. Totally shocked and petrified, Kate tries to save her but can't.
That's when Henry shows up, who is Henry you ask? He lives in the mansion and claims to be Hades. Of course Kate didn't believe him, but when he brings Ava back to life, the impossible became possible. Henry then tells Kate that because he brought Ava back to life, Kate has to do something for him. He tells Kate to re-read Persephone's myth. Kate re-reads the myth and reaches a conclusion that she has to live as Henry's wife for every six months. When Henry comes back she refuses him, but Henry says if she doesn't concede by midnight the next day, Ava will die...again.
Kate believes that everything that has happend didn't really happen, and ignores him. Big mistake, Ava unfortunately dies. Kate couldn't believe that Ava died because of her mistake, so she goes to the mansion and says that she'll do whatever he wants if he agrees to bring back Ava. Henry said it was too late to bring back Ava, but he'll get rid of her mother's cancer for as long as she (Kate) wants, until Kate is ready to let her go. Kate agrees, therefore she has to live in the mansion for the next six months. Why? Because she has to pass seven tests to to be accepted as Henry's future wife, Queen of the Underworld, and a Goddess.
What she finds out that 11 other girls have tried before her and and have failed, because someone has been killing them off. The entire staff in the mansion take care of Kate as she lives her life in the mansion. Kate unfortunately doesn't know when the tests will be given, she has to be ready all the time. But from what Henry says, she is doing beautifully. The other gods ("The Council") will decided whether she passes or fails a test, but they are hidden, and do not reveal themselves until the end.
As the weeks go by, Henry and Kate spend time together and they learn about each other's lives. Kate is happy that her mother isn't affected by the cancer, and is even happier that she can visit her mother in dreams as well. Henry tells Kate how Persephone fell in love with a mortal man and asked for mortality just to be with him; leaving Henry behind. Persephone never loved Henry, but was forced to marry him because her mother, Demeter, though they would be good together. Henry still has feelings for her, but he falls in love with Kate and Kate falls in love with Henry as well.
After a while, everything is going well, until ____________ (not going to reveal who this is, read the book!) kills Kate. Henry finds Kate, but it's too late. BUT!!!! Kate's mom gives up her life to save Kate's. Kate lives, and faces The council to see if she will wins her immorality. She passes and is accepted as a goddess.
The book ends at Kate's final month at the mansion, she has too leave the mansion for the summer as Henry had promised. Kate leaves but is excited to return back to the mansion for Henry and her new family. Although, little do they know, trouble is still looming (in fact, it's like right around the corner) and let me tell you, revenge is a bitch.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The story starts off with a girl named Kate who is taking care of her mother (who has cancer). One of her mother's last wish (besides wanting Kate to live her life and enjoy her teenage years) was to go back to the town she was raised, which is Eden. And, when they get there, Kate enrolls in the local high school and mights the typical jocks, geeks, and preppy girls. The jock: Dylan, The geek: James, and The preppy girl: Ava.
She (slowly) becomes friends with James and is socially attacked by Ava. Cause Ava thinks Kate is trying to take Dylan away from her, so Ava pulls a prank. By telling Kate that they are going to a party, Ava takes Kate to the river by a Mansion right outside of Eden. Kate is terrified of water, but she still follows Ava across, and that's were Ava leaves Kate alone on the other side, and jumps back in the water to escape. But unfortunately for Ava, she dived in a shallow end of the river and hit her head. Despite what Ava did to her, Kate faced her fear and jumped into the river to save Ava's body, but it was too late. Ava died. Totally shocked and petrified, Kate tries to save her but can't.
That's when Henry shows up, who is Henry you ask? He lives in the mansion and claims to be Hades. Of course Kate didn't believe him, but when he brings Ava back to life, the impossible became possible. Henry then tells Kate that because he brought Ava back to life, Kate has to do something for him. He tells Kate to re-read Persephone's myth. Kate re-reads the myth and reaches a conclusion that she has to live as Henry's wife for every six months. When Henry comes back she refuses him, but Henry says if she doesn't concede by midnight the next day, Ava will die...again.
Kate believes that everything that has happend didn't really happen, and ignores him. Big mistake, Ava unfortunately dies. Kate couldn't believe that Ava died because of her mistake, so she goes to the mansion and says that she'll do whatever he wants if he agrees to bring back Ava. Henry said it was too late to bring back Ava, but he'll get rid of her mother's cancer for as long as she (Kate) wants, until Kate is ready to let her go. Kate agrees, therefore she has to live in the mansion for the next six months. Why? Because she has to pass seven tests to to be accepted as Henry's future wife, Queen of the Underworld, and a Goddess.
What she finds out that 11 other girls have tried before her and and have failed, because someone has been killing them off. The entire staff in the mansion take care of Kate as she lives her life in the mansion. Kate unfortunately doesn't know when the tests will be given, she has to be ready all the time. But from what Henry says, she is doing beautifully. The other gods ("The Council") will decided whether she passes or fails a test, but they are hidden, and do not reveal themselves until the end.
As the weeks go by, Henry and Kate spend time together and they learn about each other's lives. Kate is happy that her mother isn't affected by the cancer, and is even happier that she can visit her mother in dreams as well. Henry tells Kate how Persephone fell in love with a mortal man and asked for mortality just to be with him; leaving Henry behind. Persephone never loved Henry, but was forced to marry him because her mother, Demeter, though they would be good together. Henry still has feelings for her, but he falls in love with Kate and Kate falls in love with Henry as well.
After a while, everything is going well, until ____________ (not going to reveal who this is, read the book!) kills Kate. Henry finds Kate, but it's too late. BUT!!!! Kate's mom gives up her life to save Kate's. Kate lives, and faces The council to see if she will wins her immorality. She passes and is accepted as a goddess.
The book ends at Kate's final month at the mansion, she has too leave the mansion for the summer as Henry had promised. Kate leaves but is excited to return back to the mansion for Henry and her new family. Although, little do they know, trouble is still looming (in fact, it's like right around the corner) and let me tell you, revenge is a bitch.
This book was something... I loved reading it but it was just so bad it became good.
Some of the Gods names I could find the logic is like, Henry, Ava and Diana because it starts with the same letter. But Walter for Zeus!?
The reveal that Henry was a virgin was the funniest thing ever.
It's also just weird that Demeter/Diana birthed a replacement wife for Henry, I had hoped that Kate would be a reincarnation of Persephone or something, but that was just worse.
I hated that Kate didn't want to wear dresses.
I didn't get why Persephone wanted to die to be with her lover, it doesn't make sense. She is the ruler of the underworld she could see him whenever and when she died she didn't go to the underworld so what's the point.
It felt that it was a bit manipulative that if Kate failed it wouldn't only be her life on the line but also Henry's.
I also have questions why Hera/calliope was in love with Henry.
I also would have liked if they introduced themselves with their god names to Kate, saying to her "you haven't figured that out?" Does not help.
Some of the Gods names I could find the logic is like, Henry, Ava and Diana because it starts with the same letter. But Walter for Zeus!?
The reveal that Henry was a virgin was the funniest thing ever.
It's also just weird that Demeter/Diana birthed a replacement wife for Henry, I had hoped that Kate would be a reincarnation of Persephone or something, but that was just worse.
I hated that Kate didn't want to wear dresses.
I didn't get why Persephone wanted to die to be with her lover, it doesn't make sense. She is the ruler of the underworld she could see him whenever and when she died she didn't go to the underworld so what's the point.
It felt that it was a bit manipulative that if Kate failed it wouldn't only be her life on the line but also Henry's.
I also have questions why Hera/calliope was in love with Henry.
I also would have liked if they introduced themselves with their god names to Kate, saying to her "you haven't figured that out?" Does not help.
Okay, this was really bad. Right now I don't feel even a bit of interest of reading the second part on this trilogy.
So this book really surprised me in the best way possible :) It started out quite slow, but then it suddenly picked up and I couldn't put the book down. Though I did see some of the twists coming, I did not see the ending with the counsil coming.
SPOILERS
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One thing that annoyed me was how easily Kate forgave everyone for playing basically one big trick on her. They all lied and deceived her from when she was born basically.
SPOILERS
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One thing that annoyed me was how easily Kate forgave everyone for playing basically one big trick on her. They all lied and deceived her from when she was born basically.
I really enjoyed this new take on Greek mythology. Can't wait for next one.
I enjoyed this take on Persephone and Hades love story. It had the updated modern day dating issues mixed in, and didn't see (or see why) that person was the one sabotaging the trials for a new queen.... But it was good read overall.
Before I picked up this book I had read a lot of mixed reviews about it. It seems to be one of those stories that you either like or you hate and luckily, I was one of the former. I found this book quite enjoyable, with its intriguing storyline and sweet romance it was a quick, light hearted read that was very loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone.
Telling the story of eighteen year old Kate, the book starts when she and her terminally ill mother move from New York to the small, wayward town of Eden. It is here she meets Henry (Hades), lord of the underworld and after several unexplainable events; Kate is left with no choice but to strike up a deal death.
He will keep her mother alive in return for Kate’s promise to become his queen, to live and rule with him in the underworld for six-months of every year for the rest of eternity. The catch – first Kate must pass seven test set by the other Gods, tests that have claimed the lives of Kate’s eleven predecessors. And so the trials begin.
As a character Kate is fun to read. Her reactions as she adjusts to the underworld can be quite amusing however she has the flaw of taking on other characters problems and is just a little too good. Henry, naturally, is gorgeous and has a broody, mysteriousness working for him and the romance between him and Kate is quite sweet.
I must admit, I didn’t particularly like the ending of the book(although it certainly came as a surprise) and at times the plot felt a little hollow, but overall I thought the ‘Goddess Test’ was a nice story with some interesting characters. However for people who are into Greek Mythology, this book is probably best avoided as there is actually very little mythology in it. Recommend to younger YAs and those in want of a quick romance. 3 Stars!
Telling the story of eighteen year old Kate, the book starts when she and her terminally ill mother move from New York to the small, wayward town of Eden. It is here she meets Henry (Hades), lord of the underworld and after several unexplainable events; Kate is left with no choice but to strike up a deal death.
He will keep her mother alive in return for Kate’s promise to become his queen, to live and rule with him in the underworld for six-months of every year for the rest of eternity. The catch – first Kate must pass seven test set by the other Gods, tests that have claimed the lives of Kate’s eleven predecessors. And so the trials begin.
As a character Kate is fun to read. Her reactions as she adjusts to the underworld can be quite amusing however she has the flaw of taking on other characters problems and is just a little too good. Henry, naturally, is gorgeous and has a broody, mysteriousness working for him and the romance between him and Kate is quite sweet.
I must admit, I didn’t particularly like the ending of the book(although it certainly came as a surprise) and at times the plot felt a little hollow, but overall I thought the ‘Goddess Test’ was a nice story with some interesting characters. However for people who are into Greek Mythology, this book is probably best avoided as there is actually very little mythology in it. Recommend to younger YAs and those in want of a quick romance. 3 Stars!
Warning SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. My oh my... 2 stars is pretty dang generous of me. I had really high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, I have a problem with falling for gorgeous covers.*sigh* There was definitely promise with "The Goddess Test". The writing itself wasn't too bad. The content was what ruined this book.
Where to begin? Predictable. This book was oh so very predictable. At the back of the book there was a "guide to the gods and goddesses" and I read that, not realizing that it would spoil the ENTIRE ending. I went through the whole book not realizing that I wasn't supposed to know all that info. Then they got to the end and everyone was all shocked and surprised and I was like "yeah, okay...I knew this." That really disappointed me. Maybe I would've liked the book better if I hadn't of known all that. Anyway, there were other things that I spotted from a hundred miles away.
The characters were almost all stiff, flat, and impossible to fall in love with. I think James, Ava, and Kate's mother were the only characters that became even slightly "alive" to me. The mark of really fantastic characterization? When you feel as if you know the characters. You can imagine them living and breathing and THERE. These characters were lifeless. ESPECIALLY Henry. And that brings me to the next part of my rant disguised as a review...
THE ROMANCE! (or complete lack thereof) Oh, Henry. I really wanted to love Henry... I think I could have loved him if he had been given a speck of personality. Unfortunately, Aimee Carter chose to make him stiff, dull, overly formal, and disturbingly bipolar. Kate hates him, then she suddenly loves him. But OH! He could never love her...He's pining for his darling Persephone. (who was a total witch, and with whom he apparently never had any romantic contact) Wait! Now he's suddenly in love with Kate. They've been spending all this time together. The reader rarely gets to be a part of Henry and Kate's time together. We just hear about it in quick summaries. Now suddenly they cannot bear to be apart! Every second away from him is torture! *gag*
The plot was confusing and strange. The tests seemed to play a minor role in the novel and they were totally dumb. She spends all her time panicking about them. We're given page after after page of overdramatic panic attacks, indecisiveness, dramatic revelations, and a ton of "I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" "Okay, it's time to give up." "NO! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" moments. She's annoyed by James, BAM! They're besties. Thisclose. Now she hates him. Now she's confused. Now she thinks he's trying to kill her. Now she likes him again. Now they're hanging out for the entire summer. Kate does this often with multiple characters and scenarios. The few attempts at humor were strained and usually pretty lame.
Overall, this book was a waste of time. And I'm tired of writing this review. There were moments that I enjoyed. However, mostly I was confused and annoyed. I wouldn't recommend this distorted, awkward, and disjointed retake of the Persephone myth.
Where to begin? Predictable. This book was oh so very predictable. At the back of the book there was a "guide to the gods and goddesses" and I read that, not realizing that it would spoil the ENTIRE ending. I went through the whole book not realizing that I wasn't supposed to know all that info. Then they got to the end and everyone was all shocked and surprised and I was like "yeah, okay...I knew this." That really disappointed me. Maybe I would've liked the book better if I hadn't of known all that. Anyway, there were other things that I spotted from a hundred miles away.
Spoiler
Calliope being the killer? Guessed it. *yawn* Kate's mother being a goddess? Yup.The characters were almost all stiff, flat, and impossible to fall in love with. I think James, Ava, and Kate's mother were the only characters that became even slightly "alive" to me. The mark of really fantastic characterization? When you feel as if you know the characters. You can imagine them living and breathing and THERE. These characters were lifeless. ESPECIALLY Henry. And that brings me to the next part of my rant disguised as a review...
THE ROMANCE! (or complete lack thereof) Oh, Henry. I really wanted to love Henry... I think I could have loved him if he had been given a speck of personality. Unfortunately, Aimee Carter chose to make him stiff, dull, overly formal, and disturbingly bipolar. Kate hates him, then she suddenly loves him. But OH! He could never love her...He's pining for his darling Persephone. (who was a total witch, and with whom he apparently never had any romantic contact) Wait! Now he's suddenly in love with Kate. They've been spending all this time together. The reader rarely gets to be a part of Henry and Kate's time together. We just hear about it in quick summaries. Now suddenly they cannot bear to be apart! Every second away from him is torture! *gag*
The plot was confusing and strange. The tests seemed to play a minor role in the novel and they were totally dumb. She spends all her time panicking about them. We're given page after after page of overdramatic panic attacks, indecisiveness, dramatic revelations, and a ton of "I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" "Okay, it's time to give up." "NO! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" moments. She's annoyed by James, BAM! They're besties. Thisclose. Now she hates him. Now she's confused. Now she thinks he's trying to kill her. Now she likes him again. Now they're hanging out for the entire summer. Kate does this often with multiple characters and scenarios. The few attempts at humor were strained and usually pretty lame.
Overall, this book was a waste of time. And I'm tired of writing this review. There were moments that I enjoyed. However, mostly I was confused and annoyed. I wouldn't recommend this distorted, awkward, and disjointed retake of the Persephone myth.
After reading Percy Jackson, it was not worth it at all.