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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
First impressions: I loved the relationship between Kate and her mom. The book opens with Kate driving her mom from their home in New York to the mom's childhood home in Eden, Michigan. Her mom is dying from cancer and wants nothing more but to be at peace. Kate is really struggling with this, and it broke my heart. I liked Kate instantly.
Lasting impressions: It's a fun take on the Greek gods and goddesses. It's hard to say if I would have gotten some deeper meaning from it if I was more familiar with the gods (since the last time I studied them was in 8th grade), but overall my lack of knowledge didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book. I was really caught up in the story and flew through this book.
Conflicting impressions: It was kind of a bummer that Kate didn't know what the 7 tests are until the end, because it meant that we didn't know either. This wasn't a deal breaker for me, but kind of made me wonder when the end was coming. We had no frame of reference for when the final tests would take place, so I ended up not really caring about them since I also knew we wouldn't get clues as to what the tests were.
Overall impressions: Kate is kind of a pushover, which made some of the scenes ring a little false. As soon as she gets to Eden, she is forced to accept an invitation to a bonfire party by the head cheerleader, Ava. Kate doesn't want to go, because she wants to spend as much time with her mother as possible, but ultimately accepts.
Ava ends up trying to teach Kate a lesson about who exactly is Top Dog in Eden, but the plan goes sour. When Kate is given the opportunity to rectify the situation by striking an odd deal with Henry, she jumps at the chance. I didn't really have a problem with Kate trying to save Ava. Just because someone is a bitch to you doesn't mean you want to see them suffer, even if they are a stranger. I thought this spoke volumes about Kate's compassion and desire to do the right thing.
Meeting Henry, however, is when things get weird. Good weird, but still weird. This mysterious guy asks her to devote 6 months of the year to live with him at his secluded estate and she agrees? Okay, suspension of disbelief, blah blah blah. When push comes to shove, though, Kate backs out and Henry flexes his karmic muscle and then she really has to agree or things are going to get scary weird.
The only thing that ends up spurring Kate through this twisted reality is the thought that Henry could save her mother. Since I found this relationship so believable, I also believed that she would do anything for her mom. I decided to just go with the flow and accept that Kate would do all of these things she didn't want to do, just for her mom. Sure there are lots of lingering questions - Why would her friends let her go? Why wouldn't anyone in Eden wonder what happened to her? - but mostly I could forget my doubts.
After Kate moves in to Henry's house, however, things slowed down. There's no real timeline pushing the story forward. There is a vague threat on Kate's life that I found a bit unclear, so it didn't suffice for me in creating much tension. Mostly I just wanted to know more about the tests.
When the end finally happens, though, the resolution worked for me. I found myself quite satisfied with how they chose to reveal the tests and how Kate had done on each of them, though it could have been expanded just a bit more. I liked how everything wrapped up at the end, and overall I found the story sweet and kind of magical. I think Small Review nailed it with her comparison to Beauty and the Beast because it definitely had the same elements. Girl sacrifices own freedom to save a parent, girl likes overbearing freedom denier despite herself, girl ends up with Stockholm Syndrome.
No? That's not it?
I still found the book to be fun, exciting, interesting, and quite a page-turner. I gobbled this book up in two sittings because I liked Kate and wanted to know what would happen to her. If you like fantastical tales or even fairy tale retellings, I think this book will appeal to you. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
Lasting impressions: It's a fun take on the Greek gods and goddesses. It's hard to say if I would have gotten some deeper meaning from it if I was more familiar with the gods (since the last time I studied them was in 8th grade), but overall my lack of knowledge didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book. I was really caught up in the story and flew through this book.
Conflicting impressions: It was kind of a bummer that Kate didn't know what the 7 tests are until the end, because it meant that we didn't know either. This wasn't a deal breaker for me, but kind of made me wonder when the end was coming. We had no frame of reference for when the final tests would take place, so I ended up not really caring about them since I also knew we wouldn't get clues as to what the tests were.
Overall impressions: Kate is kind of a pushover, which made some of the scenes ring a little false. As soon as she gets to Eden, she is forced to accept an invitation to a bonfire party by the head cheerleader, Ava. Kate doesn't want to go, because she wants to spend as much time with her mother as possible, but ultimately accepts.
Ava ends up trying to teach Kate a lesson about who exactly is Top Dog in Eden, but the plan goes sour. When Kate is given the opportunity to rectify the situation by striking an odd deal with Henry, she jumps at the chance. I didn't really have a problem with Kate trying to save Ava. Just because someone is a bitch to you doesn't mean you want to see them suffer, even if they are a stranger. I thought this spoke volumes about Kate's compassion and desire to do the right thing.
Meeting Henry, however, is when things get weird. Good weird, but still weird. This mysterious guy asks her to devote 6 months of the year to live with him at his secluded estate and she agrees? Okay, suspension of disbelief, blah blah blah. When push comes to shove, though, Kate backs out and Henry flexes his karmic muscle and then she really has to agree or things are going to get scary weird.
The only thing that ends up spurring Kate through this twisted reality is the thought that Henry could save her mother. Since I found this relationship so believable, I also believed that she would do anything for her mom. I decided to just go with the flow and accept that Kate would do all of these things she didn't want to do, just for her mom. Sure there are lots of lingering questions - Why would her friends let her go? Why wouldn't anyone in Eden wonder what happened to her? - but mostly I could forget my doubts.
After Kate moves in to Henry's house, however, things slowed down. There's no real timeline pushing the story forward. There is a vague threat on Kate's life that I found a bit unclear, so it didn't suffice for me in creating much tension. Mostly I just wanted to know more about the tests.
When the end finally happens, though, the resolution worked for me. I found myself quite satisfied with how they chose to reveal the tests and how Kate had done on each of them, though it could have been expanded just a bit more. I liked how everything wrapped up at the end, and overall I found the story sweet and kind of magical. I think Small Review nailed it with her comparison to Beauty and the Beast because it definitely had the same elements. Girl sacrifices own freedom to save a parent, girl likes overbearing freedom denier despite herself, girl ends up with Stockholm Syndrome.
No? That's not it?
I still found the book to be fun, exciting, interesting, and quite a page-turner. I gobbled this book up in two sittings because I liked Kate and wanted to know what would happen to her. If you like fantastical tales or even fairy tale retellings, I think this book will appeal to you. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
I have to say that this book is more of a 3.5 stars.
Although, I loved the concept and most of the characters I think the relationship between the main characters was a little dull. I didn't want or expect it to be the all consuming, love at first sight relationship but i hoped it would start off as it did and then we would learn more about the characters and they would interact more. They did interact but it felt forced and you really don't grow attached to them. Well at least in my case.
My favorite character was Ava, and that's because she had spunk and she had a personality (crazy one but still at personality).
I will read the next book because I do like the concept of the book. I hope in book two we get more from Kate and Henry, especially Henry since he's so distant already but it seems he will continue to be in the next book as well. Lets hope not.
Although, I loved the concept and most of the characters I think the relationship between the main characters was a little dull. I didn't want or expect it to be the all consuming, love at first sight relationship but i hoped it would start off as it did and then we would learn more about the characters and they would interact more. They did interact but it felt forced and you really don't grow attached to them. Well at least in my case.
My favorite character was Ava, and that's because she had spunk and she had a personality (crazy one but still at personality).
I will read the next book because I do like the concept of the book. I hope in book two we get more from Kate and Henry, especially Henry since he's so distant already but it seems he will continue to be in the next book as well. Lets hope not.
Oh, and if you don't like spoilers, don't even glance at the last pages because they have this little overview that spoils everything.
Really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting new idea based around Greek mythology and set in the modern day. Really loved the characters and their development.
I didn't expect much of this book when I read the premise months ago, but I enjoyed the actual book far more than I thought I would. I read it in less than a day.
This isn't the next epic romance of our time, but if you go in understanding that it's YA lit, it's a very fun read (hence the high ranking). While I didn't like the set-up - honestly, the beginning with James and Ava and Kate at high school could have been more developed - I enjoyed the remainder of the book because I honestly felt like Carter did a good job developing Kate's character. I'm eager for the sequel!
This isn't the next epic romance of our time, but if you go in understanding that it's YA lit, it's a very fun read (hence the high ranking). While I didn't like the set-up - honestly, the beginning with James and Ava and Kate at high school could have been more developed - I enjoyed the remainder of the book because I honestly felt like Carter did a good job developing Kate's character. I'm eager for the sequel!
Review also on my Blog
The Goddess Test was an absolutely delightful read. The story is based around the Greek myth of Persephone. (Persephone was abducted by Hades, and forced to be Queen of the Underworld. A quite fascinating myth, should you ever want to read it.) I love books on Greek Mythology, and I was really intrigued by this book.
Kate’s mother is dying of cancer, and she wants to move back to her hometown, Eden. Kate is 18, and had to quit her senior year of school to take care of her mom. When they move to Eden, Kate starts at a new school, where she doesn’t know anyone. After a tragic prank gone wrong with one of her schoolmates, she meets Henry, who promises to make all her problems go away, if she will make a deal with him. The deal is to pass seven tests, and if she passes this test, she will become his bride for the rest of eternity, and rule the Underworld alongside him.
Kate is our Leading Lady. I really liked her. She is a very strong and determined character. She really loved her mom, who is dying from cancer, and the friends she barely know. She was willing to make huge sacrifices for other people, and again, some she barely knew. She really cared for these people. She’s also smart and brave. Her relationship with her mom was really touching.
Henry, our main man, is not exactly what I pictured in the role of Hades. People did fear him, yes. But he was really sweet and caring towards Kate. I love how his feelings slowly came out in the book. I enjoyed reading more about him as I went through the book. Although he was supposed to be a bad guy in the beginning, you could tell a part of him really cared. I loved him, and I felt bad for him as well. He was so very sad.
I enjoyed all of the other characters as well. (There are way too many to list!)
I really enjoyed reading all the mythology in this book. I especially enjoyed reading about the gods. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming too. The writing, the setting, the plot… it was fascinating. I’m anxiously waiting the second book in the series!
Thank you to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this Advance Reader’s Copy! I enjoyed it, and look forward to purchasing the book when it is released in April!
The Goddess Test was an absolutely delightful read. The story is based around the Greek myth of Persephone. (Persephone was abducted by Hades, and forced to be Queen of the Underworld. A quite fascinating myth, should you ever want to read it.) I love books on Greek Mythology, and I was really intrigued by this book.
Kate’s mother is dying of cancer, and she wants to move back to her hometown, Eden. Kate is 18, and had to quit her senior year of school to take care of her mom. When they move to Eden, Kate starts at a new school, where she doesn’t know anyone. After a tragic prank gone wrong with one of her schoolmates, she meets Henry, who promises to make all her problems go away, if she will make a deal with him. The deal is to pass seven tests, and if she passes this test, she will become his bride for the rest of eternity, and rule the Underworld alongside him.
Kate is our Leading Lady. I really liked her. She is a very strong and determined character. She really loved her mom, who is dying from cancer, and the friends she barely know. She was willing to make huge sacrifices for other people, and again, some she barely knew. She really cared for these people. She’s also smart and brave. Her relationship with her mom was really touching.
Henry, our main man, is not exactly what I pictured in the role of Hades. People did fear him, yes. But he was really sweet and caring towards Kate. I love how his feelings slowly came out in the book. I enjoyed reading more about him as I went through the book. Although he was supposed to be a bad guy in the beginning, you could tell a part of him really cared. I loved him, and I felt bad for him as well. He was so very sad.
I enjoyed all of the other characters as well. (There are way too many to list!)
I really enjoyed reading all the mythology in this book. I especially enjoyed reading about the gods. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming too. The writing, the setting, the plot… it was fascinating. I’m anxiously waiting the second book in the series!
Thank you to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this Advance Reader’s Copy! I enjoyed it, and look forward to purchasing the book when it is released in April!
WHAT A BOOK!!!!! I absolutely LOVED IT!!!!
Spoiler alert!
It's a new telling of the story of Hades/Persephone. Kind of a Percy Jackson for YA/adults...absolutely can't wait to see what the author comes up with for the next book.
So Hades/Henry needs a new wife to help him rule the Underworld. Every girl they've tested has either failed or ended up dead before the testing was completed. It's Henry's last chance and if Kate doens't pass, the Underworld will pass to his nephew and Henry will fade from existence.
Can Kate pass the tests? Will she be murdered? It's a great read!!!
Spoiler alert!
It's a new telling of the story of Hades/Persephone. Kind of a Percy Jackson for YA/adults...absolutely can't wait to see what the author comes up with for the next book.
So Hades/Henry needs a new wife to help him rule the Underworld. Every girl they've tested has either failed or ended up dead before the testing was completed. It's Henry's last chance and if Kate doens't pass, the Underworld will pass to his nephew and Henry will fade from existence.
Can Kate pass the tests? Will she be murdered? It's a great read!!!
See more of my reviews at Once Upon a Prologue
Looking back, I can't recall why I hesitated so long to read The Goddess Test. I was interested in it when it was first published - I just wasn't reading much mythology based fiction, and definitely not YA mythology/fantasy. But as I started branching out more, I finally took a chance on The Goddess Test, and I read it almost in one sitting, over the course of a couple of hours. I'm used to reading mythology in my paranormal romances, but I was really quite pleasantly surprised by Aimee Carter's debut YA novel. Protagonist Kate Winters is grounded, realistic, and skeptical of the situation she walks into, until tormented Henry - Hades, if she believes him - offers to keep her dying mother alive while she faces the seven tests that will determine if she is granted immortality or not.
Kate enters into the bargain with him unsure of what to believe, and I liked her for that. She isn't all doe-eyed innocence, nor is she hardened to the point that she - doesn't - believe. She knows she caught up in something bigger than herself, but watching The Goddess Test unfold - and watching Kate grow and change - was emotional and heart-warming. All she's known for so long is taking care of her mother, and as her relationship with Henry deepens and matures, from stranger to friends, to the poignant potential for more, Kate learns that she's put her life on hold, and that both Henry and her mother want the same thing for her: for her to live to her full potential. Over the course of The Goddess Test, Kate learns a great deal about herself, as well as those around her. I whole-heatedly applaud Aimee Carter for all the character growth infused throughout The Goddess Test - in Kate, in Henry, and in the secondary characters.
There were a few weak moments in the plot that took a bit away from my enjoyment. There were several twists that I definitely saw coming, including one that I assume was meant to be obvious, because it very much was. In some cases, that would have gotten the book in question a lower rating, but what saved The Goddess Test for me (although it very much was a quick, and overall satisfying read), was the emotion. I connected with Kate immediately, because of the fact that I've lost several relatives to cancer, and I could identify with her deep longing for "one more day," and to not have to say goodbye yet. Henry was more detached in some ways, yet he appealed to me just as much as Kate did, though there were a few times when I wanted to give him a good shake. The bond that developed between him and Kate intrigued me, and I found myself looking forward to their scenes together. Their attraction and relationship was somewhat quick for my taste - not quite insta-love, which is a positive thing - and I hope that Aimee Carter develops them even more in the books to come.
There were so many strong, powerful emotions in The Goddess Test: Henry's unrequited love for his lost wife, Kate's intense love for her mother and bond with her, Kate and Henry's connection, Kate's grief over her mother, Kate and Ava's friendship, and all of that, to me, was one of the best features of The Goddess Test. There are also several secondary characters that I would absolutely love to know more about and hope we will see more of in the sequels.
Even with a few flaws, The Goddess Test is still a novel I really enjoyed, and having received the sequel, Goddess Interrupted through NetGalley, I'm excited to read it soon. Aimee Carter definitely left off on an interesting note, full of promise in more ways than one, and I look forward to seeing what else she has in store for her characters!
Looking back, I can't recall why I hesitated so long to read The Goddess Test. I was interested in it when it was first published - I just wasn't reading much mythology based fiction, and definitely not YA mythology/fantasy. But as I started branching out more, I finally took a chance on The Goddess Test, and I read it almost in one sitting, over the course of a couple of hours. I'm used to reading mythology in my paranormal romances, but I was really quite pleasantly surprised by Aimee Carter's debut YA novel. Protagonist Kate Winters is grounded, realistic, and skeptical of the situation she walks into, until tormented Henry - Hades, if she believes him - offers to keep her dying mother alive while she faces the seven tests that will determine if she is granted immortality or not.
Kate enters into the bargain with him unsure of what to believe, and I liked her for that. She isn't all doe-eyed innocence, nor is she hardened to the point that she - doesn't - believe. She knows she caught up in something bigger than herself, but watching The Goddess Test unfold - and watching Kate grow and change - was emotional and heart-warming. All she's known for so long is taking care of her mother, and as her relationship with Henry deepens and matures, from stranger to friends, to the poignant potential for more, Kate learns that she's put her life on hold, and that both Henry and her mother want the same thing for her: for her to live to her full potential. Over the course of The Goddess Test, Kate learns a great deal about herself, as well as those around her. I whole-heatedly applaud Aimee Carter for all the character growth infused throughout The Goddess Test - in Kate, in Henry, and in the secondary characters.
There were a few weak moments in the plot that took a bit away from my enjoyment. There were several twists that I definitely saw coming, including one that I assume was meant to be obvious, because it very much was. In some cases, that would have gotten the book in question a lower rating, but what saved The Goddess Test for me (although it very much was a quick, and overall satisfying read), was the emotion. I connected with Kate immediately, because of the fact that I've lost several relatives to cancer, and I could identify with her deep longing for "one more day," and to not have to say goodbye yet. Henry was more detached in some ways, yet he appealed to me just as much as Kate did, though there were a few times when I wanted to give him a good shake. The bond that developed between him and Kate intrigued me, and I found myself looking forward to their scenes together. Their attraction and relationship was somewhat quick for my taste - not quite insta-love, which is a positive thing - and I hope that Aimee Carter develops them even more in the books to come.
There were so many strong, powerful emotions in The Goddess Test: Henry's unrequited love for his lost wife, Kate's intense love for her mother and bond with her, Kate and Henry's connection, Kate's grief over her mother, Kate and Ava's friendship, and all of that, to me, was one of the best features of The Goddess Test. There are also several secondary characters that I would absolutely love to know more about and hope we will see more of in the sequels.
Even with a few flaws, The Goddess Test is still a novel I really enjoyed, and having received the sequel, Goddess Interrupted through NetGalley, I'm excited to read it soon. Aimee Carter definitely left off on an interesting note, full of promise in more ways than one, and I look forward to seeing what else she has in store for her characters!
