Saturday 30 April 2011

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9780373210268
Pages: 304

Every girl who has taken the test has died.
Now it's Kate's turn.
It's always been just Kate and her mom - and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld - and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy - until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

 
If she fails...
The Goddess Test is a magically delectable debut novel featuring Greek mythology with a modern twist.

First, let me just say how much I loved Kate as a character. It's rare that I come across a narrator while reading that is kind and selfless to the degree to which Kate is and I loved that. I loved that she could put her own problems aside to help someone else and that the world didn't have to revolve around her. I especially loved the relationship that she had with her mother. My heart broke for both of them as they struggled to deal with her mom's cancer and the love and helplessness Kate felt came through to me crystal clear.

The relationship between Kate and Henry was another thing that I really enjoyed. It took its time and developed at a steady, gradual pace through the novel so that I could just see every aspect of it. I seriously appreciated the lack of insta-love (which isn't always horrible but is getting a bit tedious). Kate and Henry start off as simply reluctant friends and its nice to see the easy progression in their relationship. I'm excited to see where the romance goes in the next book!

In regards to the mystery aspect of the novel, I really didn't figure out who the person responsible for all the problems in the book was until the very end. It was such a huge 'oh my goodness!' moment when I did realize what I'd been missing that I think my jaw must have been trailing along the floor - I definitely didn't see it coming!

Aimée Carter weaves a beautiful tale rich with mythology, romance and mystery. Book two, Goddess Interrupted, cannot come soon enough!

Cover Comments: It is so pretty. Especially after reading the book, I just think that its perfect in every way. Gorgeous!

6 comments:

  1. Great review!! I loved this book too and I can't wait for the next one! =)

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  2. Thanks! :) I liked your review too. There have been comments about how the next book will include more Greek mythology than this one so I'm super excited for that (plus the amazing story and characters too, of course).

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  3. Sounds like everything worked for you in this book. Don't you just love a good surprise ending :)

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  4. It did! I rarely guess correctly in regards to surprise endings and I always love it! I used to read the ending of a book before starting but I'm trying so hard to stop. It's so much more enjoyable if I just read in order (imagine that, huh?) Thanks for your comment!

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  5. Hi! Sorry to bother you but I'm going round blogs that have read The Goddess Test, me and another blogger are hosting a discussion on Saturday at 11pm GMT, where anyone who's read the book can discuss it with other bloggers. I was wondering if you'd be interested? You can find out more about it here: http://comacalm.blogspot.com/p/read-along.html

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  6. It's no bother at all! Thanks for inviting me to this discussion, I just signed up :) Sounds like fun - see you there!

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