Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

The Goddess Test

Author: Aimée Carter
Release Date: April 19th 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 297

Goodreads:
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...

My Review:

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. 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!