The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology
Publication.Date	April 14thth 2011
Pages:	293
Published By:	Harlequin Teen  |
Website	Aimee Carter |
	The Goddess Test - Goodreads
My review copy:	Finished copy received from the author as a gift (thank you, Aimee!)

Where to get:

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and 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. (Goodreads)

“I’m not, even if you think I am. But no matter what this started out as…an accident, fate, whatever—I’m glad you found me that night. Not because of what happened, but because of now. Because I get to be here with you. And I’m scared, too, but—but thank you for telling me today. Thank you for trusting me with that. I’ve never…” I pressed my lips together, trying to find the right words. “I’ve never felt like this for anyone. And I’m not really sure what falling in love feels like, but I think—I know I have. With you.”  

“I care," he said in a trembling voice. "I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too.”

“Maybe you'll win when hell freezes over."
He raised an eyebrow.
"That could be easily arranged.”

“Sometimes we misjudge what is possible and what is not.”

     Absolutely and utterly delightful, The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter turned out to be so much more than I ever hoped it would be. Insanely emotional, intense, full of drama and unexpected plot developments, it's a charming retelling of the Persephone myth, and one that is way more thrilling and nail-biting than the original! From the moment I picked it up to the very last page, it kept me fascinated and well entertained. Needless to say, I breezed through it in a lightning fast speed. And I loved every page of it to pieces. I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner! 

     Kate was a wonderful protagonist. I loved poking around her head and seeing the world through her eyes. She made the story very believable and therefore intense. She possessed some great qualities! She was caring, brave, devoted, thoughtful and optimistic. She always put others before herself, whether they deserved it or not (some may argue that she was simply naive and silly, but I actually liked that about her). No matter what the situation, she made the most of it, always looking at the bright side and pushing through. Henry? Henry was an intriguing character. Undeniably sexy and mysterious, he was also quite withdrawn and wary. That, of course, can be easily explained by the centuries of suffering Persephone has put him through. So, OK, maybe he was a little bit melodramatic about it (you'd think the guy had enough time to pick himself up, dust himself off, and move on). And yes, maybe it's not exactly how I pictured Hades while reading Greek myths (the truth is, when I think of Hades I see someone darker, stronger and maybe slightly more evil!). But let's cut the guy some slack! He's still pretty cute, and the whole innocent vibe he was giving off actually grew on me pretty fast. Besides, I'm certain that once he warms up a bit, he'll show us all what he's made of! 

     I loved the premise of this book and the way Aimee Carter built the story around the well-known Greek myth, putting an interesting spin on it. The storyline moved along very swiftly, making it easy to lose yourself in the plot and get emotionally engaged in all the events. Aimee Carter cut straight to the chace and didn't really waste time on lengthy introductions. I liked that. There weren't any slower moments when my thoughts would drift off to other things, I was focused and totally captivated throughout the whole novel. In fact, reading The Goddess Test was just as entertaining as watching one of the episodes of Gossip Girl - it's a fun and engrossing story that makes you gasp in surprise, shake your head in bewilderment and grit your teeth in annoyance at the evil plottings of the characters. And that ending! I'm still not sure how exactly I feel about it. Let's just put it this way: Saying that I did not see it coming would be a major understatement. It shocked me! 

     Overall, this book is a pure delight. Carter brilliantly mixes the alluring elements of Greek mythology with the liveliness and sassiness of the modern world. The result is spellbinding. This book is full of burning passion, fragile romance, deceit, danger, mystery, and drama. PLENTY of drama! In fact, if you don't like drama, or you're bothered by sadder undertones in a story, I would say this book is not for you. Same goes for people who like to over-analyze everything. As entertaining and extremely fun to read as it is, The Goddess Test has its flaws. They're not big, just tiny little things here and there, some plot twists you might not approve of, small details that seemingly don't make sense (to give you a quick example: you might end up wondering why a powerful goddess, capable of striking you down with just one look, would bother poisoning or stabbing someone), but all these things are easy to overlook. And if you can do that, if you can focus on the overall awesomeness of this book, I promise you, you'll have plenty of fun devouring it! 

     The Goddess Test is a perfect summer read. Sparkly, suspenseful, magical - it's a fabulous blend of Greek mythology, romance and mystery. If, like me, for some reason you didn't get around to reading it yet, do yourself a favour and pick it up immediately. It's a book worth reading. If not for anything else, read it for the sheer fun of it!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

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