Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology Publication.Date July 31st 2012 Pages: 400 Published By: Harlequin Teen | Website Aimee Carter |
Goddess Legacy - Goodreads My review copy: eCopy received for review via netGalley
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For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimé e Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.
Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....
Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....
Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....
James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....
Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope....
Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.(Goodreads)
“If humanity was depending on us to get it right, they were in for several eons of disappointment."
“Love is not always enough, as much as we may want it to be”
“I buried my face in my hands, and without any thought to dignity, I cried. For myself, for the life I would never have, for the eons that would never end. For the hope that had been stolen from me time and time again, until it dwindled into nothing.”
“Zeus has gone to great lengths to prove he's changed for you. But people don't change like that, Hera -- they change because they want to, not because someone demands they do. And I worry that as soon as the wedding's over and the pair of you settle into marriage, he's going to revert back to the person you hate”
The Goddess Legacy is hands down my favourite book in The Goddess Test series so far. Not only is it just as entertaining and captivating as all the previous parts, but it also profoundly enriches the series as a whole. Technically, it's an in-between story, featuring events leading up to The Goddess Test, but unlike other in-between stories out there, The Goddess Legacy is a full-blown, 400 pages long novel, filled with stories that will change the way you look at all the characters forever. Thanks to this book you'll get a better understanding of the Olympians, their past, personalities, motives behind their actions, and how everything that happened since the imprisonment of the Titans led to Kate's arrival in the Underworld. I am so glad I have read this book, as it offered all the information and intriguing details that I've been missing in The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted. In short, The Goddess Legacy is like a missing puzzle, now that its been found, we finally get the whole picture. And let me just tell you, it's an absolutely fabulous one!
Consisting of five seemingly unrelated novellas, The Goddess Legacy takes us back in time to shortly after the war between the Olympians and the Titans. We start with Hera/Calliope and her story, followed by the stories of Aphrodite/Ava, Persephone, Hermes/James, and ending with Hades/Henry. Although each of the novellas weaves a spellbinding tale that could easily stand on its own, they're all told in chronological order, intertwining with each other and completing one another, resulting in a perfectly satisfying, cleverly executed read. I must say, I was deeply impressed by how well-thought-out it was. Everything from the choice of characters to offering their first-person perspectives on all the events to the spot-on arrangement of all the segments was great. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I found all the stories to be entertaining, fun to read and very compelling, ultimately though, it's the insights they provided into the minds of all the lead protagonists that truly made this book for me. I loved poking around their heads and getting to know them inside and out. I feel that I understand them and their motives so much better now, and - most importantly - I finally fully understand Kate and Henry's story. I enjoyed reading The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted immensely, but while I appreciated the swiftly moving action, abundance of characters and the drama between them, I didn't understand some of the decisions they made, and was left with many burning questions. That proved to be especially damaging to my opinion of Hades/Henry, because I just couldn't figure him out. The Goddess Legacy puts everything into perspective. In this book, Aimee Carter addresses all those things that made you frown / got you confused while reading the previous two. She starts from the beginning and weaves the story all the way to the moment when Hades/Henry meets Kate for the first time. You'll learn how difficult a life Hera/Calliope had, how many hardships and betrayals she faced, how much pain she endured, and what pushed her to turn on her own family. You'll get a glimpse of Aphrodite/Ava's passionate nature and how being the goddess of love and sex affected her relationships. Next, you'll listen to Persephone telling her story, and you'll find out why she decided to give up eternity to be with Adonis. You'll also get to spend some time on Earth together with Hermes/James, following his adventures among the mortals. And finally, you'll also meet Hades/Henry, and you'll get an interesting insight into his broken heart and tormented soul, and it will really (REALLY) help you understand his attitude towards Kate and how he really felt about her.
What can I say? I loved this book. I'm extremely happy to have read it, as it really made this series for me. Without it, I would be just as clueless and confused as I was at the beginning, wondering why Henry couldn't just accept Calliope as his wife, how Persephone could be so heartless and cruel to Henry, and why James was such a troublemaker. Well, now I know, and although I'm still very much disgusted by Persephone's selfishness and Aphrodite's infidelity, I can at least say that I know where they're coming from. And that really makes a difference. I'm really thankful to Aimee Carter for giving this story the depth and meaningfulness it deserved.
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About the AuthorEvie 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.
You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing
11 comments:
Uh I like your review!! :) I must read this book too! :)
Great review! :)
I love this series so much and can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Your review was absolutely wonderful! I am glad that this one clarifies so much and especiall on the Henry/Kate front because sometimes that just got to me :) Thank you for the great review and the now bigger NEED for this one!!
This was a great book! So far, I've loved every addition to the Goddess Test series ... as well as the series itself! Aimee Carter is a really great writer!
Like you said, it's now nice to know where everyone is coming from. It made me want to start right back at The Goddess Test and read them all again!
Great review, Evie! :)
I'm a little more than half done with this book right now and I love it. It's so great to learn about the background of the gods and goddesses and to see why they are the way they are. Awesome review Evie!!
Very cool that it's short stories on mythology. I wish this existed when I was in school, even if it's fiction, it would've helped learn mythology better :)
Oh Evie. You have me DYING to read this one. I remembered you said it was your favorite one of the series. I only wish I'd had time to snag it from NetGalley, but alas, I didn't. I just adore the thought of getting SO MUCH insight from the other characters, since we've only seen them through Kate's eyes, and gotten HER perception of them. And I'm loving what you said about understanding Henry better!
Molli | Once Upon a Prologue
I have also loved this series since I started reading it, and the books do keep getting better! You can read my review here.
I've had the The Goddess Test series on my TBR for the longest while, it's great getting to know the characters in depth and I like that it gives back stories to the goddesses. Sounds amazing. :D
I've bought The Goddess Test and The Goddess Interrupted but I haven't read them yet. It's wonderful to learn that this book is a great addition to the series. Thank you!
I love this series! But I should have waited to read book 2 until closer to book 3 coming out - because that cliffhanger is killing me! This is one of the better Greek mythology retellings out.
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