Review: The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter

Kate's whole world revolves around her dying mother, who's last wish was to return to her tiny hometown. Uprooted and alone, Kate finds herself at a new school with no friends, no family, and no future beyond getting through the day with her mother.

Kate would do anything to save her mom. She meets handsome and mysterious Henry, who offers her immortality if she can pass a series of tests. Henry is no ordinary boy. He is Hades. The God of the Underworld. Kate is hesitant at first, and skeptical, to say the least. But when she sees him raise a girl from the dead and realizes he can give her more time with her mom, Kate accepts the challenge.

The catch? No one has ever survived the trials.

Now Kate must decide who to save, and if the prize is worth the pain.

**

I was so excited to read this book. I loved the cover, I loved the synopsis. I had to read it as soon as I got it.

Let me say this book was fantastic. Such an interesting twist on contemporary Greek Mythology. It was intriguing and fascinating. Kate was a heroine worthy of cheering for. She does the right thing for the right reasons and sticks to her guns.

And Hades as a good guy? Why not. It was actually brilliant. I will probably never look at Hades the same again. He wasn't a perfect guy with all the right charms. He's still the ruler of the Underworld, after all. I thought it was amazing. And the gentle love story was perfect.

I did find some sections of the book to be a little slow, and felt that, at times, Kate over analyzed everything. But that's probably just her personality. I found the passage of time to be a little jarring in some points. And I was just a tad disappointed that the tests were like a hovering shadow. We know they're there somewhere, but they're not really mentioned until the very end.

In the end, I was pleased with the plot twists and surprises, and enjoyed the book, all the way up until the last page or two. I will definitely be hungrily awaiting the second installment so that I can figure out what the heck Kate was thinking.

• • Reading level: Young Adult
• • Paperback: 304 pages
• • Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (April 19, 2011)
• • Source: The Publisher (via NetGalley)

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