Hey guys, how are you all? Sorry I’ve been quiet for a few days. I thought I’d tried something a little different. I finished The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter recently and thought I should do a review about it. Bear with me as I’ve never done one of these before. Just a warning this may contain small, minuscule spoilers, nothing massive because I would hate to read a review with spoilers. It was published in 2011 and this is my personal opinion on the novel:
Title: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon (Harlequin Books – Harlequin Teen)
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Series (not including novellas): 1. The Goddess Test, 2. Goddess Interrupted, 3. The Goddess Inheritance
Blurb: It was always Kate and her mum but now her mother is dying. Her mum’s last wish is to move back to her childhood home town. Seventeen-year-old Kate starts a new life at a new school with no friends and with the constant fear of her mum not living past the fall.
Henry. Dark. Tortured. Also known as Hades, God of the Underworld arrives into Kate’s life. If she accepts his deal, he promises to keep her mother alive. The catch is – she needs to pass seven tests.
Also, if she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s bride and a goddess.
This is the first book in The Goddess Chronicles and I can’t tell you how excited I was to start reading this series. Actually in my Book Haul #1 earlier this month I mentioned this book and how I’ve been on the hunt for this series. I started and finished this book within a week or maybe even less than that. When I start a book immediately after I finish one it takes me a bit to get into it-especially if it’s different genre-but once I was a couple of chapters in I was steam rolling through this novel and next minute I’m reading the last line. I’ve already started the sequel. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Now, I’m no expert on Greek Mythology, I only know the basics but as it’s revolved around the myth of Persephone it was easy to grasp the plot. The novel shows another perspective to the famous Greek Myth.
When I did some research I found that those who are experts or very knowledgeable in Greek mythology were disappointed in the lack of research. So warning.
What I liked:
The protagonist, Kate, didn’t seem like a generic character. I admired her independence and strength from taking care of her mother to her loyalty to herself and those she cares for. She was a character I felt like I could relate to. She wasn’t annoyingly stubborn but at the same time she knew what she wanted as well as knowing when to step down to avoid getting into trouble. She wouldn’t let anyone make decisions for her but at the same time held a vulnerability that she kept shielded. I respected her.
The novel held a nice balance of fantasy, mystery and romance. It kept you on your toes, warmed your heart and made it ache. It was written in the third person and the imagery was pleasant.
What I didn’t like:
There was something within me that wanted a bit more. I wasn’t sure what, which was kind of annoying, but something lacked that I can’t quite grasp. Despite me liking Kate, I still feel like a depth to her and all characters were missing. I’m hoping we might see another side to them as the story progresses or get more of an understanding at least.
Another thing was that sometimes you did forget it was based on Greek Gods as they go by different names. It felt like you were just reading about a guy pining over a girl who never loved him while a girl openly confessing her love for him was ignored. I’ll admit this annoyed me. I understand it’s hard to forget someone who was an important part in your life but I felt so bad for Kate.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and hope the rest of the books leave me with the same feeling or even better. I’m excited to see how Kate’s journey finishes.
Final thoughts:
This novel has mixed reviews. Those who are massive Greek mythology fans were disappointed and gave it a low rating while those who weren’t as bothered gave it a moderate rating. In my opinion, if you love a young adult romance novel with a bit of mystery and fantasy then I think you would enjoy it. It is a nice read and if you just love the idea of Greek myths used for a YA novel with a twist (whether it’s academically correct or not) like I do then it’s fine. It’s not at the top of my list but is enjoyable.
I would recommend this book and I rate it 3.5/5
Have any of you read this book? If so, what were your thoughts? Sorry if this didn’t make sense I felt like I rambled.
Until next time…
XX
Bella 