Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Test

By: Aimee Carter

Series: Goddess Test Book 1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen (April 19th, 2011)

My Copy: Review Ebook from NetGalley

BookWhisperer Rating:

 

About the book:

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...

 The Goddess Test is a debuting series from Aimee Carter; that incorporates a unique mixture of young adult romance with mythology. Kate is the strong and courageous main character that will lead readers throughout this story. As a young girl she has more than any young person should bare; with a cancer ridden mother this young girl knows that life as she knows it is about to end. What she could not have anticipated is meeting a man that will offer her a deal that will further change her life. In the beginning, I had concerns about not having a deep understanding of mythological stories; much to my delight I found that my lack of knowledge did not hinder my understanding or following the flow of this story. Although, I did not find the story to hold the intensity that I have come to love in novels. This story was more like watching characters in a play, rather than living in the play. As the story progressed this feeling dissipated some, but I still felt that the author was holding back.With such an incredible story of heartache and loss the potential of this novel was palpable, but I did not feel this loss through the characters. Hades is a very mysterious character that would be easy to love and fear. As the ruler of the dead it is expected that this character is one to fear, but to create a story that shows the softer and gentler side was interesting. I was intrigued by the setting of the novel. Hades home was a truly imaginative place that was easy to imagine. The symbolic layout of his home is a hidden delight prior to knowing this is the land of the dead. Carter offers a story full of twists and turns that will teach readers that anything can change, and trust no one. As this author dares to chart the uncharted territory this novel that will have readers looking for what is to come, and anxious for more.