Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Goddess Test #1
304 Pages
Published April, 2011
Goodreads, Amazon, Author's Website

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.

It's been years since I've read about the Greek Gods so I was excited to read this book. After reading the first few chapters I almost didn't continue reading it. It started out like many other YA novels I've read and I am ashamed to say I didn't stick with the book after my first try. Her new "friends" Ava and James seemed to accept what Henry was without any skepticism. The story moved too quickly and rather awkwardly at first. I put the book down and read a few other books then came back to it after a while. I decided to give the book another chance. The story became much more interesting and I found less faults with it after she decides to take up Henry's offer. It was a very enjoyable read after the beginning.

The tests she goes through were not what I expected. They weren't literal tasks like sorting out a pile of seeds or retrieving an object, they were tests of character and I found I liked these more. They were believable, they weren't about wit or cleverness they were about whether she would make a good ruler alongside Henry and if she deserved to be a Goddess, immortality and all. In other words the tests were a bit vague, you don't really know when they're happening (part of the point of them I think). I didn't connect much with Kate's character, but I did want her to succeed for Henry's sake. I liked his character much more, there were times when he wore his emotions on his sleeve and Kate's success directly affected him and so she was being tested for the fate of them both. No pressure Kate.

The ending was great, but it was a little bittersweet. I felt bad for Kate and the way she had been duped and kept in the shadow throughout the novel. It's hard to explain while not giving anything away, but I'll try. Kate is thrust into a world she knows nothing of, she is surrounded by people she doesn't know and is being tested when she doesn't know it. She tries her hardest and even when she is at rock bottom her fate is still uncertain. No one is able to reveal a lot of information to her, and I give her credit for sticking in there and not letting frustration or confusion bring her down. When all is revealed I felt she was cheated, she wouldn't have a happy normal life if she didn't pass. I look forward to Book Two Goddess Interrupted and I hope it will shed more light on certain characters (who I can't name, sorry).

I give this book 3.5 Stars!

Do you have a favorite Greek God or Goddess?