Review - Goddess Interrupted

by Aimee Carter
publisher: Harlequin Teen
date of publication: March 27, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 299
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

What I Thought

Goddess Interrupted, the next installment in the Goddess Test series, picks up 6 months after the events from The Goddess Test.  As a result, a certain level of continuity is achieved, though it wasn't the type of continuity I was expecting.  Where I expected amazing advancements in the story, I just didn't get what I had hoped for.  In many ways, continuity isn't the best thing.

Kate, Kate, Kate: what can I say about Kate?  I wasn't very sure how I felt about her this time around.  While she had a certain amount of uncertainty in The Goddess Test, Kate was well beyond that in Goddess Interrupted.  Instead of wary uncertainty, she is one big bundle of insecurity.  As for Henry, all I can say is, "What the heck?"  Truthfully, he's a pretty big jerk in Goddess Interrupted.  It's almost as if his behavior from The Goddess Test was kicked up a few notches into the realm of insensitivity and inconsiderateness.  All in all, both Kate and Henry continued down the path their attitudes and issues were leading toward and didn't really branch out into very much positivity.  With the exception of Diana, I just couldn't get behind most of the characters this time around. 

The plot had a nice amount of tension behind it, which is just what you would expect when Kronos is gunning for Kate and her new Olympian family.  Calliope is a formidable foe thanks to her mental status and the belief that she has nothing to lose.  That she believes she can order a Titan about attests to her instability and delusions.  I know I wouldn't want to come up against someone like her.  The premise serves as the highlight of this book and I can at least say that I enjoyed that aspect.

I had seriously hoped to be blown away by this book.  However, that just didn't happen.  While the premise is a good one, the behavior of the characters was enough to turn me off and made enjoying the book difficult.  I know I will likely be the odd duck with my rating.  Nevertheless, I felt that Goddess Interrupted didn't quite come up to the standard presented by The Goddess Test.  As a result, I have chosen to give Goddess Interrupted 2 hoots. 

Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review - The Goddess Test

by Aimee Carter
publisher: Harlequin Teen
date of publication: May 1, 2011 (first published April 19, 2011)
format: ebook
pages: 216
source: purchased
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

At long last I finally read The Goddess Test after struggling with much trepidation.  I was concerned about a few opinions I initially heard about the book, but after being reassured by a friend, I bought a copy and gave it a go.  I was happy to find that my concerns were unfounded.  Though The Goddess Test contained a few minor details that didn't really sit right with me, it ended up being a quick, fun read with a lot of imagination and an intriguing mystery.

I found Kate to be a fairly decent character.  Though she has a lot to deal with for one so young, she manages to be a pretty well-balanced protagonist.  I found myself responding well to her moral make-up and straight-forward manner.  The only thing about Kate that bothered me was the seemingly rapid change in her feelings toward Henry.  The transition from frustration and anger to love and devotion was a little to whiplash-inducing for my liking.  Likewise, the development of Henry's feelings for Kate left me feeling as though I had missed something.  I did, however, enjoy trying to guess which character corresponded with which Olympian.  Some were relatively easy while others took me completely by surprise.  It definitely added a level of interactivity to the novel.

The pacing of The Goddess Test was great.  It moved along at a nice pace and made the reading experience go very smoothly.  That the book includes the Persephone myth made for a very appealing aspect that I, myself, loved.  Aimee Carter took just enough artistic license with the myth to put a fresh spin on it, which I very much appreciated.  Overall, the style in which the book was written was probably my favorite aspect of the reading experience.

When all was said and done, I had a lot of fun reading The Goddess Test.  It was perfect for a fast, light weekend read.  The incorporation of Greek mythology was well done and the character interactions were, for the most part, easy to read and the guessing game aspect was a lot of fun.  Add in the threat of a would-be murderer and you have quite the read.  If you're looking for a fun read that will whisk you away for a little while, try The Goddess Test.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing what direction is taken in Goddess Interrupted.  I definitely thing the series has room to grow, so I have decided upon a rating of 3 hoots.