Review - Goddess Interrupted

by Aimee Carter
publisher: Harlequin Teen
date of publication: March 27, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 299
source: Netgalley
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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 - Everneath

by Brodi Ashton
publisher: Balzer+Bray
date of publication: January 24, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 240
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

What I Thought

I was very curious to see how the concept of the underworld (known as the Everneath, in this book) would be handled.  Having always been fascinated by the Persephone myth, I was very excited to read Ms. Ashton's debut novel.  When I finally got to read Everneath, I encountered a dark, creepy world in which a century passes while a mere 6 months has gone by on the surface world.  What followed was a bleak, moving novel about life, the power of love, redemption, and the importance of goodbyes.

The plot for Everneath is every bit as mysterious and intriguing as I would have hoped.  Ashton's descriptions of the dank, shadowy world in which Nikki awakens is chilling and disturbing, which definitely added to the overall mood of the book.  When compared to Nikki's hometown in Utah, an even bigger emphasis is made on just how separate the Everneath is from everything else.  That Nikki can disappear from such a place and wind up drained of her emotions and memories in a cavernous world is especially eerie.  Even then, there is more.  The underlying secret society factor and the nature of the disappearances of the Forfeits ("Forfeits" being those who are fed upon by the Everliving, by the way) comes together to tell a frightening tale surrounding mortality and the human spirit.  The only thing that left me with reservations with regard to the storyline was the pacing.  At times, the ways in which the timeline was broken up and shuffled left the story bordering upon lagging for me.  Combined with Nikki's initial air of ennui, this method just didn't come together as well as I would have liked. 

I truly felt for Nikki, though I did have some difficulty in becoming in tune with her as a character.  The way in which the novel is constructed makes figuring out her motives for willingly going with Cole to be somewhat difficult to decipher.  Even during the flashback sequences, there was a sense that she may have been either lying to herself or relying too heavily upon someone else for her happiness, if not both.  I really took issue with her final straw, so to speak, that finally sent her to Cole and, essentially, her doom.  It's a hard pill to swallow, but I have to say that it does make her a complex character.  As for the two leading men in this story, Cole and Jack, I liked that there wasn't a love triangle, per say.  Though Cole and Jack are interested in Nikki, Nikki is never truly invested in Cole, so there's none of that woe-is-me-which-guy-do-I-like-more? upset that one often sees in literary triangles.  I found that refreshing, to say the least.  However, Jack wasn't my first pick, either.  It took a long time to get a lock on his character and motives, so he definitely had to do some convincing on all counts.  Overall, the characters were intriguing, even if they did leave my head spinning, at times.

Everneath quickly became a fascinating read filled with a great plot and very good characters.  If not for a few pacing issues that I found difficulty with, I would have been like a giddy schoolgirl after having finished.  Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to what else is in store for Nikki, Jack, and Cole.  Everneath is yet another awesome debut for 2012, one which I definitely recommend, especially for those who enjoy a new and interesting take on mythology.

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.