Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Published: April 19th, 2011 (HarlequinTeen)
Pages: 293
Source: bought
Challenge: none
Series: The Goddess Test, #1
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★☆☆ ½


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.

The Goddess Test can definitely be considered as a guilty pleasure read for me. While some of the development during the story can only be called eyeroll-worthy, the writing was pleasant and smooth and it made for a good read that I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

Loosely based on Greek mythology, Carter has woven a story of a young girl who gets herself sucked into the world of the Greek gods. Originally, I thought this was a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth, which it's not. It's more of a continuation of Hades' story, where the story of the gods has been tweaked to a level where not even their names seem to be the same.

Something I like so much about stories based on Greek myths, is the distinct personalities and traits the gods have. Those were nonexistent in this book and I really missed that. Zeus, the king of the gods, is portrayed as some sort of spokesperson for the gods, who, to my surprise, asks for the other gods to vote on subject matters. Another eyeroll moment was the whole twist with Kate's mom. Are you for real?

Having said that, I really liked the way Carter has written this story. The writing was pleasant to read and easy to follow, flowing nicely and making me want to read more even though I thought some moments were ridiculous. I've enjoyed myself while reading this book and I'll be looking forward to read Goddess Interrupted, book two in the series.