Double Review: The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test
Aimee Carter
April 19, 2011
Harlequin
293 pp.

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 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 that 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 suceeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.


IF SHE FAILS...

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Goddess Interrupted
Aimee Carter
March 27, 2012
HarlequinTeen
296 pp

KATE WINTERS HAS WON IMMORTALITY.



BUT IF SHE WANTS A LIFE WITH HENRY IN THE UNDERWORLD, 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.

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Book 1: The Goddess Test Review:
Greek Gods as teenagers? Yes, please.

I was so excited to read this book...it was oozing with potential. I wish it lived up to it more. Maybe my expectations were just too high, or maybe it was that it just couldn't stand up when compared to the kick-ass chemistry and action in YA books like Divergent and Obsidian (which I just happened to have read just before this one).I found the gods' name changes to be very distracting. I loved mythology in high school and I  really like the idea of applying their natural traits (God of War, Goddess of Nature, etc...) to modern personalities. But, when you can't remember which god is which, and have to keep flipping back to the key in the end, it loses that sense of "ohhh....I see why she's doing that, she's the goddess of love!" I don't think Ms. Carter gave YA readers enough credit to be able to enjoy a book where the characters names are Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, etc...In no way was this book bad, it was just ok. The story was ok, the action was ok, the chemistry...ok. I finished this book with the hope that book 2 would bring what book 1 failed to. 


Book 2: Goddess Interrupted Review:
It didn't. I think book may have been slightly better written and more interesting than Book 1, but halfway through I just stopped caring. I literally put the book down, read a couple other books, and then came back to it. Still felt nothing. Nothing except extreme frustration at the butchering of mythology (and even after reading two books, I still had to consult the key to remember which gods the characters were supposed to be) - and even more frustration at the dysfunctionality of the Henry/Kate relationship. The whole time I kept waiting for that big moment when Henry shows some emotion and actually really fights for Kate. I REALLY wanted that scene to be huge and heart-wrenching. Maybe the moment was there, but it fell flat to me. They are barely in the same room for more than 10 pages of this book. I found it difficult to understand the motivation behind many of the characters' actions (especially Calliope and Persephone) and became confused more than once while reading it. I tried to like this book, I really did. I doubt I'll read book 3 unless someone really convinces me it's worth it.

The Goddess Test: 3/5 stars
Goddess Interrupted 2.5/5 starsCovers: 4/5 stars

Note: I received a copy of Goddess Interrupted from the publisher at BEA 2012. This in no way affected my review content.