Goddess Interrupted
Aimee Carter
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.
I obtained an ARC of this book via Netgalley, the publish date for Goddess Interrupted is March 27, 2012.
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE IN THE SERIES, THE GODDESS TEST. I SUGGEST YOU READ THAT BEFORE READING THIS REVIEW!
It has been six months since Kate passed the tests to become Henry’s wife and the queen of The Underworld. It has also been six months since she has seen Henry, six months that she has spent exploring the world with her best friend James. Kate can’t wait to get home and see Henry, unfortunately he isn’t as excited to see her and he barely acknowledges her presence. Kate brushes this aside and decides to go forward with her induction ceremony but right as she is about to be crowned, Cronus, the “father” to the six most powerful Gods begins to break free of his prison and he attacks the group of Gods gathered for the ceremony. It comes to light that Calliope is behind this attack and she is doing everything she can to free Cronus to take revenge on Kate and Henry. Cronus captures Henry, Walter and Philip and Kate decides she has no other choice but to go after them. James and Ava accompany her and they soon realize that they need some serious help from the only other person besides Henry who knows all the secrets of The Underworld, his first wife Persephone.
At first I was a little annoyed over Persephone’s characteristics but overall I really liked her personality and the way she bantered back and forth with Ava. She is a really forward character and knows exactly what she wants. I have to say that for the most part I liked her significantly more than Kate. A lot of the story was focused on Kate struggling with her emotions toward Henry, She knew she loved him but one moment she was leaving because she didn’t think he loved her and the next she was 100% sure that he did. Not to mention the fact that she felt completely inferior to Persephone in relation to every aspect of her life. I felt like she was so stuck on comparing herself to her sister that she couldn't appreciate her gifts and her strengths as much as she did in the first book. Then there was Henry, I wanted to punch him in the face a few times, especially when SPOILER ALERT Persephone goes to him in his “secret” hideout and they have a LONG reunion in which they keep kissing!!! I understand that Persephone was apparently trying to prove to him that he didn’t love her but are you kidding? They just kept going and going and I had a really hard time liking Henry after that. It just felt like he was settling for Kate because she was devoted to Henry and Persephone was not. END SPOILER I think by the end I was just tired of the back and forth in Kate’s mind and I just wanted some hint of love or emotion from Henry.
I know it seems like I was not satisfied with this book but I really was. It was adventurous and heartfelt and it made me want more. I was SO happy with the ending. The first book ended in a total meh way and that’s what I had expected from this novel as well. Thankfully I was surprised and it was a total I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING moment that really has me anticipating the next book. Despite my frustrations over certain parts of this book it was very entertaining and I recommend it to those liking books filled with conflict, emotion and Greek myths with a twist.
The Goddess Test
By Aimee Carter
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 is a modern day retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. Kate’s mother is dying and her last wish is that she and Kate move to her hometown of Eden. Kate agrees and they move to Eden, Kate starts at the local high school and soon crosses the path of the queen bee, Ava. Ava lures Kate to the grounds of Eden Manor under false pretenses and a practical joke soon turns deadly. Kate tries to save Ava’s life to no avail, and then the mysterious Henry appears and offers to bring Ava back to life in exchange for a promise from Kate. Kate must promise to spend the winter with Henry in The Underworld, much like Persephone. Kate hurriedly agrees thinking she must be going crazy and Henry brings Ava back to life.
Henry soon comes for Kate to bring her to the Underworld and Kate says that she will do as she promised if he promises to keep her mother alive for the season. Henry agrees and says that Kate must pass seven tests while in his realm. If she passes, she will become a goddess, Henry’s bride and the queen of The Underworld. However, if she fails, her mother will die and she will never see her again.
I liked the premise of The Goddess Test, I love re-writes and the Hades/Persephone story is one of my favorite myths. The characters in The Goddess Test were also very fun and layered. Henry is the typical brooding male with this outer shell that seems impenetrable. Thankfully Kate is able to break through and bring out some heartfelt emotional moments from him. Ava transforms into an agreeable character and Calliope was really a very enjoyable character once you get over the crazy. James is loveable but I couldn’t help but be reminded of the whole Jacob/Bella/Edward triangle and it was not very enticing for me.
The tests Kate must endure are all extremely subtle, I kept waiting for a sense chaos and adventure but it did not come. When the tests were revealed in the end I understood how they fit in to the story and how they really showcased Kate’s strengths and weaknesses but I was still somewhat disappointed in the lack of excitement. However, I really enjoyed the ending and how it gave focus on Kate and her mother’s relationship. I was impressed by how her love for her mother wasn’t overshadowed by her new “love” for Henry.
I do have a few major complaints after reading this book. First, I felt like the whole book focused on Kate having a "choice" and not being "forced" into doing anything but really she didn't have much of a choice at all. She wanted her mother to live and knew that Henry would die if she didn't pass the tests. She was convinced that she loved him after spending only a few moments with him but even if that wasn't the case she knew him enough that she didn't want any harm to come to him. It would take a very selfish person to decide to save themselves and not do all they can to save those around them. I also had a very hard time appreciating the way in which the author set the characters up in relation to their Greek counterparts. The author provides a list at the end explaining whom each character in the book represents in Greek mythology and with the exception of 3 of them I really couldn’t understand the connection. However I am happy to say that I read the sequel, Goddess Interrupted and not only was it much more adventurous, it explained the characters much better and I was able to appreciate how their characteristics coincided with their Greek personalities. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Greek mythology, re-writes and strong female characters.
I will be reviewing the sequel, Goddess Interrupted this weekend so make sure to stop by!
