The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

I LOVED The Goddess Test! I guess I should say that I am a sucker for anything related to Greek mythology so that automatically made this book awesome!

I loved Kate’s dedication to her mother. Her mother is dying and it was literally heart-wrenching to hear about Kate struggling to cope, taking care of her mother, etc. There were other times when I admired Kate as well. (NOTE: this isn’t a spoiler — it happens near the beginning of the book) At one point, one of Kate’s new schoolmates, Ava, pulls a horrible prank on her. When Ava is making her escape, she hits her head on a rock and is floating unconscious in the water. Despite what she had just done, Kate rushes into the water in an attempt to save her. I just sat there thinking, “If that were me, I would have said ‘fuck her!'” Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but seriously, Ava was being a major bitch! But Kate rushed in to save her anyway.

When Kate begins the tests to become Henry’s bride, it feels like not much is happening for a large portion of the book. But despite that fact, I didn’t get bored. I read through as much as I could (3/4 of the book) in one sitting. You basically just witness Kate going through her daily life, not even knowing what the tests are or when they’re taking place. In a way, that kind of makes the book frustrating. I really wanted to know what the tests were. Luckily you do get an explanation at the end (which is quite interesting) but it was still a little annoying at time! I guess in a way, it puts you in Kate’s shoes. You know nothing more than what she knows and you figure everything out when she does.

I had kind of a love-hate relationship with Kate and Henry’s relationship. Obviously they start getting close since she’s planning/hoping on becoming his wife, and it’s really nice to see their relationship progress. The annoying thing is that often times I felt like Kate was just Henry’s “sloppy seconds.” Sometimes it annoyed Kate too, but not nearly as much. Henry is still desperately in love with Persephone and he’s finding a replacement for her… but I just know that if I were in Kate’s shoes, I wouldn’t really be interested in getting close to a man who was still head-over-heels for another woman.

What I love about this book is that it gave Hades some attention. In most Greek mythology stories, he’s the creepy outcast. This book gives Hades a time to shine. It gives him character, feelings, and most surprisingly: a heart. Making Hades the main god is what made this story really unique. I’m super eager to start reading the second book!

The Verdict