Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Book Description (Goodreads): 
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…

Book Information: 

Pages: 293

Publisher: Harlequin

Series: Goddess Test #1

Book Review:
This book has an interesting premise: a girl named Kate has to go through seven tests in order to become immortal because Henry (who is actually the Greek god Hades) has promised to keep her dying mother alive a while longer if Kate takes on the challenge. After reading the book description, I was excited to see what would happen throughout the novel. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but there were some parts that made me want to cringe.

1. Some relationships between characters are a bit too rushed. Kate befriends a girl called Ava too soon. We barely see any real interaction between the two throughout the entire novel (in fact, in the beginning, there is a lot of undisguised hatred), and they end up calling each other best friends. Kate also falls in love a bit too quickly in my opinion, and she accepts her entire situation in a heartbeat. I mean, if I were her, I would probably be a bit more hesitant to help a guy in the WOODS asking me to stay at his house for the next six months in return for bringing someone back to life.

2. The “villain” of the story is not who you might have expected it to be. If you know anything about Greek mythology, the choice of having this character being the villain is a tiny bit strange. There really isn’t much evidence throughout the book that suggests that this character is out to get Kate. In fact, the Greek gods and goddesses’ identities are not the ones that are usually portrayed. They are heavily moderated and some just don’t make sense!

3. The tests are all somewhat silly. Kate doesn’t really go through much hardship while she is staying with Henry.

While certain aspects of the novel did irk me, I was still able to enjoy the novel. Katherine is strong-willed and likeable, and Henry is your typical male protagonist: dark, sensitive, caring…basically just everything you would want in the main male character of a novel. Kate has gone through heartache while caring for her mother, and there is something about her that just makes you feel sorry for her. Her interactions with her mother are realistic and Kate as a character in general won me over.

I thought the book was written well overall because by the end of the book, I was satisfied with the ending. This is the book to read if you’re looking for a unique interpretation of Greek mythology. It’s a fun read, and it has the type of happy ending that I’m a sucker for. The determined heroine and the tortured hero together create a match often incorporated into YA novels like this simply becauseit works.

Rating: 3.5/5