>ARC Review: The Goddess Test

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• Pub. Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Harlequin
• Format: Paperback , 304pp
• Sales Rank: 164,367
• Age Range: Young Adult

• Series: A Goddess Test Novel Series
• ISBN-13: 9780373210268
• ISBN: 0373210264

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.

My thoughts:

I have always had an interest in Greek Mythology especially since my 5th grade advance reading class focused the entire year on the study of Greek Mythology.  In part, I think this drew me to this title.  What interesting things could an author do to use my favorite mythology in a fiction book.  I quickly learned a lot could be done!

This debut YA book for Amiee Carter is an unique story of a seemingly normal New York girl who is forced to leave NYC on her eighteenth birthday to move back to her mother’s home town of Eden, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, for her mother to die in peace.  Kate is unhappy with this move but knows it is what her mother wants so she goes along with it.  Kate meets James, an odd boy at school, Dylan, the hot football player, and his jealous girlfriend, Ava.  Kate doesn’t realize the lengths that Kate will go to in order to keep Dylan with her.  Using a party as a cover story, Ava lures Kate on to the creepy property of Eden Manor and then plans to leave her lost in the woods only when she dives into the river to return back home, after learning that Kate is deathly afraid of water, she cracks her head on a rock.  Kate is forced to jump in to try and save the girl.  This is when she meet..s Henry.  He makes her an offer she just has to take – he will save Ava if Kate agrees to spend 6 months of each year with him at Eden Manor and she has just two weeks to decided.  Kate agrees in part and Ava is healed in front of her eye.  Kate returns home to the stress of her dying month and this decision heavy on her mind.  What has she gotten herself into and what will happen from here.

This is a wonderfully creative story that puts a whole new spin of Greek Mythology.  The writing is strong and story is moved along at a good pace.  This part is a bit of a spoiler (so if you haven’t read the book yet skipping the rest of this paragraph)  – I really wish that when the God and Goddess are exposed that each of them would be introduced by their proper name as well.  I can figure some of them out but not all.  Just makes it a bit frustrating but maybe it is coming in a future book!  Speaking of I can hardly wait to see what happens when Kate returns to Eden Manor after being away for six months!

My rating for this story is 4.5 of 5 – Very Well Done as an entry book into the YA genre.  I love to see a fellow Michigander doing well out there!!!

*  This E-galley was provided by NetGalley.  All opinions are my own and no compensation was received for this honest review.