April 4, 2011

REVIEW! The Goddess Test.




The Goddess Test
Aimee Carter



SUMMARY (from Amazon):

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 rating: 3 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Inconsistent. Random. Jumbled.

These are the words that come to mind when I think of The Goddess Test. The story is a mish-mash of the Persephone myth and contemporary fiction. Unfortunately, it struggles to work.

Kate is as bland as a piece of blank paper. Really. I still cannot accurately describe her personality - and I'm not positive she has one. Henry is a cross between an old man and a twenty year old? Something like that. And Ava is the best friend that can only be considered a best friend in title only. They all fall flat. I could not connect to any of them. They all clash. None of their relationships make sense, except Kate and Henry's, albeit only briefly.

I was more than a little disappointed that the tests have little-to-no relevance to the story. Literally. They go unmentioned, except when they're made painstakingly apparent through random dramatic episodes. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I assumed someone would have to go through much more than Kate does, in order to become Queen of the Underworld.

The Goddess Test is, at best, lackluster.

15 comments:

  1. I agree, for the most part, the characters fell flat. The only time I thought Kate had a personality was when she was interacting with her mother. There was dept to their relationship and I was able to feel the loss and pain Kate experienced. The book lacked mythology and action. I'm willing to read the sequel but I don't have any expectations for it.

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  2. Oh no, what a shame! l seen so many positive reviews on this then two negative ones in a space of 5 minutes. You said the same sort of things too!

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  3. Wow. I've been hearing nothing but great reviews for this book! Hopefully I don't run into the same problems you two seem to have!

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  4. That's such a shame because I have been seeing this book on my dashboard a lot and then it turns out the hype is undeserved.

    And thanks for dropping by my blog and answering the quiz! For some reason, although I'm thrilled that we got the same result, you don't seem to be a Holden Caulfield type of person :-| I feel like you're more upbeat than he ever was.

    Brush Up On Your Reading

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  5. YES! Agreed. 100% After how little Kate goes through it's kind of strange that it took so long for Henry to find a queen, even given that other reason.

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  6. I had major problems with this book too. I was actually seriously annoyed by the mother thing. In fact, I was livid. I don't understand the positive reviews. Are we all reading the same thing?

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  7. Hello, I just stumbled across your blog from Parajunkee's Follow Me Friday and wow, I really like how you do reviews! Blunt, straight-forward-- I am a fan :)

    Have a great weekend and happy reading! I look forward to seeing more reviews here in the future!

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  8. Hey there, old follower just stopping by from the FF and to comment as well. This book has been getting a lot of mixed reviews, but I am starting to believe the ones that are a bit more on the negative side! It sounds like something I might want to steer clear of for now! :)

    Anyway, I hope you're having a good night and please stop by my blog to read some of my recent reviews if you have some time. Thanks!

    -Sandra from http://sandrathenookworm.blogspot.com

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  9. Hi, this is my first time to participate in The Friday Follow My Blog Hop-A lot of the 500 or so blogs I do follow join in every week so I thought why not try it-I will happily return all follows

    The Reading Life

    Mel u

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  10. I'm visiting from FF and am a new follower.
    Like you, I believe in good grammar and use of language. I am a writer and am studying to be an editor/proofreader too.
    Come across and visit me if you have some free time!
    http://www.nickijmarkus.com

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  11. Hi Alissa! Old follower here. Just stopping by for the FF. For me, it is the cover and the title that tempt me to read the blurb. If the blurb reads great, I'll grab the book. I remember the first time I saw Harry Potter's book covers, I was like, O_o...not sure if I liked them. Love the inside but the covers weren't really to my tastes.
    Happy Follow Friday!!!
    You can check out my website http://www.judithleger.weebly.com and http://www.judithleger.blogspot.com to see what kind of books I write.
    I have two other pen names,
    L.J.Leger - http://www.ljleger.weebly.com
    Jadette Paige - http://www.jadettepaige.weebly.com and http://www.jadettepaige.blogspot.com

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  12. I'm a new follower, and I love the thought you put into your reviews!

    I invite you to check out my sites and follow me as well,. and I even welcome a little grammar correction!

    http://howtoteachanovel.blogspot.com
    http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com

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  13. Hoppin through from FF! I'm already a follower. My FF is at Coffee Table Reviews

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  14. Hmm, good to know. This book has been receiving a lot of hype, but I always like to know the cons as well as the pros to get a realistic picture of what I can expect, you know?

    Btw, we are four YA writers and avid readers, and we just started a new blog to talk about YA literature. It's not so much book reviews as talking about different issues, trends, etc. We would love to see you there!

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  15. Damn, I really enjoyed this book! Guess it would be stupidly hopeful of me to hope that everyone else loved it too!

    ComaCalm's Corner

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