Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

ARC received from Harlequin Teen

Release Date:  2-26-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Traumatic, Tempting and Thrilling

 Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

(If you have NOT read the first two in this series, do not read the review, as it contains spoilers from the first 2 books).

The end is near, the war has come

And all are caught beneath Cronus’s thumb

The Council fights back, but is it in vain?

Will they fall under Calliope’s reign?

 

Or will love manage to beat back the dark

To light a beacon, to create a spark?

Til the end they will fight, both Henry and Kate

Will they live or die?  What is their fate?

 

Reading the last book in a trilogy that you’ve enjoyed always brings forth all sorts of emotions—happiness because there is no more waiting, no more cliffhangers; and sadness because you will miss those characters that you’ve known for the past few years.  I had put off reading this one for a few weeks because I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.  This was my first Hades/Persephone retelling, and I’ve always been partial to it because it introduced me to something new and different than what you learn in school.  It made it personal and real, even though it was in the paranormal genre.  It made a connection, and for that, I will always love this series.

This one starts 9 months after Goddess Interrupted left off, and it jumps straight into the heartbreak and action.  I liked that we didn’t have to read about the 9 months of Kate’s imprisonment and the pregnancy because I just don’t know if I would have been able to watch her go through that much pain and suffering.  Still, prepare yourself for some heartache!

This final book didn’t lack in the action.  There was constantly a battle raging, whether it was internal or external.  I didn’t find in lulls in the plot or anything that made me want to rush through, which is great because I hate it when books add too many details.  It was actually shorter than I expected (the ARC was only 300 pages), and I’m thinking some things were added to the final copy because it ended up 380ish pages.    

My favorite part of this book, of course, is Henry (Hades).  I like thinking about him the way that Aimee Carter writes him—broody yet loving, hard yet caring.  Add that to his dark power and he is by far the most interesting god in my opinion.  He has dominion over the dead, so there is something heartbreaking and poetic about his views on life.  It begins and it ends—that’s the way life is, and I really love how Henry is so poised in the face of death.  Power drips off him in waves, and he is one of the most powerful of the Olympians, yet that power hasn’t corrupted him like it did Walter (Zeus).  He was much more open in his feelings in this one, which is great, because he did get a bit annoying at times in the first two books when he wouldn’t just say how he felt.   That insecure Henry is gone, replaced by a loving and revenge-bent greek god.

Kate is much stronger in this book, although she still has that annoying think before you act habit that makes me want to knock her upside the head.  James (Hermes) even mentions it multiple times---her martyr complex he calls it.  She really bugs me how she doesn’t open up to her family for help.  Instead, she concocts a plan and runs straight into it without thinking about the consequences, which is infuriating!!  So if you were one of those readers that got annoyed with Kate before, just know it’s not going to go away in this one.

I do wish the romance would have been more profound.  If the world were about to end, I wouldn't just be sitting around being scared to be "loving," I would pounce on it every chance I got.  But, of course, Kate made an excuse.  Bad Kate.

Loss, love, hate, and revenge all collide in this final book causing a cacophony of emotions to swell up and pour out.  This was a fitting (albeit sad) ending to such a great story, and I will definitely miss these characters.  But as Henry says, “the time has come to fight,” and fight they will.

If you want to read our review of The Goddess Test click here
If you want to read our review of Goddess Interrupted click here
 

Teaser Tuesday: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Published by Harlequin Teen

Release Date:  2-26-2013

 

 

"'But the time has come to fight not just for the lives of those you love, but for your own as well,' he said, 'If only so you do not hurt those same people by leaving them the way you're so afraid they will leave you.'" (said by Henry) ARC, pg 156

 

"He kissed me again and hand a finger above the waistband of my jeans, leaving searing heat wherever he touched me." ARC, g 155

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I know so many people think that the Hades/Persephone myth is overdone, but I disagree.  I love this myth, and I really love when someone modernizes it because it's full of romance, pain, betrayal, and sizzling attraction.  I am really enjoying this one so far, even though Kate can be annoying.  Henry makes up for all the (insert your choice of noun) that comes out of Kate's mouth and/or actions.  I will admit, I am going to miss Henry when this book is over.  (I wish someone would write an NA or Adult version of the Hades/Persephone myth!)

 

 

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
ARC received from Harlequin via Edelweiss
Release Date: 7-31-2012
Reviewed by: Jennifer McCoy at YA Sisterhood

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness….

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal….

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another….

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others#151;but never knew true loss before….

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope….

After reading The Goddess Legacy, I find myself somewhat disappointed especially since I absolutely love the first two books in this series. I love Aimee’s characters, and I find her spin on the Hades/Persephone myth intriguing. While the novellas did give me insight into each of the Gods, I didn’t find myself really enjoying their stories that much, which is upsetting as I was really looking forward to these!

I will say that the novellas helped me understand the actions of some of the Gods in the books, especially Calliope. Her novella really shows her the pain and anguish that she has dealt with for millennia and why how her circumstances turned her into a monster. You really start to feel sorry for her because of the terrible things that happen to her, but it’s hard to bridge that with the terrible person that is ruining Henry and Kate’s lives in the actual novels.

Persephone’s novella was also telling, but I have to admit I dislike her quite a bit after reading it. It seemed the novella was trying to get us to understand her dilemma and why she acted in the way she did, but I truthfully just thought she was petty and selfish. I actually somewhat like Persephone in the books, but after these, I kind of want to smack her.

The only novella I think I really enjoyed (besides the small glimpse at Henry which was so short I don’t think it should even have been considered a novella) was Ava’s (Aphrodite). I really enjoyed seeing how she ended up with Hephaestus. I also enjoyed seeing Ares in her novella because we really don’t see much of him in the books and I have always been curious.

Henry’s was the novella I was looking forward to because he is so closed off in the books and you just don’t know what he is thinking or feeling. I was hoping for some insight into why he loves Persephone so much and why he has a hard time showing Kate how he feels. But, his novella was so short, mainly showing us what we already knew in the books, so I was really disappointed.

Overall, it was neat to get some insight into why the Gods act the way they do, seeing their misery and pain manifested into their stories; however, I just felt like I was having to force myself to read through the novellas. Nothing really grabbed me and made me want to keep reading.

Goddess Interrupted Giveaway and Q&A with Aimee Carter!

Hey everyone!  Today we have the pleasure of hosting a Q&A with author Aimee Carter!  If you haven't read her novels, you are totally MISSING OUT!  They are a reinvention of the Hades/Persephone myth, and I must say that they are sexy and intriguing!  The Goddess Test and The Goddess Interrupted (Books 1 and 2) are available now!  Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a copy of Goddess Interrupted!

To read my review of Goddess Interrupted click here

Q&A With Aimée Carter, Author of the Goddess Test Series

How familiar were you with Greek myths and folklore before writing the Goddess Test series?  Was a lot of research required?

+ I first fell in love with Greek mythology when I was a kid learning how to read, and my infatuation only grew from there. I’ve studied various kinds of mythology for years, sometimes for class and always for fun, but even then I put a great deal of research into the Goddess Test series. Mostly as a refresher to make sure I was getting my facts right, but I also researched the various myths looking for ways to tie the plots and characters together in unexpected ways.

Was Goddess Interrupted any easier or harder to write than the first book in the series, The Goddess Test?

+ It was both easier and harder, in a strange way. I rewrote The Goddess Test multiple times, and I’ve never edited a book more heavily in my life. Goddess Interrupted did require some editing, of course, but it was much easier.

However, the pressure to deliver a sequel worthy of the series made the writing process for Goddess Interrupted more difficult than I’d anticipated. There’s something called the “sophomore slump”, where sequels or second books generally don’t quite match up to the second, and I wanted to avoid that at all cost. So that added a lot of stress, but in the end, I was very happy with the results.

You give the gods and goddesses in the series “ordinary names” – Zeus is named Walter, Aphrodite goes by Ava, Hermes is named James.  Why did you do that and do the more contemporary names have any significance?

+ This was something I went back and forth on multiple times. Initially the characters Kate encounters weren’t council members at all – I changed that very, very quickly though. By the second draft, I had a place for each of the Olympians, and I did some heavy rewriting to replace my first draft characters with the gods. I wanted to find a way to keep their names the same, but since they’re supposed to live among us in secret in the modern world, it didn’t really make sense. How many men named Zeus do you know, or women called Aphrodite? On top of that, keeping the council’s identities secret was incredibly important to the plot. So eventually I decided they would have changed their names when Western civilization stopped worshipping them as gods, allowing them to live freely among us.

I did choose each name for what it means, some more than others – Walter, for instance, means “army leader”, while James means “supplanter”. The exception is Calliope, which in the story was chosen by her counterpart for its Greek roots. The reason the gods changed their names – and why Artemis didn’t wind up with the name Diana – is explained throughout the series, but you get to actually see this happen in The Goddess Legacy (July 31). 

Goddess Interrupted begins with the main character Kate Winters adjusting to her new life as an immortal.  Given Kate’s innate strength and stubbornness, was it difficult to switch gears to portray her as a bit more vulnerable and unsure of herself in her new role as goddess AND wife?

 

+ Not so much, to be honest – her progression felt natural to me. While Kate is very tough in certain ways, she’s extremely vulnerable as well. She’s emotionally dependent on the people around her (her mother in the first book, Henry in the second), and that in and of itself carves the path she takes in the sequel. She’s spent six months with Henry, falling in love with him and forming a relationship she thinks is going to last for eternity. But Henry is battling his own demons and isn’t ready to be the person she needs him to be, and because Kate is so stubborn, she has a hard time coming to terms with that. In the sequel, Kate really is her own worst enemy emotionally – her entire world has changed, after all, and that’s a lot for anyone to take – but it’s all part of her development into a goddess and queen.

Kate finds herself trying to work through her rather complicated relationship with James, as well as her relationship with her new husband, Henry (Hades).  Neither seems to be black and white, but rather varying shades of gray.   Were any of Kate’s feelings or situations based on any relationship struggles you’ve been through?

+ Not personally, no, but I did try to make Kate’s relationships with the people in her life as realistic as possible. She isn’t perfect, and neither are they, and that’s something they all have to work through at varying points in the series. None of the relationships in the books are based off of specific experiences I’ve been through though. 

What is your favorite part of the writing process?  Least favorite? 

+ Outlining is by far my favorite part of the process. I love the idea stage, where anything’s possible, and it’s such a shiny place. All of that comes crashing down when I write the first draft though, which is the hardest part for me. I tend to get mentally exhausted about two thirds to three quarters of the way into the manuscript, and it’s always a struggle for me to push through it, especially if I’m on a deadline. And inevitably there are a ton of problems I didn’t notice in the outline stage that have to be fixed for the story to work. I’m a perfectionist, so in order for me to continue writing the story, everything I’ve already written has to make sense.

Do you have a favorite quote or line from a poem or book?

+ I love so many quotes that I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.

How did you get your first publishing deal and how did that feel?

+ My agent, Rosemary Stimola, sent the manuscript out to various publishers, and after a long submission process, Harlequin TEEN offered to publish it! I was stunned at first, but that quickly gave way to giddiness. It was an incredible feeling to know I’d be published, and to this day, I still can’t quite believe it. 

When is the next book in the series due out? Any hints on what will happen in book 3?

+ Goddess Interrupted, the sequel to The Goddess Test, came out in late March. The next book in the series, The Goddess Legacy, will be out July 31. It’s a collection of five novellas told in the perspectives of Calliope, Ava, Persephone, James, and Henry, and together they form one story.

The third book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance, is currently scheduled to be released in March 2013. Unfortunately I can’t say too much about it, but the challenges that Kate will face are pretty clear by the end of the sequel!

After the huge success of The Goddess Test, Goddess Interrupted is on many, many TBR lists for this summer.  What’s on your TBR list?

+ I’m so excited for a slew of books coming out – The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, Grave Mercy, The Selection, The Serpent’s Shadow, Philippa Gregory’s YA novel, and a ton of others. I never have as much time to read as I want, but I’m definitely making time for all of those and more!

Yearbook Superlatives! If you went to high school with the Greek gods and goddesses, who would you vote for?

·         Most likely to succeed? - Hera

·         Class clown? - Hermes

·         Nicest? – Demeter or Hephaestus

·         Best dressed? - Aphrodite

·         Best dancer? - Apollo

·         Most school spirit? - Iris

·         Most likely to attend summer school? - Ares

·         Teachers pet? - Athena

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

ARC received from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley

Release Date:  3-27-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Enchanting, Enthralling, Entertaining

Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, 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 whom she would really rather not meet. Henry's first wife, Persephone.

I started reading The Goddess Test yesterday and the moment I was done, I went straight for my ARC of Goddess Interrupted.  I was excited to see how Kate and Henry’s romance was going to continue to unfold.  While the action in the novel was great, and I loved getting to see deeper into the psyche of the Gods, I was somewhat disappointed in the romance between Henry and Kate.  There was so much angst that at times I wanted to jump straight into the book (if only I had magical powers) and slap them both in the face and scream, “Come on!  Get it together and kiss already!  Quit wallowing in self-pity!”  However, no matter how many times I wished for Harry Potter powers, I found none, so I just continued to grumble to myself.

That doesn’t mean that I did not enjoy the book.  On the contrary, I cannot wait until the next book comes out; I just hope that Aimee Carter will give my heart a break and inundate me with some great kissy romance scenes. 

So what did I like?

Even though the romance aspect was very tense, I still liked Henry.  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a broken, broody guy whose eyes flash with love every so often.  No matter how cold and distant he gets, I’d still rule the Underworld with him!

The evil in this book is so extreme that I am still reeling.  Calliope—grrrr!  That’s all I can come up with!  She’s beyond evil—full of hatred and misery and determined to take everyone down with her.  That’s what makes the action so overwhelmingly great…I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see when she was going to attack again.  (There are no spoilers here…you see Calliope’s plan in the first 2 pages).

But Calliope is not the only evil that Kate must face—even worse…she has to face Persephone.  Not that Persephone is evil, but let’s face it; having to enlist the help of the woman your husband is still in love with would make anyone a little furious.  I really enjoyed the insight into Persephone and Henry’s relationship.  It made me understand (somewhat) why Henry acts the way he does—cold and distant.  Though I still wish that Aimee Carter would have given the angst a break, I did enjoy seeing how Henry’s past relationship starts to define his present one.

What did I dislike?

Again…the angst.  We see very little emotion from Henry (I know, he’s Hades, he has to be cold).  I would have liked to see him cave to his emotion, even once to give another layer to his character.

Not that I disliked the ending…it’s more that I dislike having to wait to find out what happens!  This cliffhanger ending will make you want to scream even louder than the infamous Soprano ending!  To me, there is nothing worse than not knowing!  But I guess in the world of young adult, I must get used to the cliffhanger-break-my-heart-and-stomp-on-it endings.  I’ll just say this—I need an ARC of the next one, please!!!!!!

So….

I did fall in love with Aimee Carter’s world.  She gives us and entirely new idea of heaven and hell.  She creates a world where lies, betrayal, hatred, and envy are overwhelming and can only be combated by truth, loyalty, and love—things so few are willing to give.  Take a trip to Aimee Carter’s Underworld, and like me, you might not want to return. 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test

by Aimee Carter

Harlequin Teen

Release Date:

April 26, 2011

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 now 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.

If she fails...

(summary from goodreads)

Well, first off let me say that Greek Mythology is the new dystopia in YA literature! (and I could not be more thrilled) I, like my sister mentioned in an earlier post, am also a huge fan of Greek Mythology. I guess all this comes from growing up with an English teacher as a mother. So, bring on the gods and goddesses, I am ready!!!

I started reading this book after I put my kids to bed one night. I read for a couple of hours and could not make myself put this book down. So, I just kept reading. The hours just ticked by and the next thing I know, its 3am, and I am finished! It is that kind of book! I had to know how it ended, and it was worth the pain I would feel the next day just to know what would happen! The only bummer part was that I had no one to talk to about the book in the wee hours of the morning!

These are the things I loved best about The Goddess Test:

1. its a spin-off not a modernization

2. Aimee Carter's grasp and ability to express the emotion especially the grief of her characters

3. James, yes, just James

1. The Goddess Test is connected to the tale of Persephone and Hades. However, even if you know all about Hades and Persephone, you will still not know the plot of this book, as Persephone in this version has fallen in love with a mortal and no longer abides in the Underworld during the winter. Now, Henry (Hades) is left to find a replacement for Persephone, hence the title, The Goddess Test. Whoever can pass this series of tests, will take Persephone's place as the Queen of the Underworld. This is what is so great about this novel! She takes these Greek myths and gives them a spin of her own. Henry is the cannon Hades that we all studied; however, she gives this ruler of the Underworld new dimensions. Instead of this devil-like character that you would normally root against, you start to empathize with Henry. You see this love he has for Persephone and his despair at losing her, and suddenly you find yourself hoping that he will find love again with Kate. Everything that one would traditionally feel when reading a novel about Hades is twisted inside out. It's refreshing to not get just a modernized version of the ancient myth, but a new twist on an old classic.

2. The definition of mourning is the expressing of grief. Many people do not have the ability to write or even portray grief or pain accurately. One of the things I most enjoyed about this novel was how accurately Aimee Carter expresses that unbearable grief of losing someone you love either through death or the other person's choice. As Kate is dealing with the terminal illness of her mom, the words she uses are gut wrenching. I can imagine myself saying, thinking, doing all the things that Kate does if I were to lose my mom. Her pain and grief at the idea of moving on without her mom is realistic and horrifying. You are right there suffering right along with Kate. On the other hand, even though Henry doesn't talk much about his pain of losing Persephone, the descriptions of Henry portray him as a severely suffering character. His swiftly shifting moods remind you that even the smallest thing can recall the grief of a particular moment. A great writer draws you in and gives you connections with their characters. When you feel and grieve along side them, you know you've found a memorable character!

3. ***This section will contain slight spoilers, so if you don't want to read this skip to the next section.***

Oh James, where to begin.  In my first reading of this book, not much stuck out to me regarding James. However, as I was rereading it, to prep for this review, James all of he sudden started sneaking into my heart and mind! He has honestly tormented me with questions! Once we find out who exactly James is, I couldn't help but wonder what his role would be in the future novels. Is he really in love with Kate or was it all part of the tests? Is he going to be a possible angle of a love triangle? Was he trying to get Kate not to go with Henry at the beginning because he wants to be the next ruler of the Underworld or because he truly cares for Kate? Questions, questions, questions!!! If any of these questions can be answered with an affirmative, James becomes a much more interesting character. I want to know what his true intentions are!!! Please let January get here quickly!

Now in conclusion, I must state again that I really enjoyed this novel. Its escape reading at its best! What girl doesn't want to be courted by some dark, handsome god! The only thing that bothered me about the novel was the subtlety of the tests. I really wished we as the readers would have been more clued into the tests. I craved for at least one of the tests to be a huge action packed scene where Kate would have to prove herself as being deserving of becoming a goddess. We do get some great action at the end; however, it isn't regarding any of the tests. All in all, there are some great surprises and twists in the novel, and I am eagerly, anxiously awaiting the next novel. You should definitely put this on your "to-read" list! Thanks Ms. Carter for a great read!