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 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!