The Goddess Test (Goddess Test, #1)

by Aimée Carter

When Kate agrees to take the Goddess Test, she doesn't know every girl who has taken it has died...

It's always been just Kate and her mom, but now her mother is dying. Her last wish is 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 amazingly possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride--and a goddess. But what Kate doesn't know is that no one has ever passed the Goddess Test.

Books and novellas in the Goddess Test series:

The Goddess Test
The Goddess Hunt (ebook novella)
Goddess Interrupted
The Goddess Queen (ebook novella)*
The Lovestruck Goddess (ebook novella)*
Goddess of the Underworld (ebook novella)*
God of Thieves (ebook novella)*
God of Darkness (ebook novella)*
The Goddess Inheritance

* Also available in print in The Goddess Legacy anthology

• ISBN10: 0373210264
• ISBN13: 9780373210268
• Publish Date: 19 April 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mills & Boon
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

I LOVED The Goddess Test! I guess I should say that I am a sucker for anything related to Greek mythology so that automatically made this book awesome!

I loved Kate’s dedication to her mother. Her mother is dying and it was literally heart-wrenching to hear about Kate struggling to cope, taking care of her mother, etc. There were other times when I admired Kate as well. (NOTE: this isn’t a spoiler — it happens near the beginning of the book) At one point, one of Kate’s new schoolmates, Ava, pulls a horrible prank on her. When Ava is making her escape, she hits her head on a rock and is floating unconscious in the water. Despite what she had just done, Kate rushes into the water in an attempt to save her. I just sat there thinking, “If that were me, I would have said ‘fuck her!’” Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but seriously, Ava was being a major bitch! But Kate rushed in to save her anyway.

When Kate begins the tests to become Henry’s bride, it feels like not much is happening for a large portion of the book. But despite that fact, I didn’t get bored. I read through as much as I could (3/4 of the book) in one sitting. You basically just witness Kate going through her daily life, not even knowing what the tests are or when they’re taking place. In a way, that kind of makes the book frustrating. I really wanted to know what the tests were. Luckily you do get an explanation at the end (which is quite interesting) but it was still a little annoying at time! I guess in a way, it puts you in Kate’s shoes. You know nothing more than what she knows and you figure everything out when she does.

I had kind of a love-hate relationship with Kate and Henry’s relationship. Obviously they start getting close since she’s planning/hoping on becoming his wife, and it’s really nice to see their relationship progress. The annoying thing is that often times I felt like Kate was just Henry’s “sloppy seconds.” Sometimes it annoyed Kate too, but not nearly as much. Henry is still desperately in love with Persephone and he’s finding a replacement for her… but I just know that if I were in Kate’s shoes, I wouldn’t really be interested in getting close to a man who was still head-over-heels for another woman.

What I love about this book is that it gave Hades some attention. In most Greek mythology stories, he’s the creepy outcast. This book gives Hades a time to shine. It gives him character, feelings, and most surprisingly: a heart. Making Hades the main god is what made this story really unique. I’m super eager to start reading the second book!

Originally posted on Oh, For the Love of Books!

In a sentence:

The Goddess Test is a beautiful story of hope, perseverance and fighting for what you love with a protagonist that you can't help but admire.

The Myth:

I like the author’s new take on the myth of Hades and Persephone. I like the fact that instead of Henry (aka Hades) being the bad guy, he was just a guy that fell in love and got his heart broken. Her version gives you a new perspective of this myth.

A is for Admirable:

Normally my favorite heroines are the ones who are strong, fierce, can kick-butt (literally) but I also like intelligent, loyal, passionate and admirable. Now, when all of these characteristics are put together, they make for some awesome heroines. But if the MC has most of them, then I still really enjoy it. In the Goddess Test, while Kate may not have been physically strong, she did not fall short in the passionate and admirable categories. Kate has had so much loss in her life that she is tired of seeing death and deterioration. I loved her passion to protect her mother and do anything for her. However, it was her fierce passion to help Henry that truly made her admirable. She was willing to risk her life for a guy she didn’t even know, just because she was tired of seeing the death of those around her.

Soft Spot:

I also found that I had a soft spot for Henry. Normally, I like a man’s man that's rough and rugged and knows how to wield a weapon or the delicious bad boy (guilty pleasure ;) ) but I found myself liking Henry. No, not loving him and swooning over him, but feeling sorry for him and wanting to help him and give him a hug. He’s just a lonely guy that had his heart broken and all he wants is someone to care about him. Is that so much to ask? I felt myself learning to care for him right along with Kate.

Dowfall: HUGE SPOILER! THIS IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK!

…..I hate that it was Hera who killed all those girls. It doesn’t even make sense!!!!! Hera is the goddess of marriage. No matter how many times Zeus cheats on her, she would never cheat on him because that would break the vows of her marriage. The goddess of marriage would not break the vows of her marriage. Catching my drift? So I’m kind of indifferent about it. While I understand she was lonely and wanted to be with Henry because they shared that sense of loneliness, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that it was Hera.



Tests:

I actually like the tests. While I’m kind of bothered that you don’t really know what is a test and what isn’t (though that may just be because I wasn't paying that much attention :P ), I ended up liking it when I found out at the end. However, I don’t really like that they chose the seven deadly sins when the gods pretty much break all of them. Pretty much, they want her to have good morals and be a good person but its alright for them not to be? Hypocritical.

Overall:

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The plot was intriguing enough to keep my interest, and Kate’s admirable actions won my heart over. While I did have some issues with it, the unique take on the myth and the MC’s actions makes this a book worth reading.

All the best ♥
Mackenzie

[Jo]

I am so intrigued by Greek myths that when I picked up The Goddess Test, I was excited to read about lots of gods and godly events and general excitement. Unfotunately, I was disappointed. This isn't to say I didn't like the book. I did, I really enjoyed it. But there could have been so much more!

I was expecting perilous quests and lots of action when it came to the tests. However, the tests Kate has to take may happen without her knowing, so the reader doesn't know about them either. Very few gods make an appearance too. Most of the book is just Kate spending time in the Henry's Manor, making friends, learning about the Greek myths, and spending time with Henry.

The book is quite short, and so Kate's time at the manor flies by, weeks, sometimes months going by with nothing major happening, but I would still liked ot have read more of the time Kate spends with her friends and Henry, seeing the friendships grow better. I would especially have liked more development of Kate and Henry's relationship. I just didn't find the feelings between them believeable. It all just happened too quick for me - although weeks were going by for Kate, it was only a few pages for me. I would have liked things to have been slower, and believed it.

I did enjoy it though, as I said, and with the ending, I think there is a lot of potential for this series to be really good. I think the parts that feel lacking to me just have to be put down to it being a first book in a series, and it's setting everything up. Goddess Interupted, the sequel, sounds brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to reading it! All in all, not a bad book.

From Once Upon a bookcase - YA book blog

[Amber]

Ended up liking it despite the rushed relationships in the beginning.

---

I was really excited to read Aimee Carter’s The Goddess Test when I first heard that it was a retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. I was expecting a fantastic retelling with Greece’s ultimate bad boy (next to Ares, anyway) at the centre. Unfortunately, The Goddess Test didn’t live up to my expectations.

The Goddess Test isn’t really a retelling of the myth; it’s more of a continuation of Hades’ story. Definitely not what I was expecting, but I didn’t mind that. It was Hades and his new love interest that I was more excited to read about.

Kate moves to a new town with her dying mother, and meets various people along with the mysterious Henry (Hades) who offers to keep Kate’s mother alive if Kate will live with him for the next six months in his mansion. Kate agrees, and then the story starts to unfold.

The first one hundred pages or so were very dull. The whole introduction to the town adn people in it seemed very rushed, and it skimmed over the relationship building that took place between Kate and her new best friends. James seems to fall for Kate particularly fast, even though it actually took a few weeks for him to feel this way (which is still totally fast, but I’m trying to prove a point here!). Very little actually happens in this introduction, which may be why it was so bland.

Once Kate makes the deal with Henry, things start to pick up. A new mystery is introduced to the plot, and this makes things very interesting! This is when I started to really enjoy the novel. However, despite there being slightly more action and mystery, there still wasn’t enough of it. Even in the climax of the novel, the action is minimal and is over before you know it even happened.

Kate has to go through a series of tests, which intrigued me. The reader isn’t told what these tests are until the very end, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out. The big reveal is finally made in the last few pages, which I loved. I really enjoyed the ending of this novel.

Kate was a very boring protagonist. She often jumped into things without a second thought, always putting others before herself. Not that selflessness is a bad thing, but I wanted her to have flaws. I don’t have too much to say about her to be honest.

I was really looking forward to reading about Henry, but was left a little disappointed. He had his badass moments, but for the most part he was rather sensitive. I was expecting a bad boy here! Something else that I found to be very silly – and unintentionally hilarious – MINOR SPOILER was that Henry was a virgin. Making any Greek god a virgin, in my opinion, it ridiculous and I found this to be a very strange decision. I did like Henry as a love interest for Kate, even if their relationship did feel a little bit rushed despite them taking quite some time to get together.

That said, I did enjoy reading this book. The side characters were the best part, for me, as I loved Calliope and Ella and Ava. I also loved the glossary of Greek gods that was included at the end of the novel. Overall, The Goddess Test was an enjoyable enough read, but it certainly had its flaws – unlike the main protagonist – which meant that it could never be a favourite read of mine. I will be reading the next book in the series to see where this goes, as I am genuinely interested.

[e_rodz_leb]

The Goddess Test is a new take on Greek mythology, which I love.

I feel that other than Kate, we don’t get to know the characters in depth. The story is told from Kate’s point of view, which allowed me to get to know her better. I can commiserate on how hard her life has been taking care of her mother that has a terminal disease. Still, her sense of guilt and responsibility for everything and everyone was a little misplaced. I thought the friendship between Ava, James and Kate was a little forced and very fast to develop. Henry was very hard to figure out. The air of mystery that surrounds him and his clinginess to a lost love was hard for me to get over. Don’t get me wrong, I think that his deserved better that what he got and all the bad rep he gained by being Hades.

Ms. Carter’s writing was fluid and easy to read and the plot had both predictable moments and a few surprises as well. I didn’t care much for all the tricks that were played on Kate, but I guess they were necessary for her to pass her tests, after all immortality is a big deal. I don’t like this business of being apart from someone you love for six months of the year.

Overall, I enjoyed the Goddess Test and I am looking forward to the sequel, Goddess Interrupted, to be published in January of next year.

About the cover: The cover is very pretty. There is a good reason for all the green plants (it will be a spoiler if I tell you why) that surround the model. Also, the Greek dress and sandals are very appropriate due to the theme of the book. I like the placement and the font of the tittle and there are shiny ‘Greek’ symbols throughout the book.

[lizarodz]

The Goddess Test is a new take on Greek mythology, which I love.

I feel that other than Kate, we don’t get to know the characters in depth. The story is told from Kate’s point of view, which allowed me to get to know her better. I can commiserate on how hard her life has been taking care of her mother that has a terminal disease. Still, her sense of guilt and responsibility for everything and everyone was a little misplaced. I thought the friendship between Ava, James and Kate was a little forced and very fast to develop. Henry was very hard to figure out. The air of mystery that surrounds him and his clinginess to a lost love was hard for me to get over. Don’t get me wrong, I think that his deserved better that what he got and all the bad rep he gained by being Hades.

Ms. Carter’s writing was fluid and easy to read and the plot had both predictable moments and a few surprises as well. I didn’t care much for all the tricks that were played on Kate, but I guess they were necessary for her to pass her tests, after all immortality is a big deal. I don’t like this business of being apart from someone you love for six months of the year.

Overall, I enjoyed the Goddess Test and I am looking forward to the sequel, Goddess Interrupted, to be published in January of next year.

About the cover: The cover is very pretty. There is a good reason for all the green plants (it will be a spoiler if I tell you why) that surround the model. Also, the Greek dress and sandals are very appropriate due to the theme of the book. I like the placement and the font of the tittle and there are shiny ‘Greek’ symbols throughout the book.

[Artemis]

Man that blurb. I hate it when the blurb ends up being more interesting than the entire story.

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

I love the idea that this book is based on ancient mythology, and the story is pretty interesting.

Kate has to pass seven tests, so she can become Henry’s bride, and help him rule the Underworld.They can’t exactly tell her what the tests are, or when they have happened, and all the while someone seems to be wanting to kill her, so that she won’t pass. If she does fail, then Henry will die and someone else will take over the Underworld.

Finding out who the Goddesses and Gods were, I was hoping for something a little bit different, but I had an idea as the book went on who they were (will not say here just in case). Also the fact that she is going to have to marry Henry if she passes, you start to get the idea that she will fall for him, even though she feels like a prisoner at the beginning of the book. Her falling is of course cute though, so no points lost there.

Most of the story is set in Henry’s mansion of a place, and very little of the beginning at the school she transferred to. The character was well written I think, especially how she cared so much for her mother who is sick and dying and was willing to do anything for her,

I did enjoy this story, and for the author’s first book it was really good, just a couple of things I felt were predictable, but all together I liked it, and I’m hoping there’s a second one being worked on so they can go into more depth with the cliffhanger that was left at the end of it.

I would recommend it for someone who likes mythology, or just wants to give the author a chance!

[Stephanie]

Originally posted at Once Upon a Chapter

Life couldn't get any worse for Kate Winters right now. She and her mother are moving from New York City to Eden, Michigan. A town so small it's not on the map. Kate's mother was diagnosed with cancer when Kate was a freshman in high school. Kate's been taking care of her ever since. Four years later it's her mother's wish to pass in the place she was born and for Kate to experience small town life.

Henry is on the brink of losing leadership of his realm. He was granted a century to find his beloved's replacement. Since then eleven girls have been tested and eleven have been sabotaged or murdered. Henry is ready to face defeat when his sister concocts a last ditch effort plan. Henry agrees to give it one more try but his heart isn't truly in it.

Kate is offered the chance of a lifetime, whose lifetime remains to be seen. She agrees to take a series of tests over the next six months. If she passes, Kate will be granted immortality and Henry for a husband. The most important part? Her mother remains alive for the next six months until Kate is ready to say goodbye. If she doesn't pass, Kate will be taken back to live with mortals and no memory of her time spent with Henry in his manor. That is if she survives the tests.

The Goddess Test has quite an array of characters. I didn't find it hard to keep them separate and I could remember each character distinctly. Kate wasn't as strong as I'd thought she would be. She's been caring for her very sick mother for the past four years on her own. She's been strong and supportive for her mom but underneath all that she's a scared eighteen year old girl. Kate's had a lot on her plate, no doubt about it. While it was refreshing to not have a kick ass heroine, Kate's constant insecurity did wear a little towards the end. We don't get to see much of a development in Kate and Henry's relationship because of the large cast. I found that it didn't detract from the story though. I really did enjoy all of the different people and what they added to the story.

The Goddess Test flowed pretty well throughout the novel. I didn't notice that it lagged anywhere. It also contained a lot of Greek mythology which I find fascinating. The pages fairly flew while I was reading. There was one part that threw me for a loop but I think it was just me!

I'd recommend The Goddess Test for someone looking to spend some time with a teen girl trying to find herself. Take a good story and add in some Greek mythology and you've got a win!

[ladygrey]

I liked [b:The Goddess Test|9681214|The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1)|Aimee Carter|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Nve345cKL._SL75_.jpg|14569146], but I didn't love it. Part of my issue might have been that I didn't identify with the main character. There isn't a lot of depth to any of the characters but when Kate spent an entire chapter refusing to believe anything that was happening to her it just distanced me from her. Her insistence on rationality and the "real world" when she was clearly in the middle of something extraordinary (and really, would I have picked up this book if I didn't want something otherworldly or already knew we were dealing with Greek gods?) just didn't work for me.

Still, it wasn't badly written and I really like Greek mythology. [a:Aimee Carter|767317|Aimee Carter|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1290233298p2/767317.jpg]'s take on it was young and fresh.

Overall, it's a simple, sweet, fun story and I'll probably read the sequel.