ellieroth
Written on Jan 28, 2017
- ISBN10 0373210752
- ISBN13 9780373210756
- Publish Date 31 July 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country CA
- Imprint Harlequin Teen
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Katie King
Written on Jan 13, 2015
3.5/5
This story delved into Calliope/Hera’s backstory. It takes us all the way back to when the Titans were first overthrown and the Council was first formed. It goes through how she got rejected by Henry and ended up with Zeus/Walter. After reading this, I felt a little more sympathetic towards Calliope, but not too much. She’s still pretty evil on her own.
The Lovestruck Goddess
3/5
This short story was all about Ava/Aphrodite. She loves to fool around and is being forced to marry Hephaestus when she loves Ares. She eventually runs off with Ares where they live in bliss for a while. Ares starts to leave more and more and when an attractive stranger shows up on the island, Ava can’t resist making out with him. Too bad it’s Hephaestus in disguise! The whole story I thought Ava was being a brat and stomping all over poor Hephaestus’ feelings just because he’s got a limp and isn’t “perfect”. What a bitch move.
Goddess of the Underworld
3.5/5
This is all about Persephone’s wedding and marriage to Henry and why her and Ava have bad blood. It really makes the whole council, including her mother, look bad because geez do they really not care about her feelings! Everyone is telling her it’s going to be okay and squashing her worries and doubts while there were alarms going off in my head about the marriage. I don’t blame Persephone for the choices she made.
God of Thieves
2.5/5
I thought this was a little boring. This told James/Hermes’ story of how he went off and saved some random people in feudal England and fell in love with a girl there. To try to better assimilate into modern society, they change their names to stuff more “normal.” I didn’t care for this at all.
God of Darkness
3/5
The final novella is all about Henry. This follows his desire to fade, the council’s decision to start the Goddess Test, and the deaths of all the girls. It ends on Kate’s 7th birthday, with Henry meeting her for the first time. I sort of liked the better look into Henry’s head, but it was weird that he was thinking about a 7 year old as his wife.
stefu1
Written on Oct 21, 2014
Kim Deister
Written on Apr 23, 2014
The first story, The Goddess Queen, tells the story of Calliope/Hera from her own viewpoint. For reasons I can't explain without spoilers, Calliope was not one of my favorite characters throughout the rest of the book. But this short story gives you an entirely new understanding of her, explaining a great deal about why she is the way she is. I actually began to feel for her, even if she is a bit of a vindictive drama queen!
Individual Rating: 4 mugs
The second story is The Lovestruck Goddess, which tells the story of Aphrodite/Ava. This was one of my favorite stories in the anthology, in no small part because I have loved her character. It is a love story, a love triangle, and a story of pain... all in one. This story, too, allows us to see her in a more 3D way away from Kate and Henry.
Individual Rating: 5 mugs
The third story, Goddess of the Underworld, tells Persephone's story. In this series, she has been portrayed as a bit of a villain, but we get to see in her in a new light in this story. We learn a lot more about why she acted as she did towards Henry, her love for another. I understand the angst behind that, but I felt like that supposed love fell completely flat. I feel for Henry, but I feel as if his character was a bit oblivious to it all.
Individual Rating: 3.5 mugs
God of Thieves is the fourth story and the story of Hermes/James, one of my favorite characters. I loved the story between Tuck and James and it ended with all the tragedy of a good Greek myth. It also solidified my love for James!
Individual Rating: 5 mugs
The final story is God of Darkness, the story of Hades/Henry. This story really helped us understand Henry a bit better. It is the story of his decision to fade and the deal that begins the Goddess Tests. Henry's broodiness often irritates me, but after this, I understand him much better.
Individual Rating: 4 mugs
My Recommendation: This is a great tie-in to the series. It doesn't add much to the ongoing story, as The Goddess Hunt did, but it does flesh out some of our favorite characters.
bookishzelda
Written on Nov 23, 2012
I have never been a fan of Hera, it doesn’t matter how many telling’s and retellings I’ve read but I definitely found this one to be unique. I can’t get past her personality which I think is the most difficult part for me, to really connect with her character. I wish I could but I just couldn’t but I found myself slightly sympathetic after reading her story. Only slightly though. She still is who she is.
I loved Aphrodite’s story, it completely swept me up and I found myself enthralled. I couldn’t get enough of it. The books graze across her relationships with the brothers but it was an opportunity to see a different side of the boys as well as Aphrodite herself. I think there is something endearing about her character and I think it’s the fact that she embraces who she is, rather than fight. Not to say that I agree with her actions but I think our harshest critics are ourselves and she has amazing confidence.
Persephone is a character that I find myself not liking and liking at the same time. Her story was so interesting to me though. It was nice to see her side of things and it was probably one of my favorites.
Hades I was kind of torn on. I didn’t want to imagine his life being anything besides being with Kate. Especially any time Hera entered the picture. I still had this feeling of wanting to claw her eyes out. It was nice to see where he came from though.
Hermes story was the one that surprised me the most because his was the only one that actually changed my opinion of him a little bit. Not just his story but his role in other stories. I actually found myself liking Hermes a whole lot more than I did in the first two books.
The best thing about The Goddess Legacy is how all the characters stories intertwined with one another. You were never just getting one characters story. You were getting bits and pieces of everyone and by the end you had a whole picture of the characters before Kate meets them. I really enjoyed it and I’m so glad that Aimee Carter decided to write it. What a wonderful addition to the series. I would definitely recommend it if you like the series as much as I do.
Mackenzie
Written on Jul 5, 2012
Hera:
It's not surprising that I despised Hera in the first two books. She was mean, vindictive and jealous. But after reading this book, I can't help but feel so incredibly sad for her. In the previous books, we always see her as the villain, when in reality she is also the victim. While I don't agree with many of her decisions and I do believe her own pride, jealousy and love for power helped shape her, the actions of many others, especially Zeus, made her who she is. All she wanted was to trust in him and he threw it back in her face. While I feel bad for her, I do believe she could have made better choices. However, reading her story helped me come to a better understanding of how she came to be.
Aphrodite:
Aphrodite's story is of how she really came to be Hephesteus' husband and Ares lover. While most of the other gods/goddesses don't get a happy ending, Aphrodite gets everything she wants. I enjoyed her story and how she comes to learn about the different types of love, but ultimately, she's spoiled rotten and I believe Hephaestus deserved someone so much better.
Persephone:
I have a feeling this novella was supposed to make me feel bad for her, and while on one hand I do feel bad for her arranged marriage, ultimately I found her selfish. She could have easily made better choices, yet every single one was out of pure selfishness. I understand that she wanted to be happy, but she never even gave Henry or the Underworld a chance. One day doesn't count. After that first day she just gave up which wasn't fair to him. Then, every decision after that was so that she could be happy, and while I wanted her to be happy, it shouldn't have been at the expense of everyone else. She would constantly feel guilty and say how good Henry was, yet never gave him a chance. Ultimately, I think I came to hate her more.
James:
In James' story, you get to meet new characters and I found them refreshing. I felt bad for him because he became the scapegoat for the Persephone fiasco and all he wanted was his family to care about him again. I liked learning more about his affair with Persephone and how that affected his relationships with his family, especially Henry. And I love how he ultimately becomes the hero.
Henry:
Other than Hera's story, Henry's was the most heartbreaking. I did like him in the previous books but I've come to love him in this one. He's such a great guy, probably the best of all the gods/goddesses, and he deserves a happy ending. He not constantly trying to one up the others or manipulate them or hurt them in any way like the rest do to each other. He's the kindest one with the best heart and to be honest, I wanted to jump in there and give him a hug. We get to learn about his decision to fade and how it affects him. After his story, I can only hope that he finally get the happy ending he deserves in the third and final book.
Overall:
What I ultimately loved about this book was how all the little details tied together between these stories and the previous books. I love that I got a better understanding of them and their actions, even if I didn't agree with all their decisions. Carter is a great writer and each person and voice was distinctly different and well-written. I think, even if you didn't absolutely love the previous books, you'll still definitely enjoy this.
All the best ♥
Mackenzie @ Oh, For the Love of Books!
lizarodz
Written on Jun 15, 2012
The Goddess Queen - The first story starts when the original six Olympians siblings (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia) have just won the war against the Titans. This is mainly Hera’s story and her struggle to find love, respect and most of all, power. I definitely understand why she is so bitter and unhappy, but I think that happiness is also a choice and some of her choices were not the best. Not only did she choose not to be happy by holding on to her power, but she made others most unhappy by being so strict and unforgiving.
The Lovestruck Goddess - Aphrodite is, overall a very happy person, but since she is the goddess of love, she craves loves, like we do food and she needs to feel constant adoration. She is, as you might know, gorgeous, which helps a lot. This story involves her struggle to find a partner that can give her the unconditional love that she craves, but allows her to be herself too.
The Goddess of the Underworld – We met Persephone in the previous book and now we get to know the whole story and how much suffering she endured, but must of all, it made me feel very sad for Hades. I do not like Hera (I’m trying to avoid spoilers).
God of Thieves – Oh, James! I don’t know how these gods were alive for so long and still made so many mistakes. Overall I liked this story, although not so much the ending.
God of Darkness - Hades / Henry is my weak spot. I feel so bad for him and all he has endured, the loneliness, the lack to love and companionship, and his one sided love for Persephone. In this story (the shortest one of all) we find out more about Henry and the role that Hera plays in his unhappiness, as well as Diana’s struggle to keep him from fading.
Good Lord! Greek mythology is like reading a soap opera! The comings and goings, affairs, infidelities, married siblings and the like are hard to fathom and very easy to get lost in. It was very helpful and this story could have very well been published sooner as a LOT was explained here. As a matter of fact, someone please give a copy to Kate ASAP! Ms. Carter’s writing is always a delight, easy to read and follow.
The Goddess Legacy is a great addition to the series and a must for Ms. Carter’s fans. Thank you to Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to review this great addition to the Goddess Test series.
About the cover: These books have such amazing covers, don’t you agree? I imagine that the girl in the cover is Ava/Aphrodite (being blond and all) and in a very natural setting looking to the heavens.