Publisher: Harlequin
Goodreads Summary:
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...
Review:
The Goddess Test is the first e-book I ever read/finished. It was not easy since I partly was reading this on my itouch. It's also the first ARC I got off Netgalley.
The story behind why I choose to request this ARC is simple. It is because I am a sucker for mythology. As a child, I would check out all the books on myths, fairy tales, fables and folk tales the library had. So I was very drawn to this Hades and Persephone retelling.
One of the best things about this novel is the relationship between Kate and her mom. In YA, majority of stories feature absent/dead parents or conflicts with them so it was refreshing to see a different side of the teen-parent relationship. Kate and her mom have a loving relationship and Kate would do anything to keep her mom from dying... include agreeing to Henry's bargain. Sometimes my skeptical self flares up and questions Kate's selfless nature - no way can she be this good! But she is.
Speaking of the bargain, I thought Carter's the creation of tests is a clever twist to add and make this myth more original. However, I had some issue with how easily Kate accepted this world of magic. As well as living with a complete stranger and entering into a bargain with him. Henry never seems fully nuanced to me - he appears to simply react to the events and never exhibits an independence of his own.
Despite some shortcomings, I enjoyed myself and will look forward to the continuing story.
Book Source: E-ARC from Netgalley
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