by Aimee Carter
Publication Date: April 19, 2011
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.
I'm getting into the review game a little late with this one. I've noticed that The Goddess Test is getting a lot of flack about how the author pulled from mythology. I am a firm believer that when an author is writing fiction, he or she is entitled to twist a background source any way he or she likes to create a whole new world for us. However, the author clearly states in the novel that Henry is Hades, the King of the Underworld, and that Persephone was once his wife and Queen of the Underworld. Though this isn't a retelling of this mythological tale, it is a continuation of Hades' story. It's no longer pure fiction and you can't go changing the details (ie. making him a virgin) and not expect an uproar from the reading community. If Ms. Carter had eliminated Hades and given us a new character that had taken over as King of the Underworld and seeking a bride, she could have completely gotten away with this story (though making any God in any story a virgin is ridiculous - there are some places you just don't go).
Having said that, Ms. Carter's writing style was enjoyable, clean and I found it easy to picture her imaginary world. If you're not a stickler for maintaining facts for a story that's being continued, or have zero knowledge of this mythological tale to begin with, there's a chance you'll really enjoy this story. Ms. Carter is definitely an author worth reading and I hope to read more of her work in the future.
1 comment:
I've been wanting to read this book for ages so seeing this review was really great! I'm definitely going to have to buy it now!!
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