Goddess Interrupted Review

Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test, #2) by Aimee Carter
★★★★★
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Persephone,
Format: e-book
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, 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 who is the greatest threat to her future. Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

Unfortunately Goddess Interrupted is another Holy Freaking Cliffhanger of a book. Fortunately it's worth the torture. It will leave the reader pining for the next installment. My advice, wait until book 3 is due to release to check this one out. No, really, wait. You'll be thanking me later. Since this is the second book in the series I do not recommend reading this book or review until you have read book 1, The Goddess Test (see my review). The Goddess Test was one of my favorite reads last year and well, Goddess Interrupted may take the cake this year!

In The Goddess Test we met Kate, and her journey to the underworld and the world that belongs to Henry is a battle of wits. She succeeded in her quest for immortality and book 2 is all about her new life. We get to know the Gods and Goddesses we were introduced to in book 1, and learn more about this immortal world. When an enemy returns threatening to destroy this world and the mortal world, the reader follows the events with the characters.

My one complaint in the book, I still give it 5 stars because I seriously love this world and its characters, is the codependent issue and lack of self confidence we begin to see in Kate. She wants Henry so much, even though he acts like he could care less about her. She was so strong and amazing in The Goddess Test that this new Kate was sometimes disappointing. I know Henry has his issues, we all do, but his character was like stone in this book only once or twice showing any real emotion. With that said, I still loved the story and the twist in plot that Aimee creates, this small issue was simply in the background for me, but I feel like I need to make it known.

My favorite part of this book is learning more about the past of Henry and Persephone. I also loved watching Kate rise up as the Queen she is and take charge, becoming more of the girl I loved from book 1.

Fans of The Goddess Test will not be disappointed with the way Goddess Interrupted takes the story. It's an amazing book 2, and a fierce plot that is even more in-depth than the first book. And, the ending is to die for!

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The Goddess Test

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

★★★★★

Release Date: April 19, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, PNR, Greek Mythology

Format: Ebook

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and 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.

I recently read Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and fell in love with the Greek mythology branch of fantasy fiction all over again. When I heard some rave reviews about The Goddess Test I knew I had to check it out, I am so happy that I did! It was awesome! So awesome I nearly read myself blind trying to read in the dark! I loved The Goddess Test. So much so that even though I got an ebook copy from Harlquin via Netgalley to review I still went out and purchased a paperback.

The hopeless romantic in me was thoroughly satisfied. I would describe this book as a cross between two very different love stories: Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast (although our hero is NO beast!). It has elements from many great books and it's own original story intwined but it definitely reminded me a lot of those two. Alongside the romance is also a very intriguing story that is fast paced and flowed well, I am hooked and cannot wait until the next book.

Kate is a remarkable young character. She takes care of her sick mother and when other teens would resent the task, she doesn't seem to. She's incredibly loyal and does what she has to. I love her attitude and the way she goes after what she wants and what she thinks is right. If her life was a dance she would always be in the lead, she is most definitely a fighter.

Henry on the other hand has pretty much given up on his search of a queen, ultimately giving up his life. When Kate walks into his world he's afraid of getting too close but she seems to intrigue him just enough that he starts to open up. He's so fragile and broken it made me incredibly sad, but to understand him is to understand all of him and Kate does that. He's still a very strong character, even with his broken heart, and is easy to like.

This book has so much to discover within it's pages, it is a puzzle only to be solved at the very end. I loved it, I think I said that but it's worth repeating!

As I'm afraid saying too much will ruin the fun I end on this: I recommend buying a copy (maybe 2, one for your best friend, so that they're not borrowing your copy!) because you'll want to read and reread this one!

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Starcrossed

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
★★★★★ and then some
Release Date: May 31, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Harper Teen
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Greek Mythology, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

How do you defy destiny? Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history. As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Wow, Wow, Wow! I absolutely love this book, not loved as in the past, but LOVE as in right now I am loving it because I can't stop thinking about it!! I've been reading a lot of books in the paranormal category recently and I figured this one would be shaped from a cookie cutter just like some of the rest, but I was very wrong. It is a breathtaking paranormal love story woven inside some fantastic retelling of the mythology we all know and love. It blew me away from the writing to the plot and especially characters. 

Using Greek Mythology, much like the beloved Percy Jackson books (but so much better), Angelini created a new series that I can explain in 3 words: I NEED MORE! Ahh. It was truly a fantastic read. With its addicting paragraphs that kept me reading late into the night, this one is sure to please fans of various genres including: Paranormal Romance, Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Action, and so many more. 

I'm a sucker for strong female leads (Hunger Games, Poison Study, Graceling) Tough Girls Rock! Helen is every bit that tough and powerful, it is awesome (she is awesome). She does have a people pleasing attitude and buries a lot of her own opinions deep down, but throughout the book that exterior starts to shift and we get to hear her voice. Her new forwardness partnered with her amazing strength could make Helen unbeatable. She starts off as a secluded high school girl in a little bubble all crouched over to hide her tall stature and beautiful face from sight, but she never goes unnoticed. When this sweet natured girl encounters a boy she has a deep (unexplainable) desire to kill Helen starts wondering how different she really is. A message I received from this story is that we all write our own future no matter how entwined in a "set" destiny we are, we make choices to impact our world and change things, it's a message a lot of teenagers could use.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book is how many twists Angelini takes the reader on. She throws so many curve balls the plot keeps everything moving so fast and interesting. She introduces the reader to a lot of new ideas throughout the book but in simple fashion that didn't make me wonder what was going on, in simpler terms I got it. 

I wasn't really a fan of the way the story would change characters point of view or narrators. One minute we would be following Helen around and then suddenly we'd switch to another person, it didn't happen often and since it's an ARC maybe that's something that will be changed but often I was sort of confused and it led the story to flow awkwardly in some parts. I was also a little lost on the time, or the day, it was. I found myself sometimes reading back a few paragraphs to find out where we had left off, if it was still Friday or had the story moved to Saturday quickly. 

Along with the story, the characters in the book were very original and so much fun to get to know. Hector, with his bold attitude, is one of my favorite macho guys from the books I've read recently. The family bond seen in the Delos family was pretty inspirational and was a great portrayal of a large extended family home with the loud dinners and rowdy kids, which is always fun to read.

Overall I am a huge fan of Starcrossed! From it's modern use of mythology to its heartbreaking love story and all the action and fun in between. Josephine Angelini made a believer out of me and I'll be searching for more Scion fun from her next novel in the series, since this one isn't even out yet I will be waiting a while, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

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