Review: The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter
Published: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9780373210268
Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 297
Source: NetGalley
Series: Goddess Test #1

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn. 

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..

I honestly have no idea how to review The Goddess Test. I enjoyed it, but there were things that annoyed me. I'll start with those things.

Watering down badass creatures. It started with vampires....werewolves....fairies....zombies.....now Greek Gods and Goddesses? I think this is where my biggest problem lies. I imagine all of the gods and goddesses acting like, well...gods. Henry is not only a god, but he's Hades. If I imagine any of them as a monster, it would be him. But he isn't. None of them are, not really. This seems like the thing to do now. Soften the monsters. I want to read a story where a girl falls in love with a monster despite the fact that he acts like the monster he is.

Second, some of the scenes just felt silly. The scene by the river (that's all I'm saying) that gets this all started was kind of laughable.

I don't understand why Kate felt the way she felt about any of them. I'm not sure how she fell in love with Henry, who hardly opened his mouth. I don't understand her friendship with Ava, the girl who started it all. The only loyalty I can understand is the loyalty for her mother.

Despite all of that, I enjoyed the story. I was able to get lost in it and look past the things that annoyed me, fairly easily. I love the story of the gods and goddesses, but if I sit and think about this as a separate story, I loved it. If I completely ignore the fact that Henry is supposed to be the Hades, it was a great read!

I'm afraid I don't know what else to say about The Goddess Test. I enjoyed it, some things annoyed me but regardless, it's still a definite four-star for enjoyment.

4/5 Stars