RAVE REVIEW: The Goddess Test
Hello, hello, hello.
How's it going, reader nerds?
I come to you today with butterflies exploding from my heart. Also known as, yes, I did just read a good book. A book I'm going to give a pretty rave review. Of course, I'll also discuss some shit that bothered me. But it didn't bother me enough to not give it a rave review. A four star rave review. That's right. Four stars. And what's this beautiful book I'm talking about?
The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter.
So, I may have heard a thing or two about what people hated about this book. And, well, I disagree, bitches. I disagree completely. So, without further blabbing, let's get into my rave review of The Goddess Test.
Before I dove into The Goddess Test, I did have high expectations. Super high expectations. Or maybe I'm just biased because of the whole Hades and Persephone thing. Maybe. The book follows a girl named Kate whose mother is dying. Her mother has one last dying wish: to return back to her hometown for her last dying days. In this small town, Kate meets a guy named Henry (also known as Hades), who strikes a deal with her. Pass his tests and Henry will keep her mother alive for a bit longer. If she succeeds, she will become his wife, Queen of the Underworld (can that be my job, please?), and a goddess.
Needless to say, this book had A LOT of love from me.
Let's talk about Kate.
When it came to people reviewing this book, Kate got a lot of hate. But why? Most people complained that she blamed everything on herself, and that she felt responsible for everyone.
Here's why, jerks. Kate's mother was dying from cancer. She was weak, extremely ill, and barely hanging on. Mostly just for Kate's sake. And Kate took care of her with undying, selfless love. She didn't even finish high school because she was so busy caring for her sick mother.
But no matter what Kate did, she knew her mom was going to die, and it was something she couldn't run from for long.
I was stunned and amazed at how this was so well done by the author. She captures exactly what seeing someone die of cancer feels like to those they love. There's a scene that kills my soul on page 59. Kate's mom is telling her to live the rest of her life, to make a life after her. Kate's thoughts broke my heart:
"I wanted to tell her that I didn't know how to be happy without her, that I didn't know who I was when she wasn't there, and I wasn't strong enough to do this..."
Kate simply tells her mom that she will be okay. Things are not okay. And Kate will not be okay. You will cry at the beginning of this book, and if you don't, you're an ass hole, alright?
James and Ava
James is the first person Kate meets at her new school. He's your typical nerdy guy with large ears, who enjoys making towers out of fries and drowning them with a bottle of ketchup he carries around with him on the daily. Mhm. Yes. Ketchup. He would be my bff in a second. We would build endless fry towers together and make world peace 🍟. Because I love him. He becomes a quick buddy for Kate, who isn't used to having friends. Mostly, he just wouldn't leave her alone. In the totally-not-a-creeper way, though (😐).
And then there's Ava. Your classic, don't-steal-my-boyfriend-new-girl-because-I'm-captain-of-the-cheerleading-squad-and-rich-and-totally-a-bitch kind of girl. Did you follow that? Yeh, me too. Me too. She has a typical jock boyfriend who is an ass hole to her, so she's an ass hole to Kate, NATURALLY.
Well, one day she invites Kate to some woods party thing, and for some reason Kate agrees to go (BUT WHY?). Turns out there was no party, and Ava leaves Kate in the woods all by herself, with a roaring stream blocking her path. Any normal person would be like, "hah, a stream, bitch? I'm swimming that thing!" But Kate can't swim. Ava jumps into the stream, bashes her head on a rock in all her bitch glory, and now Kate is conflicted.
So Kate saves Ava. OR SO SHE THINKS. She drags Ava onto dry land, somehow braving her fear, but Ava is basically dead from a head wound.
Cue Hades. I mean Henry.
Henry appears from the nearby Eden Manor, offering to save Ava's life, but not without a price. Kate agrees, already struck with emotion and confusion over what just happens. Awesomely enough, the god of the Underworld brings Ava back to life, leaving Kate with these words:
"Read the myth of Persephone...the autumn equinox is in two weeks. Read it and you will understand."
Okay, sure stranger who raised my friend from the dead. I'll do whatever you say.
But Hades. Another character who was criticized. I don't agree with that either. Most people seemed like they expected Hades to be the same as the Hercules cartoon. No. If he was that type of Hades, I would hate him. Instead he's exactly what Hades should be: Quiet, reserved, SUPER BROODY AND HOT, and best of all he knows when to use his power. Most of his people at Eden Manor don't interact with him at all, and if they do they generally fear him. Now that's exactly who Hades should be. Not the cartoons retarded version everyone is comparing him to.
Wouldn't you be all dark, broody, and sexy if you were the ruler of the Underworld doomed to walking among the dead for eternity? Yeh, I think so.
So now that we've fully discussed Henry's sexiness, let's move on to the actual story.
Eden Manor and the Seven Tests
This is where the story gets to a point that I really enjoy. Kate is finally living at Eden Manor and her seven tests begin. Now Eden Manor. Eden Manor. I liked Eden Manor. I liked how it served as the gateway to the Underworld. I liked how Henry had homes all over the world. That seemed like the Hades thing to do, ya know?
Kate has two maids in her chambers, Ella and Calliope. Ella's that bitch who hates her for no reason, and Calliope puts off a pretty good vibe. So much so, that when the ending is near, you never knew what was coming.
You also never knew when the seven tests occurred. Not until the end of the book are you like "holy shit. OKAY."
Henry and Kate
Can we say angst? So much angst. I loved it. Henry was all dark and broody and put off the vibe that he just didn't like Kate. Oh, how I loved that. Henry is all protective and sweet, but he keeps his distance. Until - oh, sorry, I can't tell you. Let's just say you'll love reading the scenes they're in together.
The Ending
THIS ENDING. It will kill you. But not in a bad way. It's one of those endings you are actually blown away by. Let's just say, all of the gods were pretending to be someone else while Kate was at Eden Manor...and even when she was at school. Holy shit. That's what I thought when I read the ending of the book.
I'm one of those people who can easily figure out the plot twists. BUT THIS ONE. NO. JUST NO. I didn't even know what was coming. And James. And Ava. And Kate's mom. AND CALLIOPE.
My Conclusion
If you want to read a book with killer angst, a heart filled main character, awesome side characters, and an ending you never expected, along with twists and turns you couldn't even predict, this is the book for you.
So read on, reader nerds. And let me know what you thought about the book. I know I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in the series.
LLAP, NERDS. ✌
💙Liz
How's it going, reader nerds?
I come to you today with butterflies exploding from my heart. Also known as, yes, I did just read a good book. A book I'm going to give a pretty rave review. Of course, I'll also discuss some shit that bothered me. But it didn't bother me enough to not give it a rave review. A four star rave review. That's right. Four stars. And what's this beautiful book I'm talking about?
The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter.
So, I may have heard a thing or two about what people hated about this book. And, well, I disagree, bitches. I disagree completely. So, without further blabbing, let's get into my rave review of The Goddess Test.
Before I dove into The Goddess Test, I did have high expectations. Super high expectations. Or maybe I'm just biased because of the whole Hades and Persephone thing. Maybe. The book follows a girl named Kate whose mother is dying. Her mother has one last dying wish: to return back to her hometown for her last dying days. In this small town, Kate meets a guy named Henry (also known as Hades), who strikes a deal with her. Pass his tests and Henry will keep her mother alive for a bit longer. If she succeeds, she will become his wife, Queen of the Underworld (can that be my job, please?), and a goddess.
Needless to say, this book had A LOT of love from me.
Let's talk about Kate.
When it came to people reviewing this book, Kate got a lot of hate. But why? Most people complained that she blamed everything on herself, and that she felt responsible for everyone.
Here's why, jerks. Kate's mother was dying from cancer. She was weak, extremely ill, and barely hanging on. Mostly just for Kate's sake. And Kate took care of her with undying, selfless love. She didn't even finish high school because she was so busy caring for her sick mother.
But no matter what Kate did, she knew her mom was going to die, and it was something she couldn't run from for long.
I was stunned and amazed at how this was so well done by the author. She captures exactly what seeing someone die of cancer feels like to those they love. There's a scene that kills my soul on page 59. Kate's mom is telling her to live the rest of her life, to make a life after her. Kate's thoughts broke my heart:
"I wanted to tell her that I didn't know how to be happy without her, that I didn't know who I was when she wasn't there, and I wasn't strong enough to do this..."
Kate simply tells her mom that she will be okay. Things are not okay. And Kate will not be okay. You will cry at the beginning of this book, and if you don't, you're an ass hole, alright?
James and Ava
James is the first person Kate meets at her new school. He's your typical nerdy guy with large ears, who enjoys making towers out of fries and drowning them with a bottle of ketchup he carries around with him on the daily. Mhm. Yes. Ketchup. He would be my bff in a second. We would build endless fry towers together and make world peace 🍟. Because I love him. He becomes a quick buddy for Kate, who isn't used to having friends. Mostly, he just wouldn't leave her alone. In the totally-not-a-creeper way, though (😐).
And then there's Ava. Your classic, don't-steal-my-boyfriend-new-girl-because-I'm-captain-of-the-cheerleading-squad-and-rich-and-totally-a-bitch kind of girl. Did you follow that? Yeh, me too. Me too. She has a typical jock boyfriend who is an ass hole to her, so she's an ass hole to Kate, NATURALLY.
Well, one day she invites Kate to some woods party thing, and for some reason Kate agrees to go (BUT WHY?). Turns out there was no party, and Ava leaves Kate in the woods all by herself, with a roaring stream blocking her path. Any normal person would be like, "hah, a stream, bitch? I'm swimming that thing!" But Kate can't swim. Ava jumps into the stream, bashes her head on a rock in all her bitch glory, and now Kate is conflicted.
So Kate saves Ava. OR SO SHE THINKS. She drags Ava onto dry land, somehow braving her fear, but Ava is basically dead from a head wound.
Cue Hades. I mean Henry.
Henry appears from the nearby Eden Manor, offering to save Ava's life, but not without a price. Kate agrees, already struck with emotion and confusion over what just happens. Awesomely enough, the god of the Underworld brings Ava back to life, leaving Kate with these words:
"Read the myth of Persephone...the autumn equinox is in two weeks. Read it and you will understand."
Okay, sure stranger who raised my friend from the dead. I'll do whatever you say.
But Hades. Another character who was criticized. I don't agree with that either. Most people seemed like they expected Hades to be the same as the Hercules cartoon. No. If he was that type of Hades, I would hate him. Instead he's exactly what Hades should be: Quiet, reserved, SUPER BROODY AND HOT, and best of all he knows when to use his power. Most of his people at Eden Manor don't interact with him at all, and if they do they generally fear him. Now that's exactly who Hades should be. Not the cartoons retarded version everyone is comparing him to.
Wouldn't you be all dark, broody, and sexy if you were the ruler of the Underworld doomed to walking among the dead for eternity? Yeh, I think so.
So now that we've fully discussed Henry's sexiness, let's move on to the actual story.
Eden Manor and the Seven Tests
This is where the story gets to a point that I really enjoy. Kate is finally living at Eden Manor and her seven tests begin. Now Eden Manor. Eden Manor. I liked Eden Manor. I liked how it served as the gateway to the Underworld. I liked how Henry had homes all over the world. That seemed like the Hades thing to do, ya know?
Kate has two maids in her chambers, Ella and Calliope. Ella's that bitch who hates her for no reason, and Calliope puts off a pretty good vibe. So much so, that when the ending is near, you never knew what was coming.
You also never knew when the seven tests occurred. Not until the end of the book are you like "holy shit. OKAY."
Henry and Kate
Can we say angst? So much angst. I loved it. Henry was all dark and broody and put off the vibe that he just didn't like Kate. Oh, how I loved that. Henry is all protective and sweet, but he keeps his distance. Until - oh, sorry, I can't tell you. Let's just say you'll love reading the scenes they're in together.
The Ending
THIS ENDING. It will kill you. But not in a bad way. It's one of those endings you are actually blown away by. Let's just say, all of the gods were pretending to be someone else while Kate was at Eden Manor...and even when she was at school. Holy shit. That's what I thought when I read the ending of the book.
I'm one of those people who can easily figure out the plot twists. BUT THIS ONE. NO. JUST NO. I didn't even know what was coming. And James. And Ava. And Kate's mom. AND CALLIOPE.
My Conclusion
If you want to read a book with killer angst, a heart filled main character, awesome side characters, and an ending you never expected, along with twists and turns you couldn't even predict, this is the book for you.
So read on, reader nerds. And let me know what you thought about the book. I know I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in the series.
LLAP, NERDS. ✌
💙Liz
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