Book #49 - The Goddess Test

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1), Aimee Carter
304 pages
PNR
Started 4/25/12
Finished 4/26/12
3 STARS

I'm not sure if my lukewarm reception to this book is because it is truly just mediocre, or because it followed a series of books that I fell in love with - they were a tough act to follow, and The Goddess Test didn't really come close.

Kate Winters moves to the town of Eden with her dying mother. Going through the motions, not really desiring any friends, Kate is pretty miserable, pretty much all the time. Then, the popular girl, Ava, dies right in front of Kate, and Kate watches a mysterious boy bring her back to life. Suddenly, there is some hope for her to have more time with her mom. But, in order for that to happen, Kate has to agree to spend six months with the boy, Henry, a.k.a. Hades, taking seven tests. If she passes, she becomes queen of the underworld and Henry's wife. If she fails, well, bad stuff would happen.

Now, I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology. I always have been. They are the original fantasy stories - how could I not love them? And, I have really enjoyed all the modern plays on the Greek myths. Author Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series and The Lost Heroes series are both brilliant. So, I really had high hopes for The Goddess Test.

Instead, it just felt flat and lifeless throughout. There was no real excitement or suspense. The characters were very one-dimensional. I never really bought the budding romance between Henry and Kate. It seemed so sudden and forced. The big twists at the end weren't really twists. The sad thing is, this is a really cool concept. It could have been executed so. much. better. The next book in the series, Goddess Interrupted was just released about a month ago, and I do plan to give Aimee Carter another shot. I do love the mythology and the characters in mythology - I hope the second book pulls it off better than this one did.