Series: Goddess Test #1
Published by Harlequin Teen (4.19.2011)
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback, 293 pages
Source: I own it
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Every girl who had taken the test has died.
Now it's Kate's turn.
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 that 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...
My thoughts
My main problem? Kate. I couldn’t stand her. She was alright in the first half or so, average and nothing special to speak of…but not necessarily irritating, either. But the judgement she passes on her ‘best’ friend ruined her for me. It was an accident, and because the friend acted like a ‘slut’ and made a mistake to cause something terrible to happen, Kate basically tells her she’s a waste of life and that she hates her. Then proceeds to tell the friend she never wants to see her again. That’s a great friend right there. Then, when someone tries to MURDER HER, she forgives her and says it was all okay, because said attempted murderess did it in the name of love. WTF?
The suspicion and mistrust Kate showed to the friend pissed me off too. She made a mistake, so automatically that makes her a possible murderer? I felt as if that character was unfairly treated, and even though Kate was being tested on Wrath, her treatment of that character was overlooked.
I felt like the plot was a little too predictable. I guessed who the villain was before it was revealed. I guessed the overall outcome of the book. There weren’t any real twists and turns, and the parts that were supposed to be surprising failed to impress me at all. I didn’t feel any emotion, either. The parts that should have been sad or shocking just weren’t. There was basically no action at all, and I was expecting Kate to be tested – you know, really tested – yet all of the so-called ‘tests’ were simple, subtle, and easily overcome.
And all of the gods/goddesses and their identities? Really?
The romance did absolutely nothing for me. Henry had little to no personality to speak of, and since I didn’t like Kate either, I didn’t care about the two of them together. To be honest, I didn’t care about any of the characters. The only one I liked in the least bit was Ava.
Overall Assessment
Plot: 2.5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 1/5
World-building: 2/5
Pace: 3/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 2.5/5
gr8 review. i’ll skip it
Oh wow. Kate doesn’t sound like my kind of heroine at all. Shame such a beautiful cover didn’t have the insides to back it up. Thanks for the warning.
~Anna
This book was not for you. I’ll put it on the back burner for now and watch for other reviews before I completely write it off.
Thanks for sharing. :-)
Alas, I was lured in by the pretty cover and the mythology tag. I’ve also heard other people mention the not so test-y tests so this review seals it…*pushes to way back of shelf*
I liked the uniqueness of the synopsis and because of different opinions about the book, I was thinking twice about reading it. And now, you have your review and I was totally disappointed. So no need to read this one. Thanks!
I actually was looking forward to reading this book. I am also a fan of mythology books, and the idea for this one really caught my interest. But I’m not sure I’ll be jumping to read it now, after your review. Who knows..maybe I’ll pick it up, but for now, it is at the bottom of my TBR list. Brilliant Review!
~ Maida @ Literary Love Affair
I really like mythology, so I’m disappointed to hear this. Kate sounds like an annoying character and such a shame that the tests weren’t really tests.. Hmm, I will keep this in mind, so thanks for the honesty.
Yeah, I wasn’t really a fan of this one either. Like you, I was into the idea but the execution fell a bit flat. People have said the second one is better though! I don’t think I’m going to read it but who knows.