The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (April 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373210264
Source: Net Galley
Rating: YYYY

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...

REVIEW

With THE GODDESS TEST I have finally encountered a novel that is a fantastic pairing of Greek Mythology (Persephone and Hades) intermixed with a unique and romantically mysterious tale.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter is a story centered on a protagonist who has been saddened by life; her mother is dying, she has no true friends to lean on and has never been on a date in her life.Yet, soon after Kate and her mother arrive in Eden events begin to change for them both, but non so much as with Kate. After a tragic event occurs Kate makes a promise that she could have never imagined would eventually lead her to become a willing captive in Hades lair.

As I read THE GODDESS TEST, I began to question certain points of the story line, but although those questions were not answered right away, most of them were worked out before the end of the novel giving the story a bit more of a mysterious edge. I really enjoyed seeing Kate grow out of her doomed existence and blossom into a character that was worthy of becoming a member of the immortal court. And although I knew Kate promised to stay with Henry for her allotted time by the end of the book I did not want her to leave *sigh* I adore a good love story. Yet, those moments with Henry weren't the only ones that did a number on my heart I was also left misty eyed by her special moments with her mom and friend James.

THE GODDESS TEST ends on a questioning note that now leaves sitting on pins and needles until the next installment, GODDESS INTERRUPTED, hits the bookshelves next year.