Title: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimee Carter [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher (via NetGalley)
Parental Advisory: sex, drugs, alcohol, language, death
Teachable Moments: dealing with grief, bigotry, class systems

“I stared out the window as he drove my car back to Eden, grateful he didn’t try to start a conversation.  Even if he had, I wasn’t so sure I’d have been able to answer.  It wasn’t until we sat in my driveway, the engine of the car still running, that James spoke.  In the background, a song played so softly on the radio that I had to strain to make it out.  I was stalling.  I didn’t want to go back inside that house.  I’d prepared myself for what was coming for years, but now that It was happening, I couldn’t stand the thought of being alone.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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 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.

Opinion:
The Goddess Test was a delightful romp through the Underworld — a twist on ancient Greek mythology focused primarily on the story of Persephone and the betrayal of Hades.  In this world, Hades goes by the name of Henry, who is now focusing on whether or not to remain King of the Underworld or just fade away to let another take over.  To remain he must find a suitable Queen — a woman who can pass seven tests devised by his fellow Gods and Goddesses.

Enter Kate, a young lonely girl who has lived the formative years of her life taking care of her ailing mother.  Having grown up in New York City she agrees to uproot her life and move back to her mother’s childhood home of Eden.  It’s here where Kate is thrust into even more disruption than she’d thought possible.  No, it’s not just the fact that she has to fit into a new school and attempt to navigate new friendships, but now she’s been witness to a death and reincarnation.  The latter then provides Henry (aka Hades) the ability to take some control over how she leads her life.  Don’t get me wrong, Kate has choices.  But the results of those choices are so dire it’s almost impossible they not work in Henry’s favor.  Alas, given a particularly difficult choice related to her mother she elects to stay with him and undertake the seven tests.

What did I like best about this book?  Pretty much everything.

The story itself was intriguing and paced in a way that created a level of anticipation that kept me from putting the book down.  I’d fall short of calling it a “page turner” in the grand scheme but it was certainly one that kept my interest piqued and my mind looking for the clues as to how everything was going to turn out.  You see, there *was* a bit of mystery here, two in fact, the first being whether Kate would successfully complete the seven challenges set out for her.  The second was a larger scale murder mystery.  Kate was not the first girl to pass through Henry’s gates, many before her were murdered before they were able to complete all of the tests.  So there was a bit of a whodunit to it all too.  I’ll say it took a bit of time to figure out who the culprit was but fairly close to the reveal I thought it was pretty clear.  This in no way ruined the story for me, I still enjoyed the twists and turns as well as the progression.  Again, I’ll say it was well paced which I appreciated.

The setting of the story felt  a bit Gothic to me.  It was richly dark and ominous, I imagined it being misty and foreboding. Most particularly the grand mansion that Kate lives in with Henry and his staff.  There is no end to it or the Underworld.  Having said that there were places that Kate was able to visit that felt like a modernized version of The Garden of Eden.  Great beauty and feelings of serenity were prevalent there.  Though there are secrets about where exactly she is in the world they are not revealed until the very bitter end and will likely play into the second book in the series.

As far as characters go I really enjoyed Kate.  She was equal parts tentative and courageous.  She is trusting and compassionate and dedicated.  But she’s also quite sad and reserved.  With the exception of her mother she is completely alone. Having been the caretaker a good portion of her life, she has become somewhat isolated.  The result of this being a level of discomfort with friendship and intimacy.  This provided ample opportunity for character growth as she turns into a person that begins to value the relationships (platonic and otherwise) that she has built while in Henry’s home.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Henry at first.  He was so distant and cold with everyone around him.  But as the story unfolded it made perfect sense why he would keep people, particularly the girls in his life, at arms length.  His defense mechanisms were in full force until Kate came in and started to push all that gruff exterior aside.  Once that happened….swoon. Together they were quite compelling and the root factor for their success was high.

There is a cadre of secondary characters meandering around the story as well.  From servants, to teachers, to high school friends, Kate’s life is surrounded by a unique group.  The most significant friend was James a geeky boy who latched on to her when she arrived as a new kid at school.  As the story progresses we learn things about him and are led towards believing he might be a potential rival for Kate’s affections.  For me, I didn’t feel any strong chemistry between he and Kate.  In fact, it was disconcerting that Kate so suddenly viewed him as her BFF after being so adamantly alone over time.  Having said that, I understand that in order to keep the story alive for book two there has to be an outside element and James fits that bill.

There was little about this book I disliked, if anything.  It was fun and interesting and infused mythology in a way that educates but doesn’t overwhelm.  Light on the paranormal and heavy on the character development The Goddess Test is definitely one to add to your shelves.