Author: Aimee Carter {
site}
Genre: YA, Romance, Mythology
Format: Kindle
Published: 27 March 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: Yes
{Check out my review for
The Goddess Test }
Synopsis: {via author's site}
Kate Winters has won immortality.
But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.
Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.
As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry’s first wife, Persephone.
Review:
I said so the first time, and I'm going to say it again, I absolutely love Greek Mythology. Even if I'd given the first book a poor review, I'd still have been terribly tempted to read this one in hopes that it redeems itself. Fortunately, I really enjoyed
The Goddess Test, the first book in this series, so that wasn't an issue. When I received this book from NetGalley, I couldn't wait to get to reading it. Unfortunately, grading and thesis had to come first. Last night, I had the opportunity to sit down and start this book, which I just finished about a half an hour ago. I absolutely loved it. I simply cannot wait for book three, and I'll probably hunt down the novella,
The Goddess Hunt, too.
Above all else, this book evoked a good deal of emotion in me. Maybe I'm just in a crying frame of mind today, but this book made me cry. Not a little bit, not here or there, but quite a bit. Maybe that's crazy, but I couldn't seem to help myself.
The Characters:
I really liked Kate Winters the first time around and this time was no different. I still really, really like her. As a heroine, she's strong and intelligent, which are traits I really love in a central female character. Most of all, she was incredibly sympathetic to me. Her struggles with love, with Henry, really got under my skin and reached me. Genuinely, I adore her! Henry is still Henry, still cool and aloof, but you really come to understand him better in this book. He becomes as sympathetic as he can possibly be, given his character, and that's something I really enjoyed about it. He may be the God of the Underworld, but we come to see that he does have feelings and why he feels the way he does.
The villains are pretty interesting, too, as villains go. Calliope (Hera) was down right vicious and she never strayed from her conviction. As villains go, I like her! Cronus, Calliope's "daddy" is downright bad, but what's good about him is it's easy to see his motivations. He's not complex, but he has goals and they're impossible to misunderstand.
Seeing Persephone was really interresting, overall, and understanding more about her relationships with her mother, Henry, Kate, Ava, and even Adonis play out was well done. Otherwise, there is one twist I didn't see coming, that made me shake my head in... I don't know, disappointment. I was, though, surprised and I think you will be too. One character development I absolutely couldn't have foreseen. That's all I'm saying about that!
The Plot:
Though there were moments when the plot was pretty transparent, like Kate's excitement at going home and how that whole thing pans out, the plot was pretty solid for the most part. I really liked seeing Persephone and how she played into the plot. I also really enjoyed seeing how this book will work right into the next. The cliffhanger plot was well done, as cliffhanger plots go. I think they're a little bit cruel, considering how long it takes to get a book published, but if an author's going to do them, they should do them well and this one was done well.
Like the first book, there were moments when the plot can be a little bit sad. Kate's relationship with Henry, her desire to help even though she's ultimately helpless, her relationship with her mother and Persephone, and her relationship the the villain, Calliope (Hera) are all very solid parts of this story. All of the loose ends tie up, except for the cliffhanger, of course, and the plot is nicely paced. Overall, wonderful work!
Otherwise, the only issue I have with this book (and one I had with the last, as well) is that Henry's language is so stiff--not exactly a plot problem, but it fits here okay anyhow. He speaks like he's been alive for eons, which is fine, but all of the other gods use such relaxed speech that it's awkward. If all of the gods used stiff language with absolutely no contractions, then it might be okay. As is, Henry's the only one and it's distracting.
The Verdict:
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| Rating: 5/5 |
I loved every second of this book, even the ones that made me cry. I'd read it again and I cannot wait for the next book to arrive. The mythology was very good, though naming Hera Calliope was, to me, a little bit awkward. I don't imagine her like that, like a Calliope, and since Calliope was a real mythological figure, it's a little bit confusing at first. Above all, though, this book was fantastic!
