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:

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!

Author: Aimee Carter {site}
Genre: YA, Romance, Mythology
Format: Kindle
Published: 19 April 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Disclosure: Acquired via NetGalley
Series: Yes (trilogy)

Synopsis: {via amazon}

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.

Review:

I should preface this review with the admission that I'm a huge Greek Mythology fan. I've been reading and enjoying it for quite a few years, and studying Classical Greek literature while in college only strengthened my adoration for all things Greek! Truth be told, it's not the only mythology I enjoy, I also really like Norse, but the Greeks are my favorite by far. So, when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to have it. Not wanted it, but had to have it.

The Characters:

Now that I'm done with it, I'm happy to say that it doesn't disappoint. The characters are all quite believable and the main character, Kate, is quite sympathetic. Given that the book is about Kate undertaking the seven tests to become an immortal, the first person narration was not only appropriate but very well done. Other than Kate, my favorite character was Henry, by far. I tend to fall for the dark, brooding, tortured soul male leads and Henry's got that. He's a good character, he comes across dark and filled with pain and loneliness--he also comes across as someone not quite connected to life, which is appropriate considering that he, well, Hades. How could I not fall for that?!

Ava and James were also really good characters, though they weren't as present as either Kate or Henry. Considering it was Kate and Henry's story, though, I didn't expect them to be. Ava could be quite annoying and impish at times, but by the end of the book it becomes clear why she behaves the way she does (let's just say it's not out of character for her to behave like this). James starts out a cheerful guy and, over the course of the story, evolves into something much more serious.

The Plot:

The plot was well paced and quite sad at parts. Any story that involves a teenager whose mother is dying of cancer is bound to have it's heartbreaking moments. I felt like Carter dealt with the emotion in this story in such a way that it's accessible to readers.  There was never a moment I thought I might cry, or was so touched I had to put the book done, but the emotion is still there. I think, for me, the problem is that I tend to be very skeptical of emotional elements, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. This book really spans the spectrum of emotion with everything from pain to passion, loss to love. I really enjoyed that aspect.

The tests were well placed and when you learn what they are, you start to see not only how she's done on some of them that have passed, but also the traps laid ahead of her. The "bad guy" who really isn't a bad guy, so much as someone driven by selfish motivations, wasn't too apparent and it took me a while to figure out who it was. As a matter of fact, I figured it out only shortly before the book spills it. I tend to catch these things, so I was pleasantly surprised. By the end of the book, when you get to the legend that says who each god is, I had it pretty much figured out. They're quite well portrayed, I must say, each with the characteristics appropriate to his or her god or goddess.

The Verdict:

Rating: 4/5

In all, I'd say this book holds up to its promise. As the first book by a debut author, The Goddess Test is a winner. If you're considering it and you enjoy YA, romance, and mythology I'd say this book is for you. While it got some mixed reviews, I think Carter made a good start with this trilogy. I'm definitely waiting for the next two books, which are slated for February 2012 and November 2012.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I shrank back from the intensity of his voice. He really did believe what he was saying. "It's impossible," I said softly. "Isn't it?"

"But it is happening, so maybe it is time for you to reevaluate what is possible and whats not."

So there you have it. I know it's more than two sentences, but I couldn't resist! I'm really enjoying this book so far, despite its having received some poor reviews. Isn't the cover beautiful?! I just love it. Anyhow, I hope you're having a great Teaser Tuesday and, if you're participating in Armchair BEA, a good time with that, too!

In My Mailbox is a weekly book meme hosted by The Story Siren. It posts on Sundays, so go check out her blog and join in the fun if you're not already!

I spent the morning writing my review for The Hunger Games, reading Catching Fire, and contemplating whether or not I'd do IMM this week. I didn't really have much to talk about, so I was going to pass.  That's when I checked my mailbox ten minutes ago and saw that Harlequin (and a few others, but mostly Harlequin) on NetGalley had fulfilled my fondest wishes, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join in the fun.  So, better late than never!

As I said, all of my books this week come from NetGalley, my absolute favorite site on the web!  Here they are...

The Girl in the Steel Corset

I have absolutely never been happier to receive a book on NetGalley than I was to receive this one--okay, maybe Colleen Gleason's Dracule series, but truly, that's it. I've talked about how much I love both the cover and Steampunk before, so it should come as no surprise that I literally squealed with glee when I saw that I had been granted this book. I cannot wait to read it, but it'll have to sit for the time being while I finish the Hunger Games trilogy.

Spellbound

Another beautiful cover, another interesting synopsis. This is another book that's been circulating and getting good reviews and I can't wait to read it. It's going on my Kindle and at the rate I'm devouring books these days, it shouldn't be long before I get to it. I think, right now, this one should come right after The Girl in the Steel Corset in my reading list.

The Goddess Test

This is another I've had my eye on. I love the whole Greek gods thing this book has going on and, honestly, it's another beautiful cover.  I'm a sucker for a nice cover!  As I enjoy stories about the Greek gods, or that touch on the Greeks, and romances, I think its book will be right up my alley. Like the two above it, I was so pleased to able to get it on NetGalley this weekend!

The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale

Another steampunk!!  I don't think this on is YA, like those above, but I cannot wait to jump in. I'm always just so excited when I'm able to get a book I really, truly, desperately want. Like Steel Corset this book is one I've truly been wanting. Now, it's on my kindle and my only regret is that I can't read everything I want all at once!

I got a few others, too, but they don't really fit the YA theme this post seems to have taken on.  So, rather than sharing their covers, I'll just offer a short list of books I'll be adding to my reading this week, along with those featured above...

• Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess by Christine Merrill
• Seduction and Scandal by Charlotte Featherstone
• By His Majesty's Grace by Jennifer Blake
• Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy