Book Recommendation: The Goddess Test

Ever since buzz started circling about The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter, I knew it was something I had to read. I preordered the book for my Kindle and read it all in one day as soon as it came out on Tuesday.

The book had a lot of hype and the premise sounded interesting, but plenty of other such books had turned out to be duds for me, so I didn't know what to expect. Fortunately, The Goddess Test was as good as I hoped.

Kate has just moved from New York City to rural Michigan so that her mother can die in peace in her hometown. Kate isn't expecting to put down any roots, but right away she catches the attention of several of her classmates, who aren't so keen on letting her fade into the background.

Then she meets Henry, a mysterious boy who has an impossible talent for bringing the dead back to life. He claims he can save Kate's mother too, if Kate will only agree to spend the next six months in his closed-off estate. But there's more to the bargain than Kate knows. She has seven tests ahead of her, plus one major problem—the previous eleven girls who accepted Henry's bargain are all dead, and she could be next.

The first third of the book was good enough to keep me reading, and then the next two thirds I couldn't put down. The plot was as interesting as it had sounded and delivered on all the points that had attracted me to the story. I enjoyed the twists and the new look at some very old gods. The story comes from the Persephone myth, which is one of my favorites, but tells it in a slightly different light.

I found Kate's character to be compelling. I had a real sense of who she was by the end of the story, and I think this is one of the major strengths of the book. Some of the secondary characters drew me in as well, particularly Ava and James, who are part of the story from the beginning.

I had a few minor issues with the seven tests (they didn't fit the Greek theme and thus felt out of place) and the identities of the gods (many weren't obvious until the note at the end, and some of the names were misleading). Nevertheless, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book, particularly to anyone interested in mythology.