The Goddess Test

Taking an old tale and giving it an exciting twist for a new audience is a job for a skilled, dedicated writer who is prepared to put effort into making the differences in the new version gel with the original story and characters. Fans of the original will mostly love it, and it will still be accessible to everyone else.

Taking the same tale and changing every part of it, trashing every character within it, is a job for the less talented, lazy writers out there. This is like writing a story about a lovely faultless guy, who visits his mother once a week and gives to charity, and then calling him Dracula. Why bother? I gave it two stars rather than one because I did finish listening to it on a long journey, and it did pass the time.

It was an interesting concept but poorly executed overall. Sometimes a naive MC can be endearing, but here, the MC's constant failure to recognize the obvious was annoying AF and just detracted from the good parts of the story.

Retelling de Persephone y Hades!!!!!!!

La historia comienza siendo un poco triste, Katherine Winters se muda al pueblo natal de su madre Edén, para que está pueda morir allí ya que ha sido diagnosticada con un cáncer terminal.

La cosa se pone interesante cuando en la mansión de Edén conoce a Henry, el Dios del inframundo que busca esposa y le propone un trato a Kate, deberá vivir 6 meses con el y 6 meses en la tierra, pero antes deberá pasar unas pruebas para ver si es digna de ser la reina del inframundo. El problema es que 11 chicas lo han intentado, y todas han muerto.

Lo bueno de este libro es que rápidamente nos pone en situación y empiezan a pasar cosas, es dinámico y la prota es una chica super fuerte que tiene muy claro lo que quiere y por lo que luchar, es una de esas protas que me gustan tanto porque ya tienen sus pantalones de niña mayor puestos y aunque obviamente tienen sus defectos saben lo que deben hacer. Kate, es un personaje muy bien construido y si algo la representa es su naturalidad, su amabilidad y su consideración.

Así como Kate me ha encantado, así lo han hecho los demás personajes, cada uno con su forma de ser muy representativa, todos basados en la mitología griega.

En cuanto a Henry, me ha gustado mucho el personaje, es precisamente lo que nos esperareriamos del Dios del inframundo pero con un plus, enamorado de su antigua esposa lo que le hace aún más inalcanzable, es difícil llegar a él pero Kate poco a poco lo va consiguiendo, se va metiendo poco a poco bajo su piel.

Este libro es una historia de amor, tanto romántico como el amor a la familia y de amistad.

Si lo leeis no os quedéis solo en este libro, seguid con la trilogía porque vamos adentrándonos mucho más en la historia de amor, en la mitología griega y conocemos mucho más a Kate.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The way Greek Mythology was mixed into the story was really interesting and I loved every bit of it.

Horrible.

A popular 5-star rating review of this novel on iBooks is that it's the “BEST BOOK EVAH!!!!” It's like going to a four-star rated Mexican cafe from Yelp...that's right next to a University: you're in for a gut bomb and a bathroom visit.

I googled Carter - turns out the author's been writing fanfiction since 11 years of age. The Goddess Test's prose certainly testifies to such beginnings. This isn't to say fanfiction's a bad thing - I've written (poorly) and read many a good fanfic! But let me tell you - there are fanfiction authors that do a much better job of clarity and depth than Carter does.

Simply put: Move on. Do not waste your time on this series. You will regret it.

El Extaño Gato del Cuento


Me gusta la mitología griega. Amo la mitología en general, mi infancia está plagada de ella, tengo libros sobre Dioses, tengo mis historias favoritas sobre ciertos personajes qué quizá no son muy conocidos.

Aprendiz de Diosa, me ha gustado. Es un libro bastante simple en realidad, esperaba más mitología pero sólo es coger algunos nombres de dioses y mencionarlo aquí y allá. Aún con mi decepción en no profundizar tanto en la mitología le doy la aprobación con un desarrollo de argumento entretenido y no estamos dando vuelta a la cuestión por demasiado tiempo. Es bastante fácil seguir la historia.

Hay algunas partes importantes bastante flojas para el sustento de la historia, llega a ser demasiado fácil en ciertos casos. Aunque es verdad que no supe quién era el malo malísimo hasta que éste lo insinuó.

La adaptación a la mitología que le da Aimee Carter está bien para pasar el rato.

Creo que en conjunto, se le podría denominar como una historia Light, aporta muy poco a mi cultura mitológica pero sí me distrajo, creo que si te interesa la mitología y pero no has leído absolutamente nada de ella, éste libro es un buen inicio, en cambio para los que sí hemos pasado gran cantidad de horas leyendo sobre Dioses o viendo al Narrador de Cuentos o a Xena, la Princesa Guerrera, nos vaya parecer una historia no tan acorde con lo que estamos acostumbrados.

Creo que quién mejor puede describir el libro es Cassandra Clare:

“A fresh take on the Greek myths adds sparkle to this romantic fable.”

One of the things that initially drew me to The Goddess Test was the incorporation of Greek Mythology. I fully admit that I am a mythology nerd in all senses of the term. There is nothing that makes me happier than diving into stories about Persephone, Demeter and all the other fascinating Gods and Goddesses. That being said, I really adored how Aimee Carter wove this fascinating topic into an even more intriguing new story! The Goddess Test is everything a good read should be. Fast paced, full of intrigue and deception, and of course a little bit of love.

Kate comes onto the scene a broken shell. Her mother is dying, and she's not sure what she is going to do with herself when the inevitable finally comes. To be honest, Kate was tough for me to love at first. I understood her need to have her mother in her life, but I kept hoping that she'd see the good that comes with moving on alone. A new life, a new start. Her attitude bordered on depressing sometimes, and I really wanted her to see something positive about her situation.

However as the book progresses, Kate definitely does change. It's like a metamorphosis actually. One minute she is a shy, quiet, and lost girl. The next she meets Henry and everything changes for her. The Kate that develops is bold, brave, and full of life. I loved her so much. I won't reveal how this all comes about, or what happens afterwards, but I will say that if you feel the way I did at the beginning just make sure to read on. It gets so much more amazing.

Story wise, I couldn't have been happier with the way that Aimee Carter wove Greek Mythology into Kate's story. Henry was dark and mysterious, and each twist brought about a new aspect for me to fall in love with. The tie in of the story of Persephone definitely gives this book an added element. Watching Kate struggle to let go of her mother, learn to love herself, and try to help Henry, made for a fantastic read. I devoured the book from beginning to end and then lamented the fact that there was no more left to read.

In all honesty, The Goddess Test far surpassed my initial hopes for it. The story line, characters, and setting, all mesh into a wonderfully immersing read. I, for one, eagerly await the second installment in Kate's story. I cannot wait to see what happens next.