The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
Release Date – April 19, 2011
Publisher – HarlequinTeen
Pages - 304
My Rating- 10/10

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

It took me forever to find a copy of this book. Our bookstores here in Ottawa, for whatever reason, don’t seem to be carrying it. I finally found it at Walmart and was THRILLED. I am delighted to say that my effort was for a good cause - this book is AMAZING.

Aimée Carter has weaved romance, suspense, humour and heart pulling storylines into a fantastic debut novel.

The characters are so rich and well developed. Kate was amazing. She was strong, willing to help out others, caring and capable. She is exactly what you would want out of your heroine. Everything she did for her mother, for Ava and Henry all impressed me. Her strength may not be a physical one but it’s one that is there and should be celebrated.

Henry….Swoon! He seems cold and aloof at first, but underneath he is sweet, kind and swoon-worthy. Once you understand his motivations and why he acts the way he does you can’t help but feel for him. He’s lonely and has been for a long time. That kind of loneliness can take a toll and we see that in Henry.

I loved that when we found out what the tests actually were I hadn’t even guessed them. I kept waiting for Kate to be told that a test was coming, or something similar. It was brilliance to have the tests be what they were.

I cried quite a few times during the novel. The heart breaking scenes with Kate and her mom tugged at me. I could only imagine how awful it would feel and could sympathize with Kate. I was pleased to see the humour in the book as well though. It balanced out nicely. One of my favourite lines is the following -

"Maybe you'll win when hell freezes over."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That could be easily arranged."

I was chuckling out loud at various parts in the book. It shows what a fantastic writer Aimée is that she can have me crying on minute and laughing the next.

This is one of my top 2011 releases. I can not wait for Goddess Interrupted. If you haven’t already picked this one up RUN to the bookstore and get yourself a copy. You’ll love it.