Goddess Interrupted

TITLE: Goddess Interrupted

AUTHOR: Aimee Carter

SERIES: Goddess Test #2

PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen

FORMAT: ARC

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Note: An ARC of thsi novel was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

After reading The Goddess Test last year and finding it somewhat lacking I approached the sequel with a generous amount of apprehension. What drove me to request it from the publisher was the potential I could see in this series, and I am so very glad to say that Ms. Carter seems to finally be acting on it. Though, there still are a few issues that need to be touched up on in preparation for the next book.

Now Queen on the Underworld, Kate has spent a six month long vacation in Greece before finally returning to Henry. However, gasp (!) when she gets back she finds he has disappeared, and she must travel down into the Underworld to save her husband…and the world dun dun dun! (okay, slight overkill, but you get the idea).

One of the best things I liked about her in the first book was the level of maturity she displayed (most of the time) and her ability to keep a relatively calm and logical head when it came to all the stuff going on around her. In this instalment, Kate seems to have retained most of that, although she is still prone to occasional cases of…how should I put it? Girlish wimpyness?

I loved how she was determined to find Henry and go on this epic quest, but occasionally she would come across as a bit self-righteous and jealous, especially around Persephone. One minute, Persephone was a callous whore, and the next Kate was pitying her and trying to justify her actions. Not on. And Ava got much the same treatment, when really Kate should have looked past that one action and tried to see the bigger picture.

The new character of Persephone is truly an interesting one that proves that Carter is either a genius or an idiot. On the surface, she is a very unlikable, rude, selfish woman who I would quite frankly never like to see again. It is very easy to blame her for the trouble that is brewing between Kate and Henry, when truly she appears to just be a catalyst, and this strange and twisted relationship between the three of them is certainly intriguing to read as the plot develops. However, I can’t help but feel that this may just be a plot device to fuel more angst between our main couple, though I hope it is not as it would be rather a desperate attempt to create more heartache.

On the plot; definitely more exciting than that of The Goddess Test. We are given a much broader range of setting, including the opportunity to look at the Underworld and some of the mythology that Carter has adopted. It was also a great tool for introducing some of the history and learning about particular characters, specifically Henry, Persephone, and Kate in her new role as Queen of the Underworld. Then, of course, we were left with that cliffhanger, and all I can say is that I hope Carter creates a truly jaw dropping sequel that will be worthy of it.

This book is deserving of much of the praise it gains, although there are several faults that I hope can be stamped out. Ms Carter definitely has the potential to produce a unique and captivating story, and I am looking forward to seeing what she can do with the final book in this trilogy, The Goddess Inheritance.