Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

publisher: Harlequin Teen

release date: March 27th, 2012

paperback, 304 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Goddess Test, book 2 (review of book 1)

rating:



source: Netgalley

Spoiler alert! Description and Review may contain spoilers for book one, The Goddess Test. If you haven't read book 1, stop here!

description: Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, 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: In Goddess Interrupted, we find Kate Winters in another emotional roller coaster. She has just returned from her six months in the mortal world, traveling with her best friend, James. She is excited to see her new husband, Henry, again and expects to be welcomed to her new home in the Underworld with kisses and wide open arms. What she comes back to instead is a cold, standoffish Henry who is in the midst of planning for war. One of their own has turned against them, wielding the only power that can kill the immortal Gods and Goddesses---the Titans who created them all.

For about 100 pages in, I had mixed feeling for Kate and her plight. There were times I really felt for her and the lack of love she was feeling from Henry, and times I thought her whining got to be a little much, considering he was a little preoccupied trying to figure out a way to protect them all to make sure she was settling into her new home. But she did have it rough---a new world, and not exactly sure what her role as Queen of the Underworld entails, nothing is being explained to her aside from the little information she can get from James and Ava, a Titan seems to be targeting her specifically, she discovers she has a new disorienting and uncontrollable power, and worst of all, she has to turn to the last person she wants to involve---her sister and Henry's first wife who she thinks he still loves, Persephone. It actually wasn't until they reach Persephone that the story really pulled me in. Up until then, it's the journey there, some exploration of the Underworld, and bit of back story on how the Gods came to be.

Its in the second half that the fight gets more exciting, the danger gets closer to the surface, and the tension between Henry and Kate builds and builds to the breaking point. Kate continues to be an incredibly admirable and relatable character---brave in the face of danger and vulnerable in the face of love. Like I said, there were definitely times she got a bit self-pitying, but there were also times I wanted to punch Henry right in the face for crossing the line between being distant and being downright cruel. Still, I think it says a lot that I got so invested in these characters and their turbulent romance. I won't say too much, but they did eventually get a little swoony heart-flutter out of me...and that always makes for a good read. :)

While I may not have loved this one as much as the first book, I will definitely be sticking with this great series about love, war, and immortality.

Visit Aimée Carter's website: www.aimeecarter.com

Purchase Goddess Interrupted at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday - The Over the Shoulder Edition ;)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

So I've decided from now on to add a little fun step to my Waiting on Wednesday posts. I'll be choosing two books. I'll have a "Sooner" and a "Later" pick, one that is coming up in the next month or so and one that is way down the line. Sound good? ;)

Sooner:

Eternal Starling
by Angela Corbett

hitting shelves December 6, 2011 from Pendrell Publishing

description:
A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them.

Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men.

For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

My Thoughts: I love this cover, the fact that the MC drives a 66 mustang, and the fact that I haven't seen anything but rave reviews for this book! I can't wait!


Later:

Goddess, Interrupted
by Aimee Carter

hitting shelves March 27th, 2012 by Harlequin Teen

description:
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.

My Thoughts: LOVED The Goddess Test. Can't wait for more. :)

Interview with Aimée Carter & The Goddess Test Giveaway!!

If you haven't read the The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter yet, I highly recommend you pick up copy and do so! It's such a great story. You can see my review here, where I gushed about it and gave it a very deserving 5-cupcake rating! :D

So today on Stories & Sweeties, I'm lucky enough to have a fun Q & A with debut author, Aimée Carter! Thanks for stopping by, Aimée!!

~Describe The Goddess Test in your own words?
The Goddess Test is a sort of sequel to the myth of Hades and Persephone, taking place eons after the original myth occurred. In one sentence: what happens when Hades must replace Persephone, and someone is killing off the candidates.

~Which character in The Goddess Test was your favorite to write?
Three way tie between Henry, James, and Ava. They were all so much fun to write for completely different reasons, and their voices were the strongest of the supporting characters.

~Can you let us in on any future projects you have in the works?
I'm currently working on the third Goddess Test book, and I also have a dystopian series coming from Harlequin Teen sometime in the next few years. The first book is entitled Masked, and I am insanely excited to get the chance to share it with you all.


~Can you tell a little about how you got interested in writing?
I started by writing fan fiction, and the feedback I got from reviewers helped me learn what worked and what didn't in both crafting a story and writing it down. I wrote my first original story when I was fifteen, and it sort of went from there. I have over two dozen finished manuscripts, some decent, most not. But each one was a learning experience.

~Tell us about your ideal writing space.
I would love to have an office someday where I can deny myself an internet connection and really focus on writing, but for now I write in bookstores. I bounce between a few of them, and I usually find a comfortable chair, get something to drink, and resist connecting to the internet until closing time. I listen to a song on repeat as well to drown out conversation and other noises going on around me.

~Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now?
JK Rowling, Orson Scott Card, Suzanne Collins, Anne Bishop (who doesn't write YA), David and Leigh Eddings (also not YA), Meg Cabot, Rick Riordan, etc. I'll give anything a chance though. Right now I'm finishing up Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed, and I'm loving it.


~What kind of books did you love to read as a child/teenager?
I think I read every single Babysitter's Club and Thoroughbred novel at least twice. I loved Roald Dahl as well. Mostly I went for chapter books even from a young age - the thinner ones were always over too quickly.

Fun questions:
~Favorite snack while writing?
Hot chocolate

~Favorite movie?
I have two: The Lion King and Closer.

~Favorite color?
I don't have one, but I prefer bright, deep, vibrant colors as opposed to darker ones or pastels.

~Favorite band and song?
I don't have a favorite band, but my favorite songs are Shawn Mullins' Shimmer and Damien Rice's The Blower's Daughter.

~Favorite teacher from your school years?
All of my writing and English teachers. I couldn't possibly pick a favorite.

~And everyone who visits me here at Stories & Sweeties answers this one: Do you like cupcakes? More frosting or more cake? :)
I LOVE cupcakes. I am a cupcake fiend. I usually prefer the cake, but I'm addicted to the sweet kind of frosting you can buy jars of and eat from a spoon. And I often do.

Thanks so much for having me!!

You're most welcome, Aimée!! I have a weakness for the store-bought jars of frosting, too. ;)

(photo credit to onyonet.)

GIVEAWAY TIME!
SO...want a chance to win a copy of The Goddess Test? I'm going to give a copy away to one lucky reader! :D

The rules:
~Contest will run until May 15th, 2011, 11:59 PM PST.
~Must be 13 or older to enter.
~This contest is open internationally!
~To enter, you must be a follower (all contests that are funded solely by me require this.)
~Earn one extra entry by tweeting about this contest!
~Earn one extra point by commenting below with something you have in common with Aimée Carter! :D

To Enter: FILL OUT THE FORM HERE!