Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Bookanistas: The Goddess Test

When I was in 6th Grade we did a huge unit on ancient Greece. Before we started the unit, everyone took a test on random facts to be divided up into one of four groups. There was a group of Spartans (meat heads who barely passed the test), a group of Plebians (losers who failed the test), a group of Aristocrats (wannabes who did ok on the test) and then there were the gods and goddesses. The top 10% of test takers got to choose the god or goddess of their choice and drink Sprite and eat dried apricots while pretending to be god like or whatever.

I was an overachieving little nerd, so naturally I wanted to be a goddess. Unfortunately I wasn't a particularly smart nerd and was sadly little bit of a liar. I'll admit to taking a quick peek at a couple of my friend's answers to score well on that test. My cheating ways earned me the coveted role of Artemis, goddess of the moon. And I'd be lying if I said I regretted it. Sprite and dried apricots are delicious.

Anyway, turns out impersonating a goddess actually triggered a life-long fascination with Greek mythology, so when I saw the cover for THE GODDESS TEST and read a synopsis, I knew I had to read the book.

What the back cover has to say:


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.


What Lila has to say:
THE GODDESS TEST was a ton of fun. I had a blast trying to figure out the allusions to various myths and match characters to their corresponding god/goddess. I love the idea of younger readers picking up THE GODDESS TEST and discovering mythology for the first time. And they don't even have to cheat on an exam to learn more about the entertaining antics of Greek gods. They're way more entertaining than GOSSIP GIRL.


Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to this week:
Elana Johnson  points you to Human.4
LiLa Roecker  glories in The Goddess Test
Christine Fonseca is impressed by Imaginary Girls
Shannon Whitney Messenger delves into The Future of Us – with giveaway
Scott Tracey and Shana Silver are wild about Wildefire
Carolina Valdez Miller shivers over The Eleventh Plague – with giveaway
Jessi Kirby celebrates A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie
Stasia Ward Kehoe embraces All the Things You Are
Corrine Jackson sneaks into Sean Griswold's Head






8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read and liked this book too! I read some reviews smashing it for the mythological inaccuracies but I read it for enjoyment only and I really didn't focus on that! I also read A Touch of Frost which is the first in the Mythos Academy series/trilogy if you want to try it! LOVED it too!

lalibrarybug@yahoo.com

Christa Desir said...

And the cover...the gorgeous cover...I love that my daughter will get to read this one day. Not to say that she hasn't learned everything she needs to know about the gods from Percy Jackson (ahem).

B.E. Sanderson said...

I picked this up on a whim the last time I was at B&N, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. (In fact, I think it's been commandeered by the kid, so I'll have to wrestle her for it back.) It looks like everything I'd like in a novel. Thanks for confirming that. =o)

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Okay, that sounds totally awesome. As a kid who grew up on Greek myths, I'm now very interested. Thanks for the rec. :)

Christine Fonseca said...

I totally wanna read this!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Hahahahaha!! You crack me up.

I love the way Greek mythology is trending in YA. So much fun to be had with it. I'm really looking forward to reading Aimee's book!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

The Goddess Test sounds great. Is Amiee Carter, former president Carter's daughter?

Dara said...

That sounds amazing. I loved the story of Hades and Persephone--sounds like a unique twist on it.

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