The Goddess Test
by Aimee Carter
Anyone who loves the Greek tale of Persephone needs to read this book. I’m serious. Don’t pay attention to the negative Goodreads reviews; just trust me and read it. I read the bad reviews, claiming it didn’t represent the myth accurately, and I decided I’d read it anyway. Frankly, those reviews are bogus. I know Persephone’s tale like the back of my hand, and The Goddess Test embodies her and her supporting characters perfectly.
First off, this is a teen take-off, like Clueless is to Emma and 10 Things I Hate About You is to Taming of the Shrew, so the main characters aren’t wearing togas and using chariots as their modes of transportation. Persephone is named Kate and she wears jeans, drives a car, and goes to high school. Some teenage protagonists are winy and insecure, but not Kate. She’s strong, mature, caring, and best of all, without typical teenage attitude. I’m not going to describe the plot because it’s best if you just experience Aimee Carter’s creativity as it unfolds, but I will stress again how cleverly she chose to represent the myth of Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. In every chapter, there’s an unexpected twist that makes you keep reading, even if it’s way past your bedtime. I ended up reading the second half of the book in one sitting, ending at one in the morning.
The Goddess Test is clever, funny, sad, well thought out, fresh, suspenseful, and surprising. I highly recommend it!
First off, this is a teen take-off, like Clueless is to Emma and 10 Things I Hate About You is to Taming of the Shrew, so the main characters aren’t wearing togas and using chariots as their modes of transportation. Persephone is named Kate and she wears jeans, drives a car, and goes to high school. Some teenage protagonists are winy and insecure, but not Kate. She’s strong, mature, caring, and best of all, without typical teenage attitude. I’m not going to describe the plot because it’s best if you just experience Aimee Carter’s creativity as it unfolds, but I will stress again how cleverly she chose to represent the myth of Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. In every chapter, there’s an unexpected twist that makes you keep reading, even if it’s way past your bedtime. I ended up reading the second half of the book in one sitting, ending at one in the morning.
The Goddess Test is clever, funny, sad, well thought out, fresh, suspenseful, and surprising. I highly recommend it!