(It has spoilers so please avoid it until you’re done with the book. This is more so I can write my thoughts about it rather than as a means of a persuasion (or to dissuade a prospective reader).I wanted to like this so bad. I mean, hello, the synopsis is unbelievably amazing. It promises action, passion, angst…you know, all the good stuff that makes a book entertaining if not awesome. And far be it from me to unfairly say that there is nothing good about this book. Far from it.This novel approaches the idea of loss and the death of a parent with a sincerity and delicateness that can’t help but cajole a twinge out of you. You can empathize with the helplessness that Kate must feel when faced with things she cannot fight, things like death. Like watching your mother crumble in front of your eyes without being able to help her. That’s a horrible thing for any child and as someone who has seen her mother battle cancer, I KNOW how scary it. I know how you lie awake during the night wondering if this is it. I know what it feels like to hold your mother’s frail body and wonder whether you’ll still be able to a week from now. I know the ravaging fear, the panic – I know it, okay? I can understand. I’ve been there.And this novel, to a large extent, portrays it very accurately.Except, in the end, it undermines that whole suffering and recreates it as some sort of test.Excuse me?I understand it’s a Goddess Test but to use something so raw – I’m sorry, to trivialize the pain/suffering of real people out there, who DO NOT have the option of having a mother who can somehow come back to life is low. Yeah, it’s low and I’m going to say it because it is. I understand that the intent wasn’t to do that. But I can’t help but read it like that and feel bitter. It was just too cruel.What should I say about Kate? Except that she doesn’t win any points in my book. At first, I empathized with her because she is dealing with her mother and well…things are tough. But then there are issues with Ava – I’m sorry but who replaced Kate with a saint? And just because a guy stared at Kate (and who didn’t have any other part in the book apart from the staring) and that guy happened to be Ava’s boyfriend, Ava is out to defend her territory…what does this say about women? And then she manages to bash her head in (because she’s stupid enough that she can’t make her escape…why would she be diving into a river which has rocks around…shouldn’t Kate question this sort of impossible stupidity? I’m just saying…) and enter Henry to bring her back to life.Kate says that she’ll do “anything” to get her back to life and then proceeds to go back on her words. And then refuses to believe in Gods/Goddesses/the Underworld etc even though she is living with them and has experienced Godly(?) stuff. She just becomes annoying in that instant and proceeds to become even more difficult to like. Presumably she is staying at Eden manor because she wants time with her mother. The mother who is dying. And in a coma. Who is being kept alive by Henry. And there’s nothing else Kate does. Except whine about fashion and remain unable to memorize stuff about Greek mythos (not that we are told what "stuff" it is). If you are looking for actual tests with dragon fighting and stuff, you will be looking for a long time. It’s not there.Henry. Who is still in love with Persephone but who magically falls in love with Kate. Because she’s so awesome like that. Henry - I will say this only once and if you tell me I said it, I will deny it. Forever. But Edward makes a better hero. Okay, Mr. Sparkles-in-the-sun makes a better male protagonist. Wow. I never thought I’d see the day but there you go. I did. I’m kinda impressed.The reasons I didn’t like this novel were many. For one, I felt that it was all contrived – apart from the losing your mom part. There was a lack of sincerity in the novel about certain incidences such as death. A dearth of logic – such as Kate’s friends totally believing her about Henry. And oh, yes, there is a part where Henry says “Please, stop eating.” Yes, it’s for a contest but even in the context it’s spoken in, I assert that telling a girl not to eat when we live in a society that is structured on physicality and body image was very poorly done.And I think the Goddess Tests could have been approached in a much better manner than they were. The whole deception thing was not something I’m a fan of or could ever be a fan of. The mythology could have been developed – or integrated much more in the story than it was. The idea of the mother…yeah, well. Not my thing.I know that this is a debut novel and I hope the author moves on to better things from this.These opinions are my own and by no means do I aim to dissuade anyone from reading the book. Go ahead, read it. Form your own opinion. And then, if you disagree with me, come talk to me and we’ll discuss our different reactions.
