Monday, March 19, 2012

Review: Goddess Interrupted

GODDESS INTERRUPTED
(Goddess Test #2)
Aimee Carter
Paranormal Young Adult
304 pages
Harlequin Teen
Available March 27th
Received through NetGalley for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.

MY THOUGHTS
A bit darker and fraught with more emotional intensity than its predecessor, Goddess Interrupted takes us beneath the surface both literally and figuratively as Kate descends to the Underworld after her absence over the summer and finds the progress she made with Henry before her departure lost behind his reinforced defensive shields. The tenuous thread of hope she mustered after he saved her life in the previous book quickly frays, the stark realization that she’s in a relationship with not only Henry, but also Henry’s long memory of Persephone as well, one that settles over all of us with a tangible weight that only increases in tonnage as she throws herself against his barriers again and again to no avail. We walk alongside Kate one lead foot after the other, wishing as she does for some flicker of love or approval from the ruler of the Underworld to help her navigate the monumental task of guiding the dead while she fights a Titan who can easily replace her immortality with mortality.

Kate is still the same young woman we met in the first book, her tendencies toward self-sacrifice in full swing as the Olympian gods face an ancient foe, but her vulnerabilities with regard to Henry are more apparent than ever. While we completely understand her insecurities when faced with Henry’s obvious love for Persephone and how his seeming lack of affection for her chips away at her confidence, the cyclical nature of her self-pity, then her resolve to embrace what she has instead of mourn what she doesn’t, and finally the deterioration of that resolve in the face of Henry’s detachment gets a bit tedious. Her anger and hurt are more than justified, Henry’s family’s pretty words and assurances that his love for her is real both empty and meaningless when any sign of their truth is hidden behind an impenetrable immortal mask, however her downward spiral into a repeated mantra of “I’ll always be second to Persephone” tries our patience as we flip the pages.

Like Kate, Henry is much the same character we met in The Goddess Test, a rather dark and brooding version of Hades who doesn’t reflect the explosive personality we might expect from the God of the Underworld. His brooding nature isn’t necessarily a bad thing by any means, but the lack of any emotional spark from him does make our connection to him rocky at best, and we long for the moment when the force of his personality will break through the block of ice in which Persephone’s betrayal encased him to give us a man we can reach out in touch instead of a god who slips right through our fingers. By the end, he does begin to slowly take form, solidifying ever-so-slightly to give us the barest hint of reality instead of smoke and mirrors, and that's enough to have us thoroughly anticipating the third installment in the hope we’ll see what we’ve up till now only caught the barest glimpses of.

The Greek mythology element was extraordinarily subtle in book one, but luckily for us it’s a bit more prominent in Goddess Interrupted, the immortal nature of Kate’s new family becoming more apparent as secrets are revealed thanks to a Persephone-shaped catalyst, opening our eyes a bit wider to Henry’s pain and giving both Kate and us an idea of just how different from us they truly are. Despite Kate’s continuous self-doubt and Henry’s emotional distance, the story itself is fast-paced and entertaining, though those who fear cliffhangers should brace themselves for a rather spectacular one at the end of this story. It does its job however, leaving us blinking rapidly in stupefaction that we’ve reached the last page and groaning aloud as we realize how long we must now wait for the next installment.

Rating: 3.5/5

31 comments:

  1. Excellent review that's spot on! I finished this today and despite some things that frustrated me, I raced through this book and cannot wait for the sequel.
    NC
    Truly Bookish

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  2. Hmm...Not sure what to make of that. I'm not surprised by the mixed review. That was how I felt when reading the first book. I still want to read this one, but my expectations will be dampened (although they weren't super high to begin with)

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  3. I've heard mixed things about this series, and after reading your review, I'm not feeling any real need to read it. I do of course love when Greek mythology is included in books though. Perhaps if I can find the time (unlikely), I will give it a go.

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  4. Oh I love this one much more than the first. I cannot recall how you like the first one Jenny?

    I found that I liked Henry this time much better, although I hated him for his distance to Kate. It seriously broke my heart!!

    Kate was strong and I loved he determination to rescue her new family. And, I understood why she never said anything to Henry, although I felt like she should to get it out and over with. But, she wanted to be loved without feeling to force him to admit his feelings!

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  5. Yay! I absolutely ADORED The Goddess Test (it was so sweet!) and I'm really excited to be able to get my hands on this sequel! I'm glad that the Greek mythology element is better in this book -- that was one of my few problems with the first book. LOL and I love how you mentioned Henry's broodiness and how he's not the God of the Underworld we're used to because, even though I read book one last year, those are the two things that I remember most about him. x)

    Beautiful review, Jenny! Even with those little things, I still can't wait to meet Kate and Henry again! :) <3

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  6. Glad this one (ultimately) satisfies! I really enjoyed the first one, even though it received so many mixed reviews. Can't wait to pick this one up next - great review as usual!

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  7. NC - Thanks! Overall I really had fun reading this one, I was just getting a touch frustrated with Kate and Henry. I'm excited to see where the next one goes though:)

    Alison - It's worth a read I think. I had fun with it despite my character issues:)

    Aylee - It'd be a good library read I think:)

    Danny - I think I gave the same rating to the first one, I had some issues with Kate there as well. I did enjoy the pacing and the mythology of this one a bit more, but Kate and Henry were trying at times for me. I agree with you on Kate, I got initially why she didn't say anything, but at some point, someone has to step up and just say how they're feeling, and it was clearly going to have to be her.

    Mimi - I liked that the Greek mythology element was more present, I felt like the characters were gods instead of mortals this time:) And I like Henry, I'm just ready for him to break out of his shell a little!

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  8. Ash - I enjoyed the first one even with it's flaws as well, and this one was no different. Some things bothered me, but ultimately the story was entertaining, and sometimes that's enough:)

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  9. I love that the Greek Mythology was a little more prevalent. That particular aspect is what makes these books sound very interesting.

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  10. My review for this is up too! I was hoping I'd like it more than the first but that didn't happen unfortunately.. Kate and Henry tried my patience to say the least. But I'm optimistic for book 3, I'm hoping everything will come together. There's definitely enough set up!
    Thanks for your review :)

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  11. I haven't not picked up the first book due to its mixed reviews and thought I'd wait to see what people thought of the second one. Sounds like the same as the first. Given your character frustrations and the subtle connection to mythology, I think I would be really frustrated with this series. I'm gonna take a pass. Thanks, Jenny!

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  12. I have the first book, but I haven't gotten around to reading it.

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  13. *sighs* These books look and sound so beautiful, and I'm glad to know that more of the mythology is revealed, but for some reason I can't stir up any interest in reading them. Though I really should give them a try because I love dark stories. Thanks for the cliffie warning. Maybe waiting until the final book is released will help me get on board.

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  14. Felicia - I loved that too. The first book didn't feel like there was any at all, and while some of the identities of Henry's family still were not totally recognizable, I felt there was a lot more to each of them in this book:)

    Laura - YAY REVIEW TWINS! I just went and read yours and we had very similar reactions to Kate:)

    Rummanah - I really enjoyed the overall story, it moved quickly and was fun to read, I just got very frustrated with Kate's continued self-doubt even though I understood it.

    Jennifer - I'll be interested to see what you think when you do!

    Missie - This is not a series I would run out and buy immediately, but they're worth reading if you have some time:)

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  15. I haven't read this series because of the mixed reviews. But I do love mythology and I know there are a couple other books also about Hades and Persephone so I'm thinking that I might read one of the others instead.

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  16. I struggled with the first book quite a bit but I'm glad to hear you think this one has more intensity. It definitely does sound like a better read despite the few issues still present. I might give the series another try! Great review. :D

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  17. I am on the fence on thos series. I love the idea of a retelling of Persephone and Hades, but I know the first book had problems. The second book is certainly better received, but I detest cliffhangers...sigh... not sure, thanks for your insight Jenny.

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  18. Oh yippie my skippy...I really loved book one in this series, so Im for sure going to read this one...:D

    I loved how you said it will leave me blinking rapidly in stupefaction......HAHA- that was great!!!

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  19. I'm kind of on the fence as to whether I'll read this one. I had a few issues with the first that seem to carry over to this GI.
    I may wait for the next installment and read them together. I tend to get less frustrated that way.
    I'm still interested in the outcome.

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  20. While I struggled with book one and both Kate and Henry as characters, I still want to read what happens to them. Henry's brooding bad-boy thing sounds like it might get really tedious, and I'm hoping Kate kicks his butt into reality. Of course, if you have eternal life, there's no rush for anything (boy, that'd get annoying, too!).

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  21. I love this book! And loved your review Jenny! Certain parts in the book made my heart ache but still I lvoved it. I am hoping Henry will be the man I know him to be in the next book!

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  22. I'd like to read it cos of the Greek mythology, but other than that I do not know

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  23. Jenny - I'm partial to mythology as well, so I was able to overlook a lot of the character issues I had and enjoy the story:)

    Sam - It's definitely more intense, there's a lot of drama and a lot of secrets revealed and I enjoyed that aspect of it:)

    Heidi - They're fun reads despite Kate and Henry being tricky characters to like at times, but this one has a huge cliffhanger at the end so you might want to wait.

    Tina - If you loved book 1, I think you'll enjoy this one as well:)

    Karen - Yes, a lot of the problems I had with both Kate and Henry were still present in this book, however, they seem to make progress by the end.

    Mary - I was the same way. I knew they'd still pose problems for me, but the story was engaging enough that I had to pick up book 2. It's the same for book 3:)

    Savy - Glad you enjoyed it! I'm hoping we'll get a lot from Henry in the next book too:)

    Linda - I love Greek mythology so much:)

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  24. Yeah, I think you're right, it's a little hard to really connect with Henry. I definitely liked this one more then the first and even though Henry was frustrating I still think I may have liked him more this time around and I'm not exactly sure why that is cause he really doesn't give her much!
    The cliffhanger was HORRIBLE! If I'd known of it I would have waited for the next one before I read it I think.

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  25. I enjoyed the first but I'm so glad that you said it was darker. Love that. I will brace myself for the cliffie. OH WHY must there be cliffies???? *sob*

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  26. I've seen that a lot of people like this one better than the first one. That the characters have more depth. Your review leads me to believe that but that there is still a little intensity that is still lacking. I haven't tried this series and I don't think I will. I love the mythology, but don't fell like I'm missing anything by not reading it. Excellent review!

    Heather

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  27. I felt a special mystical power on seeing the picture of the cover, and I like such style.



    pdf to flash book

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  28. I wasn't thrilled with the first book so I probably won't be reading this one. Henry doesn't seem to have improved other than maybe at the end and from your review, Kate makes me want to strangle her. I don't know how I could tolerate her for the entire book. Thanks for the review, Jenny.

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  29. I still haven't read the first book in the series but to be honest I'm not sure I will because I've read a lot mof mixed reviews on it .. I'm glad you enjyed this one Jenny :) !! Thanks for the review my dear ;)!

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  30. Ugh! The cliffhanger for this book drove me crazy! I can't believe she ended it that way. lol! I agree about Kate's self-pity seeming to go on foreveeeeeeer. It did get old after a bit. :)

    Great review for this one!

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  31. Henry's 'emotional distance' does not endear him to me. It just further pisses me off with this series. Even so, I'm going to try to keep an open mind with this one and see where it leads me. I'm hoping I'll come out pleasantly surprised.

    Asher

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