The Goddess Test

March 7, 2011
In Carter's first YA novel, the Greek pantheon isn't just down to Earth, it's occupying Eden, Mich., and attending high school. Kate Winters doesn't notice anything special about classmates Ava, James, and Dylan, but pale-eyed Henry gets her attention when he appears to resurrect Ava from the dead after a malicious prank goes horribly wrong. Kate can't quite believe that Henry is the god of the underworld, as he claims, but she also can't dismiss him. Kate's mother is dying of cancer, and Kate is willing to grasp at anything that might win her one more loving maternal conversation. The bargain she strikes with Henry is a grim one, but the full enormity of what she has undertaken—"live forever or die trying"—is not revealed until it's too late to recant. Carter wears her influences openly, with many passages reading like outtakes from Robin McKinley's Beauty by way of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Nevertheless, the narrative is well executed, and Kate is a heroine better equipped than most to confront and cope with the inexplicable. Ages 13–18.

April 1, 2011
Propelled by its high concept—ancient Greek deities, reality TV plot—this romance-series debut starts promisingly but soon sinks into a queasy blend of genres with cardboard characters and interchangeable deities. Manhattanite Kate Winters, 18, has relocated to Eden, Mich., where her ailing mother wants to live out her last days in her hometown. At her new school, Kate encounters two instantly besotted guys and one jealous mean girl, Ava, who abruptly dies in a freak accident on the way to a party she's manipulated Kate into attending. Enter the mysterious Henry, aka Hades, who offers to restore Ava to life if Kate will take his ex-wife Persephone's place. Having inexplicably bonded with vapid Ava, Kate agrees, although it means spending six months a year in the underworld. Her light sentence is carried out in a halfway house between worlds, where she enjoys dressing up, being waited on, taking Greek Deities 101 and falling for the tortured Henry. But it's not all guys and parties; Kate must pass seven pantheon-administered "tests" in order to win the prize (Henry and immortality); if she loses, Henry will fade. That plus agonizing over whether he loves her occupy her abundant spare time. Better takes on this familiar paradigm abound. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

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July 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-To fulfill her dying mother's request, Kate Winters and her mom move from New York City to Eden, MI, where Kate will finish her senior year and her mother will live out her last days. Though her primary concern is spending time with her mother, Kate attracts the attention of several of the students in her small high school, including mean girl Ava. When a prank on Kate backfires, resulting in Ava's death, Kate makes a deal with the mysterious Henry in order to save Ava's life, which ultimately results in Kate agreeing to spend each autumn and winter with him at Eden Manor. There, she discovers that Henry is actually Hades, who has been looking for a suitable replacement to co-rule the underworld ever since Persephone left. The only problem is that the prior 11 candidates have all died trying to pass the tests set up by the council of deities, and Kate is Henry's last chance to remain alive as ruler. Though most of the characters are not as well developed as Kate, it is obvious that her mother's long battle with cancer has prepared her for the tests she is to face and the possibility of co-ruling the underworld. Carter's liberal take on the myth of Hades and Persephone is unique. Many girls will be drawn to Kate's budding romance with the brooding Henry in this evenly paced paranormal romance.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Grades 9-12 When her terminally ill mother wants to return to her childhood hometown, Kate is happy to go; shell do anything to make her mother feel better. Once in small Eden, Michigan, Kate meets handsome, enigmatic Henry, who says that he is the king of the Underworld and promises to keep her mother alive if Kate stays at his mansion throughout the winter. Fantasy and realism collide as Kate works through difficult decisions that have dire consequences for her own and others fates and futures. This absorbing, contemporary take on the Greek myth of Persephone features romance (including a few sex scenes), mystery, suspense, and an engaging, fully dimensional protagonist. Readers will easily connect with Kate as she finds the courage to face her shocking, sometimes violent new reality and gains heartrending new perspectives about life, death, the perils of obsession, and the power of love. Filled with diversely drawn characters, this will appeal to those who enjoy classic tales set in modern times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)