Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

Title: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimée Carter
Publication date:  January 1st 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Mythology
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

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.

My thoughts: 

I really did not know what to expect from this book. I was drawn in by the lovely cover and the description definitely intrigued me. The reviews I'd read hadn't made it look too promising though so I definitely went into it with a cautious mind and didn't expect too much from it. I was seriously delighted to find how much I loved it! I actually adored it from the start and knew it was my kind of thing after the first few chapters.

I am not that into Greek mythology, in general. I know bits and find it interesting but I am in no way well educated on it. The only other Greek myth books I've read were not ones I really enjoyed. This was so different though! I was just sucked right into Kate's world. Her mom is dying and her mother's last wish is to move to Eden, her hometown. So they pack up and head to this small town.

Kate's just trying to enjoy the little time she has left with her mom and has no time for friends or a social life. She has pushed the rest of the world out so that she can care for her mother. I'll admit that lately I've been getting a bit tired of YA book parents being dead or sick or absent but thankfully this situation turned out to be different than usual and I actually didn't see the twist coming at all!

I loved reading about Kate's time in Eden Manor. The concept of the Seven Tests was something that fascinated me as I always like plots like that. All the characters were so awesome though I'll admit Henry did irritate me at times! I get why he was acting like he was but I do think he's had long enough to come to terms with it, really! Kate went back and forth between being dependant and needy and definitely had a desire to play heroine to everyone around her. Which is understandable given that she had so little control over the rest of her life.

I was gripped by this whole book and I'm so glad to have found a series that I think I'll actually be able to follow through with for once! I am so excited about the second book and have really high hopes for it.

Remember Me?

Title: Remember Me?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Bantam Press
Publication date: Feb. 11th 2008
Age group: Adult
Genre: Romance, Humour
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.
Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

My thoughts:

Sophie Kinsella is quite the genius. Remember Me? has succeeded at making me even a bigger fan of hers. I think it would be hard to ever top the brilliance of the Shopaholic books, which I adore, but Remember Me?  takes a good stab at it. I'm only sorry I didn't manage to get my hands on this book sooner but I'm also sorry that it's finished because I did not want it to end.

Remember Me? contains all the ridiculous, cute and expected humour that I'm used to from Sophie Kinsella yet manages to be a completely unique story. I really grew to like Lexi Smart as a character and felt well connected to her by the end of the book. Her characterization is very realistic and I really felt like I knew her as a person. I wasn't too sold on her for the first 20 pages or so but then it really picked up pace and I literally could not put the book down. I was so drawn into Lexi's world and I just had to know what on earth was going to happen next!


I felt so impatient throughout this whole book but not in a bad way. I was just excited and captivated. I was completely intrigued and dying to know how everything would work out for Lexi. Every interaction with the minor characters held my interest and I seriously enjoyed getting to know Jon- and Eric, actually! I loved how we were given just enough detail to keep us guessing but we weren't told everything right up front. I found my mind working very fast to figure out who was good and who was bad. Just as I'd have it figured out, Kinsella would hit me with another shock!

Remember Me? was just plain fun. I love Kinsella's books because she creates a whole world that I can get lost in. I could not handle setting this book down for one minute and was so sad when it was all over. I loved this book and can't wait to see what else Kinsella can give us.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Author: Lisa See

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

Publication date: January 1st 2005 

Age group: Adult 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Cover rating: 3/5

Content rating:  5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, old same, in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

My thoughts:

This book is set in China, during a time when a woman's worth is based solely on the size of her feet, which is determined by footbinding. If she has small feet, she will marry well. If the footbinding goes wrong, or doesn't happen at all, the girl will be subjected to a life of slavery. The process of footbinding was horrific, and I found it very difficult to read about. The story follows two girls- Lily and Snow Flower- who are bound to each other from the age of seven. We see them grow up together, and face all the challenges woman of that time faced. The women in this book had no freedom, and were seen as nothing more than a means of producing sons. At times, I found the culture hard to grasp, and found myself disliking a lot of the characters for the way they acted- but that was just the way it was. Overall, I found the book compelling, and extremely interesting.   

Lock and Key

Title: Lock & Key

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Puffin 

Published date: April 22nd 2008 

Age group: Young Adult 

Genre: Realistic fiction, Romance, Coming of Age 

Cover rating: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5

Description via Goodreads: 

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she
hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

My thoughts:

I really liked this. It's not the best book of Dessen's that I've read (I think it's very hard to live up to the brilliance of Just Listen!) but it was still really interesting and enjoyable. Dessen dealt with a lot of different issues in this book and dealt with them quite well. 

Ruby is not the most likeable of characters at the start but I think that's probably the point. She's been changed by what she's been through and becomes withdrawn because that's how she deals with it. I liked that she developed and changed throughout the book and wasn't afraid to admit when she was wrong. I really liked her by the time I reached the end of the book. Nate was a fascinating character but he was definitely pushed to the side a lot and while we got to know a lot about this situation at home, we never really got to know him as a person. His story added a lot depth to the book and made it much darker. 

I loved Ruby's sister and brother-in-law. I enjoyed seeing Cora trasnform and come out of her defensive shell once she got to know Ruby again and it was interesting to see how quickly Jamie came to care about Ruby and what she was doing. They added a lot of fun to the book and were probably my favourite characters- which is not what I expected when we were first introduced to them.

Overall, it was a really sweet story and Dessen's writing style made it lovely to read. I would recommend this book and I will probably re-read it at some stage, too. 

Jessie Hearts NYC

Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton 
Published July 7th 2011
255 pages
Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.  

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.  

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

My thoughts:

 This was pretty good. A really light, mindless, quick and entertaining read. The story is told from the point of view of two people- English girl Jessie and New Yorker, Finn. They keep turning up everywhere together and eventually end up talking to each other properly. The writing was nice and easy and the characters pretty believable. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Jessie and Natalie as they felt quite real and a lot of it was really funny. I did think the coincidence thing was a bit overdone and far too convenient at times but it wasn't unbearably so. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would definitely read something else by Keris Stainton.

Twisted

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published March 20th 2007
250 pages
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction 
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.
In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitchperfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work.

My thoughts:

Twisted was a brilliant book. The average sounding description on the back definitely did not prepare me for what was inside. It started out pretty slow but once I got into the swing of it, I simply couldn't put it down. Tyler's character is just so real and raw. His voice is believable, witty and intelligent. I could really connect with him and really cared about how things would turn out. The book had me in suspense many times and was a real page-turner. Twisted is an excellent portrayal of family life and deals well with some very real problems. It was fascinating to watch Tyler stumble through life and see his courage develop as the story went on. Overall, a very enjoyable and emotional read.

Breaking the Silence

Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain
416 pages
Genre: Romance, Realistic Fiction, Women's Fiction 
Age group: Adult
Stars: 5/5

Description via Goodreads: 

Laura Brandon had promised her dying father she would visit Sarah Tolley, but her own agony is drowning out the old woman's ramblings. Her husband killed himself, and the only witness- her daughter, Emma- now refuses to speak. Desperate, Laura turns to a man she once met nine years ago: Emma's real father. Together they search frantically for the key to Emma's silence, only to find it in an old woman's fading memories of love, despair and unspeakable evil.

My thoughts:

Diane Chamberlain's writing is very distinctive and unique and I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book.

Breaking the Silence was almost impossible to put down. It's full of fascinating characters and tons of mystery. The whole time I was just so eager to know what the truth was and there was plenty to keep me entertained until the final truth came out- which I was pretty satisfied with, in the end.

I'm not usually a fan of alternating narrators but I didn't mind it in this one- it worked and it was very easy to follow. Laura is a really likeable character though certainly not flawless or over the top. Emma was interesting, well developed, believable. Dylan was way more likeable than I expected him to be- and Ray and Stuart angered me a lot.

The ending was great. Some bits were a bit predictable, but the rest I certainly did not see coming. I loved how it all came together and made sense after so many pages of being confused and wondering how it could all work out. Overall, it was an excellent book and I'm looking forward to reading more of Chamberlain's work.