Book Review and Giveaway: The Goddess Test, by Aimée Carter

I am SUPER EXCITED, you guys. I'm doing my first ever giveaway on this blog! Author Aimée Carter was kind and awesome enough to send me an AUTOGRAPHED copy of her debut novel, The Goddess Test to give away to one lucky reader. So awesome!

I talked about how much I enjoyed The Goddess Test on the May edition of Authors Are ROCKSTARS!, and then we did a mini podcast later that month, featuring an interview with Aimée. If you haven't checked out those episodes, please do! It was such a pleasure to chat with Aimée.

So, The Goddess Test.... in this contemporary sequel to the Persephone and Hades myth, ordinary high-schooler Kate reluctantly enters into a bargain with Henry, the lord of the underworld. She'll stay with him for six months and endure a series of trials that will determine whether or not she is worthy of immortality. If she passes, she hopes he might save her dying mother... and it turns out she may be able to help shape his fate, as well. The stakes are high, though-- Kate's not the first girl to attempt the tests, and none of the others survived. This inventive premise hooked me in right away, and the excellent plotting and pacing kept me reading.

Why this book is so completely delightful:

• It's full of references to Greek mythology (which I LOVE), but is not a strict retelling- it's fresh, charming, and creative.
• There's a very engaging mystery element to the story, with Kate trying to figure out what the tests are and how to pass them so she doesn't fail Henry. And why did all those other girls die, anyway?
  
• The gradual development of the relationship between Kate and Henry is fantastic. There's tons of chemistry between the two of them, and I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for those dark, brooding romantic heroes, so Henry as a modern-day Hades is quite swoon-worthy.
• The setting is gorgeous- I'm also a sucker for grand manor type settings, and this one is perfection!
  
• Kate's relationship with her mother is genuinely touching.
  
  

You'll definitely want your own copy of The Goddess Test, so here are the giveaway details:

• Earn one entry just for leaving for your name and email.
• Earn TWO bonus entry for following my blog. You don't need to follow to win! But I appreciate my followers, and want to show them some extra love.
  
• Earn ONE bonus entry for tweeting the following: I just entered to win an autographed copy of The Goddess Test by @aimeecarter from @alli_librarian at http://readingeverywhere.blogspot.com! (Okay, okay, the exclamation point is optional. Personally, I'm an exclamation point kind of gal, but tweeting with just a plain old period is perfectly acceptable.)
• Contest ends on Friday, July 22, at 8 pm PST.
  
• Winner will be announced on the blog and contacted by email.

ETA: Contest is now closed.

Book Review: Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed. Angelini, Josephine. 496 p. HarperTeen. 2011. Hardcover $17.99. ISBN 9780062011992.

There's a lot of hype in the publishing world about how Josephine Angelini's debut trilogy was purchased by HarperTeen for seven figures, and believe me, this thoroughly enjoyable book lives up to the hype. It deserves to become the Next Big Thing. I totally LOVED this book. I just wanted to keep reading, and reading, and reading!

The author's agent pitched the manuscript as “Percy Jackson for teenage girls,” and I think that’s a perfect description. Angelini knows her mythology well enough to put her own spin on it while incorporating essential elements of The Iliad. This story isn't a strict retelling, but an inventive "reimagining" in a contemporary setting on Nantucket Island. There's an appealing mix of everyday teen life, romance, action, and fantasy that hits all the right notes.

In a refreshing contrast to so many teen paranormal romances out there, the mysterious supernatural abilities are not the sole domain of the male love interest-- this time, the protagonist is something extraordinary, too! How great is that? Helen is a strong, well-rounded character. Aside from her incredible abilities, she's an everygirl grappling with her own identity. Anyone, especially teen girls, can relate to her.

Angelini has mentioned in various interviews that the other inspiration for this novel besides The Iliad was Romeo and Juliet, so naturally, there's a fantastic forbidden romance element to Helen and Lucas' relationship-- but the stakes are upped in a major way here. It's not that they're a danger to each other, or they're already spoken for... no, the FATE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD depends on the ability of these two teens to restrain themselves. No pressure! I like that the two characters are very intensely drawn to each other but make an honest effort to behave. The relationship between Lucas and Helen is believable, with some great banter between the two. The reader is definitely rooting for these two crazy kids by the time the book ends.

Angelini has created a large cast of unforgettable characters that I became quite attached to throughout the course of the story. I personally couldn't get enough of Lucas' big, tough cousin Hector- a sort of bad boy with a heart of gold. And Helen's feisty, loyal best friend, Claire, has some of the best one-liners in the book. Love her! The adult characters are nicely fleshed-out, too. Lucas' mom and Helen's dad are so endearing.

The storytelling is well-structured and nicely paced, with subtle but effective foreshadowing of important plot elements. The third-person narration allows for multiple points of view, including the antagonist’s. Angelini handles the shift in voice from character to character with finesse, and the portions from the antagonist’s perspective are genuinely chilling.

Don't miss Starcrossed when it hits bookstore shelves on May 31st! ARC for review provided by the publisher via NetGalley. And if you haven't listened yet, be sure to catch our supercool interview with Josephine Angelini at Authors are ROCKSTARS! (Oh, and there's a GIVEAWAY.)