Tuesday, December 11, 2012

ARC Review of The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter



The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter
The Goddess Inheritance 
By: Aimee Carter 
Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 
Pages: 384 (ARC) 
Series: Goddess Test (#3) 
Source: ARC via NetGalley
Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.
In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.
With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs her eternity.
Aimee Carter, as an author, has my acknowledgement. Her debut series, beginning with The Goddess Test and concluding with The Goddess Inheritance, has come far in terms of development and more. What began as a lighthearted series has, with the help and assistance of it's fantastic final installment, quickly become a favorite of mine. In terms of character, the only thing I have to say is, "A job well done. I couldn't see it any better."

Katherine Winters was not always my favorite character because I had the general problems with her during the first two Goddest Test novels. Kate has always been a stubborn character, who doesn't like being told what to do and is almost impossible to steer when she's set her mind to something. But while that may make her a strong character in some reader's eyes, I personally saw it as slight stupidity. That almost leads to her death. And Henry's. Oh and, did I forget to mention, all of humanity too? And I could've understood Kate and accept her mistakes because in the end, no mortal being is perfect. And Kate has grown up all her life as a human being, who's capable of sinning and messing up here and there. But what Kate lacked was the ability to own up to her mistakes, and that was a trait that followed her to the end of her story. 

Kate isn't a weak character, and in some senses, I could consider her strong. And although she broke down and cried again and again, and is way to rash for her own good, she has this redeeming quality to her that I feel just can't be ignored. Kate may not be an excellent friend, demonstrated through her actions towards Ava for the majority of this book, but she is a respectable mother who'd gladly protect her child at the cost of her own life. That's gotta count for something, right? Right. But, uhm, how old exactly is Kate...? 16? 17? I know she's immortal and all, and time and age won't matter after like three centuries of being alive, but still. And while it may seem like I'm not too fond of Kate's character, it was actually quite the opposite with The Goddess Inheritance. Kate wasn't perfect, but at least she tried to right her wrongs. Sometimes quick-thinking and a brave and rash girl is just what you need to win a war.

But the two character I think got the most character development was Ava and Henry. Ava is no longer that cheerful, good-natured girl who's pure of heart, and you can't blame her for all the things she's forced to go through. Ava is still loyal and kind though, and while her motives may seem questionable, she has reasons behind them that may not be automatically recognizable. But they're there. And when they were revealed, I felt sympathy for Ava. She didn't deserve her fate. Hell, she didn't deserve anything short of a happy life with her family. 

You will never find someone to replace Ava, because that person does not exist," he murmured. "But you will find someone who understands love as Ava did. Who embodies it."

The Goddess Inheritance is full of twists and turns, and it brings out a rather surprisingly fast pace plot. Days after finishing this astonishing novel, I found myself still unable to even consider the possibility of moving on to the next book. And when I finally did, I realized that all I was doing was thinking about Kate and Henry and the ending and I didn't realize that I've read 64 pages of a book where I had no idea what the main character's name is. So I just set everything aside and let the events that unfolded in The Goddess Inheritance to sink in. After that, it was easier to read another book without crying over the fact that there will be no more books to continue Kate's story. 

Kate and Henry's relationship is perhaps becoming one of my favorites. There's just something about Henry that draws me in, whether it be how much he cares for his family or how damn calm he is when deciding a dead person's fate. There's something about Kate and Henry that just works

Cronus was an interesting character, and most certainly not what I expected from the most evil being of evil beings. He seemed oddly like a misguided little boy who had, and sadly knew, that he had way too much power in his hand. And he liked to use it too. Which I guess made him a evil little boy? But that's not right...Cronus is an old man...SDJ;AWDJKLASD. FORGET IT. All you need to know is that Cronus is kinda freaky and likes to impersonate people and has this creepy "fondness" (if you can call it that) for Kate. 

Cronus's little sidekick, Calliope, however, was everything but likable in any sense. Heartless, cruel, and jealous, she was the type of person you love to hate. And oh, hate I did. It's been a while since I've come across such a unlikable character, and I'm not sure whether or not to be horribly amused and praise the author on a job well done, or be slightly disturbed. In the first two books, Calliope's actions were justify by lust and her tendency to be a jealous wench. By the third and final book, Calliope was no more than revenge-hungry and desperate for the affection that would never come from Henry's heart, no matter how strong the love spell Calliope tried to cast. 

Overall, The Goddess Inheritance was a satisfying well-done conclusion to a great series. Surprisingly quotable, with solid characters and a intricate storylineThe Goddess Inheritance has convinced me that Aimee Carter is an author worth looking out for. I'm certain that Carter's future works will only improve and will eventually excel my highest standards. 

And maybe, just maybe, this doesn't have to be the end? How about a spin-off, my dearest author? Please?


5 coffee cups!

An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.

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BONUS: 
Just for the heck of it, I decided to throw in my feelings after finishing The Goddess Inheritance that was my temporary substitute review I posted on Goodreads before I finally decided to stop being lazy and write a legit review. Have fun laughing at me: 

DASD;KOASDA./ OH MY POOR FEELINGS. 

This isn't the end, right

This BETTER NOT BE THE END. 

Once I gather my feelings and make some sense out of them, I shall review this awesomeness for you. 

THIS BETTER NOT BE THE END.

Oh joy

My poor, poor heart.

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Review also found: Goodreads

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Contact Kaede: 
Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Kaede 
Twitter: Kami178xx


3 comments:

  1. I still have to read the first book in this series. I feel like I'm so far behind but these pesky authors keep releasing new books before I can get to older ones. Great review though :D

    -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm glad you found the review enjoyable! x)

      The Goddess Test series, if I'm honest, is probably one that not everyone would enjoy. I think the deciding factor resides in Kate. She'll probably be the reason you love the book or hate it.

      Oh boy, don't I know it. Darn you authors with your sneaky ways! So many older books sitting on my shelves that have yet been read, despite the fact that I really want to. I gotta stop accepting and requesting ARCs. Seriously. I should appoint someone to handcuff my arms so I can't do anything. But then I couldn't read either...

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  2. How did you get all these aweosme books?! So jealous!!!! LOVED THE FIRST BOOK. Hvnt read the 2nd tho cuz i wnt to wait for the third. YOU MAKE ME SO JEALOUS! NO FAIR! :D

    ReplyDelete