The Goddess Test is the debut novel for Aimée Carter. It was released in the U.S. on April 19, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats. It is available online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

(The official release date is April 26, 2011, however it was available for download and to order the print copy at Amazon and Barnes & Noble on April 19th and was also seen in stores on the 19th.)

Published by Harlequin TEEN the print edition is 304 pages.

The Goddess Test is one of the books that can be chosen for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren.com.

Henry

Katherine Winters was his last hope. After nearly a century of failed attempts to find someone to rule beside him in the Undeworld, he was ready to accept defeat and give up his immortal existence.

He agreed to give it one last try, but he couldn’t imagine Kate succeeding where the others had failed. Each one of the girls he hoped would stand by him had died. None of them even making it to the end of winter to face the council to see if they’d passed the seven tests required of them.

And after countless disappointments he was nearly overwhelmed by despair. But Kate had a fierce loyalty and determination that sparked something in him, offering him a glimmer of hope where none had existed before.

If he could just keep her safe until the council’s vote and if she could just pass those seven tests, she could fill the vacancy left by Persephone in his heart and as his Queen.

Kate

She would only need to spend six months of every year by his side, free to do as she chose during the spring and summer seasons. So what if she didn’t love him.

Even if it meant an eternity with a man she barely knew, if it could save her mother, or even give her just a few more months to say goodbye, she was willing to make that sacrifice. Her mother was all she had, her best friend.

It’s not like Eden Manor was a prison. And it’s not like Henry was an ogre. He was beautiful. He was immortal. And if she passed the tests and accepted the role as his wife she, too, would be immortal.

She just needed to figure out how to pass the tests and keep herself safe until spring. But the more she got to know Henry, the more she realized that it wasn’t just her life that she was worried about saving, but her heart.

***

The Goddess Test is absolutely charming and delightful and is an extremely entertaining modern take on the mythological Greek gods. It is one of those books that make it so easy to fall in love with the story, the characters and the writing.

Right from the start, readers will be able to see exactly who Kate is, and so each decision she makes is very believable for her character. Henry remains somewhat of a mystery but readers will learn enough to know whether he is worthy of their sympathy and their, and Kate’s, affection.

There are a few mysteries woven into this story of a girl who is willing to do nearly anything to protect those she cares about, that will keep readers hooked – How did Kate’s predecessors end up dead and what can she do to stay safe? What exactly are the seven tests? And who are the gods that will be passing judgment?

Author Aimée Carter does an amazing job of updating and aging the gods for the modern day, while keeping the original myths very much intact and smoothly incorporating them into the story in a way that does not feel heavy-handed.

The Goddess Test is a love story, a mystery, and a test of strength, determination and loyalty and is a fantastic start to this new series. The ending wraps up nicely but with the door wide open for what is to come.

Reviewer gives this book ★★★★★

On a personal note:

Oh.Em.Gee. This book was completely adorable and is an absolutely unputdownable must read. I was bewitched. And it was every bit as enchanting as I’d heard. And I so get the cover now, which I have always loved.

I immediately fell in love with Kate. She was just so sweet and selfless. And Henry was such a sympathetic character. Well, for the Greek god of the Underworld, anyway.

I got absorbed into the story immediately. And it felt like just a blink before I was clicking through the last few pages. And heck yes, I was left wanting more. It is going to be a long wait for Goddess Interrupted.

There were definitely a few things that I was able to guess at – which I’m glad about because I didn’t want to spend this book trying to figure things out and get pulled out of the story. By the middle of the book I did start to wonder about the tests, but it all gets explained so well I did let out an “ahhh,” which is always fun when you’re reading alone in public.

This is a perfect escape from real life and a series that I hope lasts for more than just a trilogy. And I love the author’s writing style and can’t wait to read more from her in the coming years.

***

Currently planned as a trilogy, the second book in the series, Goddess Interrupted, will be released in February 2012 and an untitled third book is slated for release in November 2012.

This review is based on the eARC I received from Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for review and not the finished copy that I own.

Below are the YA books coming out this week that I am spotlighting for my “Book Watch: Releasing This Week” post.

These are books for the week of April 19th-April 25th that I have pre-ordered.

Defiance is the fourth book in the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. It will be released in the U.S. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats.

It is currently available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both formats.

Published by Razorbill, a division of the Penguin Group, the print edition is 259 pages.

I have had this book on my watch list for awhile and continued to check back week after week until I could pre-order it for my Kindle. I love the author’s writing and her young adult series has me hooked. And, of all the books in this series, this one has my favorite cover.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I haven’t yet read the third book in the series, Jealousy, as I started to read it and discovered that I definitely needed to go back and re-read the first two books as I felt a bit lost. Although I have a clear memory of the characters and the major events, some of the minor details slipped my mind and I didn’t want to lose anything important by reading it without having all details firmly in place.

Of course I ended up reading the description for this book, which I will not put here, as it does have spoilers. Drat! But this definitely sounds like an exciting adventure filled with danger for Dru, so I am going to attempt a four book read-a-thon soon so that I can get all caught up.

Book trailer for Defiance: (Definitely has that kick a**, hard-edge background music which fits the story perfectly)

The Coven’s Daughter is the debut young adult novel for author Lucy Jago. It will be released in the U.S. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 in hardcover format and was previously published in the UK in May 2010 by Bloomsbury under the title Montacute House.

It is currently available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in hardcover format only.

Published by Hyperion Books for Children, the print edition is 256 pages.

The Coven’s Daughter is one of the books that can be chosen for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren.com.

Although I don’t have this book on pre-order since it’s not yet available in eBook format, I am expecting to receive an advance copy this week that I acquired through a trade. I am always looking for new debut author’s to discover and the description I’d read made this sound like something I’d be interested in.

It is certainly something different from what I’ve been reading lately and at only two hundred and fifty plus pages it looks to be a quick read. The story is set in Elizabethan times in the 1500′s and promises “[w]itchcraft, politics and religious ambition” which sound like a very dangerous mix. Plus, apparently Montacute House is a real place, which I had not known when I first added this book to my TBR pile. Check out the details here on the author’s website.

I can’t wait to take a peek at this book and I’m so glad they re-titled it for an American audience. I would definitely have passed it by with the UK title as it immediately conjured up a vision of Dickens’ Bleak House which I can say – loved it, but been there, done that and not ready for a third read.

The first chapter of The Coven’s Daughter is available to read on the author’s website, HERE.

The Goddess Test is the debut novel for Aimée Carter. It is scheduled for release in the U.S. on April 19, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats. It is available for pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and in paperback at Barnes & Noble.

Published by Harlequin TEEN the print edition is 304 pages.

The Goddess Test is one of the books that can be chosen for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren.com.

I’ve already spotlighted this for my Book Watch post so I won’t go into endless detail here. Also, I’ve recently finished reading this book and it’s as amazing as everyone has been saying and since my review will be up soon – either on release date on the 19th or the wider distribution date on the 26th – I don’t want to reveal too much here. But this is definitely not a book to miss.

Even before I read it, this was on my watch list, but I only just added it as a pre-order because it wasn’t available for the Kindle until very recently.

As with most books I read based on advance copies, I wonder just how different the finished copy is and hope I get a chance to re-read it soon.

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz will be released in the U.S. on April 19, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats. It is available for pre-order online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both formats.

Published by Simon Pulse, a division of Simon & Schuster, the print edition is 288 pages.

This was another book that had a lot of buzz so I decided to pre-order it quite awhile ago. I then noticed it on Simon & Schuster’s Galley Grab program and downloaded it to read and review. I’m in the middle of reading this book as I write this post, so I’m trying not to let my opinion after-the-fact influence why I wanted to purchase this book in the first place.

Aside from what I heard about Invincible Summer through the blogosphere, I am a huge fan of contemporary YA fiction – almost as much as paranormal YA stories – and I wanted to check out this book, written by a young author, to see what her viewpoint and style are. I hadn’t yet read anything by the author, so I thought this would be a great introduction.

I like summer stories, and ones that take place over time as the characters grow and change always appeal to me. The author mentions that her stories tackle familial relationships, which are also always of interest. So I knew before even starting to read the eARC that I’d definitely want this one for my collection.

I haven’t seen a trailer, but the author talks a bit about Invincible Summer in this video from Simon & Schuster:

***

Thankfully – for both my wallet and my TBR pile – this is another fairly quiet week for releases. It seems that HarperTeen is waiting for April 26th to release a slew of new “must reads,” so I have a bit more time to catch up on my reading.

As always, I would love to hear what you’re hoping to add to your collection this week!

And please let me know if I missed purchasing something that is a “must read.”

I am using last week’s picture as I still have most of these books to read. I actually have quite a few new books that I received this week, but many of them I’ve already read so they don’t make the pile.

Most of my new reads this week are books from new authors I’ve discovered from my visit to RT, but I think I’ll wait until next week to add them to the pile.

And I should really start calling this post My Reading Pile FAIL, but I still aspire to meet my goals.

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(April 10-April 16, 2011)

***

Persistence (and luck) pays. I won this in a contest from the author and I just got it the other day. This is on top of the pile for this week. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this book. After reading Personal Demons I fell in love with Luc and couldn’t wait until the next book in the series came out. I’m so glad that my waiting has finally come to an end.

This is the second book in the series, which will be out on July 5th of this year. I may just read this now for pleasure and then re-read closer to release date for review, although my enthusiasm may cause me to review it sooner. I’ll know more after I read it.

I received an eBook of The Soulkeepers from the author for review. It was just released in March. I just love this cover. It’s so eerie and mysterious. And the description is just as mysterious.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading this book to find out if the main character Jacob is able to solve the mystery of his mother’s disappearance and if he is a success in his role of protector of human souls.

I received an eARC of The Goddess Test through NetGalley, courtesy of Harlequin TEEN. I have been dying to read this, but I’ve just had so many other books ahead of it in the pile. But as it will be coming out soon – April 19th – I don’t want to wait any longer.

I’ve tried to avoid reading too many reviews, but I couldn’t help but hear great things about it, so I am excited to see for myself.

***

I’ve kept things a bit lighter this week so that I could finish City of Fallen Angels and so that I could write some of my reviews.

Wishful thinking reads:

I just discovered Ally Carter’s Heist Society and am dying to start reading it, but it may have to wait a few weeks until I get caught up. But it looks so good. Another book I really want to read is Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler because I enjoyed Rage so much that I really want to read the first book in the series now.

Those left behind:

Here are the books that have been left behind due to me not keeping up with the schedule.

Huntress by Malinda Lo – but only because I’ve determined that I want to read Ash first. City of Fallen Angels (25% read) – I can’t believe after all my talk I didn’t finish this yet. I’m getting a bit better – the remaining books from last week I just need to get my reviews written.

***

Do you create a reading pile?

If so, what’s in your pile this week?

The Goddess Test is the debut novel for Aimée Carter. It is scheduled for release in the U.S. on April 26, 2011.

However, it is currently listed as being available for pre-order online in paperback format for an April 19, 2011 release at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (Which is why I’m including this in my Book Watch for the week of April 19th post. Fingers crossed that I will be getting this one on the 19th!)

Published by Harlequin TEEN the print edition is 304 pages.

The Goddess Test is one of the books that can be chosen for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren.com.

***

What made me first love this book and what made it really stand out to me was the beautiful cover. I tend to remember a book more by its cover art than by its title and this book was no exception. Every time I see the cover I just know it’s Aimée Carter’s The Goddess Test.

This is another debut book that I cannot wait to read! I have heard nothing but praise for The Goddess Test on Twitter and around the blogosphere. I have only read one review as the blogger promised there were no spoilers as I really want to discover this one for myself.

I’ve always loved the idea of Greek mythology and loved hearing the stories told to me, but have never really enjoyed actually reading them. But the idea of a modernized take on characters from the Greek myths is so exciting. And when we’re talking Hades and the Underworld what could be cooler.

I have this book as an eARC and haven’t yet read, but there is no question I’ll be buying the finished copy if it’s even half as good as everyone has said.

Currently this book is planned as a trilogy, and according to the author’s website the second book in the series, Goddess Interrupted, will be released in February 2012 and the third book, as yet untitled, will be available in November 2012.

I am so thrilled because I can’t imagine anything Greek myth-related ending after just one tale.

If I find any excerpts or trailers I’ll be sure to link them in my review post. But if you want to “meet” the author be sure to visit her website or find her on Twitter.