I recommend The Goddess Test. 
 ***** 
 As I said, she chose to die rather than to stay with me. I was her husband, but she simply loved him more. 
 This is a new series to watch out for. 
 I was not smitten at first. Although the story has a new concept, the first half of the book was just average to me. It's not bad, but it's not good either. But moving on the second half, i felt i was falling. It's like the book and I started out as friends. We find something in common, what makes us comfortable with each other. As the need to protect and be faithful rise up, it is in the end that i realized: i am in love with The Goddess Test. 
 I'll start with the cover. At first glance, it did not catch my eye. But looking it again and again, it started to blossom into something pretty. Very pretty. The girl reminded me of Jessica Alba. So i thought of Kate as looking like Jessica. 
 The story revolves around the story of Hades and Persephone. In this case, Persephone's gone so Henry has to look for someone to take her place as his wife and Queen of the Underworld. But the girl has to be worthy of immortality so she has to take the test. 
 Kate has to pass seven tests. If she fails even one, the consequences are very dangerous, especially for Henry. 
 As Kate deals with living her autumn and winter days with Henry in the Eden Manor, she realizes that this life is not as bad as she thought. More so, she didn't felt little need to go back to the real world for the next half of the year. Being with Henry, she learned how to make friends, have a family, love and fight for a guy who lost the will to live. Or exist. 
 The synopsis misled me. It is not actually Kate's mom that is the reason for her to enter into a bargain with Henry. Kate did it to save a friend's life. No, not a friend but a person i so wanna see to stay dead. For the life of me, i could not imagine giving half of my year for the rest of my life just so someone (who is cruel to me) can live. And that is what Kate did. 
 Kate has no friends because she took care of her sick mom since freshman year. She also does not date because of that. If there's one thing to describe her, it's this: martyr. I'm not sure if i like that, and it made me wary to like her. But the author gave room for Kate to grow on me, since Kate is still beginning to know herself and open up to living a life, especially without her mom. By the time i finished the chapters, i felt a kinship with her. And yes, Kate, you did right. Even I was proud of you. 
 The one thing that strikes me the most is Kate's frankness. It was such a refreshing character for a heroine. And for that, i love her. 
 Henry - for a Hades character, he's pretty soft. Solemn. Cautious. But i liked it. There are few times i got to glimpse of the Lord of the Underworld and it was enough. He is more human than a god, but it suits him. After all, Hades does not belong to Olympus, right? He mostly stayed in the Underworld. So i get it that he's lonely. And feels unloved. Henry is such a vulnerable character and it is just right for my taste. 
 James. I have mixed feelings for him. Is he in love with Kate? For such a short time, it is not possible. But it seems that he does. I felt sorry for him. But i think he'll be a major character in the next book. Love triangle, anyone? 
 The mythology is intact. The twists came one after the other and i was like, 'ok, what just happened?' and when the time came for the verdict to be delivered, whether Kate passed or failed, i'm shaking my head in disbelief saying, 'no way! No freakin' way!' then a smile slowly spreads across my face. It was a good read. 
 Debut authors are sweeping the YA shelves like a crazy tidal wave! And Aimee Carter is one of them. The Goddess Test will show you the side of the Olympians that are all too human and yet, staying true to their nature. 
 Keep trying until you have no more chances left. And even then, you keep going.