I was going to hold off on buying this book for a few weeks. My to-read pile is enormous at the moment (I have two full shelves in my bookcase to read and don't get me started on all the kindle books I have waiting for me). 
 But when I was in a store and saw the Australian cover? I couldn't help myself! It's gorgeous! I love the font, the colours... it's beautiful! I bought it straight away... (Hi. My name is Kate and I'm a bookaholic... and I'm only half-way joking. I went out to buy milk last week... came home with 4 new books) 
 The story starts with Kate returning from her summer in Greece with James (otherwise known as Hermes). But things aren't how she'd imagined them to be. There was no happy reunion with Henry (Hades) and one of the original Titans, Cronus, has started to break free from the prison that the six original gods had sentenced him to thousands of years ago. It seems that Calliope (Hera) wasn't happy with the punishment Kate bestowed upon her last winter - and she's out for revenge. 
 The only way Kate can think to help the Original Six in their efforts to try to fight Cronus and Calliope is to track down the gate to the prison. The only problem is that the only person apart from Henry who knows that secret location is his former wife, Persephone. Considering Kate is already suffering from jealous issues regarding the former Queen of the Underworld, you can tell this isn't going to be an easy journey. 
 I enjoyed this novel so much more than I liked the first one in the series, The Goddess Test. I felt I got the know the characters and the motivations behind their actions a lot more in this one - maybe it's because now we were in on the secret of just who each of the members of Henry's family were. 
 Kate's struggling with a lot of things in this novel; her place in Henry's life, her new job as co-ruler of the Underworld, the whole Persephone issue, James - not to mention the whole Calliope wanting her dead and not caring who she has to hurt or kill to achieve it. All things considered, I think she handles her new position in life rather well. There are times when she came across a bit like a petulant child but I think that's understandable. In terms of the gods and goddess, her lifespan is barely a heartbeat of theirs. They have thousands of years of experience and habits on their side and she has a mere nineteen. In all respects she is a child in their world. But she manages to grow as a person and a character as the novel develops. 
 I like Kate and her conversations with Henry in the latter part of the novel. I loved that she was staking her claim on her man! But there were times when I felt she took it a little too far - from assertive Goddess! to a little too whiny and too insecure for words. But she managed to come back from it - "I never would have gone looking for something better. You are my something better, and I wish - I wish I was yours, too." 
 Ingrid was a pleasant surprise. She's delightfully cheerful and up-beat whilst also being incredibly insightful and shows a wisdom beyond her years. 
 Another surprise for me was how much I liked Calliope as a villain. She's good at what she does. I swear I could almost hear the evil theme music whenever she would appear on the scene. Her dialogue was perfect too. 
 The plot was well paced and interesting. The novel does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger but leads in well to the next in the series. I'm definitely going to be continuing reading these books.