The Goddess Legacy by Aimee CarterExpected Publication Date: July 31st, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Page Count: 395 pages
Format: E-ARC
Source: Netgalley
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimee Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.The Goddess Legacy is a fantastic prequel to the Goddess Test series. I'd always wondered how the relationship between Persephone and Hades began, as well as why Calliope was so bitter. Goddess Legacy answers a lot of questions that fans of the Goddess Test series may have as well as opening our eyes to how the Gods and Goddesses have evolved (or not) over time. Although my feelings about the characters didn't change much, I definitely liked seeing them in a different light. After the cliffhanger ending that Goddess Interrupted provided, and after reading about the different relationships between the Greek Gods and Goddesses, I'm even more excited to see how this series will end!
Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....
Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....
Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....
James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....
Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope....
Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.
I didn't care much for Calliope, Ava, or Persephone to begin with. They've always been hateful, shallow, and selfish women to me, but it was really great to see how they ended up that way. While Calliope is a murderous wench, I can understand her jealous nature and feelings of betrayal towards Henry/Hades. Her husband is a womanizer and a liar and the only man she ever truly loved has turned his back on her. It makes sense that something inside of her would break. Persephone is thrust into an unwanted marriage with a man she doesn't love (or like really), and the one man she does love is unattainable. My heart really felt for her, but I think it was quite unfair of her to go off galavanting with other men while her husband stayed at home. Even Ava is just a slutty, selfish girl who runs around with different men every day and trying to ruin people's lives. It's safe to say I didn't care for these women before, and I care for them even less now.
The writing is the same as the rest of the series, but the plot is simpler. We already know how these's people's lives end up so there isn't a lot of guess-work involved. Goddess Legacy simply serves to fill in the blanks about why Henry needs a new wife and why James is so ostracized. Although, that bit I really didn't understand. The different novellas all sort of play off of each other, while focusing on the individual God or Goddess. I think my favorite part had to be the beginning, when the original six are still all alone, right after they've defeated the Titans. It was great to see them as a cohesive family, if only for a little bit.
If you're a fan of the Goddess Test books then you definitely need to pick up Goddess Legacy. It will fill in a lot of blanks and answer a lot of questions you've been asking yourself. For once, Kate isn't the central focus and it's a refreshing story about the Gods and Goddesses and their backgrounds. Goddess Legacy starts at the beginning and takes us through the last two thousand years or so, finally ending with how Kate came to be Henry's new queen. I definitely recommend picking this one up while you're eagerly awaiting the final book!
