The Goddess Legacy
By Aimee Carter
Published by Harlequin Teen
Published on July 31, 2012
Source: Netgalley
Summary taken from Goodreads:
For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aime e Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.
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.
Instead of a cover analysis this time, I wanted to note that I thought this was going to be pretty short- I saw the world Novellas and I assumed this would be a quick read. With five novellas- this book clocks in around 390 pages.... I found that to be an awesome surprise.
The Characters: Where do I even begin? We find the back stories of all the characters that we love. I have decided that I am going to give you a listing of characters and what I thought- there are so many, this seems to be the only way.
Hera/ Calliope: Man, she is a hot hot mess. I can understand a bit of why she is so crazy, but she embodies the term "hell have no wrath like a woman scorned". And man can she hold a grudge.
Zeus/ Walter: I don't like you. At all.
Hades/ Henry: I am very conflicted about Henry now. I see why he was hurting, but to read his back story- man it was cruel and he was no angel. I still am on Henry's side and love the story between Henry and Kate, but I can understand completely why he is so messed up in the relationships department.
Aphrodite/ Ava: I am still out for debate on Ava. She really has absolutely no control over he compulsions. I really did enjoy reading her novella, though. I love Aphrodite and the myths behind her.
Hermes/ James: Wow, I know he messed up- but I don't understand the treatment he received and still receives from the other gods and goddesses. A pot calling the kettle black, much?
The Story: I am pretty sure Aimee Carter could copy the dictionary and I would think it was revolutionary. She is an incredibly talented author, and I feel so lucky to be able to read this series. I was so excited to read this book to "hold me over" until the next Goddess book comes out. While I missed Kate in this book, I really loved getting to know all of the minor characters better, and to get the history of what happened to make them all the way the are in today's setting. There were a few parts of the book (especially having to do with the gods and goddesses getting more relevant names) that I was a little doubtful of. For the most part, however, this story tied into the series in a believable and engaging way. If you are a fan of the Goddess Series (or if you have only read the first book, or if you haven't even started)- pick up this book. It was incredibly fun and I can't wait for Aimee's next journey into this world!
