Review by Alyssa
March 2012 by Harlequin Teen
95 pages
Amazon + Good Reads
"A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn...."
-Good Reads
The Goddess Hunt picks up almost as soon as Kate leaves Henry's mansion, Eden... Because, you know, she's the new Persephone and all. She has decided to spend her leave travelling with her friend James (Hermes) and this short novella chronicles one of the many adventures that the two have together in their time away from Henry.
For me, this novella was just okay. I've never been one to follow novellas because, well... I don't really read the super popular series that have novellas to keep fans happy. This was an experiment for me and although I think that novellas are supposed to add more depth to characters and give insight to happenings going on outside of the original story arc... All that The Goddess Hunt did for me was to have me leave the novella feeling frustrated and annoyed.
Frustrated because I smell a love triangle coming on. Despite the fact that Kate spend the entire first novel attempting to forge a relationship with Henry and despite the fact that she literally just married the man... She decides to spend her six months away from her husband with another man who has been vying for her affections. A lot of Kate's inner struggle in The Goddess Hunt is about her future with Henry and how she'll be as queen. Well, Kate, you're certainly not making things easier for yourself by spending half a year with another guy who wants to get into your panties.
And I know what you're going to say - but they're friends. Yeah, I'm going to need you to sit down, Bella Swan because ain't nobody got time for another Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle.
Kate also openly agrees to lie to her husband. When she and James come across Pollux and Castor (who have been hiding from Walter [Zeus] and Henry [Hades] for centuries), Kate's almost immediate reaction is to agree to keep their where abouts from Henry. Is anyone else confused by this decision? Kate doesn't agree with Walter's need to punish the twins for their defiance because he's a jerk (as most Greek gods are - but more about this later)... but why was it so easy for her to go against her husband's rule? Henry has proven time and time again that he isn't a big scary Devil-like man... No, Kate - the reason why he wants Castor back is because he's dead and he shouldn't be among the living anymore. That sounds pretty reasonable to me.
At the risk of sounding like a dating how to book, I just want to re-cap what we can learn from Kate's mistakes. Two ways to potentially destroy your days old marriage? 1. Spend six months of alone time with the man who has been in constant competition for your feelings and makes no attempt to hide the fact that he's still fighting for you. 2. Lie to your husband. Hide things from your husband.... Things that could potentially jeopardize your husband's position/career.
(Takes deep breath.)
And last but not least, I felt annoyed because Kate came off as incredibly naive and holier-than-thou. I guess she missed the #1 lesson about the Greek gods - they're unaccountably cruel. Kate is in constant shock and near rage that Walter/Zeus messed with Pollux and Castors' minds... but it is has never been a secret that the gods are infamous for playing with others for their own amusement. I mean, Kate... They lied and manipulated you for 90% of your initial time with them...
I hope that the second book in the series doesn't follow The Goddess Hunt... but I guess that we'll see.
Have you read any of The Goddess Test books? Let me know your thoughts!
-Alyssa
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