A Book Obsession..: Early Review: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

Early Review: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

Goddess Test #2.5

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée 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.

The book as a whole:

I'm a little bit torn about how I feel about The Goddess Legacy. On one hand, I really enjoyed the deeper look into the other characters. The purview is a little bit limited in the full length novels as Kate is the newcomer to the gods/goddesses, and these stories let me see the pasts that influenced their current decisions. On the other hand, that deeper look wasn't exactly a blessing, but more of curse as all my ideals about them have been shattered. . Honestly, I don't think I really care for any of the gods/goddesses other than Henry/Hades. They are all just overgrown selfish, prideful, brats that aren't worthy of their immortality.

The Individual Stories:

I didn't think it was possible for me to despise Calliope/Hera any more than I already did, but after reading her story, I really do. I understand that her situation is pretty horrible, and the injustices she has had to endure over the eons are unbearable. However, her pride and vanity are what put her in the circumstances in the first place. It all started with her marriage to Walter/Zeus and spiraled from there. Her sisters tried to warn her against trusting that Walter could have made that drastic of a change, but she was too arrogant to listen. Granted, I'm not excusing Walter's behavior in any way shape or form, but it isn't like his less favorable traits haven't always been very visible. Unfortunately I have to go with the theory that Calliope made her bed and now she has to lie in it and that her crying foul just isn't relevant. Even so, I could have forgiven her initial pride if it had not been for her constant scheming and refusal to even consider anyone else's point of view. Yet somehow Walter doing the same is absolutely reprehensible in her book. At least he didn't conspire against other's backs and intentionally do things to harm overs.

I enjoyed seeing how Ava/Aphrodite ended up with her very understanding husband. Of course, it was quite the rocky road to get there as Ava was seeking out the type of love that burns hot, which we all know can so easily burn up too quick. It took her a long while to find the sort of love that was more of a slow burn of embers and steadfast. Of course, as the goddess of love, monogamy simply couldn't be in the cards, but she definitely learned the meaning of home.

Prior to reading Persephone's story in The Goddess Legacy, I actually kind of liked her. I understood her desire to be with James/Hermes and later Adonis, the man she truly loved rather than Henry/Hades. Now however, I just have a faint disgust for her. She was so incredibly selfish about everything and the way she treated Henry was so horrible. He loved her unconditionally and she just chewed up his heart and spat it back at him. She kept saying that she tried so hard to love him but couldn't get past her disgust for him. I cry bull crap, as he gave her nothing to be disgusted about. He is by far the best of them all and treated her like she was the most precious thing. She definitely didn't deserve it one bit.

I haven't been the biggest James/Hermes fan throughout the series. Something about him just rubbed me wrong, but I can't put my finger on it. I did enjoy his story however, especially as it showed how the gods became what they are today and changed their names. I still think he shouldn't have messed around with Persephone all those years ago, nor Kate now in modern times, but I do understand him a little better now.

Henry/Hades' story was the one I was most anticipating. He is just so closed off in the books that I was hoping to get a better look into his head. While brief, it does just that. I realize now that just because he isn't vocal about his feelings, doesn't mean that they aren't real or deep. In fact, I think his emotions run much deeper and stronger than any of the other gods put together.

Conclusion:

In the end, I'm glad I read The Goddess Legacy as it was enjoyable and I would recommend it to fans of the series. Despite my disappointment in the characters themselves, it definitely added a new level of depth to the series and will be going on my keeper shelf.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating: