Goddess in Training

Expected Publication: March 27th, 2012
Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test # 2)
By:  Aimee Carter
Harlequin Teen
ISBN-13: 9780373210459


Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.  Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.  As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.  Henry's first wife, Persephone.

Review

   Kate Winters thought that once she married Henry and took over as Queen of the Underworld, all of their problems would pretty much be solved.  Imagine her surprise that upon arriving home from a summer spent in Greece with her best friend James (a rival of Henry's for Kate's affection) that things are still unsettled.  Henry is more distant than ever and there still needs to be a ceremony inducting Kate as a ruler of the Underworld before things are official.  Oh and she's developing powers, beginning with creepy visions that she doesn't quite understand, but give her a really bad feeling.  It turns out she was right to be nervous, when Henry and the other 'big six' are taken by Kronos who is working with Hera (who is still looking for revenge against Kate for 'stealing' Henry from her).  Kronos isn't yet powerful enough to surface in the world, but without the original six to stand in his way when he does the world will most likely end.  It's up to Kate and the rest of the gods are refusing to help her.  Wanting to save Henry, she has to find the entrance to Tartarus.  The only other person who knows is the one person Kate wishes she could forget about - Henry's first wife Persephone, Kate's sister.  Will they be able to work together in time to save Henry and the others, while stopping Kronos from rising.  I liked this book quite a bit, but I felt that it never reached the level of the first one.  The side characters were far more one-dimensional in this book and the focus on Kate and Henry's romantic predicament did nothing special for me personally.  It was all angst and despair on Kate's part, with a side of emotional turmoil and cruel subconcious desires on Henry's part.  The amount of time that Aimee Carter spent on the will-they, won't-they (when they're already FREAKING MARRIED!!!) detracted from what could have been a truly intriguing adventure.  It instead became a subplot that depended on the romantic heroine saving the day.  The cliffhanger on this book TRULY pissed me off!!!  Seirously, yet more angst.  Kate just can't catch a break, which is too bad.  Because when she's away from Henry she's a pretty interestng character.  I don't think that I will be reading the third book in the series.  I honestly just don't care anymore.  But I will probably read the short story between books one and two, for more about James and Kate's vacation.  Not recommended too highly, unless you're a big fan of extremely gushy and angst ridden romance with little plot to go with it.

VERDICT:  2.25/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. The expected publication for this book is March 27th, 2012.*