Review Detail

A look into the emotions, motives and schemes of Carter's Greek gods and goddesses, The Goddess Legacy provides great insight and depth into their lives before Kate.

A relatively quick read, I was surprised by how much was explained in regards to plot points from the previous novels. Though completely separate, each novella provided a larger piece of the whole and really helped to further my comprehension behind various gods/goddesses' motives in regards to their behaviour with Kate. I will say that as a whole, their behaviour is horrendous - most of their actions are done out of jealousy or anger and they seem to be almost completely governed by their emotions. But, their overly emotional responses also made for some exciting reading!

Calliope's story was definitely the most heart-breaking, as her misery was the result of her desire to trust in Walter and his faithfulness. Having a little more insight into the manner of Walter's betrayal really helped to explain the level of Calliope's hurt and the reasons for her layers of resentment. While I can't completely reconcile that resentment with her treatment of Kate, it helps explain at least some of her anger.

Ava and James' stories were both interesting, but probably my least favourite of the anthology. Ava struggled on the surface, but was eventually given everything she wanted with minimal eyelash batting, and I had a hard time relating to James and his struggles, as his story involved a new character who I had little attachment to.

Persephone's story simultaneously made me pity her situation and better understand her choices while at the same time, despise her even more. Though I now understand that she acted out of the belief that she had no choice, marrying Henry is something she should have delayed. Her reaction to the Underworld could have been prevented had she spent any amount of time there before her marriage and her actions once she was living in the Underworld were nothing short of selfish and hurtful. She consciously hurt Henry with literally every choice she made, but was able to continually set aside her guilt for causing him pain by justifying her actions as her pursuit of happiness - something she felt she deserved regardless of the consequences for others.

As for Henry, his was the story I was most looking forward to and I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. Other then a small glimpse into how deep Persephone's betrayal hurt him and how long he went without a companion, most of his story has already been told in previous novels. I was hoping for an explanation of his unconditional love for Persephone, or his reasons for distancing himself from Kate, and was given very little in either department.

Overall I really enjoyed The Goddess Legacy, and appreciated the insight into why the gods and goddesses act the way they do. I really think it will make my reading of The Goddess Inheritance a little more enjoyable, as I'll go in with more understanding about the gods/goddesses I'm reading about!