The Goddess Legacy (Goddess Test #2.5)

Background: This book in the Goddess Test series tells the tales of the gods in the series: Calliope/Hera, Ava/Aphrodite, Persephone, James/Hermes, and Henry/Hades. They are five short novellas about each of these gods and goddesses and how they came to be the way they are by the time Kate Winters meets them in the Goddess Test.

Review: Wow! This was novellas done right. It was a book, a whole book, not 100 pages without completion. The stories themselves are not too lengthy but they tell you a lot about Carter's characters and why they act how they do in the Goddess Test series. My favorite story was Hera's, only because now I fully understand why she is so upset, however even though I finally get it, it doesn't mean that I fully feel for her, she screwed up too and blames others for her own actions (sad face). Ava and James have always been fun characters and I still think they sure do have family issues all around.

I liked reading about these characters outside of the story, and I think that in between books 2 and 3 was very god placement on Carter's part, now we know more about them and maybe it will give us more insight when we get to book 3

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
ARC received from Harlequin via Edelweiss
Release Date: 7-31-2012
Reviewed by: Jennifer McCoy at YA Sisterhood

After reading The Goddess Legacy, I find myself disappointed especially since I absolutely love the first two books in this series. I love Aimee’s characters, and I find her spin on the Hades/Persephone myth intriguing. While the novellas did give me insight into each of the Gods, I didn’t find myself really enjoying their stories that much, which is upsetting as I was really looking forward to these!

I will say that the novellas helped me understand the actions of some of the Gods in the books, especially Calliope. Her novella really shows her the pain and anguish that she has dealt with for millennia and why how her circumstances turned her into a monster. You really start to feel sorry for her because of the terrible things that happen to her, but it’s hard to bridge that with the terrible person that is ruining Henry and Kate’s lives in the actual novels.

Persephone’s novella was also telling, but I have to admit I dislike her quite a bit after reading it. It seemed the novella was trying to get us to understand her dilemma and why she acted in the way she did, but I truthfully just thought she was petty and selfish. I actually somewhat like Persephone in the books, but after these, I kind of want to smack her.

The only novella I think I really enjoyed (besides the small glimpse at Henry which was so short I don’t think it should even have been considered a novella) was Ava’s (Aphrodite). I really enjoyed seeing how she ended up with Hephaestus. I also enjoyed seeing Ares in her novella because we really don’t see much of him in the books and I have always been curious.

Henry’s was the novella I was looking forward to because he is so closed off in the books and you just don’t know what he is thinking or feeling. I was hoping for some insight into why he loves Persephone so much and why he has a hard time showing Kate how he feels. But, his novella was so short, mainly showing us what we already knew in the books, so I was really disappointed .

Overall, it was neat to get some insight into why the Gods act the way they do, seeing their misery and pain manifested into their stories; however, I just felt like I was having to force myself to read through the novellas. Nothing really grabbed me and made me want to keep reading.

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!

I loved this book! It was a great anthology that gave a lot of insight into the characters from the other books in the series. When I read the first two books I always felt like there was a lot of backstory that I just didn’t know. I am so glad the author decided to finally give us those stories.
If you haven’t read the other books, don’t worry. You can read this anthology and it won’t spoil anything. In fact, you might have a better understanding of the characters’ motivations from the other books if you do read the short stories/novellas first. For instance, reading the stories really makes me dislike Zeus. What a pig. I actually felt sorry for Hera (for a hot minute). I think my favorite story of them all was James’ story. I never felt like I understood him in the books, but now I have a whole new insight into his being. I actually felt compassion for him and complete sympathy for what made him the character he became. The same goes for Henry. (I love him!) What a sad, sad story. But most importantly, you get inside Hera’s head. I felt sorry for her at first, but as the stories continued, I really began to see what a warped and twisted character she was. What she became really makes sense in relation to the series. Now I fully understand her level of evil and how low she can sink to get what she wants.
This is a must read. You’ll love it, even if you don’t like the series. If you enjoy mythology, you’ll also love the twists on the classic tales that are written on these pages. Read it. Now.