Aimée Carter

*Received ARC through NetGalley; book to be published April 26, 2011*

From Goodreads: Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn. It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the show more Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. If she fails..

I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology, and pretty much have them all down. It's rare for a story to come up with surprises for me, but this one did. I didn't see a lot of things coming because Ms. Carter puts such a neat and unique spin on things.

Hades, in particular, has always been one of my favorite gods. Sadly, his story is always the same...see beautiful girl picking flowers, kidnap beautiful girl, trick beautiful girl into eating pomegranate seeds, keep beautiful girl trapped for eternity. I don't know, I always saw things a bit differently. This book went more towards what I've always thought, which I loved. Hades isn't the big bad wolf here. He's sensitive, thoughtful, and a tortured soul. He has feelings, weaknesses, and fears.

And Kate isn't your typical YA female sellout. She sticks to her guns, and only allows her feelings to come out when she's ready. It's so not the usual 'girl-meets-beautiful-boy-falls-madly-in-love-wants-to-die-for-him-can't-live-without-him trash. I love that she's strong, yet vulnerable. I love that she puts aside her own needs to be strong for her mother, and I love that she throws her fears to the wind to try and save a friend. That's a believable character to me.

As far as the plot goes, it worked seamlessly for me. I really liked where Ms. Carter went with it. It worked nicely. Things made perfect sense to me, and there weren't any plot holes. It could easily be a stand-alone book, but I understand that there is a sequel (at least one) planned. I'm very happy about that, and will definitely be picking up more books in this series.

The book byline is "A fresh take on the Greek myths..." It most definitely is. Very fresh and very refreshing. I think fans of mythology, YA romance, and the supernatural will be huge fans.

As for me, I loved it. I'm giving it a 'Pick me' rating. show less

Seventeen-year-old Evan Bright's life is up-ended when she learns that she needs to spend the 25 days until she turns 18 with the father she believes has abandoned her. That father just happens to be the King of England!

Evan has attended and been expelled from 9 boarding schools since she was eleven. Now expelled from the ninth, and the fire wasn't really her fault, she finds herself on a plane to London under the care of Jenkins who has been the only one there for her since she was 11. All show more she wants is to be with her mother who is an artist who suffers from schizophrenia but who is managing her life with medications.

Evan is a strong, independent young woman who soon learns that the Royal Family is hiding all sorts of secrets behind their glossy images. And those secrets are on the edge of being exposed when Evan is accused, by the court of public opinion and perhaps Scotland Yard, of the death of Jasper Cunningham who is the son of a media mogul and a school friend of her cousin Prince Benedict.

I really enjoyed this story. The story was strongly emotional. Evan seems to get her beliefs assaulted from all sides and she doesn't know who she can trust. I liked Evan and felt for the lonely young woman. I liked that she had support from Jenkins and from her new minder Tibby as she tried to navigate her new life. I liked that she built a new relationship with her half-sister and her father. And I liked learning that what Evan believed about her father and her parents' relationship was only part of the truth.

While this story explores the common daydream of becoming a princess, it adds depth to the daydream and doesn't gloss over any of the difficulties of being suddenly thrust into a family not expecting you and finding yourself at the mercy of the press and social media. show less

A stellar start to this new contemporary young adult trilogy!

Royal Blood is the first book in author Aimée Carter’s new contemporary young adult series of the same name. The book is exciting and full of intrigue, and definitely not the typical fairy tale or rags to riches story; it addresses some very serious topics. Evangeline, or Evan as she is called, is a wonderful heroine with a quick wit and a kind heart and carries some heavy issues on her young shoulders. I was rooting for this show more unique and engagingly sympathetic underdog from the first page.

Evan is surprisingly resilient and very understanding of the Queen’s and her half-sister’s feelings, even as they treat her horribly. So much information about her past, including her parents’ history with each other, had been kept from her, and it is no wonder that misunderstandings occurred. With the death of her grandmother, her mother’s mental illness, and her absentee father, she has way more hanging over her head than a child should ever have to handle alone. She deals with her situation the only way she thinks will be successful; she purposely acts out and gets expelled. Other than her having to change schools, though, her actions have no consequences.

Once ensconced at Windsor Castle and among the family and their coterie of relatives and friends, Evan is targeted by the media and attracts all manner of abuse from the press and their followers. But the intrigue starts immediately and although, Maisie, Gia, and Rosie start out as typical ‘mean girls,’ they eventually start to relent, especially when Evan holds the key to keeping their princess out of serious trouble. However, she finally has something she’s not had in the past: a friend her age.

The story includes an incident of drugging, attempted date rape, and death, and the author presents the events from Evan’s point of view without excuses from the perpetrator. As the tragedy unfolds, readers will recognize and relate to how easily the awful events happened.

Each chapter starts with either a text message exchange between characters, a news story, or a media interview related to what is happening in the story. These add some fun insight or extra needed information in an interesting way. Each chapter ends on a small cliffhanger that worked like magic on me to keep reading! The story completely hooked me from the start, and those teasers had me reading page after page until done. I am looking forward to the next book of the trilogy with great anticipation.

With its exciting plot, family intrigue, and great characters, I recommend ROYAL BLOOD to readers who enjoy contemporary young adult fiction, especially those who like a secret baby or fish out of water theme.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through TBR and Beyond Book Tours. show less

I absolutely loved this book! I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology, ever since I found a book of myths at my grandmother's when very young. As a junior high social studies and English teacher, I was thrilled when the Percy Jackson series came out--my students loved them, and suddenly they shared my interest in the Olympians. Around the same time, I found Marie Phillips's Gods Behaving Badly, which gives another view of how the "Big Twelve" might deal with modern life. I loved it, show more but I certainly couldn't share it with my students! I've often wished there were a book or series in between that some of my older students could enjoy. The Goddess Test more than fits the bill.

As the book opens, Hades has been ruling the Underworld solo ever since Persephone, who never really loved him (turns out it wasn't a kidnapping as we've long been told, but an arranged marriage) left him for a mortal and has since passed out of existance. Tired and disillusioned, he's been trying to find a replacement for her without much luck. Girl after girl has been unable to pass the Goddess Test, and he's ready to give up. A fellow Olympian, however, persuades him to try just one more time.

Enter Kate Winters. Kate has brought her mother back to Eden, Michigan, her hometown, to die. Reluctantly, she leaves her mother in the care of a day nurse and starts classes at Eden High. She ends up offending one of the most beautiful and popular girls in school on her very first day, however, an incident that has near-tragic ramifications. Before Kate realizes what is happening, her mother is in a coma and somehow she has just promised to spend six months of her own life with a mysterious boy named Henry at Eden Manor, the immense and mysterious property just outside of town.

Henry claims to be Hades, and Eden Manor is Elysium, part of the Underworld. Kate is to be the last one to try the Goddess Test--if she agrees to, that is. If she doesn't, or if she doesn't pass the test, Hades/Henry will eventually fade out of existance and his successor will take over his position. Nothing like a little pressure, right? Kate is at first incredulous, then angry, then grudgingly accepting. Gradually she comes to really care for Henry, though she is sure that he is still too on love with Persephone to ever truly care for her. Before she knows it, Kate has made it further along in the Test than any girl before her. Is it what she wants, though? Will Henry ever care for her as much as she deserves? Who is trying to sabotage the entire process, and why? This book will have you guessing right up to the end!

One of my favorite parts of this book is trying to figure out who all of the gods and goddesses are. They are all there throughout the story, hidden in plain sight. Aimee Carter cleverly gives many clues throughout the book, as well as a few false leads. Almost as soon as I finished, I went back to reread some early passages to confirm my suspicions. I had some of them dead to rights ( including one I guessed very early on) but others I really should have figured out but didn't. If you like fantasy and/or mythology, this book is a must-read! show less