Luego de leer a Rick Riordan, sumado con mi ligero conocimiento de mitología... He terminado así:

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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. :) ( )

Goddess Legacy is a collection of five short stories, all about various gods and goddess in the world of Goddess Test.

The first story, The Goddess Queen, tells the story of Calliope/Hera from her own viewpoint. For reasons I can't explain without spoilers, Calliope was not one of my favorite characters throughout the rest of the book. But this short story gives you an entirely new understanding of her, explaining a great deal about why she is the way she is. I actually began to feel for her, even if she is a bit of a vindictive drama queen! Individual Rating: 4 mugs

The second story is The Lovestruck Goddess, which tells the story of Aphrodite/Ava. This was one of my favorite stories in the anthology, in no small part because I have loved her character. It is a love story, a love triangle, and a story of pain... all in one. This story, too, allows us to see her in a more 3D way away from Kate and Henry. Individual Rating: 5 mugs

The third story, Goddess of the Underworld, tells Persephone's story. In this series, she has been portrayed as a bit of a villain, but we get to see in her in a new light in this story. We learn a lot more about why she acted as she did towards Henry, her love for another. I understand the angst behind that, but I felt like that supposed love fell completely flat. I feel for Henry, but I feel as if his character was a bit oblivious to it all. Individual Rating: 3.5 mugs

God of Thieves is the fourth story and the story of Hermes/James, one of my favorite characters. I loved the story between Tuck and James and it ended with all the tragedy of a good Greek myth. It also solidified my love for James! Individual Rating: 5 mugs

The final story is God of Darkness, the story of Hades/Henry. This story really helped us understand Henry a bit better. It is the story of his decision to fade and the deal that begins the Goddess Tests. Henry's broodiness often irritates me, but after this, I understand him much better. Individual Rating: 4 mugs

Some Quotastic Goodness

--Happiness is a choice, but so is misery. Choose wisely.
--It takes loneliness in oneself to recognize it in another.
--Eros is my sun, Ares is my fire, but Hephaestus is my rock, my foundation, and no matter where I go or what I do, I will always come back to him. I know that now.

My Recommendation: This is a great tie-in to the series. It doesn't add much to the ongoing story, as The Goddess Hunt did, but it does flesh out some of our favorite characters.

This review originally appeared on my blog, http://thecaffeinateddivareads.multifacetedmama.com/?p=8737. ( )

**This book was obtained through Net Galley but that did not influence the review** You can also see the review here

Goddess Legacy is a collection of novellas, but don’t fret, this is as long as a regular book! We have some time to wait until the 3rd book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance, is out (April 2013), so this was nice to tide me over. I adore this series and was more than happy to get some insight into the other Gods and Goddesses, well, even some more background on Henry (Hades). Even if it was with Persephone and not Kate. ;)

I love stories told from first person, and this book was fabulous since each story was told from someone’s point of view. Between that and Ms. Carter’s amazing writing style I felt like I could really connect with each God or Goddess in their novella. That is no small feat, and that is why this book will get such high marks from me.

I learned that Zeus is so manipulative-he really didn’t appear to be that way in the first two books, but clearly he is always pulling the strings…for everything. I actually didn’t care for him at all, but the fact that the author was able to make me feel that way, well it’s a win.

I also found that Persephone really is unhappy, she definitely acted like a brat. I would have to wonder if she ever really did find happiness with Adonis? I probably connected with her the least out of all the novellas, I couldn’t even see how Hades loved her since she was fairly awful to him. But…..that just shows how kind and gentle he really is.

Hera can’t win. She was definitely on the naughty list from the first book, but I got some serious insight into her character, and I actually felt sorry for her! Clearly all those years of being faithful and sticking to her word got to her by the time The Goddess Test was written. She had some serious pent up anger!!

Hermes was one of my favorite novellas, and the way his story tied in with Hades at the end was fabulous. I loved, loved, loved it!! I felt like that story was more of a happy ending. I look forward to him hopefully making some appearances in the next book.

Lots of betrayals, lies, jealousy, and affairs in this book = never a dull page! However, these Gods and Goddesses live for an eternity and these stories span over thousands of years. That definitely puts a lot of things in perspective. If you love this series, you definitely want to check out this book, it completes the series. ( )

I love The Goddess Legacy because you are able to get to know the characters on a level that is more intimate. You actually see things from their POV. Now with some characters this different really make a difference for me, like Hera. Even though
I have never been a fan of Hera, it doesn’t matter how many telling’s and retellings I’ve read but I definitely found this one to be unique. I can’t get past her personality which I think is the most difficult part for me, to really connect with her character. I wish I could but I just couldn’t but I found myself slightly sympathetic after reading her story. Only slightly though. She still is who she is.

I loved Aphrodite’s story, it completely swept me up and I found myself enthralled. I couldn’t get enough of it. The books graze across her relationships with the brothers but it was an opportunity to see a different side of the boys as well as Aphrodite herself. I think there is something endearing about her character and I think it’s the fact that she embraces who she is, rather than fight. Not to say that I agree with her actions but I think our harshest critics are ourselves and she has amazing confidence.

Persephone is a character that I find myself not liking and liking at the same time. Her story was so interesting to me though. It was nice to see her side of things and it was probably one of my favorites.

Hades I was kind of torn on. I didn’t want to imagine his life being anything besides being with Kate. Especially any time Hera entered the picture. I still had this feeling of wanting to claw her eyes out. It was nice to see where he came from though.


Hermes story was the one that surprised me the most because his was the only one that actually changed my opinion of him a little bit. Not just his story but his role in other stories. I actually found myself liking Hermes a whole lot more than I did in the first two books.
The best thing about The Goddess Legacy is how all the characters stories intertwined with one another. You were never just getting one characters story. You were getting bits and pieces of everyone and by the end you had a whole picture of the characters before Kate meets them. I really enjoyed it and I’m so glad that Aimee Carter decided to write it. What a wonderful addition to the series. I would definitely recommend it if you like the series as much as I do.