From HarlequinTeen: It's always been just Kate and her mom—and 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 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.
I have read a lot of mythology related books and this is probably the most unique take on the gods I have read. Kate is a teenager, all alone in the world, except her terminally ill mother. They move back to her mother's hometown and Kate meets two boys. One dark, handsome and mysterious. The other the cute, geeky boy from school. When she meets the dark and mysterious Henry, she agrees to his test because she thinks she has nothing to lose, but there's always something to lose.
Kate must come to terms with losing her mother and dealing with the consequences of her bargain with Henry. If she 'fails' the test she loses everything she cares for, even Henry. In true Greek Myth style, Kate is manipulated and deceived, while the puppet-masters watch from a distance.
The Goddess Test is very well written and keeps you guessing until the very end (seriously, right up to the last few pages). I am looking forward to seeing where Goddess Interrupted takes us in the Spring...
As our final author interview of the week, we are so happy to give you Aimee Carter, who is joining us despite being sick. A huge thanks to Aimee!
Without further adieu, we give you Aimee Carter, the author of The Goddess Test and the upcoming sequel, Goddess Interrupted. See our review of The Goddess Test posting today for more information.
BiblioJunkies: Since it is Greek Week, we will start out with a couple "theme" questions. The Goddess Test has a very unique take on Greek Mythology and the gods. Do you have a favorite god, hero or monster?
Aimee Carter: Thank you! There are several different stories I love, but I'd have to say that two of my favorite figures from mythology are Hades and Aphrodite. Hades intrigues me, and Aphrodite supplies an endless amount of mischief and entertainment that is prominent throughout the Greek myths.
BiblioJunkies: The Goddess Test is a retelling of Hades & Pershephone or more precisely, I suppose a retelling of Hades' story. Do you have a favorite myth?
Aimee Carter: Other than the myth of Hades and Persephone, one of my favorites is the myth of Orpheus' journey to reclaim his wife, Eurydice, from the Underworld.
BiblioJunkies: And, since we REALLY do have the mentality of 16 year old girls here at BiblioJunkies, what fictional character would you most like to go on a date with?
Aimee Carter: Remus Lupin! Or Bill Weasley. Probably Remus.
BiblioJunkies: Our obsessions here at BiblioJunkies HQ are books, boys & pie (or cupcakes if you are me) - we have covered the first two, so now for the last... do you have a favorite treat to take the edge off a tight deadline or to celebrate a day that ends in "y"?
Aimee: Nearly anything sweet and chocolate-y and I'm there! I love cupcakes. And pie, especially banana cream pie with chocolate drizzle. I have an entire drawer dedicated to stashing sweets, and I always keep it stocked.
BiblioJunkies: And finally, any chance you will give us a hint (or two) about what is in store for Kate in Goddess Interrupted (releasing in March 2012)?
Aimee: I can't say much about it, but I will say that it starts off in September, after Kate's six months away from Henry, though that time she's away is definitely brought up several times throughout the story.
Thank you so much for answering our ridiculous questions! We cannot wait to read Goddess Interrupted! You can learn more about Aimee and The Goddess Test series at Aimee's website http://www.aimeecarter.com/.
To round out our Greek Week celebration, tomorrow we will discuss the coming attractions from the authors featured on the blog this week. Stop by to find out about the coming releases!
Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they’re triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful Gorgon maligned in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.
The story is simple enough, three young girls, each adopted as children. Each into very different families. Fate brings them back together, the latest guardians, protecting humans from the creatures of myth. For me, there were six main characters, the girls, Gretchen, Grace and Greer. The boys (of course we have to mention the boys!) Nick, Milo and Thane. Nick is a new student at Gretchen's school and he is full of cocky swagger and fun. Thane is Grace's adopted brother and is the strong, silent type. Then there's Milo. I'm not really sure what to think of Milo yet, but he seems sweet (those are always the most dangerous)...
I have read almost everything Tera Lynn Childs has written (she has two self-published chic lit books I haven't gotten to yet). Sweet Venom marks my 5th TLC book and it is her best yet. Sweet Venom is fun, action-packed and chock-full of intrigue. The story ended with a bang and left me wanting more! I thought it was a little bit Greek mythology and a little bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And seriously can you have too much of either?
Book two, Sweet Shadows is due out in 2012 (I'm guessing in the fall, but if anyone at Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen is reading, I would be grateful if you could get it out earlier, please).
When Elizabeth Miles suggested an interview with the Furies to help us celebrate Greek Week, we were more than happy to let her do the interview, because frankly, we prefer it if the Furies are oblivious to our existence. Below is the last communication we have received from Elizabeth and we are growing quite concerned. If you have seen or heard from her, please let us know...
Elizabeth Miles interviews the Furies
They may be sisters, and they may be joined at the hip, but unlike the Kardashians, the Furies are nothing if not unique. Each has cultivated her own individual style; they showed up to our interview with their differences on display. Tisephone (or Ty, as she prefers to be called) wore a flowing white dress that complemented her flawless skin and shock-red hair; Megaera (or Meg) arrived with a mussed mane, black leggings, a forest-green tunic, and a stunning red collar necklace; and Alecto (she goes by Ali) was bombshell-chic in a white tank top, and a miniskirt that showed off her legs, and knee-high heeled boots.
“I know what you’re thinking—we’re pretty hot,” Ali announced without compunction as we settled into a booth at the local fisherman’s bar. “But don’t be jealous,” she added, shooting a look toward Meg. “We haven’t always been like this. We’ve learned a lot over the years—about how to…play to our strengths.”
What follows is a transcript of our recorded conversation.
Elizabeth Miles:
Hello ladies, and thank you so much for joining me today. Would you mind introducing yourselves for readers who may not have spent as much time with you as I have?
Ty:
Should I go first? Why do I always go first?
Ali:
[Rolling her eyes.] Because you always push to the front, that’s why. I’ll go. My name is Alecto—but don’t call me that, call me Ali—and I’m a Fury. Haha, that sounds bad, doesn’t it?
Meg:
Well, let’s not beat around the bush. It is bad. We’re Furies, and we’re bad-ass. Oh—I’m Meg. Hi.
Ty:
And I’m Ty. [She smiles, revealing perfect white teeth that match the streak of white in her red hair.]
Eliz M:
Nice to meet you all—I think. And what does that mean, to be a Fury?
Ty:
[Her smile disappears.] It means that we are goddesses of revenge.
Eliz M:
I see. And each of you has an…area of expertise, is that correct?
Meg:
Yup. We each have little nicknames we’ve called each other for a looooong time. Like, my sisters call me “the jealous one.”
Ty:
Yes. And my name means “avenging murder”…so sometimes they’ll call me The Avenger or something.
Ali:
And mine is “unceasing anger.” Isn’t that kind of cute??
Eliz M:
Adorable. Now, let’s talk about your arrival in Ascension. What brought you here, to this small town in Maine?
Ali:
[Her eyes narrow ever-so-slightly.] Wouldn’t you like to know?
Meg:
Ali, stop it. [She looks at her sisters, who shrug as if to say, ‘Go ahead.’] Let’s just say we have history here.
Ty:
We used to have…friends in this town. We come and go. You could call us jet-setters. We’ve been called worse. [All three laugh, hard.]
Eliz M:
Oh, so you’ve been here before?
All three in unison:
Yes.
Eliz M:
What brings you to town this time around?
Ty:
A new friend. [She offers nothing more, daring me to keep prodding.]
Eliz M:
[Taking my chances…] And is that new friend Emily Winters?...[They stare.]…Chase Singer? [More impassive staring.]…I guess not. Zach McCord?
Ali:
[Snorting.] You think we would waste our time on that juicebox? We do have principles, you know.
Ty:
Ali, stop talking. [To me:] I think we’ve reached the end of this part of the interview.
Eliz M:
Okay, okay. One last question before I give up: Where do you come from?
Ali:
My mom used to tell me I sprang from spilled blood—
Meg:
[Interjecting.] I don’t think that’s what she’s talking about, Ali. We
Eliz M:
Okay, now for some quick-fire questions to finish things off... Favorite foods?
Ty:
Nothing makes my mouth water like a rare, bloody steak.
Meg:
I’m partial to vanilla ice cream topped with a pool of thick strawberry syrup.
Ali:
Pomegranate. I love feeling those seeds explode between my tongue and the roof of my mouth.
Eliz M:
Favorite animal?
All three in unison:
Snakes.
Meg:
Now it’s our turn to ask you some questions. We want to know more about your past! After all, by writing about us, it’s almost like you summoned us.
Eliz M:
Not a chance. I won’t risk the Furies wrath… [Tape recorder stops.]
You can learn more about Elizabeth Miles on her blog (which has great author interviews as well) at http://www.elizabethmilesbooks.com/. Or learn more about the series at http://www.thefuryseries.com/. And really, if you happen to run into or hear from Elizabeth, let us know she survived her interview with the Furies!
We want to thank Elizabeth for taking the time to come play with us. She is a great writer, super nice, willing to risk her life for an interview and loves strawberry-rhubarb pie (I promised her cobbler the next time she is in Chicago - you should take her some if you are lucky enough to meet her ;-) ).
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.
I’ll probably start a riot by saying this but I love Percy Jackson more than…Harry Potter.
Alright, looks like I survived saying the unthinkable.
There is just something about Percy and his friends that I find so endearing. So when I finally found the time to pick up The Lost Hero at the beginning of this year, I was ecstatic and suspicious all at the same time. I was ecstatic because, the world of Camp Half-Blood was back. I was suspicious because Mr. Riordan was starting a new series with new characters. What if I didn’t like them as much as Percy? What if the story was disappointing? What if, what if, what if?
Well I worried needlessly. The Lost Hero manages to stay close enough to the original series to make young fans happy but also holds its own apart from the Percy Jackson books. Jason, Piper and Leo end up being just as lost and loveable as our Percy.
The story begins with Jason waking up on a bus that is taking him and his friends on a field trip. The problem? He doesn’t know who he is, where he is or how he got there. Leo and Piper are at a loss as to why their friend doesn’t remember them. But before they can find a way to regain Jason’s memories, disaster strikes and the three of them find themselves as the newest guests of Camp Half-Blood. As they learn about their parentage and Jason tries to regain his memories, a new prophecy is given:
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call
To storm or fire the world must fall
An oath to keep with a final breath
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death
The three of them head off on a quest to not only fulfill the prophecy (or at least part of it) but also to learn more about Jason. And here begins what Riordan does best. Non-stop action. Along the way they meet both old and new friends and enemies. They overcome and/or escape ridiculously dangerous obstacles. It’s a wild ride that leaves you with a doozy of a cliffhanger.
There were three things that I absolutely loved about this book. First, Riordan cleverly alternates between three points of view (Jason, Leo and Piper). And even though each POV is in third person, you are still able to get a clear view into each characters personality. Second, it was super AWESOME to see both Greek and Roman mythology woven together. And third, I loved the age of the characters. Unlike the beginning of Percy, where the kids are 12 years old, Jason and his friends are 16/17 years old. The age difference allows for more action and a slightly more mature narrative.
I honestly could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book but I don’t want to spoil any part of it for you. So I will just tell you this - buy this or borrow it. One way or another, you MUST read it!
And then when you are done reading it (because I told you to and you should all listen to me, Bel and Shel) go and buy or borrow Book 2, Son of Neptune, which was just released today. Just in case you didn’t figure it out from the title, PERCY IS BACK and the Bibliojunkies could not be more excited!
Now let’s live it up a little and celebrate Greek Week in true book blog fashion. We are GIVING AWAY a hardcover copy ofTHE LOST HERO by Rick Riordan. You can enter up to three times by doing one or more of the following - Leaving a comment on this post, Following us on GFC, or following us on Twitter. Be sure to click on the “I Did This” button in the box below after each entry. This contest is open through 12:01AM CST on 10/9/2011. A winner will be announced on 10/10/2011.
If you haven’t yet done so, check out yesterday’s interview with the FABULOUS Jennifer Estep. She talks about her book, Touch of Frost and also tells us what fictional boy she would most want to date. Let’s just say that her response left me in a tizzy as she (along with Tahereh Mafi) is now direct competition for one of my long time fictional loves! And don't forget to enter to win a copy of Touch of Frost!
And check back tomorrow as we continue our celebration of Greek Week with Shel’s review of Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini!
We are hard at work attempting to bring you fun and frivolity for our Greek Week celebration next week. Just to give you an update (these are subject to change, but this is our tentative schedule):
October 3, 2011:
Interview with Jennifer Estep! We are so excited to have our first author interview. Jennifer's book Touch of Frost features students from Mythos Academy (lots of fun spin on all types of mythology, not just Greek). Shel's review of the book and Jennifer's interview will kick off our Greek Week!
October 4, 2011:
The much anticipated release date of Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. To celebrate, Nat will review The Lost Hero and I am sure there will be plenty of general giddiness over the release of Son of Neptune.
October 5, 2011:
Shel reviews Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini. This was one of her favorites of 2011, so far.
October 6, 2011:
The Furies themselves agreed to an interview! I know, I know. I am nervous too. We will post our review of Fury by Elizabeth Miles and celebrate her take on the Greek scorekeepers.
October 7, 2011:
Sweet Venom and the Oh.My.Gods. series by Tera Lynn Childs take center stage on Friday. We were lucky enough to meet Tera recently and are super excited to have her come play with us on the blog!
October 8, 2011:
We will post our review of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter and discuss her very unique take on the Greek gods and mythology.
October 9, 2011:
We are still working out the details for how to end our Greek Week celebration, but I am sure we will come up with something ridiculous and fun!
Oh and did I forget to mention you should check back for information on giveaways during Greek Week? Oh, my bad...
Get your togas and ambrosia ready people! See you next week!
~Shel
** It is entirely possible that I forgot a fun Greek/mythology inspired series and if I did - please tell me. I do not want to leave anyone out. AND if it is a book I have yet to discover, I definitely want to check it out! You can comment here or send an email to bibliojunkies @ gmail.com
Guys, we are totally cooking up some fun for our Greek Week coming October 3-9! We will have interviews, reviews, contests and any other silliness we can come up with!
We will have reviews of some of our favorite books featuring Greek mythology, gods, monsters and mayhem, including:
And we have winners! First thanks to everyone for wishing Bel a Happy Birthday! Here at BiblioJunkies, we do not just celebrate the day - we celebrate the week, or sometimes the entire month of our birthdays!
Bel asked me to extend her thanks and to let you all know that she ate lots of pie (and other goodies), read great books and watched cute boys (Vampire Diaries, Thor, etc). Oh, and she also hung out with friends and family...
Anyway, enough of that, you want to know who won right? Ok, here goes...
The winner of the Vampire Prize is:
Maria!
And the winner of the Angel Prize is:
Sarah!
I sent emails to our winners, please respond with your addresses and the shipping goddess, Nat will send out your winnings!
Thanks again for playing. Check out our Contests & Giveaways page for the details on our upcoming Giveaways for Greek Week & The Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, both in October!
Congratulations! I have sent emails to the winners, please respond with your mailing addresses and our mailing goddess Nat will ship out your books!
A big thanks to everyone that stopped by and participated! There is a lot of vampire love out there, but I am happy to report, that Angel/Angelus seems to remain mine (I am so glad I do not have to fight anyone for him)! Bel is psyched that there is so much Damon (Ian) love and Nat, she loves 'em all (but especially Edward, me thinks). I believe I definitely have some new books to check out based upon the responses, so thank you!
Stay tuned for our next giveway - September 1-7 we are participating in the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried in Books.
Nat & I may be cooking up some extra special fun in honor of a certain BiblioJunkies, uhm, 25th birthday the middle of September. And October 3-9, we are celebrating the release of Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan with Greek Week! We look forward to seeing you all back for these awesome giveaways and events!
From HarlequinTeen: It's always been just Kate and her mom—and 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.
