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Goddess of Spring
by P.C. Cast
The latest in P.C. Cast's Goddess Series, and a real surprise to me
Ordinarily, I’m put off by books that seem too far fetched – I find them hard to relate to. So when a reader whose opinion I trust recommended these books about contemporary women and how they get caught up in ancient myths, I reluctantly added them to my TBR pile. But as I started to read Goddess of Spring, I saw I had doubted my friend in vain: P.C. Cast has managed to do what so many other authors of fantasy have failed: she made her story seem real, even plausible (if you take a giant leap of faith). The difference between her story and so many others is that the leap didn’t seem that large at the time I was reading, and I was more than willing to make it. Cast has written an original story, and managed to do so in an entertaining and enjoyable way.
It all starts with Lina Santoro, owner of Pani del Goddess bakery, a forty-three-year-old single woman who winds up in deep trouble with the IRS. Lina’s search for help brings her face to face (sort of) with the goddess Demeter, who has an interesting proposition for her: Lina will exchange bodies with Demeter’s daughter, Persephone for six months. In that time, Persephone will turn around the bakery, and Lina must take her place and pay a visit to the Underworld. There she meets Hades, God of the Underworld, who turns out not to be what she expected. In the end, nothing turns out the way she expected.
While the summary sounds confusing, (which has more to do with the reviewer not wanting to spoil anything than the book itself), the book is a great find. It’s full of interesting twists on classic myths, as well as Cast’s unique perspectives on both humans and the Gods/Goddesses. The characters are easy to identify with: the inclusion of an “older” heroine alone scores the author bonus points, and, thankfully, is each is full of traits both admirable and contemptible.
The Goddess of Spring was my first of Cast’s books, but I’m on the lookout now for the others in the series, and I suggest you do so too.
Title: Goddess of Spring
Author: P.C. Cast
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425197492
Review written by: Melissa McLaughlin
Reviewer's Rating:8
Reader's Rating: 8.00
Reader's Votes: 1
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