Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Book Description via Goodreads:

Hardcover, 496 pages

May 31, 2011, Harper Teen

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Source: Harper Teen & Erika (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Witty and beautifully written, Starcrossed was one of those novels that I embraced. It was an enjoyable read that appealed to the romantic in me. It was such a joy to read a novel that was Greek-mythology-inspired that delivered so well.

Helen Hamilton was a shy, track star with extraordinary talents. She wanted to blend in, to avoid attention and as far as she was concerned, she was successfully hiding amidst geeks. Helen was simply Helen, an only child who was helpful and thoughtful, who loved her father and cared about her best friend, Claire.

I loved the twist in the mythology. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. There were four houses of the descendants of the Olympians. Each house possessed qualities of their parent god and each generation was stronger than the last. They were called Scions. The Scions, despite their numerous talents and advantages over mundane people, did not have perfect lives. They were involved in a lifetime of cycles that the Fates have spun. When the tapestry of their life was patterned after someone else’s, things turned out the same. It was sad to know that everything about them was predestined and that they felt that they did not really have a choice.

Helen and Lucas’ relationship, like other starcrossed lovers, was strained and problematic despite their almost irresistible attraction towards one another. They were fated to be in love but they were fated to be apart, as well. How tragic can that get? As Helen was learning about her abilities and training at the Delos’, she grew closer to Lucas. There were a hundred different ways of how she could fall in love with him. He was just ‘that’ guy – the one who blew her away and owned her heart.

I adored Claire. She was a good best friend. Amusing and full of life, she was one of the characters that I looked forward to. It was just a little sad that Claire faded into the background little by little. Hector, Ariadne, Cassandra and Jason were equally amazing. Hector was the strongest in the Delos family. He made me laugh, annoyed me, but still, earned my respect. Jason and Ariadne were two of the most dedicated and sweetest characters ever. Cassandra really intrigued me, though.

But just like mythology, Starcrossed possessed the same qualities of love, war and betrayal. There were lots of surprises in this novel. Just when I was starting to think I knew what was going to happen, things went in an entirely different way. Starcrossed is a very Greek read: bittersweet, romantic, full of action, tragic and unpredictable. I recommend this to readers who love Greek mythology and to readers of paranormal romance.

Rating: