Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 502 pages

June 1, 2012, Pan Macmillan Australia

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling STARCROSSED delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds expectation.

Source: Charlotte & Pan Macmillan AU (Thank you!!)

Warning: Might be a bit spoilery for people who haven’t read Starcrossed yet.

My Thoughts:

First of all, Starcrossed left me curious, a little heartbroken and wanting more. I got what I wanted in the sequel but not in the way that I expected. There were lots of changes in Dreamless. First of all, Lucas and Helen were driven apart by fate, their friends and family, and Helen’s obligation. The growing distance affected them. I saw how they suffered but I like that the ‘suffering’ wasn’t eating away the plot like in other novels.

Helen was this generation’s Descender, the only person who could visit the underworld physically. With the additional pressure of reuniting Hector, her friend and cousin, with the Deloses and the daily push that her friends gave her, Helen was driven beyond her limits. She was exhausted and frustrated but she kept moving forward.

Helen’s nocturnal visits to the Underworld to get rid of the Furies became the most exciting part of the novel for me. Despite how it was filled with terrifying and abandoned landscapes, I enjoyed reading about it. It had an eerie kind of beauty that awed and freaked me out at the same time. It was filled with so many surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, that came in the form of monsters and gods.

Just when Lucas was keeping his distance, Helen met Orion in the Underworld. He was a gorgeous Adonis with good intentions. But unlike other gorgeous guys, he didn’t abuse his good looks and his charm. He was also a dedicated friend and partner in crime. But Orion has a dark side and vulnerable side. Like all Scions, he was a victim of the cycle of revenge. My heart broke for him when I found out about his lifestory. I have to admit that I’m Team Orion now.

Jason and Claire had a budding but complicated relationship. Jason became overprotective of Claire, always fuming and ranting about how Helen was selfish and how Helen had no concept of how Claire could get hurt really bad (track scene and flying scene.) I get his point but he kept doing this to the point that it was excessive. I felt bad for Helen. She was slaving away in the Underworld, trying to accomplish the impossible for Scions who may or may not care about her depending on their temper, like Jason. I hated him. Helen’s father was a full mortal. Of course, she knew how fragile humans were.

I felt that the writing could still be improved. I enjoyed the simple manner of the narration but since the plot was suspense, romantic and action-packed, I think that it would have been better to amp up the narration’s complexity so it could go hand in hand with the same height as the plot.

Dreamless is a captivating adventure that goes beyond earth, conquers the depths of the mysterious and surprise-filled Underworld and lures readers with its romance, action, chaos and unpredictability.

Rating: