Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Publication Date: May 31st, 2011

Published By: HarperTeen

Hardcover, 496 Pages

Source: E-book from Netgalley courtesy of HarperTeen

Summary:

"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."

Review: ***** = 5 Stats

This is the second book with a Greek mythology twist that I have read in the past week. I was worried that reading two books with a similar concept that close together might have me comparing too much. I was glad that that wasn't the case. While both books (Starcrossed & The Goddess Test) have themes of Greek mythology, the books are completely their own and I didn't find myself comparing them to each other at all(phew!).

At some point after I finish a book, I usually look on Goodreads to see where I rate a book compared to where others rate the book, to see the different opinions. I was surprised to see the ratings for this book range from 2 to 5 stars. For me, I'm with the 5 star crowd. While the book might have started out a tad bit slow, once it gets into it, there's no turning back. I also saw some people saying there are too many comparisons to Twilight, and I honestly have to say I don't see it. I mean, I can see things that are the same but it's not like I'm reading and thinking, oh hey this is too similar to that book. It's doesn't read as it's copying elements, it reads like it was written well enough to be it's own story. Or maybe I just realize that all books will have similarites to some extent no matter what, if you look hard enough, you will find some.

There are many details I will leave out, because a lot of them play into the bigger picture, and it's no fun going into a book knowing how everything will turn out.

Helen is an only child that lives with her father, her mother having left them long ago. She stays under the radar for the most part due to painful cramps that she gets when being the center of attention. A new family has just moved onto the island and talks of them spread through the halls of the high school quickly. The first one Helen has contact with is Lucas Delos, and the instant their eyes lock she heads straight towards him and attacks to kill. She doens't know what is wrong with her, but the idea of her going crazy becomes more realistic everytime she is near one of the Delos' and she sees the image of three women crying tears of blood. It isn't until one night after a mystery person attacks Helen, that an encounter with Lucas will change everything she knows about herself and her future.

I was enchanted by the relationship between Lucas and Helen, as well as the relationships between her and the other characters, such as her best friend Claire and the other Delos family members. A lot of the questions I was asking throughout the novel got answered as I went along, and some were left in the open. I CANNOT wait to continue this story in Dreamless(Starcrossed #2). I have to know what happens and what direction Josephine will take the story. Oooo I'm giddy just thinking about it!

Starcrossed is the perfect blend of romance and action, that will have you hoping a family like that of the Delos' move to a town near you. Fresh, exciting, and unputdownable, you will race to finish it and then wish you took your time since book two won't be out for a while... =P

Also, as far as the Greek mythology is concerned, I don't have a degree in it. I certainly couldn't tell you much about it. I enjoyed how it was written in this book. I can't say how accurate it is or isn't, but I probably won't be wasting my time to research it. When it comes to fiction books, I really don't mind if things are changed around or different, as long as I enjoy them when I read them, and I definitely did in Starcrossed.

So, this may be one of those books that you either dislike or really love, I personally loved it. HarperCollins and Harperteen have some awesome books coming out this year, and this is just one more to add to the list!

To find out more about Josephine Angelini or to keep updated on all things Starcrossed, check out her webpage here

or

go check her out on twitter!

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Feel free to leave your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree, or whether you can't wait to read it, I love hearing with my readers have to say!

Sherry<3