Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 31st, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages
Source: Author (Thank You!)
Series: Starcrossed #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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: I L-O-V-E-D this book! No really, loved it so much that I kept re-reading parts a day after finishing it. This will be one of my top books of 2011. I'm sure of it! I've been a complete fan-girl over this book all week and I will try to get my head together enough to write a review. But first, I must get all of the random, crazy, fan-girly thoughts out of my head.
Lucus *swoon*… HOT! Other hot boys with kick butt powers.*le sigh*. Must plot strategy for how to get book 2 from Josie's house.Hmm… will think of that later.
Okay, here goes. Helen Hamilton is beautiful. She tries to stay as closed off as possible because she hates attention. She has an adorable best friend named Claire who keeps her sane throughout the high school experience. Then one day she sees the new boy in school and can't seem to figure out why she wants to rip his hot little head off. I couldn't help but crack up at some of their first interactions. Josephine really brought some creativity to their struggles with each other.
From that point on Helen is only focused on Lucus and his family, no matter how hard she tried to go on with her daily life. She's not normally a violent person but she knows she wants them all dead. Spooky hallucinations seem to appear when they are close to her and she is sure she has gone insane. The more Helen tries to avoid Lucus, the more fate brings them together until one night all heck breaks loose and she finds out way more about her history than she would have ever thought possible.
Josephine's writing is beyond explanation. I experienced a full range of emotions while reading this book. From giddiness, to fear, to heart-pounding anxiety due to the intense action and passionate romance. I was hooked from the start! Helen was a wonderful character. I enjoyed seeing her spunk come out as the story progressed. She had a lot of power behind the cute face.
I am new to books that involve Gods and Greek mythology but Josephine did an amazing job weaving it into this book. It didn't feel forced or"too much" at one time. All the pieces slowly came together. Along with that, she introduces us to so many secondary characters that will steal your heart. Even though we don't get to learn everything about each of them, they were all so critical to the story and they really help bring everything together. It's rare to see a story with a"big family" and still know what is going on and who's who. Each family member had a distinct personality and after reading the book, I couldn't imagine even one of them not being part of this story.
Starcrossed is a book where I could picture everything in detail as I read it. The beauty of the Delos house, the view from the water, the sky, each character; everything was picture-perfect. It was like watching a movie.
Josephine Angelini was a master at presenting this new YA story that is sure to capture the hearts of many and only get more fantastic as the series continues. Starcrossed was much more than a"boy meets girl" type of story. The flow of the writing, action-packed plot, and outstanding characters make this book impossible to put down. A brilliant read with a captivating romance and a nice dose of mythology. It is a must read!
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