REVIEW: Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1) by Josephine Angelini

 

Author: Josephine Angelini

Series: Starcrossed

Pages: 496

Genre: YA - Paranormal

Publisher: HarperTeen

AMAZON: Starcrossed

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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 out of 5 stars

Shy and beautiful Helen Hamilton has always known she was different from others. Living on the small island of Nantucket with her father she tries to blend in as much as she possibly can. When she begins to have nightmares about deserts and waking thirsty, dirty and covered in dust and hallucinating at school about three women weeping tears of blood does she begin to think she might actually be losing her mind.

The town of Nantucket are fascinated by the arrival of newcomers, the Delos Family but when Helen first sets eyes on one of the boys, Lucas at school her hatred is fierce and she has a physical urge to kill him, she normally shies away from attention so she is certainly baffled by her reaction and attack on him, and also notices when the Delos family are around so too are the 3 weeping women.

After avoidance and a few run-ins with the Delos family, her true heritage is revealed and she finds out she is a demigod or Scion as are they, and the reason for the strong urge she has to kill them is caused by the presence of the furies – the weeping women. She also finds out details of an ancient blood-feud and a prophecy in which she could possibly play the main role.

I was totally engrossed in Starcrossed, I loved the history and mythology, the characters and most importantly the romance, it wasn’t instantaneous it was slow to develop and really sweet, I really liked Helen and Lucas as a couple, they are joined by destiny and fate and I hope the truth behind the revelation made by her recently returned mother will eventually come to light.

The secondary characters are wonderful and well thought out, I loved the friendship she shared with her best friend Claire, the strong bond she had with her father Jerry as well as the trust she eventually gives to the Delos family; the way they protected, cared and trained her to reach her full potential despite their initial differences was kind and noble, I liked their family dynamic and the banter – I really felt sorry for the youngest family member Cassandra, an Oracle and also Hector who I grew to adore and I look forward to finding out more of what will come of them in future sequels.

I was frustrated by the ending and wished a number of things could have been revealed; There are a few loose ends which I am hoping will be covered in the next book, I just wish there wasn’t a year to wait for Dreamless which has an anticipated May 2012 release date.

A wonderful, engaging and intense debut novel by Ms Angelini, it is beautifully written and vividly detailed with an evenly paced plot that kept me constantly turning the pages and wanting to know more.

Favorite line: Helen, beloved of the goddess of love, went downstairs to crawl into her empty bed as Lucas, the son of the sun, leaned back onto his elbows and watched his father-god brighten the bare wooden planks of her window's walk.