ARC Review: Goddess (Starcrossed #3) by Josephine Angelini

Goddess (6^th June 2013)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Series: Starcrossed

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 480

Publisher: Macmillan Childrens Books

Puchase: Amazon – TBD

Australian release date: 1st June 2013

Song I associate with Goddess – Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

She must rise, or they will fall ...Helen's powers are increasing--and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war. The final book in this heart-stopping trilogy.

Reviews: 5 out 5 Stars

I literally did a happy dance when I received a copy of Goddess in the post from Pan Macmillan Australia. When I first read Starcrossed, I completely fell in love with the characters and the mythology, Dreamless broke my heart on so many levels but my adoration for the series just grew and Goddess just blew me away and threw the series onto my favourites list, it was perfection.

After the events of Dreamless, the gods have been unleashed and want to start a war so are causing havoc as a result but Helen is not only having to deal with them, the furies have spoken through the Oracle telling them there is a tyrant amongst them but working out who it could be is proving difficult although all fingers are pointing to Orion.

Helen is made of pure awesome! I adore her strength, determination and selflessness, she has progressed so much since Starcrossed and her devotion to those she is closest to is unwavering. She makes mistakes along the way but she faces her responsibilities and takes ownership of the role she should be playing. In Goddess, we see her gain new powers but with it comes a slip in her control and she does begin to falter causing those closest to her to question her restraint and purpose.

I don’t want to reveal too much about this book but it was epically amazing! It is a complex plot filled with action, betrayal, deceit and mythology that would have to hands down be the best I have read. It was fast-paced and kept me flipping the pages needing to know what was going to happen next and war doesn’t come without loss so this aspect was especially edge of the seat, heart-pounding, knee wobbling tension! There were twists and turns aplenty that left me gaping.

The world-building has evolved and I am glad we got to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to see the part and the purpose each of the characters played. I was glad to see snippets of the past through Helen to see why things happened as they did, slowly bit by bit the history of the original war was revealed and why it was being re-enacted all over again.

Despite not enjoying love-triangles, the romance is written well; Ms. Angelini knows how to write smexy boys and both Lucas and Orion were equally appealing, it was almost impossible to decide who she should be with because they both had such remarkable qualities. I was heart-broken in the previous books by the fact we all knew the truth about Lucas and Helen’s relationship but they were left in the dark under the false pretence they were cousins, I was anxiously awaiting to find out how it would all be revealed; I had picked a side early on and had my fingers tightly crossed that they would get a HEA.

The characters have endured so much together but they remain strong despite the many obstacles thrown their way. The gods are also written beautifully and are depicted just the way I imagine each of them. I especially loved the role Hector played, he has always been a favourite character of mine and Daphne surprised me, the ongoing presence of the Delos family and the roles they each play has been wonderful. In this book we see loyalties divided but the overall resolution was satisfying.

Josephine Angelini’s detailed writing, Nantucket Island and underworld setting, wonderfully crafted characters and amazing storyline is creative, unique and brilliant. I find her storytelling mesmerising and I am definitely eager to read more books written by her – I can definitely see the possibility of a spin-off series.

Overall, a fabulous, breathtaking conclusion to the Starcrossed series, I am saddened to see it come it an end but I’m satisfied with how it all played out.

Thank-you kindly to Pan Macmillan Australia for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Goddess.

About the author: Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Starcrossed is her first novel.

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My Starcrossed Review

My Dreamless Review