Thursday, May 23, 2013

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Published: May 31st 2011
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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.

If they were to sell this series in an Estonian bookstore, I could not pass them by without ogling the covers. They’re gorgous! I had heard of these books all over blogosvere and the Internet so it was only a matter of time ‘til I would have found myself reading them. I am a fan of mythology and originality and these are the two departments where this book shines and stands out like a nebula on a cloudless night.

“I don’t care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart.” 

Starcrossed is a completely compelling and original take on descendants of the Greek gods. The writing in general is very descriptive which I usually don't like but in this case surprisingly enjoyed. I even liked the romance part: I am not, in fact, a fan of insta love, but this was an insta love with a twist and surprisingly Angelini made it work for me! Lucas and Helen’s relationship grew from mutual respect and friendship in addition to lust and love. I was fascinated by their story and it was impossible for me to not cheer them on.

On the other hand, I’m not sure if I connected with any of the characters in a way I expected to. Helen, only sixteen, sometimes comes off a little immature and patience is definitely not her virtue. She is also very independent and strong. I do think with age she’ll mature, but for now she was a little too unstable for me. My favorite character was Hector though *winks* The other thing that bothered me was the far too long chapters part. I don’t think this will improve so I’ll just have to get used to it I guess.

Overall, it is a very, very strong start to a fascinating and compelling series that has a massive following. I believe it to be a very original take on Greek mythology and Angelini’s epic (in the sense of lyrical ‘n stuff) writing style definitely stands out among some other YA authors. I do believe it has room to grow, but I did very much enjoy it, thank you.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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9 comments:

  1. I have had Starcrossed sitting on my shelves forever Siiri, but I've just never got around to picking up my copy. To tell you the truth, I've never really read a lot of books on Greek Mythology and I'm not a big fan of insta-love either, but the way you've described these aspects actually working for you, makes me want to give this book a try sooner. Also your cover is way prettier than mine! Lovely review! :)

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  2. I really liked this one. I thought that it was very well done. I am such a sucker for mythology, but it seems like a lot of them just blend together. Fabulous review!

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  3. Yay Siiri! I adored this one as well, I've always been drawn to stories that deal with Greek mythology, and this series is no exception. I agree Helen could be a little impulsive, but I had no choice but to forgive her because I feel like I would be the exact same way. I'd probably be someone readers would hate reading about:) Hector is awesome, I love him too. Can't wait for you to meet Orion in the next book!

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  4. I've seen this series around (the covers are really pretty), but they just didn't spark my interest. I am a huge fan of Greek mythology and love beach town books, especially Nantucket, so I'm not sure why I wasn't drawn to the premise. I may have to pick this up, after all. Great review!
    -Natalie @Natflix&Books

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  5. Good choice to pick up Starcrossed! I really loved it, but the second book kinda disappointed me. Will read Goddess very soon and find out if Helen and Lucas will be together in the end. Great review! Thanks:)

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  6. I'm not a huge fan of overly descriptive world building either, so I'm glad to hear it worked in spite of that. I don't like insta-love but I totally get insta-attraction and lust! Haven't we all had that happen to us? Those covers are gorgeous! Great review, Siiri! :)

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  7. You know, I read this when it came out, and I loved it. But for some reason I never cared about continuing the series. You've made me reconsider. Great review, Siiri!

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  8. I'm very interested in this sort of insta-love, because I agree: sometimes it can work. And I always love mythology :D!

     Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  9. I so, so, so need to start this series! It's on my shelf but I have yet to pick it up. I'm always worried that it won't be as unique as Greek Gods can be, but I'm glad to hear that's not the case! Yay for originality :D I also don't like insta-love. It's nice to hear it works in this book. That's impressive on the author's part. I'm officially bumping this one up on my TBR pile! Great review, Siiri :)

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