Series: Starcrossed #1
Hardcover: 496 Pages
Publication: May 31, 2011 by Harper Teen
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.
While the gods do pop up in this book, this is a very different book from all the other mythological books out there. First, there’s Angelini’s sense of humor; you have to love it. Then there’s the fact that the Trojan War plays a big part in this. And then… where else do you find a book where the girl tries to kill the guy the moment she lays eyes on him?
It does happen, and you have to admire Lucas’s control over his emotions. Imagine feeling the way he does and resisting the urge to fight back. In fact, the entire Delos family is incredible. I can’t imagine how it’d feel like to turn your back on your family and cross the Atlantic to start life anew… only to run into someone like yourselves and realize that the conflict is just starting.
Sometimes, I had trouble figuring out just why Helen isn’t part of the ‘in’ crowd with her good looks and natural talents; however, as Lucas somewhat points out, guys have a hard time approaching her. With her aversion to standing out in a crowd, it’s not surprising that she’s the way she is. While Helen is not the most stunning heroine in regards to personality, it does leave a lot of room for character development. I’m looking forward to seeing how she grows up over the course of the series.
Lucas… he’s really sweet and perfect. No, he isn’t flawless. Often he’s frustrated by events around him. He loves Helen and wants to be with her, but fate and blood are against them. It’s amazing how he deals with everything the way he does. Still, he’s not perfect, and he does try to be selfish a couple times, such as finally giving in to the temptation of trying to find a way to be with Helen. Yes, it’s a bad idea, sweet as it is.
Minor characters… for this one, I decided to define them with an adjective + one: Hector is the proud one, Jason the cute one, Ariadne is the sexy one, Cassandra the foretelling one, Creon is the ambitious one, Matt is the sweet one, and Claire is the kickass one. Then there are the adults, and they’re all cool in their own ways, especially Noel. That woman rules! (Literally.) Jerry is the waiting one, Katy is the faithful one, Castor is the collected one, Pallas is the angry one, Pandora is the melancholy one, and Daphne is the bitter one.
I really enjoyed figuring out the roles that the Delos family and Helen played in the great battle that has been spanning centuries and what their abilities were. Angelini doesn’t just have humor. She knows how to tell a story without making you feel like you’re left out of the loop. As the story is told in third person, you will get to meet the minds of characters other than Helen, giving you a better feel for where the story’s moving.
Readers won’t be able to help comparing Starcrossed to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series because of the beautiful and affluent new family moving in, but they do have their differences, and I liked Starcrossed much more. The characters are memorable, mythological legends are brought in, and there’s a plot. I love how Angelini adds her own twists to Greek myths with the ‘dry lands’, the idea of the Descender, and the blood baths resulting from a long ago curse.
Plus, there’s the Angelini humor factor. I’ll tell you that there are many scenes that got me cracking up, but there are two scenes in particular that had my family wondering if I hadn’t lost my sanity. You’ll know these two scenes when you read them. Hint: If you didn’t know better, you’d think the second scene was payback for the first.
Just when you think Helen and Lucas might be able to make their relationship work, a woman comes in, leading to further conflict between the two. I’m still wondering if they’ll ever get together—if there isn’t another plot twist in there. Starcrossed will make you laugh. It will make you cry. And it’s definitely living up to its hype! I recommend this to those who love a good mythological read, a good paranormal read, good humor, and a cute romance.
View my favorite quotations from Starcrossed.
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Christina Kit. says
I've been wanting to read this for such a long time:))
It's great when the idea's really good, and the characters both flawed and likable.
The mythology sounds awesome!
Thanks for the review:)
Sonia Lal says
good review! never heard of this book, but I am always on the lookout for good YA!
Josie Angelini says
Thanks, Kris! <3