Starcrossed

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
★★★★★ and then some
Release Date: May 31, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Harper Teen
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Greek Mythology, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

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.

Wow, Wow, Wow! I absolutely love this book, not loved as in the past, but LOVE as in right now I am loving it because I can't stop thinking about it!! I've been reading a lot of books in the paranormal category recently and I figured this one would be shaped from a cookie cutter just like some of the rest, but I was very wrong. It is a breathtaking paranormal love story woven inside some fantastic retelling of the mythology we all know and love. It blew me away from the writing to the plot and especially characters. 

Using Greek Mythology, much like the beloved Percy Jackson books (but so much better), Angelini created a new series that I can explain in 3 words: I NEED MORE! Ahh. It was truly a fantastic read. With its addicting paragraphs that kept me reading late into the night, this one is sure to please fans of various genres including: Paranormal Romance, Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Action, and so many more. 

I'm a sucker for strong female leads (Hunger Games, Poison Study, Graceling) Tough Girls Rock! Helen is every bit that tough and powerful, it is awesome (she is awesome). She does have a people pleasing attitude and buries a lot of her own opinions deep down, but throughout the book that exterior starts to shift and we get to hear her voice. Her new forwardness partnered with her amazing strength could make Helen unbeatable. She starts off as a secluded high school girl in a little bubble all crouched over to hide her tall stature and beautiful face from sight, but she never goes unnoticed. When this sweet natured girl encounters a boy she has a deep (unexplainable) desire to kill Helen starts wondering how different she really is. A message I received from this story is that we all write our own future no matter how entwined in a "set" destiny we are, we make choices to impact our world and change things, it's a message a lot of teenagers could use.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book is how many twists Angelini takes the reader on. She throws so many curve balls the plot keeps everything moving so fast and interesting. She introduces the reader to a lot of new ideas throughout the book but in simple fashion that didn't make me wonder what was going on, in simpler terms I got it. 

I wasn't really a fan of the way the story would change characters point of view or narrators. One minute we would be following Helen around and then suddenly we'd switch to another person, it didn't happen often and since it's an ARC maybe that's something that will be changed but often I was sort of confused and it led the story to flow awkwardly in some parts. I was also a little lost on the time, or the day, it was. I found myself sometimes reading back a few paragraphs to find out where we had left off, if it was still Friday or had the story moved to Saturday quickly. 

Along with the story, the characters in the book were very original and so much fun to get to know. Hector, with his bold attitude, is one of my favorite macho guys from the books I've read recently. The family bond seen in the Delos family was pretty inspirational and was a great portrayal of a large extended family home with the loud dinners and rowdy kids, which is always fun to read.

Overall I am a huge fan of Starcrossed! From it's modern use of mythology to its heartbreaking love story and all the action and fun in between. Josephine Angelini made a believer out of me and I'll be searching for more Scion fun from her next novel in the series, since this one isn't even out yet I will be waiting a while, but I'm sure it will be worth it.