Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from 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.

 

Starcrossed is based around Greek Myths and the idea that some people are descended from the Greek gods (and called Scions). Aspects of mythology and elements from old stories are interwoven into this modern day re-telling. Helen has never known her mother and has grown up not knowing the reason for her weird powers. She has always been very self-conscious, feeling that she must be a freak because she is incredibly strong and can run very fast. She has always shied away from revealing anything about herself. She starts having vivid nightmares, and waking up in the morning with muddy feet like she really has been walking through a desert, and then having hallucinations of three women everywhere she looks.


When a new family moves onto the island it is big news. There are 5 new teenagers in this family and starting at the local school. But the first time Helen meets Lucas Delos it doesn't go well. Lucas and Helen's story is loosely based around the story of Paris and Helen of Troy, in that if they fall in love and run off together they will start another war. However, the Fates are determined to see them repeat the mistakes of the past and make it difficult for them to stay away from each other. This explains their instant and powerful attraction to each other. I liked the way the relationship between Helen and Lucas kept changing, and taking unexpected turns.


I also liked the contrast between their families- Lucas has always been part of a large extended family, and they are very close, they will do anything for each other and are very bound to each other by their secret and by a sense of duty, whereas in Helen's case it has always been just her and her father. Lucas's cousin Hector was a great character as he is so tough and unpredictable. Lucas and his family teach Helen about her powers and how to use them to defend herself from the other Houses. And as events take a sinister turn and Helen is hunted, Helen has to let her friends Claire and Matt in on the secret as well. Claire was another of my favourite characters- she is very funny and feisty and determined not to be left out of anything.


I really liked this book- an engrossing fast-paced read with plenty of action, twists and turns, and forbidden romance. I'm curious to know what will happen in the next book.




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