Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Summary (from Goodreads): 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.

My Thoughts: Wow, what a book. I loved it. From beginning to end, it was fabulous. I was quite intrigued at the beginning, and HOOKED by about 100 pages in. (Don’t believe me? Check out my In-Progress post! Don’t worry, I’ll wait …)

Helen is a great, likable character. Even when she finds out the truth about who she is, she remains as faithful and loyal to her father and her mortal friends. She doesn’t ditch anyone for her new-found super friends. I like that! So many girls in books like this seem to separate from people from their life before, and ditch them for their new friends and/or new life. Even better, these new friends embrace her as she is, and also welcome her existing friends and family!

This book is overflowing with Greek/Roman mythology. We have, most obviously, Helen of Troy represented. Lucas is, of course, Paris. He is the only one who doesn’t bear the name of a well-known figure in mythology. And, yes, we do learn the reason for that. There also is Hector, Jason, and Pandora – to name a few of the others. And, no, they are not the people from way-back-when. They are current-day people who bear the names of their long-ago ancestors.

There are some big questions, of course, and the answers aren’t too predictable.  I had some idea about the perpetrator of some attacks early on, but had forgotten about that until toward the end – when we find out for sure. We find out which House (or family) Helen is from, and by the time it’s revealed it’s no secret to the reader. It’s not blaringly obvious, and it’s entirely possible that one might not pick up all of the clues before it’s revealed by the characters. There were a couple of unexpected twists, one of which kind of double twists. (You’ll see what I mean when you read this.) Very exciting!

I would like to say that if you’re a fan of Greek/Roman mythology, then you’ll love this, but I don’t know. I’ve studied it a little, and really enjoyed it, but my recollection of most of the stories is pretty fuzzy. There might be purists out there who don’t appreciate this take on the ancient myths.

I cannot say enough how much I loved this book! It’s easily one of my favorites so far this year. Fabulous, fabulous book. I will be anxiously – with bated breath – waiting for the rest of the series!

My Rating: 5 stars

Favorite Quotes: There are a couple this time.

Helen hadn’t realized how heavy the burden of hate had been until she was allowed to put it down. ~ page 110 (ARC)

I don’t think I need to explain why I felt like this was worth sharing.

They dragged the air mattress up to the widow’s walk and eventually figured out how it was supposed to inflate, but Lucas had to read the instructions in Spanish because the English ones were nearly incomprehensible. Hilariously so.

“Insert mouth to the purpose inflation,” Helen whispered, quoting one of the stranger lines of the English instructions as she fixed up the newly filled mattress with sheets.

“Expel lung into inflator tube,” Lucas whispered back. He stuffed a pillow into a fresh case. “That sounds like it would hurt.” ~ page 333 (ARC)

I’m sharing this because it cracked me up. I laughed out loud, making my kids wonder why Mommy was going crazy! LOL Hopefully I’m not the only one who finds it so funny!

Source: Received through Book It Forward ARC Tours for review.

Read It: Starcrossed is scheduled for release on May 31, 2011. You can pre-order it HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011.

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This review is part of Book Review Party Wednesday.

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