When I first read the summary for Starcrossed, I was less than impressed. It seems that the incorporation of Greek and Roman mythology (along with dystopian themes) has become the new vampire novel. I had already read The Goddess Test and Abandon, both of which deal with Greek mythology. Coincidentally those first books both dealt with the Persephone mythos and while I enjoyed both books, I wasn't looking to read yet another book about the same thing - and by a brand new author at that. A few weeks passed and I continued to hear good things about the book - from the same people who had raved about Divergent, which is my current book du jour - and I started to think that Starcrossed might be different. Well it was far more than that...
For a new author, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing. Veronica Roth kind of spoiled me with Divergent so now my standards have been raised for new authors and Josephine Angelini did not disappoint. Growing up on Nantucket for Helen was obviously hard but it was described in a way that allowed me to get past the stigma usually associated with Nantucket - I mean, that's not my jam at all and I'd probably pitch a fit before going to a swanky island in the northeast...it's kind of my worst nightmare (aside from being landlocked in the midwest. Anyway, Helen isn't at some fancy pants private school or anything like that and she's not part of the popular crowd - but as time goes on you see that she's not necessarily the social pariah that she makes herself out to be either. While I'm not tall and skinny and blonde (ok, I am tall but not the other two) I still related to Helen's feelings about school and how she knew that something was different about her and she was terrified to let out exactly what was different in case it was a bad different. Supernatural tendencies aside, I think that most people felt that way in high school - scared to be bad different.
Once the Delos family shows up from Spain, Helen's life practically goes to hell until it stops. Helen and Lucas end up saving each other and eliminate the animosity between them. Because Helen's mother abandoned her, Helen knows nothing about her lineage or about all of her special powers. The Delos family lets her in on the fact that she is actually a descendant of the Gods, a demigod, and has powers that many of them haven't seen before. As the story unfolds, you learn more about how everyone is related and what is happening within the politics of the demigods. I am somewhat of a petulant reader and get bored with those types of outside plots very easily - I want romance, ok!? - but I ended up enjoying the politics much more than I thought. There are secrets and intrigue that explain so much of why things are the way that they are, like why Helen's mother left her and why Pallus Delos isn't fond of Helen and so on and so forth. It was interesting enough but not so convoluted that you get lost in a web of confusing relationships and scandals.
Now to my favorite part of the story - the romance! Lucas won my heart with his looks, first off - I won't even lie. He's described as tall, tan, dark-haired and blue-eyed aka right up my alley. I'm also sucker for enemies turned lovers, which is what happens with Helen and Lucas. When it began with so much animosity, I knew that it was going to pull at my heartstrings in the best way possible. Because of their lineage and such, they are somewhat destined for each other in a roundabout way. It's difficult to explain it without ruining anything, but neither of them really knows how to handle it and they fumble a lot but usually together. There are some fights, as there is bound to be in any young adult novel, but just the right amount to make it feel real but not melodramatic. Here is where I have to break out the spoilers though and I apologize for that, but it has to be said. SPOILERS. One of my biggest beefs with The Mortal Instruments series is the quasi-incest that takes place between Clary and Jace. Hands down why I never finished the series, among other things. Now, there comes a point in the Starcrossed where Helen and Lucas believe that they are first cousins. Not as bad as siblings, but still a major turning point for my opinion of the book. Angelini is smart though because she lets us know in the next chapter they are in fact NOT related. Thank God, right? Too bad Helen and Lucas don't know and the book ends with them apart. But I believe that this plot point sets up the series perfectly as it makes the reader curious about where exactly Angelini is going to take the series. While I would have preferred a different method for doing this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural young adult novels - even those that don't normally lean towards supernatural. It's definitely worth a re-read in a month or two and has me waiting (im)patiently for the next book!
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Top reviews from other countries
Anabel Martineau
I would recommend this book to everyone who like this gendre
Reviewed in Canada on October 1, 2015
