Starcrossed by Josephine Angelinipublisher: HarperTeenrelease date: May 31, 2011hardcover, 496 pagesintended audience: Young adultrating:
source: from author for honest review/book tour
description:
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
Review: Here's a sign of a really good book: going about my day feeling like I can't wait to get back to it, feeling like I'm missing the characters that I've become so invested in that I can't wait to see what they'll do next---and then suddenly remembering that I finished the book and feeling sad, missing them all the more like long lost family.
Here's another sign of a really good book: Ultimate. Emotional. Roller Coaster.
Josephine Angelini is am amazing storyteller. I loved the characters she created. Her casual and descriptive writing style sinks you right into the middle of their world. It made me want to sit and joke with Helen and Claire (especially loved tiny, spunky Claire!). And sit down for dinner with the great big Delos Family and eat something yummy and home-cooked by the amazing, loving Noel (Lucas's mother). After getting to know them all, I was emotionally sucked in to this story and stuck there! It had me all over the place---laughing, angry, frustrated, worried, awestruck...and heartbroken. The love story is such a great one...how can it not be when it starts off with them inexplicably trying to kill each other? They have so much to overcome and so many uncontrollable factors working against them...I literally felt that empty hole in my chest that I vividly remember from my own teen years, when you think you love someone and start to feel it slipping away.
All gushing aside, I did have a two little cons: I admit that once or twice, I felt my attention dip---in nearly 500 pages, it's bound to happen---whether it was from a bit too much detailed description or a rehashed situation, it really didn't take much away from my love for this book. Also (and this is 100% my own personal quirk and possible reading inadequacy :D), I tend to have a little awkwardness when reading about people flying. Especially when they don't have wings...it somehow doesn't translate into my mind's eye without coming off as a little superman-style cheesy. Again, that's my own personal quirk---I'm sure not all readers are as weird about that as me!
An amazing debut, and totally lived up to the hype for me. I can't wait for the sequel!! I'll be missing these characters until then!
Visit Josephine Angelini's site here.
Purchase Starcrossed at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound
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