Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Pages: 480pgs

The Story

She must rise, or they will fall ...Helen's powers are increasing--and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war. The final book in this heart-stopping trilogy.

The Review

A big thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

A few years ago I absolutely fell hard over Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed tale and it was by far one of the most amazing ideas in Greek mythology that I've ever across in a YA novel. It's one of a kind to say the least. While I found it was unfortunate to not totally love the sequel, Dreamless, or this book for that matter, but considering everything I read in this final conclusion to Helen and Lucas's tale, I'm still very excited to read more from the author because she's a great writer and knows how to twist her plots in the most unexpected ways.

GODDESS, on a whole, was quite an interesting sequel. There was a lot going on, but what I loved in particular was Helen and how much she has grown as a main character, and even how she had dreams - or rather envisions herself - of when she was Helen of Troy. Yes! I loved witnessing those rare dreams and I wished we had more of them since Helen of Troy is very well connected to the central plot and are part of the reason why things are the way they are for the characters now. But the only (small little) thing I didn't quite understand in the book was the whole visions of Guinevere and the whole Arthur-Lancelot section. I get why they were added into the storyline for purposes of why Lucas and Helen were always torn apart in very complicated situations, but I didn't really understand how that could have connected to the Greek mythology ordeal but you know that was only a small thing I didn't like so much in the book.

In terms of the characters, all of them were still pretty great and proved themselves again and again with how to handle anything that was being thrown at them. Anything dangerous I mean. Helen and Orion, in particular, were my all time favourites in this book and were the clear standouts for me. Lucas . . . well I still love you dude for being there for Helen (even though we don't really see as much of you as I wanted to) but I wasn't quite a fan of you like I was with Helen and Orion. Like in all of the books, Helen has been through many trials to get to the point of where she is now and in saying that I thought she was the main person that handled everything perfectly. She didn't freak out like other characters did, she just held her ground and stood up for what she believed in, and most importantly, she stood up for herself and proved to others how much she loved Lucas and how she was going to fight for him no matter what. And really, what's better than that? All hail true love! And of course, Orion, what can I say? I adore him. I knew he didn't have a chance in hell to be with Helen in the way he clearly wanted to be, but I still appreciated how important he was in the book and how caring he was with Helen. Big fan of his! Big fan!

Overall, while I was slightly disappointed with the ending of GODDESS as I thought more would actually happen, but all in all, I thought this book was a great final conclusion and I'm looking forward to reading more of Josephine Angelini's work in the future.

The Rating

3 1/2 / 5 stars

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 503pgs

The Story

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen iis pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out - a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling STARCROSSED delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds expectation.

The Review

A big thanks to Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

I absolutely adored Starcrossed when I read it last year. It became one of my personal favourite debut novels in fact. The author, Josephine Angelini, had taken the fantasy and the mythology genre to a whole new level in YA fiction, and I was very much looking forward to reading her much anticipated sequel. As a result I had very, very high expectations and unfortunately DREAMLESS just didn't live up to those expectations. The beginning was a struggle for me but as soon as I hit the middle section of the book and read til the end, things had gotten even more epic which only goes to prove that this book wasn't bad at all . . . it just wasn't as good as the first.

The second installment DREAMLESS continues on from where Starcrossed left on from. With an ancient prophecy still lying heavily upon Helen's shoulders, where it's foretold that she must free the Scions from their bloodied debts owed to the Furies, she must, as a Descender, cross through the Underworld every night to find and defeat the Furies's quest of vengeance before killing each other in the process. But night after night, nightmare after nightmare, Helen struggles to keep everything together, even her own sanity until she meets another Scion - one she's never met before - who might be the only one who can help and save her. But with Lucas, the suppose love of her life, trying to keep clear of her as much as possible and with secrets unveiled at every turn, and with so many duties that she must undertake, the question remains to be . . . can Helen fulfill her prophecy or is it just a little too late for her to do so?

Firstly let me just say I was completely heartbroken over the whole Helen and Lucas relationship, especially since everyone seemed to think they were 'cousins'. So not cool. From the first book I was so in love with them and I desperately wanted them to find each other and be happy again, but it just didn't work out that way I'm afraid. And sadly, nothing much progressed in their relationship in this book either. Helen, the main character, still remained a great main heroine although for the majority of the book she was being wasted away. Literally. Since her trips to the Underworld are taking their toll on her and making her really thin and almost sick-like, and having the constant thought of your 'true love' being your cousin, Helen's character is pushed to the ultimate limits. But regardless of those matters, Helen has developed a lot more in this sequel which was a great thing to witness. She's being cruelly tested but that's not such a bad thing since it tests Helen in a good way. As for Lucas's character, where the hell was he? He was hardly in this book which was a such a disappointment. But when we do finally get to see our dear, dear Lucas, he too has changed like Helen. Lucas mopes around a lot for all good reasons I suppose but instead of being that charming guy he has always been, he has now become someone losing control which for him is a first. So it was also great to see some emotional sides to him but with that said, I still want more of Lucas in the third book. Way, way more of him.

What's even more interesting was that Josephine Angelini - like many other authors have done - have introduced a love triangle into the Starcrossed series. A thing I didn't expect from her at all. I may not have been jumping for joy over this but I was still interested in where she would take this new love triangle to. But despite my negativity towards love triangles most days (cause c'mon it's all been said and done), I was still pretty amazed to actually like - no love - the second love interest, Orion, the Scion boy Helen ends up meeting in the Underworld. Orion was simply wonderful and he was one of the main reasons why I kept reading and reading this sequel. I mean, as soon as Orion and Helen shared interactions with one another, I had become so invested in them and I know Lucas is still around and I should be loving him, but Orion has totally stolen my heart and if nothing can be worked out between Helen and Lucas, I really hope she gives Orion a chance. He's the better guy in this sequel and he really steps up his game!

Overall, DREAMLESS offers up yet another entertaining sequel and while I wouldn't say it was better than Starcrossed - because it's not - and while it may not have WOWed me like I hoped it would, but I'm still dying over here for the next book to come because the ending . . . it has left me wanting more!

The Rating 3 1/2 / 5 stars

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Release Day: May 31st/June 1st, 2011

Publisher: Harperteen/Macmillan

Pages: 496pgs

[though my ARC copy is longer]

The Story

How Do You Defy Destiny?
---

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different 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.

The Review

First off, let me just say a BIG THANK YOU to the Macmillan UK publisher for sending me an ARC copy of Starcrossed! I've been lusting for this book for a while now and I'm very thankful for the Macmillan to provide me one of the best debut novels I've ever read this year! To be honest, words cannot describe this debut novel by Josephine Angelini - it's addictive, filled with wonderful characters, weaved and twisted with Percy-Jackson-like myths, and in the end...it became one hell of a page turner! I've never been so addicted to a book since Vampire Academy and while that still remains my favourite YA series, this beautiful start to a trilogy is closely following behind!

First off, let's talk about the characters. I loved Helen when I first met her, I instantly connected with her til the very end. Sometimes she may have become selfish but that is how girls are at times, and when you're in love...it blinds you. Which then leads me to Lucas. I loved him! Simple as that. He was dedicated to Helen, in control most of the time (hehe), and he truly wanted what was best for her. The only thing that frustrated me about him was the fact that he was keeping things from Helen, and when he got caught out...well he could've saved himself the trouble to explain himself. Other than that, I loved every single character in the book - especially the Delos family, which oddly reminded me of the Cullens from Twilight. Only they were better! Throughout the whole book, I saw similiar Twilight elements, but at the same time I found myself thinking, "Now this is how Twilight should've been written!" I mean, you have a strong-but-sometimes-sensitive heroine - which I love, you have a love interest that would stay by her side no matter what - even when things seemed impossible (which you will see through the course of the book), and then you have an awesome mythology that is unique from most books nowadays which is another bonus.

When it comes to the plot itself, I won't say too much since it'll be spoilery, but I will say that when I read this secretly in my bedroom, it felt like I was hiding a big secret from everyone...a guilty pleasure that I couldn't help but keep to myself. So...when June comes around this year, DEFINITELY pick yourself a copy of this book! I loved everything about this book - I loved the Greek mythology that we explore, all the powers, all the Houses of families mentioned in the book, and most importantly, I loved HELEN & LUCAS! While the last few chapters left me in some depression (cause a lot of things happen that leave you saying NOoooo) and while it did have the same Twilight aspect, it was a refreshing take of a YA paranormal romance and I'm immensely looking forward to the sequel to this amazing debut novel! Way to go, Josephine Angelini! *two thumbs up*

The Rating

5/5 stars

This is the UK cover version, which I love a lot!

My ARC version has no actual cover, but its pure white with gold titles and gold cover backings, with this beautiful golden lightning strike on the front cover like the one featured here. It's beautiful even for an ARC copy! So big THANK YOU's to UK's Pan Macmillan for allowing me to feature this book review on this amazing debut novel! Expect good things from Josephine Angelini!

-- Erin xox.