starcrossed

 

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini was a delightful read. I came across it while scouring Goodreads and decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. Honestly, it started out a little slow. There was one point early on that I considered switching to another book and coming back to this one. I am so glad that I kept reading though, because the story really found its groove, and from then on was sweeping. It's a marvelous retelling of Greek mythology, with subtle nods to various stories.

Helen is a seventeen year old girl living on the small island of Nantucket. Like some teenagers, even though she doesn't feel comfortable with herself, she is surrounded by steadfast love from her father, his business partner Kate, her best friend Claire and their friend Matt. Nothing ever exciting happens on Nantucket. Nothing, that is, until the Delos family moves onto the island.

From the moment they first lay eyes on each other, Helen and Lucas Delos have a thing. It starts out as pure hatred; although she feels hatred for all the Delos clan, her pure, unadulterated loathing of Lucas really sets them apart. After a weird accident, though, Helen and Lucas become inseparable.

Lucas and his family explain the ways of the Scions, or demigods, to Helen so that she can better understand her life. They wrap her into their family fold, and welcome her ... for a time. Forces beyond their control, and family members with bad intentions start to break the happy facade they have started to build.

As I stated above, it was somewhat slow to get into. Part of that was because of Helen. Her self-loathing was somewhat old, and it bugged me. She thought herself a freak, and that kind of thing bothers me. Once the story got going, though, Helen gained her confidence and started to see that she had gifts, not handicaps.

Helen's relationship with Lucas was incredibly sweet, and well explained. Once she (highlight to view spoiler) {saved his life by bringing him back from the wasteland after their fall,} their romantic chemistry clicked. Their devotion to each other was admirable, but not in the sickly way that can become annoying. I will say, that I did not like the revelation that (highlight to view spoiler) {Helen could be Ajax's daughter} although we'll see in the next book, Dreamless. From what Pandora said, (highlight to view spoiler) {and the math supports, Helen wouldn't be Ajax's daughter or Lucas' cousin}. 

All in all, a great read. I always love Greek mythology, and feel that with books like Rick Riordan 's Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus, the door could be opening for more to come our way.