Review: Master on 'Starcrossed'

Hello there! Here we have Master's first review, enjoy :)

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Author's official website: http://www.josephineangelini.com/

ISBN:  978-0-330-52973-0

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My rating for Starcrossed: 4.5/5.0

Me summing up this book in 3 words: mythology, cinematic, gripping.

Review:

Starcrossed is the first book in Josephine Angelini's debut series, and in my opinion this is a very promising start. It is arguably my favourite out of all the books I read last year, probably because it is just a great big ol' mix of a lot of things I'm into at the moment. To be completely honest, it was very difficult to put this down and I was pretty much hanging onto the edge of the book the whole time.

The story is based on Greek mythology, specifically Helen of Troy, but is set in modern day Nantucket. [If you want a proper plot synopsis read further. I just didn't want to spoil anything.] Even though there are other series based on modern-day versions of mythological characters, the way this is written plus the clever intricacy of how the myth is weaved into the plot, in my opinion, makes this stand out amongst the crowd.

The language used in the book is never really very complex, however it is used in such a way to create absolutely splendid imagery in the reader's mind. The scenes just play out in your head like a movie, which just makes it so much more enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this if you like Greek mythology, romance, drama and suspense!

Spoilers from here onwards.

So, here's a better plot synopsis just in case people didn't want it spoiled for them:

The story follows a shy teenager, Helen Hamilton, who's life gets turned on its head when a new family arrive on the island of Nantucket, which is where she lives. Upon first meeting Lucas Delos, one of the boys from the new family, Helen see three weeping women appear and is overcome with an incredibly strong urge to kill him, however Lucas manages to stop her. Once these initial problems are solved, their relationship develops into something incredible and beautiful. Eventually, they find that they are bound together in something much bigger that has been going on for hundreds of years. They are, in a way, reincarnations of Helen and Paris, meaning that their unity will start another Trojan war.

One of the aspects that I love most about this book is the characters. The demigods are all clearly physically strong characters, whilst the mortals exhibit mental strength, which definitely makes up for their obvious lack of godly powers. There’s a great mix of personalities, from the eccentric to the kind, the hot-headed to the mysterious, this story has all bases covered.

One thing that bothered me, however, was the dramatic irony. I guess it makes for a better story overall so that it can be resolved in the rest of the trilogy, but I must admit that I was mentally screaming at one of the characters for what they didn’t confess!

All in all, I absolutely adore this book and I have already read this a few times through along with the second book, Dreamless. I cannot wait for the final book, Goddess, which should be released in May.

Comment below if you have read/are planning to read this :)