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Starcrossed

(Starcrossed #1)

Josephine Angelini (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 70,897 ratings · 5,352 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 487 pages

Published May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen

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Average rating 4.04 ·

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· 70,897 ratings · 5,352 reviews

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Mar 25, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Someone I wish to torture

Recommended to Steph by: That person should run when they see me coming

Shelves: greek-myths, 2012-reads, ahhhhh-my-eyes, all-the-wrong-choices, bound-to-inflict-a-migraine, can-t-believe-i-finished, no-just-no, stop-it-already, youve-got-to-be-kidding-me, disappointment

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 03, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it it was ok

Shelves: just-plain-bad, kat-s-rants, kat-s-book-reviews, ya-pnr-maddness

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Starcrossed is the story of a teenage school girl, Helen, who meets new boy, Lucas, and tries to murder him with her bare hands for no reason. Lucas, also, wishes to kill Helen in a horrifically violent way because they’re both demigods on the opposite side of a war.

corny romantic picture

I really thought this book was going to kill me – either with hypertension or an aneurysm for all the times it had me almost screaming in frustration. For example:

Lucas is violently dragging Helen out of a supermarket. Helen doesn’t ...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Vinaya rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-fantasy, arc-galley, books-i-liked, books-i-ought-to-hate-but-don-t

**EDIT: I originally gave this book three stars, simply because it is based on Greek mythology, and I've had a love affair with Greek mythology since I was a kid. However, upon further consideration and a sudden recall of my Homer and Bullfinch, I am forced to concede that the Greek Mythology in this book is about as authentic as cranberry sauce in a can. So, only two stars, and I'm STILL being generous!

Two Twifans are walking down the street to the cinema

Fangirl 1: ZOMG, I h8 steffie meyer! Y h ...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Roohdaar rated it did not like it

Shelves: stupid, bad-writing, just-begging-for-snark, half-wit-characters, hate, not-again, cheese, pretentious

Beware of spoilers!

Characters:
So this is where I went ~~slightly~~ balistic. I'm going to talk about the two main freaks of the book.

Helen Hamilton:
description

Grams is a Mary Sue. She's so damn perfect and untouchable that it's difficult for me to relate to her. Tall, beautiful, graceful, heavenly. Hence, her nickname, "Heaven Hamilton." Really? She's quite pathetic really. She whines a lot and can't stand if someone makes fun of her, which reminds me of mostly ever other YA MC. She is also very selfish. Espec ...more

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Mar 16, 2013 "That's All" Ash rated it really liked it

Shelves: badass, favorite-moments, holy-rusted-metal-batman, i-heart, swoonworthy-characters, couldn-t-put-it-down, heartbreaking, omg, quick-witted, refreshing

--->WHAT THE HOLY GRENADE WAS THAT?! <---

A damn good book, that’s what that was. ;)

I am officially a Josephine Angelini fan, that’s for sure. She’s one intelligent, story-choreographic, badass woman! She definitely wrote a book that, from the very first page, has it all:

Romance.
Suspense.
Intrigue.
Action.
Mythology.

And it has Lucas Delos.

*eyebrow waggle*

photo tumblr_mc3hg5VpQP1qcy0p7o1_500-1.gif

____________________________________________

♦ Helen ♦

photo 32918a3482ffcc6eb4b1eeb86da9d935.jpg

Helen Hamilton has always been different.

She’s workin’ her way up to being 5’ ...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Cait rated it did not like it

Shelves: annoying-ending

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alright, I know that I originally rated this book 2.5 stars and, back then, I honestly thought that it deserved that much; I really did. However, a little over a month ago I was given an assignment for my AP class (we were reading the Iliad at the time) to cover the "apology of Helen" as was told in the Odyssey and really her whole life; especially the time when she was in Paris and how she effected the Trojan war. At first I was kind of moaning about it (my GR friends can attest to that) but, t ...more

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Aug 20, 2013 Blacky *Romance Addict* rated it liked it

Shelves: read-na-ya, review, read-2013, 3-stars-for-enjoyment, read-paranormal, my-fav-covers, t-gods-mythology

This is a story of an impossible love and two people destined to repeat history...

Wanna know who I loved most in the book?

I was never a fan of Helen and Paris, dunno why, and in this book the main couple certainly didn't change my mind.
I liked Hector the best, he is an amazing character and I wish HE was the main one instead of Paris, but oh well, can't have everything :(

The world building

Well, like I said, the main story here is the Trojan war about to repeat itself, and Paris+Helen's tragic lo ...more

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Mar 05, 2010 Krys rated it did not like it

Shelves: series, read-in-2011, priority-2021, need-to-finish-did-not-finish, medium-length-book, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, young-adult, mythology, third-person-narrative

I hate to say this but I am going to be tearing this one apart. I think I'm the first person to write a negative review for Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini on the entirety of the internet. But that said, here goes nothing.

This book did nothing for me. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And here's why.

Starcrossed is set on Nantucket island and features the shy, willowy Helen as she gears up for the first day of her junior year of high school. She and her father live alone and she has a job and a best
I hate to say this but I am going to be tearing this one apart. I think I'm the first person to write a negative review for Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini on the entirety of the internet. But that said, here goes nothing.

This book did nothing for me. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And here's why.

Starcrossed is set on Nantucket island and features the shy, willowy Helen as she gears up for the first day of her junior year of high school. She and her father live alone and she has a job and a best friend, but something is coming. Something that will change Helen forever. Before she can even realize it the island is abuzz with news of the Delos family moving to the island. Helen begins to develop feelings of rage and unrest as she hears more about them. She begins to see visions of three women demanding blood. And, worse of all, the minute she meets the gorgeous Lucas Delos she tries attacks him.

Is Helen going insane? And what does all of it mean? And, why oh why, should I care?

I heard about this book over a year ago... all the book world has been waiting for it. "It's Percy Jackson for high school girls! It's the new Twilight series!" Blah, blah, blather. I was as excited as everyone else, but I'm over it. This book did so little for me.

Part of the problem is in the writing itself. This is a debut novel and it shows. Angelini's writing is less of a fluid storytelling style and more of a disjointed spewing of every thought Helen (or rather Angelini) has as she goes along. I watched as paragraphs of random thoughts congealed together to form what is supposed to be a narrative and I wondered why the character was so ADD. Then it hit me; Percy was ADD and this book is trying to be exactly that. I can't help but feel that Angelini decided to smash two popular things together to try to make something new and failed miserably.

I see that she loves Meyers. It shows. The writing is so similar. The problem is that no matter how much I (and everyone) loved Twilight (and the subsequent books) upon the initial reading there seems to be a universally agreed upon fact. Meyers, for all her success, is not a good writer. She's great at character development and in capturing the essence of Bella's spirit but not a great writer. We follow Bella because we identify so hard with her. Helen is no Bella. She's drippy and annoying and easy to disconnect from. I found nothing engaging about her.

To mimic something in tone, and do it worse than Meyers, is a crime. To try to tailor it after something that is so universally loved is also a bad move. It's going to get weighed against and slaughtered if it fails. I didn't even make it through one hundred pages and I was tossing this down in annoyance. I didn't like the voice of the main character, the smashed together plot line (which I feel I've read before) and the direction it was going. It felt overly contrived, and I was not amused by it. The only thing I enjoyed about it was the setting.

I'm not even the hardest core Meyers fan and I feel bad for her. In this case imitation is not flattery. The formula is way too similar. I feel even worse for Rick Riordan who shares a very like idea. This is an example of how his books could have been done if they were done. Very. Badly.

I wish I had more reviews up to compare it with. I know others are going to love this, and it will sell a ton. However, I did not love it. I did not like it. I couldn't go on, and that is always a bad sign.

1 out of 5 stars.

- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkkreads.com ...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it really liked it

Shelves: high-school, jericho-fucking-barrons, twins-triplets-clones, ya, siblings, paranormal, mythology, mental-illness

The first time I read this book, I just threw it down 50 pages in in disgust. I absolutely hated the initial pages of the book. Helen was insipid. Despite there being no clear description of her, I could tell that she was going to be another of those I-am-so-pretty-but-I-just-can't-see-it type of girl. Well, she is, and she is so typically Mary Sue, but upon a rereading, the entire book is so well-written and its portrayal of mythology so well-explained and creative that I am so glad I gave this ...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Kristi rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone!

Starcrossed is not your typical girl meets boy they fall in love and defeat the bad guy together. No, it’s much much MORE. I absolutely adored this book! I was left thinking about it long after I finished this enthralling story that entwines Greek mythology and modern day times so flawlessly and with such vivid accuracy I almost question if Ms. Angelini had witnessed the Gods-and all that that entails-herself.

Helen has lived her entire life on Nantucket Island, she’s always known she was differ Starcrossed is not your typical girl meets boy they fall in love and defeat the bad guy together. No, it’s much much MORE. I absolutely adored this book! I was left thinking about it long after I finished this enthralling story that entwines Greek mythology and modern day times so flawlessly and with such vivid accuracy I almost question if Ms. Angelini had witnessed the Gods-and all that that entails-herself.

Helen has lived her entire life on Nantucket Island, she’s always known she was different so she tries very hard to ‘fly under the radar’. This means never drawing attention to her unusual strength, speed or intelligence. Then the dreams come-acrid dry desert dreams that are so realistic she’s actually parched when she wakes; when the dreams become even more realistic, Helen realizes that whatever is happening is real and out of her control.

It’s only when the very large Delos family moves in to Nantucket’s largest most expensive home that Helen realizes why she’s different. The entire Delos family is a mystery to Helen; at first she hates the very sound of their name, it’s only when she sees Lucas Delos the first time and tries to kill him that she begins to come to terms with who or what she is. Danger now seems to lurk around every corner, if not from Helen herself then from others who want to capture or kill her. With the help of the Delos family, especially that of the gorgeous Lucas, Helen comes to terms with what she’s capable of. For the first time, Helen is comfortable with who she is and who she loves. She knows true happiness for awhile, despite the danger lurking but with the arrival of a family member that has been missing from Helen’s life for years, the danger increases and Helen’s left with chaotic feelings that tear her apart. Will Helen make the right choices to protect those she loves or will she choose a different path altogether?

This is such a complex story but to thoroughly review it would be to spoil it for the reader. What I can say is that I feel certain that this book will appeal to audiences of all ages and many genres. The brilliant weaving of Greek mythology with current times was dazzling-it was what I like to call -A One Sit Read- which is the highest of honors given by this reviewer. ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-book, for-review, arc-s, netgalley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

*This ebook was provided to me at no cost by the publisher*

Gah! I just finished this book and I don’t know if I want to scream or cry! I was so frustrated by the ending and revelations of this book. I don’t remember being this upset since the famous Clary-and-Jace-are-siblings revelation of The Mortal Instruments series. And just knowing the truth and what it all means just makes me madder. I was devastated by what we learned and was told---there’s no other way to describe it and I wanted to cry ...more

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Oct 07, 2010 Kristi rated it really liked it

Shelves: signed-arcs, own-arc, books-i-own

Greek Mythology! YAY!

Starcrossed is completely addicting.... I read these 400 some pages in one afternoon, because I simply could not stop.

I don't know it if was because I found the story so addicting or if it was because I was enchanted by the cast of characters. Either way Starcrossed was an unforgettable read. Helen is a normal teenager, well as normal as a teenage demigod is. I like that Helen knew she was different, but didn't exactly know what that meant. This wasn't a story where the cha ...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Zoë Marriott rated it it was amazing

THE BLURB:

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 ...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Amy Plum added it

WOW!!! I really loved this book. Just finished it a few hours ago, and my mind keeps dragging me back to go over one detail or another. I love characters whose personalities aren't clear-cut black or white - ones who are motivated by both good and evil. And Josie's addition of the Furies makes this possible.

I love the fact that she takes ideas from ancient literature and molds them into something that works well in a contemporary story. Placing the story on the island of Nantucket is pure geniu ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Phrynne rated it really liked it

On one hand this book is without a doubt a direct rip off of Twilight. So many similarities not just in the setting and the characters but down to whole scenes such as Lucas spending the night in Helen's room with her father in the house and leaving in the morning by jumping out of the window. The only thing different was the characters' names.
On the other hand it was still a very entertaining book with many likable characters and a fun, interesting story very loosely based on Greek mythology. T ...more

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Aug 21, 2013 Cora Tea Party Princess rated it it was ok

BO-RING.

This is easily on Parr with Twilight, Fallen and the Selection. Utter tripe. It was a good idea but the execution was painful and uninspiring.

I wanted to grab Helen and shake her by the shoulders screaming "GO BACK TO NURSERY YOU SPOILT, PETULANT LITTLE CHILD!" She was so immature it was infuriating. Oh, and she's a special Mary Sue too. The most beautiful, the most powerful, the fastest, the freaking best at everything and INDESTRUCTIBLE. Seriously. Now let me go puke...

The characters, ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Bee rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned-series

I adored the first 100 pages. The writing was beautiful, I loved the small island atmosphere that was being set up. The whole tone actually just had me enamoured. Then the love interest made his entrance, and the tension was so engaging because Helen wanted to kill him, she was going to weird places in her dreams and I was like YES here for it.

Then she started to fall in love with Lucas and that's where my enjoyment completely dropped off. The backstory and mythology took so long to explain, an ...more

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May 13, 2015 Hilly ♡ rated it did not like it

Shelves: greek-mythology

What a ridiculous and embarassing book. I won’t ever read the next books in the series and other books by this author. This book was enough to turn me into a very angry person.
Half of the ideas in this book are good ones, the problem is that they’re developed in an awful way. And the author’s writing is like the one of a 10-year-old.
The dialogue is stupid and incoherent, even adults feel like 13-year-olds. Jerry should be the father? To me it was like Helen was his mother.
Characters fell also fl ...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Natalie Monroe marked it as reviews-told-me-to-flee

No more insta-love for Nat ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 mina rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: someone who wants to suffer

Shelves: read-2019, read-2017

2-

It’s interesting how writing of YA books has changed over time, how it got better, or maybe this wasn’t that great to begin with no matter what year it was written/published.

Reading this for the second time was a torture. I don’t remember much of the book since reading it first, I know I liked the mythology but wasn’t much impressed with the rest. I kinda wish I didn’t re-read it. When irritating and stupid things happen in books that I read I like to take a pause, half close the book and star ...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Amber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Very very good. I was unsure when I started it, having received a proof to read before publication, but a few chapters in and I was hooked!
Angelini's use of Greek mythology adds a new spin to the relatively saturated 'Supernatural Romance' Genre that has suddenly exploded in teenage fiction. Helen and Lucas' cursed love story is touching and worth the read. ...more

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Mar 23, 2012 B rated it did not like it

Shelves: judge-a-book-by-the-cover, take-your-insta-love-and-leave, was-warned-not-to-read-this, snark-bait-ooh-ah-ah, 1-star, i-totally-saw-that-coming, 2012-reads, doesn-t-deserve-the-hype

I was going to give this an extremely generous two stars, but then the last hundred pages happened. (And I came to my senses and realized that this book is freaking awful.)

Review to (eventually) come.

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Dec 02, 2012 Merary rated it did not like it

Shelves: you-are-an-idiot, the-worst-i-d-ever-read, boring-bland-main-characters, bored-me-to-death, left-me-with-a-passionate-fury, ya, strangle-them-with-a-chain-please, activate-insta-love, abusive-relationships, where-s-the-fucking-conflict

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 20, 2018 Caylynn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-fantasy, personal-favorites

Reread #3. 4.25/5 stars

“So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard your choice turns out to be, at least you can find comfort in knowing you're avoiding something even worse.”

It's funny how, every time I reread this trilogy, I'm hit with just how far out of my usual genres of preference it is. Romance heavy, with starcrossed lovers and high school drama. But if you pair that with Greek heroes and reincarnation and c Reread #3. 4.25/5 stars

“So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard your choice turns out to be, at least you can find comfort in knowing you're avoiding something even worse.”

It's funny how, every time I reread this trilogy, I'm hit with just how far out of my usual genres of preference it is. Romance heavy, with starcrossed lovers and high school drama. But if you pair that with Greek heroes and reincarnation and centuries of manic bloodlust feuds that stem from the participants of the Trojan war? Hell yeah, I'm going to give this book a go.

Starcrossed is about a girl named Helen. She lives a normal life of avoiding drawing attention to herself and just trying to suffer through two more years of high school on Nantucket island. It's junior year, and enter the Delos family. A massive group of brothers and sisters and cousins from Spain who quickly insert themselves into Helen's school and intrude upon her life. She tries to stay away from them, given their status and her dislike of being the center of attention, but the second she sees Lucas Delos for the first time in the hallway, everything changes.

All she wants is to murder him.

She's instantly drawn into a hidden world of Greek demigods, reenacting an age old play, and the discovery that she's the modern Face that Launched a Thousand Ships.

I really don't know how, but I fucking love this book. I first read it in 2014 when I borrowed it from the mini library in my teacher's room, and I was obsessed for the longest time. Thanks to Percy Jackson, I've always been in love with anything Greek/Roman wise, and this was definitely no exception.

The characters are all their own individuals, and it's easy to keep them apart in your mind, even though there are a lot. Not only are the main characters-Lucas and Helen- carved out with unique personalities that readers can relate to, but a majority of the side characters are very fun to read about. From Hector's deadpan humor and pushy attitude to train Helen to keep herself alive, to Ariadne's feminine willpower and her connection to her twin Jason, to Claire's ferocity tucked neatly into a 5'2" frame, it's hard not to find at least a few characters to love in Starcrossed.

I absolutely recommend giving this book a try. It quickly became an unexpected favorite of mine, and I can still see myself reading it again and again for years to come. ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Sam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: obsessed, reviewed, amazing-loved-it, all-time-favourites, brilliant-series, book-with-gorgeous-boy, i-own, demigods-and-super-powers

Read more of my reviews at Falling Books!

Starcrossed is a book full of fun and action. It's an emotional rollercoaster. It will make you laugh, smile, cry and all the other complicated emotions that I can't explain. Josephine Angelini has created an exciting and dangerous world full of demigods and forbidden love that you can't get enough of.

Are you tired of reading about Vampires, Wolves, Fairies, Witches and Angels? Then Starcrossed is for you! If you think you know all the paranormal beings Read more of my reviews at Falling Books!

Starcrossed is a book full of fun and action. It's an emotional rollercoaster. It will make you laugh, smile, cry and all the other complicated emotions that I can't explain. Josephine Angelini has created an exciting and dangerous world full of demigods and forbidden love that you can't get enough of.

Are you tired of reading about Vampires, Wolves, Fairies, Witches and Angels? Then Starcrossed is for you! If you think you know all the paranormal beings out there then you are wrong! I can promise you that there is no other Demigod book that could satisfy you more that this one. You will fall in love with all the characters in minutes after being introuduced to them. You will become addicted to the world where the sky is the limit when it comes down to unusual powers. Not once will you think, "This is boring." Starcrossed will keep you hooked until the very last word.

Our main character, Helen, is a beautiful young girl who lives with her dad on a tiny island called Nantucket. She is a perfectly ordinary girl, at least she thinks she is. Until the gorgeous Delos family turn up. Helen is drawn to Lucas Delos, but has a terrifying urge to kill aswell. When she first sets eyes on him in her school hall, she thinks he is the hottest boy she has ever seen, but there's nothing like getting a little killing out the way first. Soon, Helen is sucked into the world of Demigods and mysterious powers that have been with her all her life. Helen's attraction to Lucas is becoming more and more visible to everyone, and too soon, they fall in love. But it isn't allowed. For Lucas is in the House of Thebes and Helen is not, if they are together....The gods will fall and declare war on them all.

Sounds pretty amazing right? I know some of you are thinking, "Demigods? House of Thebes? What are you talking about, Sam?" Yes, yes, I know you want to know more, and I want to tell you. It's just that I want you all to experience the shocks with out me spoiling it for you. So, before I blab too much, GO AND BUY STARCROSSED! It's available in most countries.

Overall, Starcrossed is a book that everyone should read and experience. I recommend it to everyone who loves a good complicated romance and greek mythology. Josephine will leave you breathless with this stunning debut that has touched thousands across the world. ...more

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Mar 23, 2017 booksnpenguins (desktop's version) rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-myths-wars, review-to-come, enemies-to-lovers, supernatural-urban-fantasy

I've read this series when it first came out 10 years ago and I remember like it was yesterday how obsessed I was with it and how hot and bothered I was by some scenes.
I've always wanted to re-read all three books to see if the excitement would go down in time, and now that I'm in a little slump that trying to get out of by rereading books, it seems like the perfect time to test my theory 😊

(RTC) ...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Vi Vi marked it as to-read

I'm getting this out of the library first, because I'm iffy about it. It seems like it could be interesting or just more angsty teen romance fair which I've honestly had enough of. But I'm holding out because it involves the Trojan War. Please dear god Josephine, don't do to greek mythology what Stephenie Meyer did to vampires.

I love Homer, so if this is just the Hot Topic/CW Network/Gossip Girl/Twilight version of the Iliad, I will honestly slit my stuffed animal's throat. ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Sian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I noticed a few more semi-problematic elements in this read through but I still love the characters, the romance, the writing style, the plot and the mythology elements... so like, all of it ???

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Mar 18, 2011 Lamia rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, 2011, mythology, arc

This can also be seen at The Book Eater

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I was so very excited to read this. I basically pounced on the galley as soon as it was available.

I'm going to preface this by saying that this review is subjective. I think a lot of people will like this book. It just... Wasn't for me.

Throughout the whole thing, I kept finding similarities to Twilight. Helen, the narrator, is shy and extremely introverted - like Bella. She's gorgeous, but doesn't suspect a thing - like Bella. Sh This can also be seen at The Book Eater

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I was so very excited to read this. I basically pounced on the galley as soon as it was available.

I'm going to preface this by saying that this review is subjective. I think a lot of people will like this book. It just... Wasn't for me.

Throughout the whole thing, I kept finding similarities to Twilight. Helen, the narrator, is shy and extremely introverted - like Bella. She's gorgeous, but doesn't suspect a thing - like Bella. She has an absent parental figure and a dad who's basically only interested in sports - like Bella. She has a weak personality disguised in bravado - like Bella. The prose is cheesy at times ("It felt like the most natural thing in the world" "She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding") and the romance only partly makes sense. Can you... Sense a pattern?

The writing felt clumsy (I think the author used the word "cunning" 3 times in 5 pages) and very deliberate at times. I would read something, a tiny detail, and it was written in such a way that I knew it would be a big part of the plot later. And I hate obvious fore-shadowing.

I also felt like the author wanted Helen to come off as strong. And, well...

"Helen nodded submissively."
"His gaze had such a positive impact on her that she felt unbalanced as soon as his eyes abandoned her."

It's a shame, because this novel had a lot of potential. I love the plot and really enjoyed the mythological aspect (quite an original take on the Trojan war and the gods in general) and would have loved to see it crafted with more subtlety and skills. The romance, although kind of out of the blue (I love watching relationships develop - I'm not a fan of instant attraction), had this kind of je ne sais quoi (again, like freaking Twilight) that made me keep going. I think if Helen and Lucas were less co-dependent, the whole thing would work a lot better.

To sum it up, I think the series has a lot of possibility if the writing gets better. This book is a debut, so I haven't given up hope. I'll probably pick up the sequel whenever it comes out. ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Colleen Houck added it

Shelves: gods-goddesses, mythology, paranormal

If you like Greek mythology then this book should be right up your alley. Helen is a great heroine and Lucas is pretty amazing as well. ;) The Fates creep me out. I can totally picture them too which doesn't help with the creep factor. I was really liking Castor as the bad guy so now I wonder what Josie has in store for the next book. Can someone be even worse than that? Shudder. My favorite part? The flying. You'll see. ...more

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Starcrossed by Jo...: Have any books recommendations as good as Starcrossed?	3	23	Dec 12, 2019 09:40AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA - fantasy, published in early 2010’s about a girl who finds out she has powers Greek mythology. [s]	5	36	Nov 30, 2019 03:16PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Starcrossed Series by Josephine Angelini - Reading 'Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1)' from June 24th 2019	10	68	Jun 30, 2019 03:09PM
Challenge Corner: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini -> Starting June 18th, 2019	2	3	Jun 23, 2019 06:02PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1) by Josephine Angelini - Restarting October 7th 2017	69	139	Oct 10, 2017 05:21AM
Books inspired in Greek Mythology	2	12	May 20, 2017 11:03AM
Crazy for Young A...: Pair 12: Vicki and Haley (March Besties)	33	21	Apr 09, 2017 07:35AM

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About Josephine Angelini

Josephine Angelini

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Josephine Angelini is a #1 international bestselling author. A Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings, she graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. ...more