Author: Josephine Angelini
Date of Publication: March 21 2013
Pages: 421
Series: Starcrossed #3
Source: Library

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

Review:

Reading Goddess was a strange experience because I was about a third of the way through when my elibrary copy expired, and it wasn't until two weeks later that I managed to check it out again and finished it. I remember being excited before that Goddess' pacing was faster than the previous Starcrossed novels. In the end though, I can't say I'm really happy.

The writing (i.e. the execution) was never the strongest part to Josephine Angelini's work, and I always accepted that. For Goddess, I couldn't. So much was touched on but not expanded. There was at least one new character introduced who barely influenced the story. There were so many storylines and none of them were detailed. I know I prefer the general type of stories, but this was to a whole new level because most of the time, I had no idea what was going on because prophecies and events kept surfacing and being disbanded.

The series was concluded, but not tidily. I feel like the story bounced all over the place and so many events happened that deserved a greater emphasis. Goddess was too quick and random and so I had no emotional connection to anyone. I remember adoring Orion in Dreamless, but about halfway through the book it felt like his story was completely abandoned. He went from being one of the most important characters to more of a secondary character.

Goddess was a series of flashbacks and "I'll tell you laters". I honestly think the story became too big. I'm a little surprised that, considering all the information that was necessary for the reader to absorb, the series didn't have better pacing because this was too much for a finale. I'll never stop thinking Angelini's story is compelling, but I can feel like it was executed weakly, can't I?

One part that genuinely irritated me was the characterization. The badass dudes were not truly badass. The good guys were a little vanilla. And the betrayals were so stupid (this is my angry fan opinion). There is one story line featuring one character that results in this character acting in a way that I honestly could not believe. I was blindsided by some characters' betrayals and their motivations were so weak that I was a little disgusted in the pettiness Angelini's characters possessed.

Or how about the fact that so much conflict could have been avoided if everyone thought rationally and stopped making impulsive decisions? I guessed a lot of the story and it was weird that the characters never talked to one another after some point. Helen's choices in particular were so random that I was confused. Who was this girl? And I suppose Helen was supposed to change after taking on all the power, and this was something I was looking forward to: Helen's character development. Sadly, there was really only one incident and then Helen's character never changed. Also, in times of danger, I can never imagine making out with my true love when people need me. *groans*

Now that we got that out of the way, I'll be a little more positive. Although there was a certain whiplash I felt trying to navigate through all the storylines, and although some showdowns were anticlimactic, and maybe I wouldn't have minded more description of the fight scenes, I think Angelini has an incredible imagination. The ideas were plainly fun to read about, and I don't think she wrote the best book, but this is honestly a world that touches on so many facets of Greek mythology and manages to make it semi-coherent. I feel like this entire trilogy should be in a different format, like a tv show, because it is overwhelmingly plot and idea based. Add the right music and acting and this could do very well.

The flashbacks were also very amusing. I loved seeing the characters in the past in Troy and comparing them to the present. It was so fascinating that at some point I wished that was the story instead of the jumbled present. Greek mythology is super cool and Goddess makes me want to read more of it.

Unfortunately, Goddess was not the story I had hoped for because I feel like it was weak in the technical aspects of writing. It did manage to capture my interest and entertain me, so I'm giving it 2 stars.

-P.E.

Author: Josephine Angelini
Date of Publication: May 29 2012
Pages: 487
Source: Library
Series: Starcrossed #2

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 is 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.

Review:

It started out at a crawl. There was minimal emotional connection and minimal discernible plot. That was just a setup. The ball finally got rolling, and Dreamless by Josephine Angelini is another riveting read.

I began the story completely lost. It's been a while since I read Starcrossed and I scoured the internet for some kind of summary of the first book in the series. Alas, I didn't get it, but some Wiki's and spoilers in reviews helped me catch up. At that point, I was not so seriously wondering how good Dreamless would be because so much of the beginning was focused on the repercussions of Starcrossed.

The beginning was extremely slow. It was basically Helen trapped in a million different nightmares and staying away from Lucas. Not much really happened beyond that, and I was too bored to be really into Helen. It wasn't until Orion entered the story that Dreamless sparkled.

Maybe I shouldn't fall for Orion, but I can't help it. He's sweet and loyal, and has had a miserable life. He's trustworthy and lighthearted too. He somehow always made Helen smile and brought some levity to the story. I could be sad that there is a love triangle in Dreamless, but it's extremely significant to the plot without actually being the plot. That's the type of love triangle I can excuse.

After Orion's entrance into the story, everything picked up. The plot becomes compelling and like Helen, I needed to figure out what is going on. The world building increased too, and learning about different powers and subplots was fun. This series was pitched as Percy Jackson for teenage girls, and while the world building isn't as good as Percy Jackson in my opinion, it's still pretty damn compelling. The idea of Scions and Helen of Troy is just genuinely cool.

By the end, I was hooked. I'm starting to recognize a pattern in Angelini's writing, and I think my point is don't be discouraged by the beginning because somehow, at some point everything clicks and the story becomes good. In fact, I want the sequel right now because I need to know what happens next.

The ending is pretty crazy. It's all over the place and it sets up the next book very nicely. Throughout Dreamless, I managed to like the characters. My complaint is that I don't know how much I actually care for them, versus the story.  I know I like most of the characters, but beyond Orion and maybe Helen, would I really mind if any one of them died?

You may notice that I've pretty much omitted Lucas from this review. I don't hate him in any way. This isn't me picking Team Orion and leaving Lucas alone, because frankly, there's only one fit for Helen. What I didn't like was that there was so little development of Lucas and Helen's relationship. They were already in love with one another and dealing with issues, which meant Lucas was very rarely around while Orion was. I got to know Orion better because (and this is awful but I have book amnesia okay!) I couldn't remember why I was supposed to like Lucas so much. It was like because he had already proven himself to Helen, there wasn't that much focus on why the two liked each other which is fine, because their relationship doesn't need to start over because it's a new book, but I personally found it hard to connect with.

I tried to remain balanced in this review, but clearly I enjoyed Dreamless. It was an extremely entertaining read.

-P.E.

I can't help it. When I think about the best, prettiest cover art for a series, there is one very clear winner in my mind: Josephine Angelini. Her covers are, in my view, absolute perfection. Let's take a look.

So pretty! That lilac dress is so nice. This cover feels like a cool day at the beach. There are so many cool aspects to the cover from the focus (around her feet it is crystal clear, away from her dress it is blurry) and the font (black outline, burned all around it). I feel Starcrossed is a very pretty cover. Then I saw Dreamless.

Same lilac dress! Same mix of blur and focus! Same pretty font! The colour scheme with that pink/orange sunset is amazing. Whereas the first cover was cool, this one is so warm. If there's one thing I don't like however, it is the girl's hair- it looks a bit unnatural, pretty badly photoshopped at the edges (it's too flat) and the colour is a bit jarring. So, beautiful cover, but not perfect. I mean, perfection is impossible right? And the only reason I notice these little flaws are because I have an extremely high resolution image of the cover I'm using. 

I'm the one in the middle.

IT EXISTS! Absolute perfection! This cover is everything I want in a cover. It is flawless, and I mean that literally. The girl's pose is a total goddess pose: slow, powerful, tall, looking at the sky. The dress is the same one from the other two covers (continuity ftw!), the font is stunning with gorgeous accents on the 'd's and nice dark blur, and let's talk about her positioning: high on a rock, which is perfect for Goddess. The best part, without a doubt is the colour scheme. Cool and elegant, blue, indigo, violet, and green, the colours are amazing. 

This is my favourite cover ever, and it's not even close. I love everything  about Goddess. It is gorgeous and stunning and every single adjective for beautiful ever. It deserves its own post because this s the most perfect cover I've ever seen. 

What's your perfect cover?

-P.E.