Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 31, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is--no easy tai 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 ears 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.

Starcrossed is another one of those books that has a pretty cover and this is what originally drew me in. But as it often happens, this book was a lot more than just that pretty cover. As much as I was unsure about how the premise would work, it turned out to all be pretty awesome.

Helen has always felt like she was different from everyone around her and has spent her whole life trying to hid it. As she grows older, Helen has found doing so is becoming more and more difficult, especially when she starts having nightmares of a painful journey across a desert. Not only that, but when Helen wakes up all signs seem to indicate she actually did the journey. So when she starts hallucinating three weeping women, Helen starts to really question what is happening to her. When the Delos family arrives in town, things take a turn in an unexpected direction when Helen finally begins to understand what is going on with her. And when she starts to have feelings for Lucas Delos, their relationship sets ancient forces into motion that may cause Helen and Lucas to repeat a tragedy that has gone on throughout history.

When I first heard this story was a retelling of the story of Helen of Troy crossed with Romeo and Juliet, I wasn't really sure how the whole thing was going to fit together. But then I started reading and it all fell into place. And I fell in love with the story Josephine Angelini wrote. She wrote in a way that captivated the reader and at times it almost felt like I could be a part of the story. I was completely drawn in and I became so invested in the story, hoping against all hope that Helen's and Lucas' story wouldn't end as tragically as it was destined to. And everything that led up to the ending was absolutely heartbreaking and I cannot wait to read the sequel and find out more.

Helen had so many endearing qualities and that made me like her so much. I can't imagine what it's like to go through your whole life knowing you're different but not knowing why. And then when everything starts to go really well for her, it all goes down the drain because the Fates have other plans for her in mind. And where her relationship with Lucas is concerned, it definitely wasn't insta-love at first, but when it did turn into that it worked and was fully justified. But if anything, their relationship was tragic. The Delos family was very interesting to say the least. All their personalities were so different but they all fit together so well and the dynamic there was just incredible. But Lucas was definitely my favorite. I was rooting so much for him and Helen to work out no matter how much I knew there were other forces at play there. And you, he was pretty swoon-worthy so that definitely didn't hurt my opinion of him. 

Starcrossed was a fantastic debut from Josephine Angelini. It made two stories that shouldn't work together fit perfectly, and topped it with a beautifully tragic story. I definitely cannot wait for the sequel.