Starcrossed Week - Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess (Starcrossed #3)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 28, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Chapters

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.

When it comes to my most anticipated books of 2013, Goddess was easily at the top of that list. After everything that happened in the first two books, I couldn't wait to see how Josephine Angelini would bring everything together in this final instalment. I'll admit that I was a little afraid, but I shouldn't have been because, with Goddess, Josephine Angelini wrote a stunning finale. 

Now that the four houses have been accidentally united, there is nothing left to hold the gods on Olympus. So with gods on the loose, free to do as they please in the human world, Helen and the other Scions need to find a way to stop them. But the last time this happened, the gods were imprisoned only after a devastating war. But that's the least of Helen's problems. Between the Oracle's prophecies about the Tyrant, her confused feelings about Lucas and Orion and the rising tensions between everyone, there is a lot to deal with. Everyone will have some difficult decisions to make. With war looming on the horizon, everyone is ready to prepare for the worse.

There are so many things I can and want to say about Goddess. So I will apologize in advance if this turns into me simply gushing about everything I loved about this story. But here's the thing, I know just how much the first two books affected me so I was very much afraid of what Goddess would do to my poor heart. And this was a perfectly legitimate fear. Throughout the book, there were many moments where I wasn't sure I would be able to take much more. Every time another piece of the puzzle fell into place, I became increasingly afraid of what it would mean for the big picture. But that didn't stop me from loving this story. Because there wasn't a singly moment where I wasn't loving it. This story is so layered and complex. There is so much happening, but at the same time it's all connected. Just seeing how everything fit together, those little moments from previous books that all of a sudden took on a whole new meaning, was amazing. Even just thinking about how each of the characters had their Greek or Trojan equivalent must have required a lot of planning on Josephine Angelini's part. And that's another thing, even though I knew it, Goddess reinforced what an amazing writer Josephine Angelini is. Because Goddess is an absolutely stunning finale to this series I love. And it was the kind of conclusion that didn't leave me wanting. Everything ended the way it should have. Though there were some disappointments along the way, I don't think this story could have ended any other way. And the way it ended was just what I wanted.

Let me now say that Helen is a total badass. I've known all along that Helen was a strong and that she wouldn't let very much get in her way. But in Goddess, Helen more than rises up to the occasion. My the end of the book, she had my complete respect and admiration. The way she handles everything that is thrown her way, I don't know how she comes out of it all standing. Because anyone else would be curled up in a ball, crying in a corner somewhere…or at least I would be. So this book just made me love Helen even more. And the title of the book being Goddess is fully appropriate. Like I've already said, there is so much going on with all the characters in this story. Everyone of them is so complex. And I loved seeing the parallels between the different players in the Trojan War. And admittedly that parallel allowed me to predict some parts of the story which at times made me a little angry. But as much as there was some heartbreak involved, everything that happened to the characters happened for a reason. I might be repeating myself, but I couldn't really have asked for a more fitting ending for the story and for these characters. Sure, it might not have been happy for everyone, but it was the only possible outcome.

Over the course of three books, I have come to love this story and I couldn't have asked for a better ending. With Goddess, Josephine Angelini confirmed that she is a fantastic writer because this was an absolutely stunning finale. I will say this again, but if you haven't yet read this series, I strongly recommend it because I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.