Starcrossed Week - The Characters

At this point, you've heard me rave over just about everything having to do with Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed trilogy. The story is absolutely amazing and a large part of that amazingness comes from the characters. Because even the really unlikeable characters have some sort of redeeming qualities and the more minor ones feel fully fleshed out. And some of those characters, they are completely underrated.

Hector was one of those characters I wasn't too sure what to make of when I met him in the first book. But the more I learned about him, the more I realized he was just one big teddy bear. Once the Furies let up with the whole Helen hating the Delos and vice versa, Hector became this other person. Every time he appeared in the story, it just put a smile on my face. The way he was with his family just made him that much more endearing. And that was only amplified whenever he was interacting with Helen. As hard as he could be with her, she also brought out this other side of his personality. So Hector is someone I came to love. Anytime something bad happened to him, it just hurt my heart.  And after everything that had happened to him, I just wanted him to have a happy ending. 

Matt was one of those characters that is there but spends a lot of time in the background. He's been one of Helen's best friend for as long as anyone can remember and even through all of the Scion stuff, he sticks by her side, somewhere along the way falling in love with Ariadne. But all of a sudden in Goddess, so much happens to Matt. Right from the start, so many hints were dropped and knowing what I know about the Trojan War, I could see where things were heading. And it was not heading somewhere I liked. But it was inevitable, it was where the story needed to go. Not that it was something I actually accepted. Through it all, my heart was breaking as I saw what was happening and what it was doing to all the other characters. And even after everything, I still loved Matt because there was nothing he could do about the situation he was in.

I feel like all I'm doing is talking about the boys in this trilogy, but there were so many amazing ones. Orion found himself stuck in a love triangle with Helen and Lucas. There wasn't really much eh could do about it. And in spite of everything he knew that he wouldn't come out on the winning side. But for once, a member of a love triangle stood up for himself. Orion realized that he deserved better than what Helen would ever be able to give him. And for that alone, I have so much respect for Orion. But my heart is also breaking for him. Not just because of his "position" in the love triangle, but because of everything I know about his life and how difficult his childhood must have been. I just wanted him to have someone who would be there for him, who would take care of him and who would love him even more than he deserved to be love. Because Orion seriously needed some good in his life.

I've said that even the most unlikeable characters somehow have redeeming qualities and with Daphne, it was hard to find them. For the better part of three books, I wanted nothing more than to punch Daphne and for her to just leave everyone alone because she was causing a lot more harm than good. But despite all that, I could understand where she was coming from. It wasn't a justification for what she did by any stretch of the imagination, but I could understand why did the things she did and why she wanted what she wanted. But then she had this moment of clarity in Goddess. I don't know what finally made her see everything for what they were, but she did. And in that moment, I was able to start to forgive Daphne for some of what she had done. It didn't wipe the slate completely clean, but I could begin to forgive her, all things considered.

I could go on endlessly about each and every one of the characters in this trilogy. Each of them has something that makes them completely unique and memorable. I could talk about how badass Helen is, about how much more there is to Lucas than what I originally thought, to how absolutely selfless Ariadne and Jason are, how surprising Claire can be, and the list just keep going on. If for the characters alone, you should give Josephine Angelini's books a try. And if characters aren't your thing, you can check out all my other posts about the trilogy from this past week.

Starcrossed Week - Why I Love this Trilogy

Every so often you will pick this book for whatever reason. It could be that it has a pretty cover, the synopsis sounds interesting, you've heard other people talk about it. Whatever the motivating factor, you end up grabbing the book off the shelf and start reading. And the more you read, the more you find yourself liking the story, eventually getting to the point where you love the story. And if you're me, that might happen with a fair amount of books. But then, there is that one book that just seem to rise about the others. It's not really something I can explain, but once in a while there is that one book or that series that just seems to capture your attention in a way that no other book has. And over the last two years, Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed trilogy did just that for me.

I have always had a fascination with Greek history and mythology. For as long as I remember, it's a subject that has always fascinated me and often results in me picking up any book even remotely related to this topic. So that's why I first picked up Starcrossed when it came out two years ago. Well, that and the cover was stunning. And though I bought the book right when it came out, I waited until a few months later to actually start reading it. And once I did, I couldn't seem to do anything else. Josephine Angelini managed to take me out of my world and into the one she has created for this story. And there wasn't one minute while I was reading that I wasn't fully captivated by everything that was happening in Starcrossed. 

But now here's the thing. I often find that the second book in series just aren't quite as good as the first one and so as much as I was looking forward to Dreamless, I was still also a little apprehensive because I didn't want it to disappoint me. But I really shouldn't have worried. If anything, Dreamless made me love this series even more. And by the time I was finished, I couldn't believe I would have to wait a year to find out who everything would all come together. After having now read, Goddess, I can say that this series has become so much more than I thought it would be when I picked up that first book two years ago and that alone is reason enough for me to love this series as much as I do.

The thing about the story Josephine Angelini wrote is that there are so many dimensions and layers to it, to the point that everything is perfectly laid out. Things you see in the first book that you don't really make much of later come back and all of a sudden are the missing puzzle piece to make everything fit together. Goddess, the third and final book, made me realize just how much thinking and planning must have gone into writing this story the way it was. There were so many pieces to fit together, and by the end, they fit perfectly in a way that made sense and left me with very little questions. And that, more than anything is why I simply adore the Starcrossed trilogy. Over the course of three books, there is so much happening, but there is a reason for it all. And the way it all plays out, will simply amaze you and make you realize what a fantastic writer Josephine Angelini is. 

So this is my (long) explanation of why this series deserves attention. This is the kind of story that will keep you engaged, with characters you can't help be get attached to. You don't even need to know about mythology or even have a particular liking of it to be able to enjoy this story. All you have to do to enjoy and maybe fall in love with this story is be looking to read a complex, layered and captivating story.