Book Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

3,5/5**** The Fates like patterns and the one of Paris and Helen is about to repeat. For better or for worse is up to them...

Advance Reading Copy

Title:
Starcrossed
(Starcrossed Series #1)
Author:
Josephine Angelini
Publication History:
US Hardcover May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen
US Kindle May 31st 2011 by HarperCollins
UK Paperback June 3rd 2011 by Macmillan Children's
Genre:
YA, Supernatural/ Mythology, Romance



Review
It seems that after the nephilim, the vampires and werewolves, the faeries and the angels we now have a revival of Greek mythology and demigods. The first on my radar was Percy Jackson, then came The Goddess Test and now Starcrossed. And I am quite happy about that; I always had a knack for Greek mythology.
Unfortunately for this book, it has to live up to the books with creatures mentioned above and I couldn't help noticing: If you take the plot twists and side stories, it is City of Bones + Twilight + Percy Jackson.
Having said that, it isn't necessarily bad. Angelini blends all of the above well and I enjoyed most of the story, but, being a huge City of Bones fan, that story line just jumped out at me. And to be fair, it's hard not to draw comparisons to Meyer's Twilight as Meyer herself as taken bits and pieces of everything - avoiding her is like avoiding oxygen. Anyway...

Starcrossed is build on the Greek myth of Paris and Helen and like them Helen and Lucas are destined to start an all consuming war in the name of love. Both know about the history and the prophecies made and are desperately trying to fight against their feelings, but The Fates love their patterns and they are hell-bent on repeating them.

Angelini has a pleasant, well paced writing style and the different story lines knit together nicely. However, by page 61 I felt so uncomfortable in Helen's situation with the Delos family around, that I was ready to throw the book out of the window. It happens rarely that I react that strongly to a story and it wasn't a "good" discomfort, but after getting through that part it got better.
All in all it was a good, exciting read that had me hooked eventually and I'm definitely looking forward to Dreamless now.