Starcrossed

Title: Starcrossed
Category: Fantasy
Grades: 7-10
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date: 2011
Pages: 487
 
Summary:
While all her friends drool and obsess, Helen hates the gorgeous new boy, Lucas, on sight.  Even worse, if less embarrassing than her public displays of animosity, are the gory, hideous weepers that materialize to goad Helen on when Lucas is around and haunt her dreams at night when he isn’t. When a near-death experience frees the duo from the Furies’ persecution, Helen discovers herself in a world she thought had ended with the Ancient Greeks, and drawn to the one boy in the universe she can never have.  With rival clans closing in, and Helen’s long-lost mother returning to carry out a scheme of her own, Helen must learn to control her own amazing power, and determine where her loyalties lie.  Sometimes, perhaps, love really cannot conquer all… or can it?

Review:

Fans of Twilight, look no further for your next obsession.  A gorgeous boyfriend who’s more than human, hate at first sight, a huge and boisterous family clan, rival factions all intent on killing both each other and the girl, and a star-crossed love affair that transcends all boundaries, Starcrossed, like its predecessor, has it all.  While this book has taken a beating for its similarities to both Twilight and the Percy Jackson books, both earlier series indicated that an audience for this type of fiction not only exists but is clamoring for more, and Starcrossed certainly helps to fill that gap.  The romance between Helen and Lucas is beautifully written, sensual and delicate without crossing too many lines.  If Angelini has one flaw (other than following in other authors’ footsteps), it is her tendency to give readers too much information and spoil her own surprises.