Starcrossed
How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task 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 tears 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.
As the story begins, Nantucket is awash with gossip about the talented and beautiful Delos family. Rather than be excited and intrigued, like her fellow islanders, Helen finds herself becoming uncharacteristically tetchy at incessant gossiping as the unseasonably warm and humid weather bears down on her. She is unable to concentrate. She loses her appetite and is subjected to disturbing dreams.
The unnatural quiet and the absence of breeze in the normally blustery costal town give the impression that the island itself is holding its breath. The release, when it arrives, is like lightning; sudden, stunning and powerful with the potential to be deadly. Laying eyes on Lucas, for the first time, Helen is overwhelmed with a hatred and rage so consuming that she remorselessly throws herself at him with the intention of choking him to death.
Completely gripped within a few pages, I was fascinated to see how the author was going to turn the story around; this was after all a love story! Despite their innate aversion, the chemistry between Helen and Lucas is undeniable and the romance felt appropriately paced.
I found the use of Greek mythology new and an interesting, a refreshing alternative to the supernatural elements of the books I have been reading recently. While I do not have the knowledge of Greek mythology to comment on accuracy, I thoroughly enjoyed the use of familiar mythologies presented in a new way and I will be seeking out books containing elements of Greek mythology in the future.
There have been many comparisons made to Twilight and I admit that there are certain similarities, but I have to say that while absorbed in the book I was totally oblivious to them and was able to enjoy the story in its own right without making comparisons.
Verdict: Very enjoyable and fast paced start to a new trilogy. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of book two when it is released in 2012.
Reviewed by Caroline
