Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?

Hardcover, 487 pages

Published May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen (first published 2011)

(compliments of GoodReads)

I really don’t understand why this book is rated so high.  It is not the pinnacle of modern literature.  It gets a bonus for originality in regards to Greek myth (there are several retellings of the Persephone myth and this is not one of them).  Apparently the Persephone myth is worth being retold over the originality of Starcrossed since those were better reads.

I was really excited to read Starcrossed.  However, as I began reading it I felt like I was swimming a race (mome raths could have been on the swim team in high school) – as if every 30 pages or so was a 50 yard lap.  It felt like swimming the 500 yard freestyle, but by the time you’re in the last lap you’re puttering out from exhaustion.

It was so good, we did a photo shoot

This book was worth reading for one very important reason: I got an awesome sandwich out of it.  That’s right, a sandwich.  See page 25, bottom of the page: “smoked turkey, green apple, and brie on a baguette.”  After reading that section, I went out and bought some smoked turkey, green apple, and brie and threw it all onto a baguette.  It was awesome; my husband called it “refreshing.”  The green apple really gives it an extra something.

I really, really wanted to like this book, but I can’t say that I do.  I honestly don’t despise it; I was expecting better and was disappointed.  At best, the story was intriguing.  At worst, the writing was choppy in parts, dry, and boring.  

Final Thought: Starcrossed gets 12 out of 30 toadstools

                             Sandwich gets 30 out of 30 toadstools

This review is also available on GoodReads