Helen Hamillton never wanted to be anything but an ordinary girl. Well as ordinary as any girl could be bearing the face that launched a thousand ships. And she almost succeeded; almost… Until Lucas Dellos arrived on the peaceful island of Nantucket and she decided to kill him. But as passions collide and legend meets reality, disturbing truths reveal themselves, and Helen and Lucas realise sometimes love can overpower loathing. Yet, can they escape their destiny?
The first book in Angelini's trilogy, Starcrossed is an accomplished start to a thrilling series that simply flies off the shelves. Despite the teen clichés, I developed an infatuation for this story which made it an addictive page turner- easily devoured in one sitting!
In particular, I love how Angelini's ideas are drawn from Greek mythology, adding to the allure of what we thought we knew before. The relations to Troy throughout the series, successfully build myth into modern reality. Hence Starcrossed was both a form of escapism and a relatable story for me as a young adult reader.
However, the twists and turns of this plotline were incredibly predictable and even the finale ending was expected, due to it joining a cliché in young adult novels where star-crossed lovers are involved. Nevertheless, this book was still immensely enjoyable, as I raced to the end to ensure the suspicions I had were right.
Overall, I found this book to be an amazingly new outlook on an ancient tale, even if buried under a pile of teen clichés. Yet, in this case opposites attract and this strangely odd combination provided a brilliant basis for the books in this series to come.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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