Reviews

Starcrossed City by Josephine Angelini

lamerthanfiction's review

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Yeah, no. DNF. And I have no intention to ever pick it up again. This book is horrible. And even though I'm already not a fan of paranormal romance books this book managed to make me dislike the genre even more.

I picked up Starcrossed because I wanted a novel with a rich plot based on Greek mythology kind of like the Percy Jackson series but instead I got a romance novel with some random and in my opinion really nonsensical hints of the mythology aspect. I probably should have known better.

Helen Hamilton, the main character, is stupid. I really hated her. She does NOTHING to move the plot forward at all and is one of the most impassive characters I ever got to read about. Helen is just the typical Mary Sue who thinks she is invisible and unpopular but actually is so beautiful, nice and overall awesome that everyone admires her and all the boys at her "Heaven Hamilton" and kiss her ass. And instead of doing ANYTHING to help solve the mystery about her heritage and the conflict, she just constantly puts herself and others in the line of danger. She is basically Bella Swan reloaded.

And this is not the only thing that made me feel like I was reading Twilight with Greek mythology. The Delos family, that rich new family that everyone talks about because they are so beautiful, nice and overall awesome just like Helen that consists of so many people I have already forgotten who is related to who, moves into town and the whole town loses their mind. The Cullens, anyone?

Helen isn't so enthuasiastic about them at all and tries to kill one of them, Lucas, multiple times. But then, magically, they fall into insta-love literally right after that, hold hands all the time and Helen can't imagine a life without Lucas anymore. Even thinking about this romance induces a lot a eye-rolling. It just all made no sense at all and was so frustrating that I just couldn't take it anymore.

After I pushed through half the book and countless pages of 0% plot development I figured there are much more enjoyable ways to waste my time. Seriously one of the worst books I read in my entire life.

onmyown's review

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3.0

3,5
I love myths. And this use was awesome. Maybe a bit predictable, but awesome

qa9's review

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4.0

The story was very compelling, as were the characters. The writing did feel a little choppy at times, but all-in-all, I enjoyed it.

sfmclaren's review

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5.0

WOW!
If I could stop this review at that one word, I probably would, because it’s the first that comes to mind when I try to describe how fantastic this novel really is. In all honesty, I wasn’t too sure about reading the novel at first. I’m a bit strange when it comes to character names – if I see a character with a name I don’t like, I find it difficult to want to read a novel. However, after reading some great reviews, I decided to give Starcrossed a go – and I am so glad I did!

First things first, the protagonist’s name, Helen, no longer bothered me when I learned its relevance in the novel – and I really loved what it was that made it relevant. The whole idea of Greek mythology in a YA novel was very fresh and interesting for me, and I adored how Josephine Angelini rewrote it and adjusted it to suit her novel. Everything was explained to perfection; something which can often be lacking in other YA novels. The way everything unfolded, revelation after revelation, kept me compelled the whole way through – to the point where I read the majority of the novel in one day as I had to get to the end (although I’m slightly sad I did, as I don’t think I can wait ‘til May next year for the sequel!)

I also loved Helen’s relationship with her father and Kate. I think these relationships were very strong, and were a really nice aspect of the novel. As well as this, I enjoyed her relationship with her best friend, Claire. It was rather realistic in the fact that it was flawed, but they were always there to support one another when they each needed it most. I really enjoyed the fact that Claire stayed faithful to Helen throughout everything that happened in the novel.

Of course, you can’t talk about this novel without mentioning Helen and Lucas! I absolutely adored the strange way these characters met each other – there was no gushing about how hot he was; no instant falling in love – in fact, it was quite the opposite – but I don’t want to spoil it, so let’s just say they weren’t too fond of one another! I’ve seen a few people criticise how quickly the two characters fell for one another; however, I feel that, without saying too much, in the circumstances that their falling in love took place, it was completely justified and really quite sweet. The relationship between Helen and Lucas throughout the novel was lovely to read about, and the sexual tension was pretty unbearable to say the least!

There are so many twists and turns in this novel; some fascinating, some heart-wrenching – but each and every one of them is guaranteed to keep you hooked to this novel until the very last word. Angelini has done a fantastic job in creating a fresh, intelligent YA novel as her debut; one that will be read time and time again. I would recommend this to any fan of the Young Adult genre, and I, alongside many others, am beyond excited for the release of Dreamless!

lejazzhotbaby's review

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4.0

An enjoyable read as long as you don't expect anything too amazing. It's cliche in places and the use of language isn't amazing but it's still funny and interesting with an enjoyable general plot even if the Greek mythology is eh in places.

mariannakrk's review

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4.0

I did not expect Starcrossed to be this good! To be honest I thought it would suck and my eyes would be permanently rolled back in my head, but it proved me wrong! Can't wait to read the sequel.

RTC hopefully

shrereads's review

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5.0

Oh my god this books was simply SUPERB! I loved the Greek mythology fused with the feuds on earth, and i love how it's not all about the gods but mostly about the demi-gods. Also, Josie's a sweet. Anyone who didn't find this book appealing and blames the author, put yourselves in her shoes. I'm sure you have no idea how hard it is to write a book this amazing. This book had a 5-star seat reserved after the 1st chapter. Seriously: GO READ IT AND JOIN JOSIE'S BLOG! SHE IS AN AMAZING PERSON and the best GIVEAWAY blogger ever!
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