Star-Crossed Lovers
Josephine Angelini weaves a stunning tale of a teenage couple, doomed to repeat the tragic romance of Paris and Helen of Troy. Starcrossed is set in a small town on an isolated island off the coast of Massachusetts, focusing in on the girl who just wants to disappear.

The book begins with Helen, a painfully shy sixteen year old, arguing with her dad that she needs her own car, we can all relate to that one. She goes to school the next day and spots one of the new students from the mainland, the gorgeous Lucas Delos. Helen has one of the weirdest reactions in teenage history; she attacks the cutest guy she’s ever seen. “And then what? A little voice in her head asked. Choke the life out of him! answered another.”

As the story goes on Helen has no choice but to go to Lucas for help with her horrible nightmares and freakish powers. He agrees and his cousins, reluctantly, agree to help. “As Lucas and his cousins teach her how to fight and control her powers Helen falls for him. She finally notices her massive crush one night while laughing over the instructions for an air mattress, “‘Expel lung into inflator tube’, Lucas whispered back, ‘That sounds like it would hurt.’” Unfortunately, there’s a catch to their relationship, Helen belongs to one “house” of demigods and Lucas to another. So they can never be together, “She said the houses have to stay separate or the gods will come back and start the Trojan War all over again”.

Angelini uses clear, easy to understand English, not the stuff that sends you running for your dictionary every few pages. She puts a modern, exciting twist on an ancient tale of love, power, greed, curses, feuds, and destiny. If you sometimes feel you’re different, or if you just love a good action/romance story then this is the myth for you.