Book Review - Goddess (Starcrossed #3) by Josephine Angelini

 

 

If you have not read the Starcrossed series, this main contain spoilers!  I will try to keep them minor, though.

 

 

 

 

 

Description:

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

 

 

 

Positives:

-Addicting!  The author gives a perfect blend of action, romance, and character interaction.  It slows and quickens at a perfect pace.  I never felt bored or like the action led me to know get to know the characters.

-The romances in this series draw you in and drive you nuts at the same time.  Which is exactly what I like!

-I love the exploration/retelling of Greek Mythology.  I love influences of Mythology and Culture when they are done respectfully.

- I love the exploration of the pasts of other characters as well as the main character.  Made the book more ‘full’.

 

 

Negatives:

-I wish there would have a lot more conflict and spicier ‘forbidden’ scenes between Helen and Lucas.  The Mortal Instruments series, for example, plays the forbidden relationship out perfectly between Clary and Jace.

-I would have loved more scenes in ‘Everyland’.  Such a beautiful and creative world.  It really pulls the strings that we all feel sometime – that we could be anywhere we wanted to be instead of being held back.

 

 

Overview:

This series is near and dear to my heart.  Along with The Mortal Instruments, this was one of my favorite series that drew me in to reading YA.  I read the first two a few years ago, but do to tons of setbacks in real life, I had to go on a book hiatus for some time.  That is why I am so behind on reading tons of YA series, but I am getting caught up now.  Through those setbacks, this story always remained in my mind.  I needed to know what happened next and still felt connected with the characters.  Feeling that after so much time had passed?  That’s a sign of a good book.

The characters were very well-developed.  Through flashbacks and learning of the characters through conversations between the main and supporting characters helped you learn of the others as well.  The point of view mainly stays with Helen, but you also get to jump into other character’s shoes every once in a while.  Helen herself is a determined, strong, clever Heroine who doesn’t fight with just her ‘magic’.  She also manages to defeat her foes using her brain.  She isn’t a whiner, and seems to accept things as they come with a minimal amount of fixation.  She also made hard decisions, thinking about the situation as a whole, instead of just making decisions with her heart.

In this book, you mostly see through Lucas, Orion, and Hector’s eyes.  I always loved Lucas and Helen, but with the entrance of Orion in the last book as a love interest I felt a big “GRRRR” anger towards him.  In this book, though, I fell in love with him and his backstory.  I really loved how the author wrapped up his story.  Probably my second favorite character in the book was Hector, of all characters.   He was so devoted, strong, and selfless.  He was a dreamboat.

As well as the characters, I also fell in love with the settings.  I usually sort of hate flashbacks because I want to be in real time with the characters so the main story moves forward, but I loved the flashbacks in this one.  Other books, the author seems to cause the flashbacks to feel like an interruption, but in Goddess they drew me in.  It was a perfect way to learn of the past and I fell for the settings those were taking part in as well.  The other setting, ‘Everyland’, is a place I would love to go.  Being able to create such a thing would be amazing.  I wish the author would have explored this more and given us more scenes there.  I would have loved to see what else Helen thought up.

The plot moves forward perfectly.  It gives surprises, holds back information in all the right places, provides the answers with good timing, and has a balance between highs and lows.  Some books bore you with non-action for chapters and chapters on in.  I love finding out more information and revealing the mystery, but I need a little break from it sometimes!  By the end of the book, I had to quickly turn the pages to find out what happened. 

 

 

Rating:

 

 

 

Recommended to:

-Those that love YA books that explore mythology.

-Those that enjoy ‘forbidden’ romances.

 

 

Not Recommended to:

-Those that hate love triangles.

-Those that get irritated by an author’s twist on said mythology.