Reaing Rainbow: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

I love summer with all of the YA new releases! I just finished a great book that was released yesterday, so you will not have to wait! This is good news because Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini is a book that you do not want to have to wait for.

From Goodreads:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

I really loved the way this book brought Greek mythology into the story, but didn't make it the main attraction. It served well as the base of the action, but the story didn't get lost within it. Don't get me wrong, I love Greek myth, and I love it even more when it's woven into a modern-day love story. Starcrossed does this so well, and packs in some action along the way.

It's hard to talk about this book without giving too much away, and because things are revealed in such an intriguing way, I definitely don't want to spoil it for you. Helen, for example. I loved her character and the way that she was revealed to us, slowly and from the outside-in, was perfect. She is learning about herself as the reader learns it, and it is fun to go on that journey of discovery with her. And the things she learns! Ah, but no spoilers, so I'll stop.

The other thing I loved about this book is the way that it surprised me. Instead of going the predictable way, the story changed courses many times throughout. I also liked that it didn't always turn towards the most dramatic and dangerous path, but a more realistic one. Well, as realistic as you can get when you're talking about descendants of Greek gods and goddesses.

So, if you're looking for something a little off the beaten path, but still familiar in that YA Love Story kind of way, definitely grab Starcrossed to get your summer reading started! I will say that this book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, but the cliff was not too high, so I felt okay with it. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series already!