Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Dreamless
Starcrossed #2

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publication Date: May 29, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Can true love be forgotten?
As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.
Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out--a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.
As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.
Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling "Starcrossed" delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

My Thoughts:  I had been waiting for this book for what seems like forever and a day. The first book, Starcrossed, really peaked my interest and the Dreamless didn’t disappoint. The premise of the Starcrossed series is that demi-gods (known as Scions) roam the earth essentially fighting and killing each other off. The Furies cause them to attack any Scion from an opposing family on sight dating all the way back to the Trojan War. In fact, the Scions throughout history take the likeliness of figures who appeared in the Trojan War, leaving history doomed to repeat itself over thousands of years.

Did I forget to mention that the gods are permanently locked off in Mount Olympus?

In the first book, Helen Hamilton finds out that she is a Scion and has “the Face” – that is, the face that launched a thousand ships at the original battle of Troy. Helen is a descendant of the original Helen of Troy and with that status comes special abilities, which she uncovers throughout the book; one of her abilities is being able to descend into the Underworld in her sleep. She uncovers that she must travel to the Underworld and free the Furies in order to end the endless cycle of violence and revenge that plagues the Scions.

But in her waking hours, Helen is exhausted from not getting rest while she is asleep. Venturing into the Underworld every night takes its toll. Not to mention the fact that Lucas Delos has made it his mission to make Helen hate him and literally jumps out of windows to avoid her since the shocking revelations at the end of the Starcrossed.

Helen finds a saving light in the Underworld in the form of Orion – a Scion sent by her mother to protect, guard and potentially spy on her while she battles every night to find a way to free the Furies. Orion is everything anyone would want in a man – kind, loyal, compassionate and the descendant of Adonis himself. He is fiercely protective and as good looking as they seem to come. He was a great addition to the story both as a character and as a potential love interest in a love-triangle for the ages.

Helen, however, can’t seem to stop thinking about Lucas despite her better judgement. Everything she seems to do remind her of him and their short-lived, forbidden romance.

The villains introduced in Dreamless were fascinating. There were a number of them but it all pulled together in the end to weave an amazing story. We see more of the gods and the extent of power some of the Scions have.

The thing I like the most about the Starcrossed Series is the new take that Angelini has on demi-gods. It is something refreshing that I haven’t seen before and leaves me wanting more. The family feuds, blood debts and recycled faces are what make this book stand out from the rest of the books of its genre and makes it hard to forget. If you haven’t read the series already and you are into Greek and/or Roman mythology this series is definitely worth a read (or two)!