Goddess

4.5/5 stars!

Man, this final BOOK, you guys. I'm still reeling from everything that was packed into this final installment of the "Starcrossed" trilogy. So many questions were answered, and questions you didn't even know you had? Those get answered to. All in all, this is a fantastic ending to the trilogy, and I think that fans will be very satisfied with everything that goes down. While I did have a few little nits to pick on this one, otherwise? Loved it. If you haven't read the rest of the trilogy, what are you waiting for? "Goddess" is the final book that all trilogies want in all technical areas.

I loved that this book started more or less immediately after the final events of "Dreamless", literally picking up where the previous book show more left off. Everyone is bloodied and broken and the final battle is upon them. What I loved that Angelini did more or less immediately was expand the world (in a way I hadn't thought she'd be able to do in terms of how big it already was) with a backstory of the original Helen of Troy, along with other famous figures in history you'd never think were involved with the Houses (Arthur and Guinevere, for example) and giving us a very full, lush history of what really went down at Troy, the origins of Atlantis, and why the gods have such a grudge against Helen in the first place. This was masterly wrought, and spun out throughout quite a few chapters, but the chapters in between when everyone is amassing for the final battle (along with trying to figure out who the Tyrant is), so it didn't feel infodumpy. And it could have gone the way of the infodump had Angelini not used that way of alternating chapters and backstory.

The characters also get a boost - with Helen, literally - and we also get some new characters that do a great job contributing to the story without taking away from it in terms of how important they are to the larger Helen of Troy history with the gods, and how that affects everyone now. This was also very cleverly done - with seeing the original (uncensored, one might say) Helen of Troy story, it made everything that's happened in past books make a lot more sense. Without spoiling everything too much, I will say - watch for Daphne's parts, and you'll see how many questions are answered just with her and her actions alone. And while I felt like Helen's deification literally felt like things were a little over the top sometimes, Angelini balanced this out with the original history, along with the gods being the way we haven't seen them since books like "The Iliad" - angry, bloodthirsty, and really just plain not cool guys to piss off. I like that Angelini went that route in terms of how she created the gods as characters, how it wasn't like we've seen in other MG and YA series as of late, and that return to the way we were originally introduced to them in Greek literature was a pleasant surprise.

My only big one complaint - the love triangle dragged a little too long into the book. HOWEVER, I can see why Angelini did it - when certain plot pieces from the original Helen of Troy's past fall into place, it all makes sense - and thus, makes pretty much all of book 2's plot make sense, as well. As I said before, Daphne is the key, so watch for that. But I was happy to see that the love triangle did get resolved, and all of the historical pieces didn't always have those three together in romantic situations. To spoil just a bit, there was a lifetime where Helen and Hector were married, which I thought was a really nice touch. It kept things fresh, and it kept us as the audience on our toes.

My second, smaller complaint - how the final battle with Zeus went down. I felt like that was resolved just a little too easily, a little too neatly, though I will admit the way that Helen went up against him was incredibly clever, and not without loss on both sides. In that sense, no one really "won", as Helen suffered a huge loss, as did Zeus. Which was nice to see - the stakes were so high, and though it felt a little too neat for my tastes in terms of how it was resolved, it also really brought home the impact of the idea of the Tyrant, and how important this final battle really is/was to everyone involved - gods, demigods/descendents, and humans alike. No one escaped entirely unscathed, which was the right thing to do. Had everyone on Helen's side come out without a scratch, I would have been pretty angry about the ending. But since it didn't, I'm quite pleased with how things went.

Final verdict? With a lot of love, blood, violence, and history behind it, "Goddess" gets propelled to my best of 2013 list (and best series ender of 2013 list). It had everything I wanted, and I was pretty pleased with how it all went down, even with my nitpicks about it. I think other fans will be happy too, regardless of what "team" they are in terms of the love triangle. "Goddess" is out May 28, 2013 from HarperTeen in North America, so be sure to check it out then! And be sure to stop by the blog on Monday, May 27, 2013 for my stop on the blog tour with a guest post by Angelini herself.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com) show less

Author Josephine Angelini has pulled out all the stops in Goddess; there is romance, loss, epic battles, gods and goddesses, mythical creatures (heck yeah, we’ve got a Kraken!), old friends and new, and plenty of flashbacks for Helen to reveal all the cycles through history and legend that have brought her to this moment. There are twists, turns, surprises, and so much story left to tell that the narrative never lags and the pace is blazing. One or two things did get me a bit confused – generally stuff regarding Hades for some reason or another – but I think with a re-read my confusion will be resolved.

A lot of reviews I came across for Goddess brought up the word “heartbreaking,” so I was extremely nervous about what was show more going to happen here. I want to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but I do want to mention that my heart did NOT break. It was, however, bruised and saddened by what occurred to a character I had a soft spot for, and I was angry at the Fates for setting the wheels in motion that caused my emotional state. I was also a little bit proud of this character for standing up for what they believed in and being willing to fight for it – no matter the outcome. But I’m still blaming the Fates for the whole thing due to their rampant disregard for everyone as they spun their web. Don’t even get me started on what they’ve been putting their poor Oracle, Cassandra, through!

There is a LOT of romance in this finale. Angelini managed to throw in everything but the kitchen sink – love at first sight, love that is blind, and an all-encompassing love for the ages. Some surprising couples were brought together, another was torn apart, and one beloved twosome will be handling some heavy duties in the future due to a misunderstanding and a promise that is given because of it. I loved the way the romantic triangle of Helen, Lucas and Orion was resolved; the only surprise was who ended up paired with the odd man out. The darker side of love was also represented in the form of Helen’s mother Daphne, whose obsessive love for her murdered husband Ajax has driven her every action and (in the process) messed up a lot of relationships. All of Daphne’s machinations were revealed in Goddess and as she started spilling all of her secrets I wanted to smack her upside the head for causing so much damage with her bull-headed determination. But, as Helen eventually realized, Daphne also gave her an incredible gift – so I guess it was appropriate how her story thread was finished off.

Goddess is the final installment of the Starcrossed trilogy, but I was happy to see that not everything is tied up in a nice, neat bow. Angelini manages to leave a few threads dangling so she can revisit the Starcrossed world in the future if she so desires, or readers can fill in the blanks the way they feel is best. A door has been closed, but promises have been made, favors are owed, and some adversaries are left to roam free, which leaves a window open for easy re-entry in the future. This isn’t a perfect book – some of Helen’s flashbacks could be considered over-the-top depending on the reader, and sometimes the characters work a little too hard at remaining blind to what is in front of them – but there is so much to absorb and enjoy that I know I’ll be jumping into this story again and again in the future.

With so much going on, it was inevitable that some characters weren’t as prominent as they have been in the past. Claire was sidelined for a majority of the narrative, and Ariadne seemed to get short-shrift as well. I do wish they had been given a little more development time because I wasn’t wholly convinced by the emotional turmoil each of them seemed to be under – especially Claire. I understood Ariadne’s motivations, but since they weren’t developed as fully as I would have liked they didn’t resonate very strongly with me. The priest and priestess roles that Claire and Matt took on in book two were completely lost in book three. Instead time was given to a new character – part Siren Andy who takes refuge with the Delios clan after being assaulted by the god Apollo – and to Helen’s flashbacks. I really liked Andy so I’m glad she was added in, and Helen’s flashbacks were necessary to emphasize certain events in the past that she needed to learn from, but I also think the flashbacks could have been dialed back a little and the same messages still would have gotten across while more time would have been freed up for character development.

All in all, Josephine Angelini’s Goddess lived up to its promise of an epic ending to a fantastically romantic trilogy. Life, death, gods, monsters and a love that has been starcrossed through the ages, all came together and provided an exciting and satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite series – all while leaving just enough open to provide a touch of hope that I’ll get to visit with these characters again. show less

Why did I read Goddess?
This has been such a fantastic trilogy. I love the way the author weaves in mythology, epic poetry and other tales into this trilogy. Angelini is truly a fantastic storyteller. Reading Goddess was a no-brainer for me as I have enjoyed the journey thus far and couldn't wait to see how it would end.

What did I love most about this book in particular?
I think this is hands-down the best book in the trilogy. So much was revealed concerning the Scions' previous lives and the roles that they have played throughout history. In addition to that there was the tension of an impending battle. This battle introduced some twists that I didn't see coming at all. I just really loved this book and the trilogy as a whole.

How was the show more romance?
It all turns out okay in the end, but what a journey we had to take to get there! This was a hard love triangle to witness because there were so many outside factors influencing feelings and outcomes. It is also a triangle where you can't help but love both of the guys involved and you just want them both to be happy. I think the way it is ultimately handled is really perfect. I'm left satisfied overall.

Is this a satisfying conclusion to the Starcrossed trilogy?
I've already mentioned that I thought this was the best book in the trilogy and I think that is very telling. This was a fantastic ending. I was left satisfied yet I can't help but hope to someday be able to return to this world and see what else may happen. At first glance it seems as if everything was neatly tied up with a little bow but then you realize that the author shared some details that leave the door open to future books which excites me! In addition to that it is clear that not everyone has a happy ending, which I find to be refreshing. show less

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

When I started Goddess, I was really unsure. The books in this series have gotten progressively better with each installment, but I was afraid that this one wouldn't live up to my standards. It didn't help that I started it out blind-- I had to relearn several of the character names, because I didn't re-read the previous books before starting. This made the first few chapters a bit muddy, because I had to sort out all of the secondary characters in my mind.

I liked that we got a few glimpses into Daphne's mind with Goddess-- in earlier books, she's been a huge mystery, but I loved that she opened up a little in this one. (And she's not all bad.) But before I start in on the virtues of show more Daphne (few and rare), I want to talk about Helen. The main character, the balm that's supposed to hold this whole series together. Honestly, Helen isn't a great character to me. I do like her, but it's the secondary characters that really make it pop.

For instance, when I think about why I love this series...what comes to mind? Orion. Lucas. Hector. All of the interwoven stories from ancient mythology. Memories and Scions...did you notice that none of my reasons were Helen? I did. And honestly, it really doesn't bother me that I don't "love" Helen.

I did, however, like the introduction of Andy! A new character in a group you've come to love is always exciting, because you're not sure how they'll play with the other characters; but I loved Andy. She was so interesting-- a siren? Come on. That is awesome. I also liked the introduction of her as {SPOILER}Hector's love interest. They were so adorable together!{/SPOILER}

And I just have to talk about Orion for a little bit, y'all. I love him! He's like my sad puppy dog, honestly. I'm always rooting for the guy who probably won't win. But I just can't help it! Orion was a really deep character, and I felt like I could feel his sadness. And it was sad-- I did love his ending, though. He deserves to be someone's first choice.

As I've mentioned before, I loved the Greek myths that were interwoven into the story-- the idea that each character was a representation of each of the myth characters was awesome! I completely fell in love with some of the characterizations, let me tell you. All the pieces and characters connect and snap perfectly together. Unfortunately, I did think that it was obvious from the beginning that Helen was {SPOILER}the tyrant.{/SPOILER} It didn't ruin the plot or anything, because I was completely freaking out over it, but... (OMG OMG OMG)

There is so many other things that I want to tell you, but I just can't risk spoiling the book! Just know that my heart strings were tugged back and forth, and that the ending (while semi-happy) fell a bit flat. The rest of the book was so amazing, but the ending was slightly anti-climatic. There was a lot that I wanted to see resolved. Overall, this series is really worth a read. Don't let a "slightly" anti-climatic ending keep you away! show less

Goddess by Josephine Angelini is the last novel in the Starcrossed Trilogy. I absolutely loved the first novel in the series (Strarcrossed) and except for a few plot elements in the second novel (Dreamless) really enjoyed that one as well. However, the third novel had a bit too much going on for me to really enjoy.

Goddess has Helen with her Scion and mortal friends doing their best to stop the 12 Olympians who are now able to roam free from Mount Olympus from destroying them and the rest of the world.

Let me start off with what I thought was done excellently in this novel.

First, the major plot with Helen and company battling the Olympian gods and goddesses to protect themselves and Earth was nicely done.

Second, the character of Helen show more grew. We have Helen growing up a lot more in this novel and actually fighting instead of passively sitting by and letting things happen to her while waiting for Lucas and Hector to save her. There is a bit of Mary Sue about her (seriously her constantly evolving powers got old after a while) but I was able to ignore that for the most part since Ms. Angelini did set up why Helen's powers were evolving due to the events in Dreamless.

We also get more backstory into the Helen of Troy and several other key figures such as Guinevere and Lancelot whom ended up being descended from Helen of Troy and Paris of of Troy as well.

That said I still only gave this novel three stars due to the following:

First of all instead of focusing on one person's points of view throughout this novel we switch back and forth between Helen, Lucas, Helen's mother Daphne, Helen's best friend Matt. There was literally way too many people's heads I was getting a look into.I understand why Ms. Angelini had to switch over to Matt's viewpoint so that the ending would make better sense.

Second, the stupidest lie that was ever told is still believed by everyone up until the end and because of this lie a character we have grown to care about believes something that causes him to give up on himself. I was so frustrated with this entire plot point since if your characters do not have the basic rudimentary math skills I pretty much don't want them to survive in the end since they have proven that they are not that intelligent.

Third, we don't really get a chance to interact with the Olympians that much in this novel. We do get some glimpses into what makes Apollo, Poseidon, and Zeus tick (apparently raping and murdering women) but the female goddess are pretty much ignored in this novel besides a few murmurings by Aprhodite about how much she loves Helen's face.

Fourth, readers are quickly able to glean that the Olympians gods at least are not good guys (see above about rape and murder) but we still have several characters allegiances swayed because of Helen's growing powers. I really thought that this part added nothing to the novel and when we get to a crucial moment where a character we readers have followed through three books now changes I can say honestly that the set-up for it just came out of left field.
Fifth, the battle scenes were pretty much boring. I wish that things had been described better and we actually had scenes with our characters fighting. Instead things seem to be described in a general way (except for two key fight scenes) and due to that I did not feel like anyone was really in grave danger.

Sixth, though it was nice to get backstory about Helen of Troy and other famous figures in history like Guinevere I really wish that that had been brought up only once in the novel. Instead we have Helen flashbacking to these characters lives and it was distracting when we had so many things going on in the present day. For me, it kept slowing the momentum of the novel. Also when we find out Helen of Troy's main reasons for betrayal I ended up not having a lot of sympathy for the character.

All in all this was an okay read but ultimately a letdown after how well I thought books 1 and 2 were in this trilogy. show less

What an excellent end to a great series.

I'm going to keep this super short and sweet. I really love this series, probably because I really love Greek mythology and any incarnation of it is just so cool. I loved the world that Angelini created and I'm actually sad to see it end. This is one series I would've liked to see 4 or 5 books out of. There are so many relationships and lovely time-hurdling romances that it's just irresistible.

I especially loved how Helen got to remember her memories as previous Helens. Finally seeing the "true" story of Helen of Troy, and again as Guinevere. That was really cool and I always love reading different interpretations of events in history.

I am satisfied with the ending, although I'm still hoping show more there's I'll be a novella or something because I'd love to hear the stories of the different lovers. And I can't wait to read more from Angelini. She knows how to weave a world like no other, and I really enjoyed immersing myself in the story. show less

'She wrapped her arms around his chest and let the tears come...for Orion, for herself and for Lucas. She had the power over the most magnificent forces on Earth, but she still didn't feel like she had power over the most important thing of all - her own heart'.

Plot

After she accidentally releases the Gods from Olympus, Helen Hamilton must find a way to imprison them again, without starting a war that could devastate the world. But the angry Gods have already started quenching their thirst for blood, and are leaving a body count.

Cassandra, the Oracle, reveals that a dangerous tyrant is amongst them, causing a rift within the group. As Helen's powers are increasing, so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. She must make a show more terrifying decision, as war is on it's way.

My thoughts

This is the third and final book in the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini. I won the first two books through first reads giveaways and loved them, so I just had to buy this one. I read the second book quite a while ago, so I have to admit that when I started reading this book, I was a bit lost about what had happened in the previous books. However, I soon started to remember and piece together everything that had happened, as I got further into the book.

At the end of the last book, Helen accidentally released the Gods from their imprisonment on Olympus. Talk about clumsy! This could prove to have devastating effects on the entire world, for Scions and mortals alike. It isn't long before word reaches Helen and her friends; the Gods are retaliating by causing attacks around the world. It's up to Helen and her Scion friends to try to put a stop to these attacks, and imprison the Gods once again. However, there are doubts starting to form in their minds, and a rift soon develops between the once close-knit group of friends.

Helen appears to have a lot to deal with in this book. Her father is injured and shows no signs of waking up soon, her estranged mother is back on the scene, the Gods are causing havoc, and Helen's powers are rapidly increasing. She's also dealing with problems that most normal teenage girls have; boy trouble. She's in love with Lucas, but knows that she can't be with him as it was revealed that he is her cousin. She also has feelings for Orion, but can't shake off Lucas. All in all, Helen has a pretty tough time in this book. She still manages to to be strong and selfless though, which I definitely respect her for.

I can't say that I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first two, possibly because I found the setting the story and Helen learning about her powers to be more interesting in the first two books. However, the story was still great, and kept me entertained, so I'd definitely recommend it if you've read the first two books. show less