Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Release: May 2011
Pages: 496 (hardcover)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Netgalley
Summary:

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....read more at Goodreads.

Thoughts: Helen is a gorgeous-yet-insecure^{1} beauty with more gifts than she’s willing to find out about. But when the Delos family moves into town, Helen can’t hide from just how unique she really is. The first time she comes across Lucas Delos, he inspires nothing but the purest emotion of hatred…something that the Delos family seems to feel for her in turn. Then there are the mysterious three crying women who appear whenever she comes near the Delos family – three women that only they can see. From there, Starcrossed only gets more intriguing, dangerous, and downright surprising. 

While the Delos clan and Helen take center stage, supporting characters like Helen’s best friend Claire^{2} or her father manage to shine all their own – possibly even more than intended. Angelini puts her own spin on Greek mythology, creating an interesting backstory. Some aspects to the plot can easily be predicted, but the story still manages to slip in a few surprises. Starcrossed, simply put, is an exciting debut novel and Angelini has great potential.

Highlights: Lucas and Helen's first interactions^{3} with each other really put an interesting spin on YA – it was oddly nice to see the girl instantly dislike the guy. Despite my complaints about the Delos family, I adored how addictive and surprising Starcrossed turned out to be. Helen’s growth as a person was absolutely wonderful to see as well.

Lowlights: The POV switches didn't work for me at all, they seemed random and unnecessary. The Delos clan was too Twilight-esque; they needed to be far more unique and much less reminiscent of the Cullens.  The story starts off with strong creativity and stand-out appeal, but then slowly eases into more clichéd elements. Regardless, I have high hopes for the sequel.

Rating: 3.5 out 5

{Footnotes}

{1} Haven't I read about that girl before? Helen might even be a bit Bella-ish at first....yikes. 
{2} Claire is actually kind of bubbly/sassy/awesome. Very jump-off-the-page personality. I wish she had more page time. 
{3} Girl tries to kill boy at first sight. I want more books like that, it's interesting. Is that weird?

She's So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

Release date: May 25th, 2010

Source: Bought

My Summary:

Ally Ryan used to have it all, until her father's financial investment went downhill...along with all the money he invested using money from family friends. The Ryan's had to pack up and leave, and the life Ally knew was gone for good. Until Ally and her mom land back in Orchard Hill long after Ally's dad vanishes without a word. Ally's mom has secured a new job in the city they swore to never go back to, and a decent living space. Too bad Ally's old friends aren't too happy to see her. The only one that seems to make the slightest effort is Jake Graydon, the newest addition to Ally's old circle of friends. Drama and scandal ensue as the unlikely pair grow closer, and old grudges are brought even closer to the surface...

Review: Addictive, scandalous, and all-over exciting, She's So Dead To Us has got me wishing the sequel was already out.

Every page of this book had me hooked, which is definitely one of Scott's specialties. The narrative alternates between Ally and Jake, giving an intimate insight on both characters. Its easy to automatically sympathized with Ally, especially when her old friends decide that they are done with her. Even with Jake, there were moments when he follows the crowd, and I wanted to hate him…really, I did want to. But I couldn’t. He’s a flawed guy, but he has some redeeming qualities (just like Ally). The supporting characters were all dynamic as well, although I would have loved to see more of Annie and David (and perhaps I will in the sequel!).

Highlights: Scott is a master at keeping the pages turning. It's always difficult to put any of her books down. Plus, the ending (hello, cliffhanger) has got me intrigued for the sequel, He's So Not Worth It. SSDTU is a guilty pleasure, much like Scott's books under her pen name, Kate Brian (The Private Series). 

Lowlights: It was simple enough to tell at some points what was going to happen, but I didn't ever really see anything wrong with that. I still had fun reading, and still found myself surprised at a few other points. 

Rating:   

White Cat by Holly Black Review

White Cat 
Holly Black
May 4th, 2010
310 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - McElderry
Source - Borrowed/Bought

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Addictive, deadly, and a bit surprising, White Cat delivers an excellent and intriguing story.

For my first time reading a Holly Black book, I wasn't disappointed. Cassel has a lot to sort out, especially since he's discovering lies and loose ends everywhere he turns. After waking up from a sleepwalking incident, he's starting to discover more things about his family than he can even imagine. Cassel's brother's are hiding something from him, and figuring everything out will take every con that he has in him.

When it comes to the plot, it is fairly easy to see what's coming next. However, it was still very enjoyable. I'm going to try to keep this review spoiler free, because it there are a few surprises tossed in. Black's writing keeps you addicted, and wanting to learn more about the curse workers and the abilities they all have. Even the end, I knew what was coming, but the way it played out surprised me.

Highlights: Sympathizing with Cassel was easy. He was always being left out of all the secrets and conversations, which is easy enough to relate to. After finishing  White Cat, I desperately wanted more. I also really liked the ideas behind curse workers, just a touch and someone can change your memories, kill you, harm you, et cetera. It was completely fascinating.

Lowlights: A lot was very predictable. It tends to bother me when I can see a storyline coming from the first fifty pages. I want surprises, and shocks (there were some, so I was pleased). There were also some blah, boring moments. Yet, as a whole, I was enjoying this story.

Rating: 4 out of 5