Book Review: Goddess by Josephine Angelini

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books; 1 edition (23 May 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0330529765
• ISBN-13: 978-0330529761

She must rise, or they will fall . . . Helen's powers are increasing—and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war. The final book in this heart-stopping trilogy.

Helen has released the gods from Olympus. After being imprisoned for thousands of years, their thirst for revenge and retaliation knows no bounds. 

Now it is up to Helen to find a way to conquer them once again. War is coming to the Scions, and with a traitor in their midst the odds are working against them. 

Goddess was an absolute thrill to read. My heart pounded, I sat on the edge of my seat, I cried, I stayed up chanting one more chapter. It was THAT good.

I’ve been a fan of the Starcrossed trilogy since the very first book. After meeting Lucas and Helen and being shown their world, I knew I was in for an epic book series. Not one instalment disappointed, and with Goddess, the pressure was really on not just to deliver a satisfying ending to this amazing series, but to produce a brilliant book on its own. 

It feels like I travelled a journey with these characters, and with a story as big as the Trojan war itself, what a journey it has been. 

Helen is the ultimate Goddess in this book and she carries the story heroically. We get more viewpoints in this book, and while it is refreshing to see inside Lucas’s head (and a few others that I won’t mention here...) it really feels like it belongs to Helen. I rooted for her throughout this entire series and it has been a joy to see her grow. Gone is the awkward, shy Helen Hamilton. In her place is a young woman who is finally embracing her destiny. 

Lucas and Helen’s romance is achingly heartbreaking. At times it was very reminiscent of Clary and Jace and their similar predicament, but it remained very true to itself. I adored Orion and as a character I couldn’t ask for more. As Helen starts to lose her mortal friends, it was beautiful to see Orion step up and be exactly what she needed. 

As for the gods...wow. While Greek mythology has been done a few times now in YA, thankfully  the Starcrossed series is totally unique when it came to their interpretation of the myths. I absolutely adored the mirroring of the major players in the Trojan war with our very own Scions. 

This is the ending we have been waiting for. 

Many thanks to MacMillan Children's Books for the review copy.