Goddess (Starcrossed, #3)

by Josephine Angelini

[ladygrey]

In some ways this is the strongest book in the trilogy, but it still left me wanting. The characters are fantastic and are what have drawn me through these stories. I really enjoy them all and, in the end, even the ones I hated I kind of like.

I think [a:Josephine Angelini|3406550|Josephine Angelini|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1298407165p2/3406550.jpg] handles the war with the Olympians really elegantly and it was good to see Helen grow so much as a character (despite my earlier update). I like that this book is well plotted and keeps moving quickly but also makes sure that something is happening so that it never feels like its being dragged out just to fill a whole book (which [b:Dreamless|12995284|Dreamless (Starcrossed, #2)|Josephine Angelini|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320248839s/12995284.jpg|10965443] did sometimes).

I think Angelini also does a great job handling the Greek mythology, pulling it into the modern world. And especially she understands the nuance and implication of the old myths and the way they were woven together instead of just knowing the substance of them. At least, that's how it seemed to me because of how well she wove them into this story.

Oh, and I really liked the flashbacks of history that were incorporated into her mythology. The worked really well with the story and also gave it a nice depth.

I think the only thing I have to complain about is that we don't get enough time with Helen and Lucas getting to be together. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that certain reveals do eventually come to light and they happen early enough that they could be enjoyed and we've waited a long time for them but then so much else is happening that it falls by the wayside and as much as there is a happy ending (sorry if that's a shock) there isn't enough time to revel in it.

But even if there isn't enough Helen and Lucas, I like all the other characters so much that it's still a really amusing read that I couldn't put down.

ETA: Now that I reached the end, I'm also almost ok with the one story thread that bothered me the most. Recognizing all of the intricacies of Greek mythology Angelini wove in, I begrudgingly admit it wouldn't really have been a Greek story if there wasn't at least the hint of... maybe not entirely ok because I can't bring myself to type it. ugh.