Book Review - Goddess

Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed #3
Genres: Mythology, Urban Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 23rd May 2013
Publishers: Macmillan
No. Pages: 448
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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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 following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Even to this day there are very few series I have reached the end of, and to my overwhelming joy, Starcrossed is one of them. With an amazing collection of characters, both trusting and not so quite, world building as vibrant and vivid as the one we live in and mythology, legends and forgotten rumours higher than they've ever been, Goddess brought together a partially closed ending that provided me with answers, yet kept the story open for my imagination to run wild, and gave my characters some of the best endings I've had the experience of reading. Angelini left me fighting myself, between my head and my heart.

The beginning of Goddess started off exactly how I like it, with plenty of revelations, soul searching and the plot really being put into perspective, with plenty of the mythology touches I've come to adore in the series, and character growth from Helen, Orion and Lucas, who really showed themselves to be utterly fantastic characters throughout this installment; strong, willing and full of hope and faith, which is exactly what this entire series was about, the bonds we make in our lives through family and friends. The flashbacks Helen had reiterated just how huge the battle in this series was, highlighting some really important messages regarding other characters and who they resembled and also mixed the touches of mythology previously used in the series with the touches of legends of Merlin and Arthur, and this could have been a very messy, very unclear and could have destroyed the series, but Angelini did it superbly, letting it all become one and doing her research so very very well; I can't commend her enough for her style and passion with this series.

The overall plot in this book was the final points of the the entire plot throughout this series, the story of a girl believing her destiny, and the destiny of those around her in order to go up against some of the darkest and most dangerous forces in the world, and boy did Helen's character do all that and more. For a series that implies itself quite centred around romance and insane abilities, the character development of almost all characters in this series grew to a maximum in this installment, going above and beyond what I could ever have imagined, and yes, some of my favourite characters didn't get happy endings, but that makes me adore Angelini's work even more, because in the real world, not every person who matters to you gets a happy ending, and there are always casualties in wars and battles, and while the characters didn't have time to grieve properly, you can see the loss reflected on those characters so much. The most impressive part of this series though is Helen; the character who as proven herself worthy, grown from a shy, hidden away young girl into a Goddess, into someone powerful, some who fights for the right, moral actions, fights to protect those closest to her and makes sure that when she fights, she fights with every part of her being, passionately and powerfully. In comparison to some other leading ladies, Helen development was incredibly believable, considering the plot, and her connection and relationship with other people was so fantastic, especially that of Lucas, Orion and Hector. Without giving away Helen's choice, I can say that I was overjoyed to see how Angelini made Helen's choice very much her own, even though fates were involved, and how even though the entire story took place over a handful of months, the romance was fully believable, her torn feelings were so truthful and honest. Lucas' decisions in this installment were also so believable and showed his commitment to family, while Orion's history was explored, and it gave the characters even more depth and allowed me to respect them even more.

There were other features I really enjoyed throughout this book, how the Gods were represented, how the dynamics of revenge and history came through the characters and those that highlighted the though of just how much say we have over our own fate. The Gods in Starcrossed are shown unlike that of in Percy Jackson, these gods are cruel, they manipulate humans, they abuse people and use their power as a weapon to harm, not to help, they are creatures who have been driven mad with power and are creatures to fear and Angelini covered this so well. The history of the mythology and how it related to and connected the characters was also one of my favourite features, it was so well thought out and researched and utterly linked brilliantly, I couldn't fault it at all. I admit, I guessed some of the biggest plot twists involved in this installment, yet it didn't affect how much I enjoyed the story, and neither did the small grammar mistakes, they happen and are nothing to do with the story itself, but the last 140 pages were some of the best pieces of work I've read with one of the best battles, in intelligence and wit as well as strength and commitment. With so many plot twists, so many revelations, so many characters changing and sides being drawn, I was in utter awe with the entire plot.

Of course, being the finale of the series, I can't give away anything, but I can say that with all of my heart, I adored this series, the characters, the numerous romances and the story as a whole; I couldn't have been happier with Goddess, it gave me everything I wanted and more. If you're ever considering a series with fantastic touches to mythology and a collection of character developments to die for, then this series is so worth checking out. Hector, my wonderful, romantic, brave handsome Scion, I'm going to miss you.