Description:

StarHearts, as fans of Josephine Angelini call themselves, will stay up all night reading *Dreamless*, the second book in the bestselling Starcrossed series. The saga mixes mythology, romance, action, and intrigue in a completely original way. *Dreamless* continues the story of Helen Hamilton, a shy girl living on Nantucket Island whose desire for an ordinary life was thwarted when she discovered she is a Scion, a descendant of a Greek god and a mortal. Each Scion has a power, and Helen’s is the ability to travel to Hades. Helen is determined to use her talent to stop a war amongst the gods and change her destiny, which is to live a life patterned after that of the tragic Helen of Troy. But her quest may cost her Lucas Delios, the boy she loves. ** ### From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-This paranormal sequel to Starcrossed (HarperCollins, 2011) continues demigod Helen's quest to descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the Furies and end thousands of years of endless killing among her kin. In this world, Helen and her demigod cousins are descended from one of Four Houses, and the Furies make them all enemies of one another. Despite the fact that Helen and Lucas were from enemy Houses and wanted to kill each other in Starcrossed, they fell in love and then discovered that they were first cousins. Now, they're finding it hard to resist their mutual attration, despite knowing its wrong. Then Orion shows up to rival Lucas for Helen's affections. Helen can fly and throw lightning bolts but makes mistakes and, like all the Gods, is guilty of hubris. She finds herself in horrific situations and the only way she can end each night so she can wake up to try again is to die - by quicksand, falling, etc.-and this is taking a terrible physical toll on her. The violence that the Gods and demigods inflict upon one another is compelling, but also brutal. Enough of the events from Starcrossed are recounted that it's not essential to have read it first. Unfinished events in this book guarantee another installment in this series that's loosely based on the Helen of Troy myth. The family dynamics in this romantic, action-packed tale are reminiscent of the "Twilight" series and will appeal to "Percy Jackson" fans who are ready for more mature fare.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trentonα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ### Review “A gorgeous, haunting saga that completely swept me away.” (Lauren Kate, New York Times bestselilng author of Fallen) “A supreme mix of mythology, brutal action and heart rending romance. The perfect summer read.” (Chicklish (blog)) “One of the most cinematic books I’ve ever read. Dramatic and intense! I can’t tell you how many times I gasped while reading this book. Starcrossed plays out like a movie in your head.” (Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of FIRELIGHT) Romance alternates with fast-paced action from above and below. There is a healthy dose of classical deus ex machine and tantalizing hints of a third book in which all-out war erupts. Dreamless and its sequel will be well-liked by fans of contemporary renderings of classical mythology. (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)) This fantastical dual-world page-turner introduces more abhorrent mythological creatures while reuniting readers with Helen’s supportive high-school friends, as well as the crazy Delos family, who anchor her between the real and mythological worlds. (Booklist) “Compelling…Brutal…This romantic, action-packed tale will appeal to ‘Percy Jackson’ fans who are ready for more mature fare.” (School Library Journal)