#Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: Dreamless
Series: Starcrossed #2
Author: Josephine Angelini
Format: Hardcover, 487 pages
Published: May 29th 2012 by HarperCollins HarperTeen
ISBN: 0062012010
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Library
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out. A ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

Linda's Thoughts:
“It's not our talents that make us safe or dangerous, it's our choices.”

DREAMLESS by Josephine Angelini is the second book in Josephine's Starcrossed/Awakening trilogy. It seems that the ebooks are the Starcrossed series and the hardcovers are the Awakening series... but they're the same. I had previously read and reviewed STARCROSSED (http://tinyurl.com/q3od5l5), the first book in this series in Sept 2014. I was originally drawn to this trilogy because of its Greek mythology aspect. I've been fascinated by the heroes, gods and monsters in Greek mythology for as long as I can remember. This YA saga uniquely mixes mythology with conflicted romance, breath-taking action, betrayals, and gripping intrigue and I loved it!

DREAMLESS continues the story of teenage Helen Hamilton who lives with her father on Nantucket Island. She discovered in STARCROSSED that she was a Scion, which is a descendant of a Greek god and a mortal. Each Scion has a special power. Helen is the only person living who has the ability to travel to Hades. Helen needs to get to the Furies to stop the blood feud that will doom us all if not stopped. To do that, every night she wanders through the Underworld in search of the Furies.

This is absolutely a series you must read in order. I'd read the first book and I still struggled trying to recall all the plot details since it had been so long. Josephine Angelini is truly a genius storyteller and this series is fantastic. Those starting the series now can read the books straight through and that's a huge plus.

DREAMLESS picks up right where STARCROSSED left off. It took me a few chapters to get back into the story, but get back in it, I did. AND it was SOOOO good! We are introduced to a new character, Orion, who has been sent by someone to help Helen. Orion's special power is to affect a heart's desire. He could easily abuse this power, but he doesn't, which makes him a hero to me! There's a love triangle with Orion in the picture, but I don't see the hot sparks between Orion and Helen that obviously exist between Helen and Lucas, though others might. Hades, Persephone, Ares and, of course, the Furies, all figure prominently in this installment.

Our star-crossed lovers, Helen and Lucas, are doing their best to stay away from each other since they cannot be together (you'll have to read STARCROSSED to find out why). The situation breaks my heart. To make it even harder for them, fate seems determined to continually have their paths cross which is a torturous pleasure. While any romantic relationship between them certainly seems doomed, I'm holding out hope that love will find a way.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes:

“Because you, Your Chosen Oneness, can come and go down here as you please.”
---

“Even if it kills me, staying awake and seeing you... is better than any dream.”
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“He loved her eyes. They were always changing, and Lucas liked to catalogue all their different colors in his mind. When she laughed, her eyes were pale amber, like honey sitting in a glass jar on a sunny window. When he kissed her, they darkened until they were the rich color of mahogany leather, but with strips of red and gold thread shot through. Right now they were turning dark—inviting him to lower his lips to hers.”
---

“How am I supposed to forget you?” Helen asked, laughing weakly at such a silly suggestion. “You’re too big a part of me. I’d have to forget who I am to forget you.”
---

“And in case I forget everything, including to come back, I want you to know that I still love you."
"I still love you too." A smile tugged at his lips.”

Josephine's writing is flawless. The story is so action-packed that it had me gasping more times than I can count. This book is 500 pages of awesomeness! I cannot get enough of all the mythicism, the well-developed, strong characters and the grueling adventure that Helen has undertaken. This installment ends with a terrible cliffhanger, but since the trilogy's final book, GODDESS, is already available, it's no big deal! However, I would advise you to have GODDESS ready to go. I highly recommend DREAMLESS to anyone who enjoys mythology and extraordinary YA epic sagas!