{Blog Tour} Goddess by Josephine Angelini: Guest Post + Giveaway

Eeeeeekkkk!!! I am so excited to welcome you guys to my stop on the Goddess Blog Tour, hosted by the awesome gals at Kismet Blog Tours!!!  Today, I have a very special guest post from the author herself, plus an even more awesome giveaway!  But first, a little about the epic finale that is Goddess:

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, book #3
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

About the author:

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Find Josie:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Check out my review here!

18 Random Tidbits about Starcrossed and Me: 

1. I wrote the entire series either in my pajamas or in my underwear. I was never completely dressed. Not once.
2. When I started writing about Orion’s character, I describe his hair as “chestnut”. To me, chestnut always seemed like a medium-dark brown with faint red highlights—you know, like the color of an actual chestnut. It wasn’t until Dreamless was published that I learned through fans that chestnut is actually a red color with light-brown undertones. So I guess Orion’s a redhead. News to me!
3. The first scene I pictured, before I even knew what Starcrossed was about, was the scene where Helen and Lucas fall from the sky. I dreamed it.
4. I pace and talk to my characters when I’m working out a scene. I look like a crazy person—half naked, pacing, and talking to the people in my head.
5. Lucas was a total slut before he met Helen.
6. I don’t like sweets. I’d pick a bag of Cheetos over a cupcake any day of the week. And I just don’t get the appeal of chocolate.
7. The name Noel was actually my second-choice name for my cat, Rabbit. My husband got Rabbit for me as a Christmas gift, and I almost named Rabbit Noel because of it. When I gave the character Noel her name, it was because Rabbit was trying to sit on my keyboard and bite my fingers while I was thinking up with a name for Lucas’s mom. Voila!
8. The first 36 pages of Dreamless were not in the original draft.
9. I love coffee.
10. I’m a post-it note addict, and my husband finally had to cut me off and make me use the “Stickies” app on my computer because he couldn’t stand the clutter on my desk anymore.
11. He really did stage a post-it intervention, and I don’t blame him. I had one particular post-it note on my desk for over 3 years. It was something I thought of while I was outlining Starcrossed that didn’t come to fruition until the final chapters of Goddess. You think I would have memorized the note and not have needed it, but I kept that dusty, curling scrap of yellow paper with me right up to the bitter end. Even if my husband hated it.
12. I finished writing Goddess on New Year’s Eve in Puerto Rico. I wrote “The End” as the sun was going down.
13. I always need a beverage next to me when I write—water, tea, coffee, wine, more coffee. I destroyed 2 computers while writing the Starcrossed series by spazzing out, missing my mouth, and spilling some form of liquid on the track pad. Macs don’t like that.
14. Lucas is my favorite, but Hector is way more fun.
15. I love the number 3.
16. Every time I hear the name “Nantucket” I still think of the movie Jaws first.
17. I named Helen after Edith Hamilton, the Grande Dame of Greek Mythology.
18. I hate to drive. I like being driven, but I hate to drive.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a post-it note girl myself.  Can't help it.  It's like a compulsion.  Must. Use. Post-its.  Besides that, I love that she named Helen after Edith Hamilton.  I despised that book when I had to read it in high school, but I have to admit, I remember so much about mythology because of it. I think I might have even mentioned it in my review of Starcrossed, though that might have been another mythological retelling. ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Goddess Tour:

Monday, May 20th - The Starry-Eyed Revue

Tuesday, May 21st –  fiktshun

Wednesday, May 22nd – The Irish Banana

Thursday, May 23rd –  YA Bibliophile

Friday, May 24th –  Supernatural Snark

Monday, May 27th - Birth of a new Witch 

Tuesday, May 28th – Refracted Light Reviews

Wednesday, May 29th –  Tales of a Ravenous Reader

Thursday, May 30th – Hobbitsies

Friday, May 31st –   Reading Teen

Monday, June 3rd - Parajunkee

Tuesday, June 4th – Buried in Books

Wednesday, June 5th – Candace Book Blog

Thursday, June 6th –  Alison Can Read

Friday, June 7th –  Book Twirps

The Starcrossed series by Josephine Angelini -- Available Now!!      

Starcrossed: Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound    

Dreamless: Goodreads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound           

Starcrossed City (novella prequel to Starcrossed): Goodreads |  exclusively on Josephine's website

Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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Labels: beautiful covers, blog tour, giveaways, guest post, harper-collins, josephine angelini, kismet, mythology, retellings, starcrossed

Review: Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, book #3
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Source: Around the World ARC Tours, 2nd copy provided by pub
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

I don't even know where to start.  So much happened in this book, and there were so many loose ends to tie up before the end of this trilogy.  There were definitely times when I wondered if the author would resolve everything or if she'd leave things open-ended for the reader to make their own conclusions.  Fortunately, I can tell you with absolute certainty that this book has an ending...and an epic one at that.

Mythological retellings have always been among my favorites -- even more than reimagined fairy tales -- because they are usually on a much grander scale, full of mythical beasts and epic warriors.  But also because they include more reprehensible themes of betrayal and retribution and no character is safe.  Bloodshed begets bloodshed and all that.  These types of stories are ripe with great battles that forge even greater heroes.  Up until this point in Helen's story, we haven't seen all that much of the epic story that myths are made of, but that's all about to change.

Not only does Helen dream that she is the very same Helen of Troy that she is descended from, but she's also envisioning herself as Guinevere...yes, the one of Camelot fame.  And when she sees herself as these women, all of her friends and family from her life in Nantucket appear as their ancestors as she watches their lives unfold, much as they are doing in present-day Nantucket.  I loved seeing the parallels between the many cycles of these characters and that no matter how different each lifetime was, some things never changed.

One of the many elements of Helen's life throughout the ages that didn't change was her unwavering love for Lucas...or Paris, or Lancelot, or whoever he was in any particular incarnation of himself.  Yes, there's that whole issue of Orion, but though the attraction might be real, the original shove in Orion's direction was based on fabrication, and I was never sold on the idea that this was a true love triangle.  And after seeing who Orion was in previous lives and who he was descended from, I don't believe this pairing ever would have been sanctioned by the Fates.  Those old bitties really know how to hold a grudge.

Goddess is jam-packed with action and information and even more characters, some we only knew of before and others we're only just discovering, but each bringing something new to the table.  There are new powers to learn about and master, and then there's the matter of that whole prophecy regarding the Tyrant.  It seems pretty cut-and-dry to most everyone in the four Houses that it's Orion, since he fits the bill -- a Scion of mixed blood, capable of crumbling cities, and born to bitterness -- but we all know where assuming gets us, don't we?  Don't forget Lucas' lesson on the dangers of arrogance and hubris.

I like the direction the story took once it appeared that war was imminent, and the fact that I didn't see two of the major twists coming at the end leaves me even more impressed with the author's storytelling.  In this book, past lives converge with the present, coalescing until these characters are playing the roles first set before them several millennia ago.  And the story plays out much like a Greek tragedy, with sacrifice and bloodshed, and yes, loss.  But there are methods of circumventing the Gods, and you'd better believe Helen is going to give it her best shot.  ;0)

"It was just so Greek.  One of the things Helen resented the most about being a Scion was that it meant that there was an appalling amount of irony in her life."

Rating:   

About the author:

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Find Josie:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

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Labels: beautiful covers, harper-collins, josephine angelini, mythology, retellings, reviews, starcrossed

Teaser Tuesday #53: Goddess by Josephine Angelini & My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, book #3
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

My teaser:

"That's why I won't kiss you." He raised a hand and touched her face, and quickly dropped it. "Eventually, we'll have to go back, and I'll lose you again. I know for a fact I can't handle that."

-- p. 238 of ARC

This book is bittersweet...it's the end, and knowing what we do and how these kids have suffered...GAH!  But I just love how all of their lives are intertwined, that it's all a cycle, doomed to be repeated over and over again.  It's sad but beautiful.

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Series: n/a
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

My teaser:

"There's nothing you can do, Sam. Just..." He turns away, shoves his hands in his pockets. "Maybe...just...give me a little space."

-- page 323

I'm starting this book tonight.  I've read a few lines from various pages throughout, and it sounds like there may be some drama!  Looking forward to it!



What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so we can visit!

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Labels: contemporary, favorites, harper-collins, huntley fitzpatrick, josephine angelini, my life next door, mythology, retellings, starcrossed, teaser tuesday

Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Dreamless
Author:  Josephine Angelini
Series:  2nd book in the Starcrossed series
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publication Date:  May 29, 2012
Source:  egalley from publisher

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 expectation.

I was kind of afraid going into this one.  I’ll admit that.  After reading Starcrossed and loving it last year, I read some other not-so-postive reviews of the book and began questioning if I had read the same book as everyone else.  So, naturally, I began Dreamless with some reservations and lowered my expectations because it seems that with a lot of the books I gushed about this time last year, I’m finding myself a little less wowed with their sequels.  But I shouldn’t have worried.

Dreamless picks up right where Starcrossed left off.  As you’d expect, there’s a lot of angst and avoidance after what happened at the end of the first novel.  Everyone’s emotionally charged and ready to lash out, most especially Helen and Lucas.  But they try to be friends.  Until it’s obvious to everyone that that’s not the best decision.  So what does Lucas do?  The thing most fictional guys do at this point:  pushes the girl he loves away to protect her.  I usually hate this tactic…and I didn’t particularly like it in this instance, but considering the circumstances and the impressions these characters are working under, I’ll let it slide this time.  Also, this approach paved the way for hunky Orion to enter the picture.

In this installment, Helen is travelling to the Underworld each night when she sleeps, trying to reach the Furies in order to stop the bloodlust between the Houses.  But she’s having no luck.  Enter Orion.  He’s gorgeous, helpful, and, oh yeah, he can influence emotions.  Just what our starcrossed lovebirds need right about now, right?  Maybe not.  I know there are some die-hard Lucas fans out there, but I like to reserve judgment on the love interests until the third book.  But that’s just me.

There’s plenty of action, romance, and betrayal to go around in this novel.  There was considerable character growth, as well, especially in Hector’s case.  There’s a peppering of mythology, too, but I love the subject myself and can never really get enough.  I loved revisiting these characters, though, and am eagerly anticipating the next book.  Overall, a solid sequel, and if you enjoyed Starcrossed, you’ll most assuredly enjoy this book.


Rating: 

Book-A-Likes:  Falling Under by Gwen Hayes, The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter, Solstice by PJ Hoover

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Labels: favorites, harper-collins, josephine angelini, mythology, reviews, src 2012, starcrossed

Teaser Tuesday #5

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from the following book:


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Dreamless
Author:  Josephine Angelini
Series:  2nd book in the Starcrossed series
Publisher:  Harper Teen
Publication Date:  May 29, 2012
Source:  ARC provided by publisher

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.

My teaser:

"Well, Orion whatever-your-last-name-is," she said to her empty room as she stepped inside, shut the door, and slipped her feet into a pair of rubber boots.  "I hope you were serious about wanting to help me because I've never needed help more than I do right now." -- p. 71 of ARC

Hmmm...I smell a love-triangle on the horizon.  o.O  It's been a year since I read Starcrossed, but I love books with a mythological-spin, so I'm willing to give this one a chance, despite the potential for one of my least-favorite plot devices.

What tantalizing teaser are you sharing today?  Leave your link in the comments so I can visit!

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Labels: beautiful covers, harper-collins, love stories, mythology, src 2012, starcrossed, teaser tuesday

Uncovered - 11/3/11

Beautiful covers revealed:

All four cover reveals this week are for sequels and are just as gorgeous as the covers for the first installments, in my opinion.  I regretfully admit that I've only started two of these series (Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and Die For Me by Amy Plum), but I own all four of the first books and am gradually moving Abandon (the first in Meg Cabot's Abandon trilogy) and Hourglass (book number one in the Hourglass series by Myra McEntire) to the top of my TBR pile.

Which book are you most looking forward to?  Did you discover any beautiful covers this week that I missed?

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Labels: abandon, beautiful covers, die for me, hourglass, starcrossed, TBR pile, uncovered

Teasers, Pleasers & Other Fun Stuffs...#3

All the things I found on the internet this week that made me swoon, giggle, or just wish I had a time machine so I could travel to the future. Enjoy!

First off, I'm just about through with the audiobooks for the Vampire Academy series.  I should actually finish Last Sacrifice today.  Which is all the more reason to be excited for Bloodlines, due out later this month.  In anticipation, here are a few teaser trailers for the first book in the Bloodlines series.  (I haven't watched them yet for fear of spoilers but as soon as I'm done with VA #6 today, you can bet I'll be playing these over and over and over.)

I love getting my hands on extras, excerpts, deleted scenes and the like.  In the last week or so, several authors have released these little extras, much to my delight:




From Andrea Cremer, we have a deleted scene from Nightshade.








Thanks to HarperTeen, you can browse the first few chapters of Supernaturally by Kiersten White.







Author Josephine Angelini offers up an excerpt from the second chapter of Dreamless, the forthcoming sequel to her mythology-laiden Starcrossed.





 
In honor of Ash's win against Patch in the very close match-up in the YA Crush Tourney, Julie Kagawa is giving us a deleted scene from the The Iron Queen.






And from Richelle Mead, we get the original first chapter of Bloodlines, told from Adrian's POV.

Lauren DeStefano, author of The Chemical Garden trilogy, may be taking a brief hiatus from the internets to work on book three in the series, but she left us with this beautiful image of the cover jacket for Fever, book two in the series, due out in February of next year.

Lastly, we have some awesome trailers for some recently or soon-to-be released novels that I can't wait to get my hands on, even more so after having viewed these trailers!

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Labels: bloodlines, book trailers, chemical garden trilogy, nightshade, paranormalcy, starcrossed, teasers, the iron fey series