Book Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 487

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: May 29, 2012

Source: Edelweiss

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

*Read my review of Starcrossed (Book #1)

Goodreads says, "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."

Helen realizes that it's up to her to stop the Furies and break the cycle that torments her family and friends.  She is the only one who can travel to the Underworld and make things right, but there are consequences for going down there, such as extreme fatigue and sometimes insanity.  Helen is starting to fade away while trying to make things right in the Underworld, but thankfully, another Scion, Orion, has been given the task to help her and thankfully, has permission to go to the Underworld as well.  As Helen and Orion start to work together and eventually become friendly, Helen realizes that she may have more than just friendship in mind with Orion.  But what about Lucas? She can't forget the startling realization that she learned in Starcrossed; however, why can't she get him out of her mind?  Dreamless by Josephine Angelini is a fantastic sequel that fans of Starcrossed will love.


Helen is such an interesting character.  I love Angelini's take on mythology and how she takes famous mythological characters and puts a twist on their story.  For a mythology fan, it really makes for an entertaining ride.  Helen grows so much in Dreamless and starts to explore a life without Lucas.  As much as I adore Lucas, it was nice to see her branch out a bit and explore a possible relationship with Orion, who, if you ask me, is just as dreamy as Lucas. Fans of Lucas, be forewarned: there isn't as much of him in Dreamless, but Orion is a nice addition to the plot.  I have recently been getting sick of overdone love triangles, but Angelini does a good job of keeping this one balanced perfectly.


There are many twists and turns in Dreamless and some even took me by surprise.  I also felt that the action was intense at times, which was a nice touch because this book is close to 500 pages!  I applaud Angelini, because I was never bored and often thought about the book when I wasn't reading it....definitely a sign of a good read!


As I said previously, Angelini's take on mythology is also explored a bit more in Dreamless.  Readers will get more of the same mythological characters from Starcrossed, but there's also new ones such as, Achilles, Ares, Persephone, Hades, and more.   With that said. I am beyond excited for book three, which will come out in 2013.  There's no doubt that if you are a fan of mythology, you must get your hands on this series this summer.  

*Buy Dreamless

*Watch the book trailer