Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Goddess by Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, #3
Source: Bought
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 28, 2013

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.

When I started Goddess, I was really unsure. The books in this series have gotten progressively better with each installment, but I was afraid that this one wouldn't live up to my standards. It didn't help that I started it out blind-- I had to relearn several of the character names, because I didn't re-read the previous books before starting. This made the first few chapters a bit muddy, because I had to sort out all of the secondary characters in my mind.

I liked that we got a few glimpses into Daphne's mind with Goddess-- in earlier books, she's been a huge mystery, but I loved that she opened up a little in this one. (And she's not all bad.) But before I start in on the virtues of Daphne (few and rare), I want to talk about Helen. The main character, the balm that's supposed to hold this whole series together. Honestly, Helen isn't a great character to me. I do like her, but it's the secondary characters that really make it pop.

For instance, when I think about why I love this series...what comes to mind? Orion. Lucas. Hector. All of the interwoven stories from ancient mythology. Memories and Scions...did you notice that none of my reasons were Helen? I did. And honestly, it really doesn't bother me that I don't "love" Helen.

I did, however, like the introduction of Andy! A new character in a group you've come to love is always exciting, because you're not sure how they'll play with the other characters; but I loved Andy. She was so interesting-- a siren? Come on. That is awesome. I also liked the introduction of her as Hector's love interest. They were so adorable together!

And I just have to talk about Orion for a little bit, y'all. I love him! He's like my sad puppy dog, honestly. I'm always rooting for the guy who probably won't win. But I just can't help it! Orion was a really deep character, and I felt like I could feel his sadness. And it was sad-- I did love his ending, though. He deserves to be someone's first choice.

As I've mentioned before, I loved the Greek myths that were interwoven into the story-- the idea that each character was a representation of each of the myth characters was awesome! I completely fell in love with some of the characterizations, let me tell you. All the pieces and characters connect and snap perfectly together. Unfortunately, I did think that it was obvious from the beginning that Helen was the tyrant. It didn't ruin the plot or anything, because I was completely freaking out over it, but... (OMG OMG OMG)

There is so many other things that I want to tell you, but I just can't risk spoiling the book! Just know that my heart strings were tugged back and forth, and that the ending (while semi-happy) fell a bit flat. The rest of the book was so amazing, but the ending was slightly anti-climatic. There was a lot that I wanted to see resolved. Overall, this series is really worth a read. Don't let a "slightly" anti-climatic ending keep you away!

Scene It Sunday #3 - District 11

Scene It Sunday is getting to be a pretty regular feature around here, so I hope you guys are liking it! Scene it Sunday was created so that I could just kind of showcase the scenes that I love in books that didn't make into the movie adaption, or were changed. Just those little quirks that bother me. Let me know if think of a similar meme!

I know that I've done The Hunger Games every week so far, but I swear that is soon to change. I just wanted to get all of my problems with it out of the way first! ;)

District 11, Book Scene -

(After Rue's death, Katniss covers her in flowers as a sign of respect, this is District 11's gift to her.)

I open the parachute and find a small loaf of bread. It's not the fine white Capitol stuff. It's made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds. I flash back to Peeta's lesson on the various district breads in the Training Center. This bread came from District 11. I cautiously lift the still warm loaf. What must it have cost the people of District 11 who can't even feed themselves? How many would've had to do without to scrape up a coin to put in the collection for this one loaf?It had been meant for Rue, surely. But instead of pulling the gift when she died, they'd authorized Haymitch to give it to me. As a thank-you? Or because, like me, they don't like to let debts go unpaid? For whatever reason, this is a first. A district gift to a tribute who's not your own.

District 11, Movie Scene -

In the movie, after Rue dies, District 11 starts a riot against the Peacemakers, which is shown in brief flashes.

Quite honestly, the reason that this change bothers me is simple - I felt like District 11 giving her the loaf of bread in the book had a lot more significance than the riot that was started in the movie. The loaf of bread was kind of symbolic, like they were thanking her for respecting Rue and kind of telling her that they'd follow her anywhere? I don't know, but that's how I felt about it. The riot took away all of that meaning, because it could easily be misconstrued as only being started because of Rue. It takes away some of Katniss's significance, and kind of... ruins the opening scene for the rebellion.
  

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Dane Washington is one suspension away from expulsion. In a high school full of “haves,” being a “have not” makes Dane feel like life is hurtling toward one big dead end. Billy D. spends his high school days in Special Ed and he’s not exactly a “have” himself. The biggest thing Billy’s missing? His dad. Billy is sure the riddles his father left in an atlas are really clues to finding him again and through a bizarre turn of events, he talks Dane into joining him on the search.
A bully and a boy with Down syndrome makes for an unlikely friendship, but together, they work through the clues, leading to unmarked towns and secrets of the past. But they’re all dead ends. Until the final clue . . . and a secret Billy shouldn’t have been keeping.
As a journalist, Erin Jade Lange is inspired by hot button issues like bullying, but it is her honest characters and breakneck plotting that make Dead Ends a must-read.

In a lot of ways, Dead Ends was exactly what I expected it to be. It was a book about a kid with down syndrome who becomes friends with a bully. I expected that. What I didn't expect was how much I loved said bully.

I really thought that Dane was a good guy. He was really sweet (even if he didn't want to admit it) and to be honest, he was kind of a good person; but that's only if you can let the bullying thing go. And I could, after a while, because it was obviously something that he struggles with. He doesn't exactly want to be who he is. And his relationship with Billy D was very well done - obviously, Billy got on his nerves sometimes, but he never hit him, even if they do fight.

Billy D was a good enough character, but I feel like all of the real development was with Dane. Billy was kind of a side character, I guess, even if he is a big part of the book. Billy was just harder to identify with. He's just so naive and just kind of... he's a kid. I still liked him, though, because he was a bit of a bright spot in Dead Ends.

I also really liked Seely. It was very refreshing to see a tomboy character for once, and I loved that even if her situation is slightly weird, she's very open about it. She's a good person, that's obvious. The biggest thing that Dead Ends has going for it is the characters.

The story was easy to read, and the plot moves quickly... but the characters are where it's at. All in all, Dead Ends was a good read, and I liked it.