REVIEW: DREAMLESS

*Although there won't be spoilers for Dreamless, there will be spoilers about things that happen in Starcrossed. You can read my review of Starcrossed, the first in the series, here.

Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Yes, #2
UK Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
UK Release date: 5th July 2012
Genre: YA, mythological
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

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. (Goodreads)

Although I enjoyed Starcrossed, I didn't fall deeply and madly for it. But I have to say Dreamless totally won me over. I loved Angelini's style of writing, which was easy to read and flowed well. The story had great pace as so much happened action and plot wise, and there are so many twists, turns and revelations that I just couldn't guess what direction the story might take. I was completely drawn in and really wanted to find out if Helen could free scions.

In Starcrossed we find out that Helen and Lucas are first cousins and all hope of them having a relationship is destroyed. It's a bit of a sticky situation, because despite knowing they shouldn't be they are still inevitably drawn to each other and struggle to suppress their feelings; but being cousins makes it wrong and slightly icky. With the addition of hunky, funny and caring Orion, Helen has someone else she likes but is forbidden to be with. This makes for a great love triangle, as they all need each other but their feelings for each other are forbidden. The fact that all of them is well rounded with their own strengths and weaknesses and can standalone as a character makes it all the more real - why wouldn't Helen fall for Orion, as he's down to earth, protective and kind?

Greek mythology is an integral part of Dreamless's plot, and its been worked in really well. Obviously a lot of thought, research and planning has been done, to match the story with myths and effectively create and develop the characters, and it shows in the reading. Helen's nightly visits to the Underworld are hellish (quite literally!) and a really great addition is that we get to see a lot more of the Gods from Hades, Persephone, and Ares. Despite having a huge cast of characters, Angelini has managed to build in relevant backstories for each and create well rounded individuals.

Dreamless is a fast paced action-packed whirlwind of forbidden romance and greek mythology. This series just gets better!

Rating: 5*