Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini is a fairly good read, though it has its weak points.

Nantucket native Helen Hamilton knows that she's different, but she doesn't know why. She's beautiful but painfully shy, and though she's both smart and athletic, she holds herself back in both areas so as not to draw attention. When the Delos family moves to the island and their teenage children start attending Helen's school, Helen finds herself consumed with an inexplicable burning hatred toward these newcomers. Helen's usually pretty easygoing, so her emotions come as a surprise to her and her friends. She even physically attacks Lucas, one of the Delos boys, in the hallway at school. Everything changes, though, when she and Lucas end up saving each others' lives. Helen learns that she is a demigod -- part of one of four rival families who have been battling since ancient times. And though Helen and Lucas are undeniably attracted to each other, they can never be together . . . the fate of the world depends on it.

So, this is sounding pretty Twilighty, right? A shy, beautiful girl, a mysterious family of beautiful people, a forbidden romance . . . I'd actually say it's Twilight meets Percy Jackson, and recommend it to people who enjoyed both of those series. It does have an edge over Twilight in a few ways, though. For one thing, Helen is as strong as the Delos family. They do some Cullen-esque protecting of her, but they also work on training her to use her gifts, and they acknowledge that she has the potential to be stronger than any of them. For another thing, Lucas is not as cold as a marble statue, he doesn't sparkle in the sunlight, and he has no desire to eat Helen. 'Nuff said, right? And I also appreciated that Helen doesn't completely dump her mortal friends for the Delos family. As for weaknesses, there are places where the writing is a little clunky, there are some weird perspective shifts toward the end of the book, after being pretty much in Helen's head for the bulk of the story, and Helen's passive attitude toward her training got on my nerves sometimes. Still, this was an enjoyable read which I'm sure I'll be recommending to teens looking for something similar to Twilight, and I'll probably read the sequel sooner or later.

(Reviewed from my personally purchased electronic copy.)