Dreamless (Starcrossed book #2) by Josephine Angelini

 Title: Dreamless

                                                      Author: Josephine Angelini

                                                    Pages: 487

                                                      Published: May 2012, HarperTeen

                                                      Genre: YA novel, mythological

                                                      Stars: 5/5

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.

See review for Starcrossed, first book in this trilogy here.

To stop the Furies and break the cycle that tortures her family and friends, Helen must enter the Underworld, lift the curse of the Furies and stop the rage and senseless killings. She is the only person who can travel there, but not without consequences whereby Helen experiences extreme exhaustion and in some ways insanity but also death. Helen desperately needs help and luckily another Scion, Orion has come to her rescue who can also enter the Underworld. As they both start to work together, Helen begins to have feelings for him...but what about Lucas who seems to be always on mind constantly? However, after finding that they are both related from the first book, she tries very hard to see him as just her cousin and only that.

I love Helen! There is so much to her character that I don’t even know where to begin. Not only is she extremely stunning, but she’s extremely strong that she doesn’t even know her true strength. She has a rare gift of using electricity, is the only one who can enter the Underworld at will and has a Cestus that protects her from any harm! Gosh, she’s Wonder Woman all right. I like her even more in Dreamless. I liked seeing Helen branching out and actually considering someone else as a love interest other then Lucas. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Lucas, but it was nice that Helen explored a relationship with Orion, who is just as dreamy and gorgeous as Lucas.

My opinion of Lucas from the first book, ‘Starcrossed’ (see review here) has not changed.  The only differences might be is that I loved him even more...if that is even possible. I wasn’t even mildly ticked off at him when he kept interfering between Helen and Orion.....he is just so loveable! I think I’m in love.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Orion! He is the kindest, hottest, strongest, funniest and easy going demi god I have ever met....not that I have met any but you know what I’m talking about. He truly cares for Helen and there is a kindest in him that no other demi god processes, what with being all mighty and a tad bit big-headed due to the power they hold. But oh no Orion is not like that. He actually doesn’t like the idea of using his power where he can somewhat physically change what a person is feeling like. I’m rooting for him and Helen to be together, but I highly doubt that’s going to happen. I really hope he gets with someone though! I think I’m in love......again!

I was kind of ticked off with Jason at being angry with Helen all the time as if it was her fault that everything was going on, especially with Lucas’s mood swings. I mean seriously, has he forgotten that Helen is the least selfish person in this book by going down to the Underworld and risk dying, just so she could stop the furies! I really wanted her mission to the Underworld with the help of Orion just to be their little thing, what with the way everyone kept pushing Helen away, or so it seemed.

One of my favourite parts in this book is the cave scene with Helen and Orion (it seems to be like a trend of using a ‘cave’ to produce some steamy romance!). At first I loved the way they fought together caused by the furies but I loved it even more when Orion kissed her so she could stab him! Arghhh!! I think I’m saying the word ‘love’ way too much. 

There is a lot of emphasis that is placed on the Olympian gods even more then the first book. There is much more emphasis placed on the Olympian gods especially towards the end. There are new mythological characters that are introduced such as Achilles, Ares and Persephone. I really liked this twist to the mythology of Olympian gods and mostly the mythology of Helen of Troy and Paris. It was very authentic and I liked the way Josephine changed and added things to the original classics. It was never a boring book, despite the novel being fat!

Notables quotes/passages: 

“Yes. I love them both. And I'd die for them both.” 

Book Trailer: