ARC Review--Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.

I received this ARC at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention via the Goody Room

Josephine Angelini's Dreamless pretty much picks up where we left off in Starcrossed, which is a little bit of chaos. I haven't read Starcrossed in a very loooong time, so it took me awhile to get reoriented with this world. I remembered some of the big details, but not all the steps that it took to get there.

So after my disorientation, I finally got sucked back into the book! Helen is quickly adjusting to being the Descender, every night she descends into the Underworld looking for a way to stop the Furies and their power over the Scions. If the Furies were at peace or overcome, then that might put an end to the feuds they have with one another. But it's a long shot. Helen wanders aimlessly through the Underworld trying to just find the three sisters. When one night she happens across someone else wandering through the Underworld. Someone who isn't dead either.

The plot in these books always stretches so far! At nearly 500 pages, it's hard to sum everything up, but we do see a lot of people. New enemies, old friends, they're all there and most of them tell their portion of the story too, in third person of course. So we can kind of get the idea of what's happening everywhere. But the big plan, the main scheme of things that all these events in Dreamless lead to, is not revealed until the very end! And it was kind of shocking, yet not. You kind of know that this might be on the horizon, but still its outcome is rather surprising!

I'm still antsy with the whole Lucas and Helen thing. They still have deep feelings for one another, even though they shouldn't (if you've read Starcrossed, you might remember why they shouldn't have these feelings, but I won't spoil it for you if you haven't). It just weirds me out a little still, even though none of us knew this at the time in Starcrossed.

Hence the intro of Orion, the new guy on the block! Not really, but you'll find out why later! Orion was definitely a breath of fresh air. He's definitely hero potential! I liked him, but I didn't really feel too many sparks between him and Helen. A few do spritz in the air between them, but I just wasn't "feeling" it with them.

This book definitely has a bit more action, as there's danger looming on the horizon and we don't know when it's coming. Helen and her friends are always doing something that ignites little things to happen, but again, there's a bigger threat in their futures.

The ending was, as I said, shocking! There's definitely a few more unanswered questions that came along the way, that will hopefully be answered in the next book. While these books are long, I find the length fitting for the genre--which has a twist in Greek mythology and even The Illaid was uber long. All epic Greek myths usually are! 

Cannot wait to read the next one, which might be the last. I cannot remember if this one is to be a trilogy, might be since a good percentage of YA books are! Dreamless is the perfect sequel to Starcrossed and continues Helen's journey of being a Scion and a teenage girl! A lovely read!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Dreamless releases May 29, 2012