jesslaurenbooks's review
lack of trigger warnings!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
aliciawhatsthestory's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
When I was an undergraduate, I was so inspired by the use of Helen in Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed Trilogy that I wrote an entire 70 page thesis on it. So, going into Scions, which is a prequel to that trilogy, after nearly 10 years, there was a very high bar already set.
While this book is not perfect--for instance, I would have liked to see the few BIPOC characters have more of their own storylines, versus being mostly included to support or motivate white Scion characters--Scions lives up to a very high bar. I manages to tell a story to which readers of the original series already know the ending, while maintaining the same level of engagement in the story as I had with the original series. It also illustrates more than the original series did how serious the curse of bearing the world's most beautiful Face can be by showing Daphne's struggles with having friends, being stared at and stalked on the street, and even maintaining her relationship with her human family members.
Many of the scenes in this book created beautifully vivid images for me, thanks to Ajax's artistic inclinations, and the inclusion of street art added a very personal aspect to Ajax and Daphne's blossoming connection. I was also pleasantly surprised at a certain cameo appearance, and I look forward to how this story will continue to play out in the next book and to continuing to get the backstories of the many players in the Scion world of the generation before Helen and Lucas. I especially hope we see more of Harlow and get Castor and Noel's story in future books!
Overall, if you loved the original Starcrossed series, this book will not disappoint, but it is also an accessible entry point to readers who are new to Josephine Angelini's world of demigods and monsters. Be sure to read the excerpt of the next book included at the end, as it left me with tons of questions and very intrigued to read the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail
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