*I own a physical copy*

In 2019 my health started going down hill and I didn't take into consideration what that would mean for my book reviewing. Sadly, I've been trying to play catch up for years and it's been affecting my ability to keep up with present day tasks. So I greatly apologize for this but I am going to clear out all these older review books and focus on present day. I will come back and update this review if I end up reading the book, which is very possible as a lot of these books are still ones I would like to read, I just don't think the pressure looming over me is helpful. Thank you for giving me a chance to early read these books and I am so sorry I wasn't able to provide what was needed.

If you were obsessed with the Starcrossed trilogy in high school like me, this return to the Starcrossed world will be so nostalgic.

This story takes place before the original trilogy and is thus a prequel book telling the story of Daphne and Ajax (who you see in the og series). I would still suggest reading the original series first, but that could be my own bias (I did love it enough I cried over a side character's death in my English class lol).

Angelini is still wonderful at depicting the complexity and multiple sides (good and evil) of human nature which pulls you into the story. She loves a morally grey character and this book gives you an insight into one of Starcrossed's, Daphne.

Warning to readers with first run books: Trigger Warnings were eventually added by the author apparently so I'm glad readers now can be properly prepared.

As always with Angelini, her take on Greek Mythology tales is so interesting! Enjoy this historical, enemies-to-lovers fantasy book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sungrazer Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

As a huge fan of star crossed, I was so excited for this and it did not disappoint.

This was such an amazing romantasy and it was great to be in the starcrossed world yet again.

4.5

Greek mythology, enemies to lovers, epic loves. I am obsessed, this prequel was EVERYTHING. I think you can worry sometimes if expanding the story at the beginning can do more harm than good but god in this case that is WRONG. I loved this book.

One thing I love is a good fantasy I love a book that can make me forget what's going on in the world and go into an imaginative world where the impossible happens and you meet characters and creatures you would never meet for real and this book had ot all

Scions by Josephine Angelini is a prequel to the Starcrossed series. Set in New York City in 1993, the story follows Daphne, the daughter of Zeus, as she navigates a world of modern-day demigods.

Angelini blends Greek mythology with contemporary settings, creating an immersive narrative. The main characters, Daphne and Ajax, are well-developed within the book.

Fans of mythology and anyone a fan of the Starcrossed series will find Scions to be an interesting addition read to the series.

Overall, it’s a must-read for both new and returning fans of the Starcrossed series.

The Starcrossed Trilogy (from the pov of Daphne's daughter) is my absolute favorite Greek myth series ever! I couldn't believe it when I found out Josephine is going to add to the series with a prequel collection. Now, I am back in my favorite Greek world with characters that feel so realistic and all I want is to binge read the rest of the prequel series asap!!

"Rule number one for my kind: don't EVER let humans discover that demigods exist."

Daphne's story is such a wild ride, and if you've read the first trilogy, you know that this is a tragic love story and destined to end in doom, but I am 100% sure that this series will be just as incredible as the first series half was. Whether you know how it ends or not, you need to know how Daphne and Ajax got to that point...

"More often than not, star-crossed lovers are their own worst enemies."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sungrazer Publishing for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

I loved the original trilogy (Starcrossed) that lead to this novel. I really enjoyed seeing our characters as younger adults/teenagers, as this was a prequel. There were some questions that were cleared up from previous novels (re: the furies, especially), and I got to know some characters that I understood less.

The writing style is very reminiscent of the previous books in the series. I'm not sure if this is the author's usual style or if some of the formality of speech is from the characters involved. The regular students used more familiar language, whereas the Scions used more formal speech. It was a very enjoyable book and I am looking forward to reading Timeless (the next in the series).

This was a decent read that you don’t have to have read the trilogy to enjoy. I found that I related more to the nostalgia than the characters.

I didn't realize this was a prequel. I have not read the original series so I don't know much of the story. That being said it was a pretty good book. I don't usually enjoy prequels since I already know how things are going to turn out so I may feel different about it had I read the series first.

This was really fun!

I did not expect to ever get more books in the Starcrossed series, but I am definitely happy that we got this prequel.
The story was fast paced and I liked the writing style.

If you loved the original series, you will enjoy this book as well.

I am a huge fan of the original trilogy that Scions is a prequel for. I loved the starcrossed series so much growing up. So I did go into this one with pretty big expectations.

Scions is a prequel to the Starcrossed series. It is set in 1993 in New York. Now as a 90s kid this brought back a lot of nostalgia, which the book did in general because of my love for the previous books.

It did take me a few tries to get into this one. I don’t feel like I connected with these characters and this story the same way I did to the previous ones but it has been a long time since I read those.

The nostalgia was real, the story was decent, but I never fully connected hence the 3 stars. It wasn’t a bad read but it also didn’t live up to my expectations. Obviously this is just my own personal opinion and even though I was a bit underwhelmed I do plan to read the other upcoming books at some point.

**Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I just… I just couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t realize it was part of a larger series; even though it’s a prequel book, I had a hard time feeling any sort of connection or buy-in to the characters or the world.

Maybe I would have if I had read the first three? Not sure.

A lot of times I can read and enjoy YA (even though I am an adult), but this one I really felt wasn’t for me/that I wasn’t the right target audience for this book.

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was interesting and the characters were well done. I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

This book was by no way original in its plot, nor crucial in itself — it’s a simple prequel to the beloved Starcrossed series that is the ultimate feel-good YA fantasy book series from my teenage-angst years. We get to see the lives of Lucas and Helen’s parents, and like the book blurb teases, it zeroes on the events that lead up to the War of Houses that took place prior to the Starcrossed books. So why did I even pick up this book? Easy answer because I freaking adored these books when I was younger and I was indeed instantly hit by nostalgia when I dove back in into the world again. Angelini’s writing style is so easy and relaxing to read, it engulfs you and pushes you to keep turning the pages. I really wasn’t even that invested in the love story of Daphne and Ajax, but I still rooted for them and found myself smiling all the time (even though I will admit that I’ve probably forgotten most of the plot the minute I finished the book— again, you’re only here for the nostalgia). So yeah, go and pick up this book if you liked this Starcrossed series as much as I did back then, otherwise you’ll probably just be put off by the strange pacing, timing, and probably unnecessary plot of this book.

"Scions" by Josephine Angelini is a well-crafted, high-concept YA fantasy novel. The author's writing style is engaging and vivid, bringing the fantastical world to life. The characters are complex and likable, and their journeys are both emotional and exciting. The plot is rich in mythology, making it a thrilling adventure to follow. However, some aspects of the world-building felt underdeveloped, and the pacing could have been tighter in places. Overall, I enjoyed reading Scions and would recommend it to fans of YA fantasy. It earns a solid four stars.

I had not read the other books in this series prior to reading this book. I saw it was a prequel so figured I could start here. I still understood the world and story well so I don't think you have to read the other books first. I think it is really telling when a prequel can actually be read without knowing the other books, this book really stands for itself. I really enjoyed the story and now want to read the rest of the series as well.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I’m an avid reader of Josephine Angelini. And my favorite part of her writing is ALWAYS her characters. The depth, the development and the ability for the reader to connect to each and every one. And this is regardless on if you even like the character or not.

Scions is perfect for both new readers of the Starcrossed series and those of us that have loved the original trilogy for years. Scions is a prequel novel so there is no need to have read the original series. But I can guarantee you’ll want to pick them up after you finish Scions. For fans of the original trilogy, we get a lot of easter eggs, answered questions AND more questions... obviously.

This book is fun, fast paced and intrigues the reader from the very beginning. So pick up the book and immerse yourself into this world. Its beautiful and has its own artistic feel that any imaginative reader will adore.

I loved everything about this book!

The forbidden love and family feuds are very Shakespearean like.

I am greatly looking forward to reading the next instalment of this series!

Back when I first read this series all those years ago, I wished that it had more books, and finally my wish was granted. We got not only one, but two new books!!!

This one follows Helen's mother Daphne and her love story with Ajax, so it's sort of a prequel to the original trilogy.

You can read it before or after the main series. If you choose to read it before you'd have no trouble getting into the world because everything is explained well and the mythology is compact.

But I'd still recommend you read it after, because some things happen in Scions that also happen in Starcrossed, so if you read the former first you won't be as surprised when you read the latter.

Also, I think this book is even better when you already know most of the characters and have an existing attachment to them, but feel free to do whatever you feel is right for you.

I'm really glad to see that Josephine Angelini hasn't lost her touch when it comes to this series, and that this book feels natural. It's as if she started writing it immediately after finishing Goddess. Perhaps she did?

The writing style was so beautiful at times that it made me cry (in combination with my love of the characters). There was this description of the light reflecting off of Daphne that really got me. Seems silly when I say it, but you'll know it when you get to it.

Scions is darker than the other books, due to the themes present, so please do check the trigger warnings, in case you need them. I actually wasn't expecting it to be so dark? I knew Daphne had a hard life but all those things with her father...

And the way that it ended is making me hope we'll get a sequel to the prequel? Because there are still some unanswered questions. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. Even though I know what happened next-next BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

I enjoyed this book so much, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one. KEEP 'EM COMING MRS ANGELINI UNTIL I'M OLD AND GRAY. OKAY? OKAY.

*Huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*