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(More customer reviews)Die hard Shakespeare fans will probably cringe when they see the premise of author Stacey Jay's JULIET IMMORTAL. The well-known tragedy of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, members of rival families who meet and fall in love, is a story which has been retold in different forms and manners. But the truth according to this book is that Romeo was the source of their demise... to gain immortality. Now, they battle for the souls of lovers on Earth in the never ending war between good and evil.
I was interested in this idea. How could an author possibly take Romeo and Juliet's tale and create a supernatural element? Well, the idea sounded fairly standard: instead of the rival families, Romeo and Juliet are now part of warring factions-- he for the Mercenaries of the Apocalypse, she for the Ambassadors of Light. There are some fascinating ideas about the two sides, but their history, however, is confusing and a little comical. It took me about an hour to fully immerse myself in the mythology. The names alone require patience. And being from California, it's nice to read about cities in your home state.
Poor Romeo is reduced to a blathering, over the top villain who likes to taunt Juliet. Juliet was a more complex character. Ms. Jay deals with issues some girls deal with: fitting in, finding yourself, and becoming a strong person. Juliet is capable of holding her own in a fight (which is refreshing considering the amount of female characters written who have the male lead fight for them), but when she meets a boy named Ben whom she feels an instant connection with, she becomes interested much like she was in Romeo in the play. I didn't understand their instant attraction; it felt like it was plunked into the story because there had to be a love interest.
The narration flows, yet she does have the tendency to be just as over-dramatic as Juliet's crazy counterpart. This feels like an extension of the play: Romeo and Juliet Immortal.
If you're a Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet fan, tread cautiously with this one. If you're looking for an entertaining albeit contrived read but can digest some heavy-handed material, this is worth a look.
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"These violent delights have violent endsAnd in their triumph die, like fire and powder,Which as they kiss consume."—Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareThe most tragic love story in history . . .Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
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