 | Title: Juliet Immortal
 Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
"These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The 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.
Review
The most famous love story ever written is real, but the version The Bard gave us couldn’t be further from the truth. JULIET IMMORTAL, the standalone paranormal YA from Stacey Kay, reimagines Romeo and Juliet as demon and angel type beings who have spent centuries since the day he betrayed her fighting for the souls of lovers.
The idea here is a good one. Romeo is a monster who seduces mortals into killing the ones they love. Juliet is a protector who tries to save them. The portrayal is so at odds with the story we’ve all be told that it feels very fresh and fascinating, especially since Romeo is so fond of quoting the famous lines from the play and twisting some of the most romantic words ever penned into the most disturbing threats. I just wished the actual mythology behind this idea had been better.
Romeo is a Mercenary of Darkness (basically a demon) and Juliet is an Ambassador of Light (basically an angel). Romeo sacrificed Juliet all those years ago to gain eternal life. Somehow both Romeo and Juliet ended up on opposite sides of an ancient war fighting for the lives of soul mates. Romeo and Juliet borrow the bodies of people close to a couple on the verge of destined love then they fight and try and thwart the other’s objectives so they can move on to the next couple. It wasn’t ever really clear why they do this and only vaguely explained who was in charge of things. And I never understood the reason for the mysterious creatures that hold special significance for Romeo and Juliet that show up.
The poor girl who Juliet possesses is a truly tragic character that is one slit wrist away from suicide. Her mother is harsh and unloving, her only friend is thoughtless and cruel, and boys at school make bets about who can take the ‘freak’s’ virginity. Juliet finally gives her a chance to stand up to the people in her life, but only as long as Juliet is there. After she moves on, there is no reason to hope things will change for this girl. I did appreciate the romance that developed, even though it doesn’t come close to story of Romeo and Juliet which I inevitably was thinking about, but I didn’t ever really buy just how quickly people were professing undying love.
Overall, the writing in JULIET IMMORTAL is very good, if a little slow in places. I loved the idea of reinventing the Romeo and Juliet story but wished the mythology justifying it had been more developed. This book hit it’s stride in the middle when the romance was the strongest, but I’m afraid I was rolling my eyes at the rather silly ending.
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