August 1, 2011
Shakespeare's famous teenage lovers are re-imagined as immortal enemies in this convoluted and occasionally gruesome update of Romeo and Juliet.
As an agent for the ill-defined Ambassadors of Light—angels? gods? vampires? It's never clear—Juliet Capulet finds and protects new soul mates; serving the Mercenaries of the Apocalypse, Romeo Montague tries to convince one lover to kill the other and gain immortality. The fact that Juliet is also immortal—as evidenced by the title—remains unaddressed, as do the clear downsides of Romeo's demonic afterlife. Rather than reincarnation, the two temporarily possess humans—Juliet occupies the scarred and scared Ariel Dragland, while Romeo re-animates the fresh corpse of sociopath Dylan Stroud. Their host bodies come with an abundance of emotional baggage, bad friendships and dysfunctional families, all of which they must sort through as they attend high school, search for the soul mates and perform in West Side Story. Though the characters are flat—particularly secondary ones like spoiled Gemma and brooding but noble Ben—readers seeking melodrama may be pleased by the ever-changing couplings and life-or-death situations. Jay (The Locket, 2011, etc.) celebrates the giddy rush of teenage love, but the violence—often bordering on sexual sadism—far outstrips the original tale.
An uneven combination of Shakespeare and the supernatural. (Fiction. 14 & up)(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
November 1, 2011
Gr 9 Up-Here is a Shakespeare retelling with a difference: What if Romeo actually murdered Juliet as part of a bargain with evil powers called Mercenaries in order to become immortal? The dying Juliet is recruited by the Ambassadors, opponents of the Mercenaries, as a protector of lovers and soul mates, and, for the next 700 years, she fights Romeo, who seeks to convince others to sacrifice their true loves as he himself did. He and Juliet take up temporary residence in new bodies every time they battle each other. Juliet's latest host is a troubled girl whose self-centered best friend, Gemma, appears to be one of the soul mates Juliet has been sent to protect. However, Juliet finds herself falling in forbidden love with good guy Ben, who seems to be Gemma's soul mate, and she also has to resist Romeo, who claims to have found a way to release both of them from their immortal bondage, if only she can love him again. Will Juliet find a true love after centuries of tragedy and loss? The paranormal romance elements work surprisingly well in combination with the play, although the backstory of the Ambassadors and Mercenaries is not always clear. Jay includes some interesting critiques of popular notions of romantic love associated with the story of Romeo and Juliet, which would make for a lively book discussion with teens who have read the play. Readers who enjoyed Amy Plum's Die for Me (HarperTeen, 2011) and Cynthia Leitich Smith's Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) will also enjoy this one.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2011
Grades 9-12 Can love be as powerful as evil? The romance is intense, and so is the horror in this strong reversal of the Romeo and Juliet story, set in contemporary California and very different from the usual retelling of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers. This Romeo is living in the body of sociopath Dylan, a liar and brutal killer, and Juliet is running from him, just as she has for the more than 700 years since he murdered her. Now she inhabits the body of high-school senior Ariel, and with her real love, Ben, she makes out purely, sweetly, wickedly, perfectly, even though he is her best friend's boyfriend. Romeo, though, is always a terrifying threat. Filled with brutal fights, this is not for sweet romance fans, but many teens will enjoy the macabre fantasy story of forbidden love, especially since it is set in the contemporary world of cell phones, texting, and hidden cameras, and many teens will recognize the timeless feeling that kissing is wicked and perfect.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2012
Jay turns Shakespeare's play on its head in this contemporary paranormal romance. Romeo and Juliet are revealed to be mystical spirits--and immortal enemies--doomed to eternal conflict as each is repeatedly reincarnated. As their struggle plays out, the characters discover they can make different decisions about forbidden love and self-sacrifice, all in a swoon-worthy manner.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)