Review - Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Series:  Juliet Immortal #1

Publisher:  Delacourte/Random House Children's

Published:  August 9, 2011

Edition:  Hardcover, US

Pages:  276

Source:  Bought

Summary:

"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:

PLOT:  I have never been a fan of Shakespeare, let alone "Romeo and Juliet" (well, except for the movie with yummy Leo DiCaprio), so I was surprised when I ran across this book at just how much I wanted to read it.  Maybe because it was the whole concept of the love story being a total lie.  It was a fresh and interesting take on the supposed greatest love story ever told.  I thought the novel was well paced and told imaginatively, with Jay spinning the classic tale into a whole new story.   I very much enjoyed the flashbacks every few chapters to the "original" story of what went down with Romeo and Juliet.

CHARACTERS:  Jay did a wonderful job fleshing out the main characters.  While this book did have the standards in character steotypes:  heroine, good guy love interest, bad boy love interest (Maybe? Possibly, PLEASE?!?), etc, they were very well portrayed.  Characterization was done particularly well with the 2 MC's Romeo and Juliet.  As far as Romeo, Jay wrote him as pure evil, and in certain scenes I could almost feel it radiate off him.  But he was also compassionate and regretful.  I couldn't help wanting him and Juliet to be together again.  Juliet was also well portrayed, oblivious and a little clingy, strong willed and wary after the betrayal of her beloved.  Oh, and then we have Ben.  Ben....too nice, too goody goody.  He didn't have much a personality and just took everything that was going on with a grain of salt.  Maybe his character and personality will be incorporated more in the next installment.

THE ENDING:  Speaking of Ben, I totally didn't see the ending that had to do with him.  I mean, now that I look back on it, it was so obvious, what with his name being Ben and all.  What a great cliffhanger, without really being a cliffhanger, ya know?  It totally could have been a standalone novel, which I thought it was until a few months ago.  But I am super excited to read the next one, Romeo Redeemed.

*EEEEK! Totally got approved for the eARC on NetGalley!  Maybe they don't hate me as much as I thought.....