Juliet Immortal, by Stacey Jay

The story of Romeo and Juliet was not one of tragic young love, but rather one of murder and betrayal. In order to become immortal, Romeo Montague killed his beloved Juliet. Romeo was promised eternal life lived in the bodies of others while spreading evil around the world and getting other young lovers to do as he did, but he never expected that Juliet would be given eternal life as well and that the two would become sworn enemies. The culmination of hundreds of years of fighting has arrived and Juliet finds herself in the body of a quiet and damaged teenager named Ariel. Juliet knows her mission and is determined to complete it and destroy Romeo once and for all, but everything changes once she meets Ben. Stuck in a body not her own, Juliet is faced with choices no girl would ever dream of making.

I was very excited to find this book because clever retellings and modern takes of classic tales appeal to me more than totally original books because they don't hide their origins. There's no such thing as a book that is completely from the author's mind and in retellings the author is telling you before you even pick up the book that the story inside is based on another. This challenges the author to come up with plot twists that both keep the story in line with the original while changing it entirely. Juliet Immortal was not quite a retelling but more of a story based on the characters Shakespeare introduced us to. Juliet makes it clear that Shakespeare's play was based on hers and Romeo's story but less about the lovers dying for immortality and more about the lovers dying for the sake of love (which in itself is stupid but I probably shouldn't go there now).

This book was really good, but at some point I was wondering how the author would resolve the many different problems with one solution. There was no visible solution in place so I wasn't surprised when the author invented new laws in her universe to give everyone who deserved it a happy ending. It was somewhat of a cop-out though and it required lots of imagination (and rereading if you want to understand it). When I closed Juliet Immortal after the last page I was thoroughly satisfied and confused, which is a very interesting blend of emotions to have after finishing a book.

4.8 stars.

 
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.