I just recently finished a surprisingly good book, Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay. I say surprisingly because I never really know what I am going to get when I am reading Young Adult fiction. Sometimes like that with the Hunger Games and Twilight they are well written and mature. Other times they can read very infantile and can’t keep the attention of an adult. So, that brings me to Juliet Immortal.
Juliet Immortal is a new twist on the Romeo and Juliet story. It pits Romeo and Juliet against each other. One is trying to fight for soul mates and the other is trying to destroy them. We begin the story with the scene from Romeo and Juliet where Romeo is climbing into Juliet’s bedroom after they are married. In general, this is probably one of the most memorable and happiest scenes in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The story then jumps to find Juliet in the body of a young girl who has just pulled the wheel of the car her date was driving causing them to careen into a ravine. We soon discover that Juliet, a member of the Ambassadors of Light and Romeo, a member of the Mercenaries are on their own without any guidance. This is a first for them. While they are trying to adapt to their new “freedom” they must also search for the soul mates they were sent to either protect or destroy.
Juliet’s goal is to protect the soul mates that are in danger of doing what her and Romeo did. Sacrificing one another for “true love”. Romeo’s goal is to get them to do this. I thought this was a fantastically inventive take on the classic Romeo and Juliet tale. Stacey Jay weaves a masterful story. You are cheering for Juliet and want her to be happy and successful. You are hating Romeo with all his lies and dishonesty. You question who the real soul mates are and how in the end it will all work out. There are quite a few twists and turns that you don’t necessarily expect. But, in the end you feel that all is right with the ending and Ms. Jay sets up her next book in the series, Romeo Redeemed.
I would recommend this book for all readers. If you have read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (most of us had to in high school or college) then you will enjoy this twist on the classic hero and heroine. One of which becomes quite a good villain. I can’t wait for Romeo’s story, Romeo Redeemed.
For more information about Juliet Immortal or Romeo Redeemed go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble or any other book retailer.