Juliet Immortal, by Stacey Jay

Contrary to the romantic story spun by Shakespeare, Juliet Capulet did not sacrifice herself in the name of true love.  In reality her life was snuffed out by the one in whom she placed her trust and love.  Now, she is doomed to wander through time, helping secure the loves of soul mates while Romeo tries to tear them apart.  But this time, this pair of soul mates, well, everything is different.

I thought there was something darkly beautiful about this book.  I was skeptical at first, since I adore Romeo & Juliet, but I thought this interpretation was really original and delicately executed.  I love the melding of the characters of Juliet and Ariel, though I do wish we had a little first person interaction with Ariel before Juliet embodied her.  I felt as if Juliet's pain and longing was palpable, it literally jumped from the page.

My heart actually broke the most for Romeo, though for most of the book he is an unsympathetic character.  I think his situation and choices were open to interpretation, and who among us have not made poor decisions when it comes to love.  

I think that the message of love for one's self, as well as for others, is one to which young adult readers need more exposure.  This book delivers that message well, wrapped in the trappings of classic literary characters.  I would love to see more books that use traditional characters in modern ways, to help get young adult readers more interested in classic literature.  The darker aspects of the story will draw in fans of paranormal fiction; the story has potential to appeal to readers across genres.

I received a review copy of this as part of the Amazon Vine program.
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