Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
Release Date – August 9, 2011
Publisher – Delacorte
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 304
My Rating- 9/10
Obtained - purchased
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
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.
Do you remember reading Romeo and Juliet in high school? Most people I know don’t really like the play, I happen to love it. Stacey Jay’s novel promises to turn the familiar story on it’s head and twist it and it accomplishes exactly that.
The writing style is fast paced, engrossing and the story kept me guessing. The “paranormal” or “supernatural” aspect of the novel is well developed and explained. It is a unique element and I really enjoyed it.
There are a lot of twists in the novel, so even when you think you know what is going on something happens to change that. Things are often not what they seem, and people sometimes are not who you think they are.
There is a lot of action in this novel. The fight scenes are plentiful and action packed. Juliet can certainly hold her own. Fans of fast paced, intense reads will appreciate this aspect of the story.
The characters were my favourite thing. I really ended up caring for both Juliet and Romeo for different reasons.
Juliet in this novel is strong, smart, caring, and still angry as a result of Romeo’s betrayal. She is an Ambassador of Light and is sent to protect the souls of soul mates from The Mercenaries (whom are represented by Romeo). She is often hard on herself as she doesn’t feel she had the “qualities” an Ambassador of Light is supposed to possess. I love that when she falls in love with someone who is “forbidden” to her that she is willing to sacrifice her happiness to save that person. She really does want to help Ariel have a better life when she is finished her mission. She is an interesting character and I am looking forward to seeing more of her in the second novel.
The other main character is Romeo. Oh Romeo, Romeo Wherefore art thou Romeo? The Romeo we know from Shakespeare’s play is nowhere to be found. He’s cocky, arrogant, and flat out mean most of the time. There is a more gentle nature underneath and sometimes you can almost see that he did love Juliet at one point. His character arc and development is the most dramatic in the story. I really enjoyed guessing what his motives might be and figuring out how much was truth and what was lies. I can not wait to find out what is next for him in Romeo Redeemed. He captivated me, and I looked forward to his parts of the story (I wonder what that says about me?). I had a hard time liking the love interest because I was so invested in Romeo.
Stacey Jay has created something really unique and captivating. You if love Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet you’ll appreciate this twist on the classic story, and if you didn’t care for the play you’ll appreciate it because it’s so different. Pick this one up, it’ll surprise you!
