Review: Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Title: Juliet Immortal

Author: Stacey Jay

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Retellings

Page Count: 306

Publisher: Delacorte

Summary:

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.

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"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

Ahhhh, a modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I recommend that you have read to original before this because you will be easily confused. I read Romeo and Juliet in English class this year so it was easy to understand but when I picked it up when it was first published I was confused.

The greatest love story ever told is a lie.....

In modern day California Juliet is placed into a teenage girl, Ariel's, body. She is an agent for the ambassadors of light. To keep true love pairs together and out of the hands of the mercenaries. For 700 years she had fought Romeo ( who is a mercenary)  for the souls of true lovers. Shakespeare got the whole story wrong though. True love didn't kill them. A chance at immortality did. 

When Juliet falls in love with a boy she is forbidden to love Romeo does everything in his power to destroy it. Even if it mean destroying the girl he loves. 

This book made me wonder if Romeo and Juliet was actually fictional or maybe did some similar take place for Shakespeare to write the tragedy. 

The book opens to Juliet awakening in Ariel's body after a car crash next to a boy. As Juliet goes through Ariel's memories and discovers that the boy, Dylan, was only taking Ariel out on a date to give up her virginity to him so he could win a bet. Ariel in a rage grabs the wheel and flips them off the road and into a ditch. Dylan awakes though and pretty soon his hands are around her throat choking the life out of her. Dylan is dead and Romeo has taken his spot. Juliet barley manages to get away and when she does she almost carjacks a boy named Ben who she feels a instant connection to him. 

But Juliet is in Ariel's body and living Ariel's life with no contact to the other ambassadors to know who the two lovers are she is there to save. She figures it out on her who they are. The lovers happen to be, Gemma, Ariel's best friend and no other then Ben. 

Romeo though find Juliet again and tells her that there is a spell to get them out of their work and into their true bodies (Mind you, they been dead for 700 years enclosed in a tomb) for all of entirety. But they price? Juliet has to love Romeo for the spell to actually work. Is Juliet capable of loving the boy who killed her or has she fallen in love with someone else? 

Stacey did well at developing her characters and setting. Juliet especially  Her hate for Romeo, love for Ben, and everything else in between made me feel connected to Juliet.  I can't wait to read the squeal! 

                    RATING: ★★★★★