Monday, February 3, 2014

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

Standalone
368p.
Publisher: NAL
Published: 2/4/14
Source: From the publisher and Edelweiss for review
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born. 
Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona… 
…And will rewrite all their fates, forever.
My thoughts:
 This is the retelling of Romeo and Juliet and not from their prospectives. It is from Romeo's cousin Benvolio we follow in this tale. All the players are present, but what we get is a more fulfilling version of what may have happened if these two houses actually existed. The prose was there but it didn't overwhelm the tale. It was placed in just enough amounts to enhance the tale and I enjoyed it.

The story we are used to has changed a bit, but really feels as if we are granted a more true telling of what transpired. We get to know the minor characters much better and find out how vengeance and a want of power is what really stirred things into motion. For those that were not a fan of the insta-love with bouts of obsession which plague the original tale, I think you will be surprised and happy with the romance that does develop. Most things follow the play, so if you were hoping for a better outcome for the doomed couple, I'll spare you now and tell you all major parts are played to it's conclusion. It is the newer parts that have it's own tale.

I give this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed this retelling and I really loved how all the major and minor players come together. It is a more intriguing tale than the play and I do like how Rachel Caine mixed it up. I recommend this book to those that are fans of retellings, want a different tale than the one we expect and just wanted a different and more satisfying ending. Also, those that crave a more intelligent heroine will not be disappointed in this version of Verona. :)


24 comments:

  1. I was so curious about this one! It looks like it was well done. I'm curious to see the change from the real story. thanks for the review.

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  2. I didn't really have much interest in this one until I started reading the reviews. Sounds great!

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    1. I think you will enjoy where the story departs from the play. Hope you get and enjoy!

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  3. I love Rachel Caine and love that she's so willing to write other genres and intriguing stories. I've had my eye on this one for a while -- glad to hear it lives up to my hopes!

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  4. I've been meaning to read Rachel Caine for some time but I think I'm going to make this one my first book by her. I love retellings and I'm a big Shakespeare fan. I'm curious to find out about all the changes. Thanks for the review, Melissa!

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  5. So cool! I love re-tales (I'm a fairy-tale junkie) Nice review!

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  6. I guess from that they do not both die..I hope

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    1. Depends on who you mean. Those that are supposed to die do in the story. Don't think that is a spoiler. :)

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  7. I really enjoy re-tellings told from unique perspectives and this one seems really promising. I'm not the biggest fan of Romeo and Juliet, but I think this will work for me. Thanks for putting this on my radar, Melissa!(:

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    1. I think you'll like this article: Romeo is a Villain Hm... maybe I should do a post on it. :)

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  8. I have been curious about this one as well. I have always loved Romeo and Juliet and I think it would be great to loook at it from different eyes and I like that this is a stand alone. Thanks for ruining the end for me... ha ha!

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    1. I think you'll really like this version. I like the romance much better. Sorry, but I had to tell you that R and J die. LOL

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  9. It's not really about R and J so I think you'll like it a lot. However... you might like this article: Romeo is a Villain

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  10. Well I am curious, I enjoy retellings and like the perspective of this and your comment that it felt more like the true story rather then the one we all know

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  11. Not a big fan of Romeo and Juliet, but like the sound of this one since it tells the story from a different viewpoint. Plus, Rachel Caine is an awesome writer, so am sure this is another good one!

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  12. This sounds really interesting and very different. I did see this somewhere else but only got half of the review. I didn't understand if it was a true Romeo and Juliet story or just about Rosaline and Benvolio. Or there may be another retelling out there about these two. I'm not sure. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it. I'm a fan or R&J so I'd love to read it!

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  13. I got the sample of this one and am really excited to read it! I'm curious to see how things go in this.

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  14. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this and that we get a more intelligent heroine. I don't mind if the story follows the original as long as it brings a fresh new take on it. I definitely need to read this, lovely review! :-)

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  15. Oh this does sound good. I've been seeing the cover around and like hearing about it. :) Thank you!

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  16. I don't really like retellings of anything, but I do love Rachel Caine books, so adding it to my wishlist.

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Thanks for commenting! I ❤ comments!