Monday, September 6, 2010

Romeo & Juliet & Vampires by Claudia Gabel

Author: Claudia Gabel (adapted from William Shakespeare)
Release: August 31st, 2010
Source: Publicist
My Summary: 
Juliet's family, the Capulets, are some of the most bloodthirsty and vicious vampires there are. Yet, Juliet - still a human for a short time - is kind and firmly against harming others. Only problem? She's going to turn into a vampire soon, and she only has two options: Kill and become a vampire, or die a slow and very painful death.

She's entertaining the latter option until Romeo, a Montague, comes along. Coming from a family dedicated to killing her kind, especially her family, they should hate one another.

Against all odds, they fall in love. However, Juliet's time as a human is dwindling, and the two will face more obstacles...and death is an almost certain outcome.
Review: An intriguing and fun take on Romeo and Juliet, Gabel doesn't disappoint with her fresh take on such a classic story.

The characters in this story are very fresh and easy to sympathize with. I found Juliet to be a sweet, sympathetic character, and Romeo an honorable and equally kind. Their romance was sweet, if only a bit rushed (but hey, it's kind of like that in the original). Juliet's struggle with becoming a vampire is an interesting twist, and her parents were downright frightening and intense. The vampire twist seemed to mesh perfectly with the story.

There are, obviously, some differences both major and minor in comparison to Shakespeare's original version.  I was glad for the differences, the twists, and for the similarities. Even if you think you know how it all ends because you read Shakespeare's original, think again.

Highlights: Gabel makes this story readable, which isn't always the case with Shakespeare. I definitely also loved the characters, like Nurse, whom I actually liked more in this version. The story still maintained the essence of Shakespeare's original version, but it was also different and creative in its own right.

Lowlights: A few scenes seemed rushed. I would have definitely preferred the balcony scene to be a bit more fleshed out. But honestly, I enjoyed this one far more than I thought I would.

Rating:    



Lea

16 comments:

  1. Great review, Lea! I love re-imagining stories like this with supernatural twists. This one sounds like a lot of fun :)

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  2. Hmm, this one seems like a pretty good addition to the mash up genre :) THanks for the great review!

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  3. I've read Claudia Gabel, and I think I would like this! :D thanks for the review!

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  4. Great review Lea! It sounds quite interesting. We all know the Romeo & Juliet story so it's cool to see a difference twist with vampires. :)

    I'm commenting from the Comment Exchange Program. :)

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  5. This looks and sounds so fun. A fun twist to this unique story. :)

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  6. I enjoyed this review---I have not read any redone classics but may have to now. Thanks!

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  7. Great review. I'm not a huge fan of these but I might like the vampy Shakespeare.

    I see you're a member of Splash Team! How cool! You go girl!

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  8. Wow, I really want to read this now, which surprises me, since I HATE Romeo and Juliet. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for any story with a vampiric twist!)

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  9. Fab review - this sounds like it would make me laugh, which I'm not sure is the point. I think I would enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I can do another remake of a classic right now.

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  10. This mash up of Romeo and Juliet sounds pretty good. I'm a fan of the story so am interesting in reading this new take on it.

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  11. Just got this one in the mail a couple of weeks ago and was very hesitant to read it. I mean, really how many more mashup stories can there be? But since you gave it 4 I will then give it a go.

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  13. Great review, it looks like an awesome book.(:

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  14. This book definitely sounds interesting! Love that it R& J but w/ vamps!

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  15. I still haven't gotten into these but this sounds fun! Juliet on the cover cracks me up!


    Alyssa
    Teens Read and Write

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  16. Great review. Looking forward to checking it out. Especially since its more readable than the original.

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