By Bibiana Luevano Staff Writer
Romeo and Juliet. When these names ring in your ears, your thoughts spark alight with a foggy memory of freshman literature class. Perhaps the one class that you actually paid attention to? Yes? No? Maybe so? Well, for those of you that had nodded confidently, believing yourself to be well versed in all things concerning this doomed love story, guess again.
All may believe this to merely be a tale of two young lovers. An intoxicatingly sweet plot of young teens who had fallen “madly in love”, within an impossibly short amount of time. Don’t think I didn’t notice that snicker. You and I both don’t buy into the “I-saw-you-for-five-seconds-and-I’m-head-over-heels-in-love-with-you” shinanigan.
Come to think of it though, falling in love so quickly is possible, despite the silly notion of it happening at all. There have been people out there, some of which I know, who have fallen in love with a chimichanga twice as fast as it took for Romeo and Juliet to fall in love with each-other. Let it be said that love definitely has no bounds.
Yet, relaying stories similar to that of the famously shipped pairing of Drapple is not my intent, no matter how amusing that may be. Instead I’m here to tell you about a novel that relays Romeo and Juliet’s real story; for in reality, “the greatest love story ever told, was a lie.”
In Juliet Immortal, author Stacey Jay spins out an intricate twist of this classic Shakespearean play, while applying a more modern portrayal of the main characters.
The storyline begins like any typical romance novel would; A young girl confessing her undying love for the man of her dreams. Hence, the famous romance that Shakespeare is well known for, yet later on in the book, things truly become interesting.
Juliet sets out to tell us, the reader, the real reason behind her death. That’s correct, all you had believed to be true, was merely a cover story and a very good lie at that. An enticing tale, whispered into the ears of Shakespeare himself, all for the sake of Romeo’s amusement. Why is this so?
It turns out that Romeo never did end up dying before or after Juliet’s passing. Nor had Juliet ended her own life as an act of complete heartbreak. Juliet slowly unfolds the small tale of history’s past, elaborating her true death. A death that had been executed by the very hand of the man she so graciously loved. A man so bent on sacrificing true love, for that of true immortality.
Yet, little did Romeo know, that in Juliet’s own death she was granted the gift of eternal life as well. Now she lives on as an agent for the Ambassadors of Light; a supernatural force that fights the wiles of evil in order for true love to flourish. Juliet has vowed to never let Romeo win, and she will fight in any way she can in order to prevent him from persuading a mere mortal to commit those same actions as he.
A love that had been so strong in the past, has now turned into a darkly fussed hate of mutual consent. Now Romeo and Juliet are working on opposite sides of the spectrum, both fighting a war that has been raging on for years past, and years to come.
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more of this story, for that would be an unforgivable act on my part. However, I can recommend for you dark romantic lovers out there to read this book. I found it to be enjoyable, in the sense that this is not your typical lovey, mushy romance story. Instead, it provides a different view into a romantic relationship, along with interesting twists and turns. You’ll find yourself on the ride of your life.
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