Helpful Score: 2
I must admit, that I did not love this book. The tale of Romeo and Juliet has never been one of my favorites, and while the new setting of Cosima d'Medici's Florence was interesting, not to mention well detailed, it was simply not enough a new turn to make me really enjoy this. I just found this historical romance novel's characters to be no less sappy than their younger, original versions. The constant poetry was not my cup of tea, either... I am really just not the right audience for this book. And the villain was more of a caricature than character...
That is not to say that the book did not have its high points - there was a lot of beauty in the book, both the physical beauty of the cover, and the physical imagery of the setting. It just did not seem like that fresh of a re-telling. It was also a fast read, which was quite surprising since there was a remarkable lack of conflict in a book about such conflicted characters... It was really the characters that soured me on this whole book.
That is not to say that the book did not have its high points - there was a lot of beauty in the book, both the physical beauty of the cover, and the physical imagery of the setting. It just did not seem like that fresh of a re-telling. It was also a fast read, which was quite surprising since there was a remarkable lack of conflict in a book about such conflicted characters... It was really the characters that soured me on this whole book.
Helpful Score: 2
I'm not really big into romances - but this book opened my mind to a whole other genre. Who doesn't love the story of Juliet and her Romeo. This is a magnificent new version. Even though I know the original story, this one had me all wrapped up in the plot again. Loved it!
Helpful Score: 1
I'll admit I have never actually read the real story of Romeo & Juliet, but I really did enjoy this take on it. It was interesting and I could not put it down. I think this is a great read for anyone who likes historical romances or anything similar.
