Melinda Taub

"After the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, mysterious figures in Verona are determined to reignite the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, so, for the sake of peace, the Prince orders Romeo's best friend Benvolio to marry Juliet's cousin Rosaline"--

Still Star-crossed

love me some good romeo and juliet fanfiction

Now an ABC TV show from producer Shonda Rhimes! Discover what happened after the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, as mysterious figures in Verona are determined to reignite the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets. In fair Verona, enemies still walk the streets. Two news hearts. Same two families. The fight to the altar is about to happen. All. Over. Again. This homage to the classic Shakespearean tale of Romeo and Juliet will have readers pining for a star-crossed love of their very own. “A recipe for escapist television that Shondaland has perfected.” —The Hollywood Reporter on the TV adaptation

Still Star-Crossed

Annabella

Arianna M

I read this last night, because I couldn't bear to watch the show's finale knowing it can't resolve all conflict even though the show is cancelled… and I was disappointed.
Mainly, the book shows very poor writing. This feels like a first draft; it can barely flesh out the main storyline, that is, the romance between Rosaline and Benvolio, which I didn't buy at all. It was very dull, I am sorry to say, and I wanted to love it! But there was no thrill, no real pull.
I do feel like Taub could've waited a little longer, then come back to her manuscript and edit, rewrite, add. Add feeling, most of all, especially since everything but the romance feels very much like background noise and is barely sketched out, only there to create some drama and move the very light plot forward.

Also, I feel like she turned dear Benvolio from Shakespeare into a generic white privileged male YA protagonist, so there's that as well.

Andrada D

Actual rating: 3.5. But not quite a four.

Pale, washed out copy of Shakespeare tailored to a Young Adult audience. This is to what can be reduced the most evident flaws of this book.

In its defence, I did enjoy it. Very much so. I dropped it for a while then came back to it. The problem is, in my opinion, that the reasons for such enjoyment were the characters themselves. None an original creation. Of course, Melinda took a few liberties with them. We never got to met Rosaline to the date, although we know her from Romeo's ramblings. (view spoiler)[ We know Paris, although he never seemed capable of being such a stupid, mad raving villain. We know Lady Capulet, and despite her being such a thing in the play, she never seemed able to go to such an extent. And I never felt the Prince was such a young, emotional creature. Maybe it's just me  (hide spoiler)] This being said, I do love but one character to death, which is Benvolio. I love and adore and worship him, he is just amazing and I reaaally don't understand what she likes about Rosaline. As most of the YA heroines, she is another damsel in distress, whiny creature, with a sharp tongue and short wits. That she finally saves the day just in time redeems her in my eyes but I can't say I found her particularly likeable.

The feud is back. Bigger, better, more flamboyant and violent (view spoiler)[ with Melinda emphasising what we all suspected in the original play, that Capulets were THE worst  (hide spoiler)] The resolution is different from what you have expected to a tragedy, but this book is not intended as one. I was very pleased with the ending.

I don't understand the title. For me, they are not so star-crossed, as the supposed "epic" love is not here anymore and they are brought together by force. Maybe I am wrong about this, though.

I liked the language. I understand why the author couldn't have retained the Shakespeare speech but the outdated elements make the book feel more authentic and add to its innate charm.

This being said, what I didn't like about the novel was its incapacity to innovate in any way. I understand she is continuing Shakespeare's work but there is no way an author can surpass him, so why not make it different at least? I was expecting new characters with different agendas. Or at least a different conflict. Anything that could make me feel this is another story. This doesn't feel as such. But, to further reinforce my former idea, I did like this book a lot. It was a pleasant read, it was nice to get a better taste of loved characters, and I appreciate the way the author brought together stranded plots and resolved the conflict. 

All in all, it is worth a reading, especially for fans of the Bard, eager to see more of his characters brought to life.

Nicky Morgan

Valeria Rodriguez

Romeo y Julieta ya están muertos, pero el odio entre los Capuleto y los Montesco no tiene fin...

Still Star-crossed

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