Rachel Caine

The star-crossed tale of Romeo and Juliet, told through the eyes of Romeo's cousin, Benvolio, a thief known as the Prince of Shadows.

A Novel of Romeo and Juliet

Prince of Shadows

ellie chase

** spoiler alert **
           "Blood has slaughtered blood since Cain killed Abel."
I underestimated just how much of a romance story this was. It was billed as an adventure story- and the premise certainly lends itself to adventure much better. The basic concept is the tale of Romeo and Juliet told through the eyes of Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, and the famous thief, The Prince of Shadows.
Imagine a story where the Prince of Shadows sows chaos and disorder among the Capulets and works secretly to prevent Romeo from doing anything stupid while in love with Juliet. Imagine Benvolio leading a double life and all the spy vs. spy and Robin Hood-esque dynamics that could have been.
That is the wasted potential of this concept. Instead, it was an elaborate love play between Romeo, Mercutio, Rosaline, Benvolio, and Juliet, that ended in almost all of their deaths- and something I would not read again.

Gemma Reilly

I never expected to love this book as much as I did. I've never paid much attention to the Romeo and Juliet story, I've never thought it was romantic, but I've always had a thing for the secondary characters and underdogs, the lesser known voices, so I thought I might enjoy this and I really did! It's full of passion and violence and despair and forbidden love. Rachel Caine out does herself. She has so many worlds and each has its own voice which is rare for an author these days. It couldn't be more different to Morganville but it's something I will read again and again.

Lulu

Jane Eyre

From the author of the internationally bestselling Morganville Vampires series ‘A plague! A plague on both your houses!’ In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honour 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...

Prince of Shadows A Novel of Romeo and Juliet

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