Prince of Shadows
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene...
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor 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 in Verona...
And will rewrite all their fates, forever.
'Rachel Caine is a first-class storyteller.' Charlaine Harris
'Smart and sexy and addictive – Rachel Caine reinvents a classic romance for a new generation of readers... I'm giving this book to everyone I know.' Kami Garcia
'Revisit a Shakespearean classic from a new angle. Romance and intrigue abound; I loved it!' Melissa Marr
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Having recently concluded her Morganville Vampires series, Caine heads in a different direction with this evocative and ambitious retelling of Romeo and Juliet, told primarily from the perspective of Romeo's cousin Benvolio Montague. Her Benvolio leads a double life: he's a masked rebel and thief by night, and when he meets Tybalt Capulet's sister, Lady Rosaline, it sparks the potential for another Montague-Capulet love affair. As the families' feud escalates, the plot both follows and expands on that of the original, capturing the families' stifling attempts at matchmaking, fleshing out scenes that take place behind closed doors, and bringing fascinating depth, complexity, and context to the familiar events, including heartbreaking backstory for Mercutio's intemperance and rage, as well as his dying curse. Romeo and Juliet all but marginal characters in this retelling are far from the only star-crossed lovers whose stories unfold; placing them in the periphery lets Caine focus on the broader ramifications of and machinations behind the violent, revenge-driven culture that plagues the streets of Verona. Ages 18 up.
