Waking Romeo
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
YEAR: 2083. LOCATION: LONDON. MISSION: WAKE ROMEO.
It's the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forwards. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the 'now', living off the scraps that were left behind. Among these are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo is in a coma and she's estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance. Then a handsome time traveller, Ellis, arrives with an important mission that makes Jules question everything she knows about life and love. Can Jules wake Romeo and rewrite her future?
A highly original mashup that delights as it disorients ... and asks what would have happened if two great literary love stories were somehow intertwined.
'Original, ambitious, powerful ... Barker's ability to challenge the boundaries of genre and find light in the darkness is a gift.' Melina Marchetta, author of Looking for Alibrandi and Saving Francesca
'A genre-bending masterpiece that effortlessly juggles classic literature, existentialism, time travel and dystopia - with action and feels. I freaking loved every minute.' Lili Wilkinson, author of After The Lights Go Out, Green Valentine and Pink
'The most beautiful, moving and rigorously plotted time travel novel I have ever read.' Justine Larbalestier, author of Liar, My Sister Rosa and Razorhurst
'A stunning reimagining of the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, meets Wuthering Heights, meets epic time-travelling extravaganza ... Highly recommended.' Books+Publishing
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This fast-paced, brilliantly futuristic Romeo and Juliet variation splits and swirls timelines, ecological collapse, and hope into a virtuoso five-act telling. In 2083, two years after Romeo and Jules attempted suicide in crumbling post-collapse London—a ruin once regularly raided by time travelers who can flee forward, but never back—lovesick Jules is left with a nerve-deadened arm and the blame for Romeo's cerebral catatonia. Via specialized technology, 19-year-old Ellis, a Black 19th-century Englishman whisked to the end of time, offers Jules her heart's desire—waking Romeo—secretly ensuring with a rare drug that Romeo and Jules's son is born to invent Ellis's AI friend and prevent humankind's fall. But as an ominous enemy stalks them across time, and futures snarl, both Jules and the world might finally have a chance to change for the better. Packed with Shakespearean references both playful and somber, Barker's (In the Skin of a Monster) eye for beauty, and perspectives on suicide and tragedy's impacts never feel forced. This breathtaking, meticulously plotted adventure revitalizes a classic into a vital call to hope for the pandemic generation. Ages 12–up.
