Prince of Shadows
A Novel of Romeo and Juliet
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4.2 • 10 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
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.
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.
Customer Reviews
Rachel Caine does it again!!!
Having just completed "DAYLIGHTERS" and reading all of the "Morganville " series, I was already an enormous fan of Ms. Caines. I was thrilled to see she had yet another upcoming release.
For those of you that are somewhat Leary of the subject matter, rest assure Rachel uses the same addictive prose that we have all grown to love and admire her for. True there are no vampires in this but as the saying goes "a good vocalist can sing the phone book and it will enthrall you" .....such is the case here.
Rachel has managed to breath new life to a story that we all thought we have heard before. No matter your age, gender or sexual orientation you will find at least one character to root for and fall in love with.
I am a very avid reader and consume various types of literature so I can offer this in a truly unbiased prospective. Having just endured a huge ice storm that resulted in a 3 day power outage...."The Prince Of Shadows" was my saving grace. Even when the power was restored after midnight , I still kept reading for several additional hours.
The passion and love she displays in her books seems to warm you no matter the weather. My career involves much online work so I do not Facebook ,tweet etc....so this is my love letter to an author that has provided me with many hours of excitement,intrigue and amusement.
I cannot recall the last time I have taken the effort to praise an author through e-communication but after I finished "The Prince Of Shadows".....I had no choice.
Once you finish this book (your guaranteed to love) , start to purchase and read every book in the "Morganville " series. A talent such as Rachel's needs to be supported.
I can hardly wait to see where she takes us next....but you can rest assure, I'll be there...
All my best,
John Michels