No, the problem is that this world is so damn convoluted. I like that - who wants to read the same story again? You can see the inspiration behind them, but her stories are usually very different from the original.

I was also feeling positive because the author has a tendency to get very creative with her retellings. I was still excited to see what Hodge would do with this story, and Caine's Prince of Shadows - also inspired by R&J - is one of my favourite retellings. It's not because Romeo and Juliet is an epic emofest of the instalove variety.

And it would be better titled 'Romeo and Juliet and Zombies'. Hodge is the author of two of my favourite YA novels - Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound - but try as I might, I could not get into this book. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.īoth pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death-and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city-but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong-killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan-and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. The heirs of the city’s most powerful-and warring-families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched. When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose.

Rosamund hodge