I really enjoyed this unique, creative, humorous retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, imagining that they didn’t die, and I definitely got the vibe that this is how Shakespeare’s comedies would sound if written in contemporary English. It was a treat to see Romeo and Juliet as great parents, still madly in love after 20+ years. Although the book opens with them promising their spinster daughter Rosaline (all of age 20) to an evil duke, whose last three wives died under suspicious circumstances, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Romeo taught all of his daughters how to defend themselves. So, although the medieval society of Verona was misogynistic, Romeo was surprisingly modern in his relationships with the females in his life.
There was one passage early in the book that was very reminiscent of Monty Python’s brand of comedy, and that bawdy, sometimes brutal humor was sprinkled throughout the story, including some pretty gruesome scenes as the murder mystery unfolded and the bodies kept piling up.
This is a perfect blending of a love triangle romance between Rosie, the young and handsome Lysander, and the 26-year-old scarred, but kind and protective Prince of Verona, Escalus, and a murder mystery in which Rosie takes on a detective role of sorts. My only complaint is that I found the ending irritatingly ambiguous, and then realized that it’s the first book in a series. So, I’m going to assume that any loose ends will be tied up in the next book.
If you are looking for a relatively light-hearted, multi-genre story that keeps you laughing and guessing, I highly recommend A Daughter of Fair Verona.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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