Audiobook13 hours
Prince of Shadows: A Novel of Romeo and Juliet
Written by Rachel Caine
Narrated by Kyle McCarley
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
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.
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.
Author
Rachel Caine
RACHEL CAINE is the internationally bestselling author of thirty novels, including the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Morganville Vampires young adult series, and the bestselling Weather Warden series. She contributed to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding from St. Martin's Press and Chicks Kick Butt from Tor.
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Reviews for Prince of Shadows
Rating: 3.8653846153846154 out of 5 stars
4/5
52 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5lovely retelling of romeo and juliet from the pov of benvolio and rosaline. Rachel Caine adds a nice spin on the classic, giving more depth to the characters and storyline. also, who doesn't like a little vigilante "bad" boy?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A dark, clever retelling of Romeo & Juliet, full of twisted politics, heartbreaking relationships, and a wry, witty narrator in the form of Benvolio, an Italian Robin Hood bent on holding his world together, no matter how deftly it explodes. Love that Romeo was portrayed exactly as he should be: a bratty, self-absorbed, yet still lovable 16-year-old. It's Meecutio, who completely and utterly broke my heart. Intrigue, horror, love & heartbreak abound! Don't miss this one.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I won a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway. This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. I thought the idea for the retelling was very clever and the writing was beautiful. Parts of the story were kind of slow for me but overall I thought it was entertaining and well done.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.Back in that mysterious time before I began book blogging, I read a few of the Morganville Vampires novels. I didn’t stop because I didn’t like them; they just sort of fell by the wayside, as I am wont to do with series at times. I was curious, to say the least, to see that Caine had made the leap from vampires to a Shakespearean retelling, but she has landed this vast jump deftly. Prince of Shadows is going to be a vast surprise for Caine fans, I suspect, told largely in classic style and looking at Romeo and Juliet from a fun new perspective.First and foremost, I’m impressed with Caine’s writing in Prince of Shadows. She strikes a nice balance betwixt the ornate language of Shakespeare and a more reader-friendly style. At times, the lines are drawn almost directly from Romeo and Juliet, and those lines blend nicely. It’s no small feat managing to stand up in some measure to Shakespeare. Though Caine’s style is quite different, I think she hits the right tone, and I very much approve of the fact that she kept the bawdy comedy inherent to Shakespearean humor, even in tragedies like this one.Caine’s retelling too is quite clever. Cast as the lead is Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin. He’s a supporting character in Romeo and Juliet, standing in as a young tough from the Montague family. From his viewpoint, we can see the larger context of the tragedy of those star-crossed lovers. Though the paranormal elements get a bit overwhelming right at the end, the rest of the novel takes place very much in a convincing historical Verona, as defined by Shakespeare. The twists she’s put on Romeo and Juliet, even when not to my taste, put a very interesting spin on the original, and fit very well with it. Prince of Shadows isn’t so much a retelling as a frame in which we can learn that things were not as they appeared.The characters of lovestruck Romeo and Juliet both do and do not come off looking better in Prince of Shadows than they did in the play. What Caine really emphasizes is their youth and how out of control of circumstances everyone felt. Many characters, however, retain the black or white natures they had in the Shakespeare. The characters seen in a greatly new light are Benvolio, Mercutio, and Rosaline.Mercutio has always been the saddest figure in Romeo and Juliet to me, and the same is true here. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about some of Caine’s revisions, but he still breaks my heart. I adore that Caine’s Mercutio is gay, and I like too how those of good character find little fault with him for that. Whether a character believes that love is love is a good litmus test for their nature.The other change in Prince of Shadows is an increased focus on female roles in the political situation. Though a male is still the lead, he’s surrounded by strong women, both evil and good. His grandmother rules the Montague clan with an iron fist, though scarcely able to move about. His young sister does her best to manipulate within the scope that society allows her. Benvolio’s mother ends up a more powerful figure as well. Rosaline, of course, serves as the best representation, almost an Elizabeth Bennet figure, unwilling to settle for the role provided to women during her era.Prince of Shadows is not the heavily romance-focused, action-packed adventure that Caine’s Morganville Vampires fans might be looking for. It is, however, a fascinating reconsideration of Romeo and Juliet, and will likely interest fellow Shakespeare nerds.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If a retelling of Romeo and Juliet sounds sorta ho hum I would say give this a try anyway. The biggest thing about this book is it gives a wonderful reason for Romeo falling for Juliet after seeing her. The story is still heartbreaking like the play, lots of death and revenge. The main POV is Benvolio Montague and he is also the "Prince of Shadows" a thief that steals mostly from the rich in town with his targets also being chosen for revenge of slights against him and the Montagues. If you like the play and different reinterpretations of Shakespeare then you heed to pick this up. I'm glad I read it and it is a really entertaining read,
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taking Romeo and Juliet as an inspiration and telling the story from Benvolio (one of the survivor's) point of view this is an interesting look at the story, and one I actually really liked. The only characterisation I didn't really like was Mercutio, he was my favourite character in the play, but it's a minor quibble, and not because he's gay.I enjoyed the read, liked the characters and liked the resolution and Rosaline also appealed to me. I want to re-read the play now.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Benvolio Montague is loyal to his house, and he knows his life isn't his own, he owes all to the family. However, at night as the Prince of Shadows, a master thief, he rebels and takes control of his own fate. Until he robs the House of Capulet and meets Rosalind, a woman destined for the convent who dreams of more. Their fates will never be the same.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/55 Stars*I received this uncorrected galley from Penguin first to read*In the enemy houses of Montague and Capulet only two things really matter; power and heirs.Knowing what is expected of him Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo Montague, realizes his double identity as the Prince of Shadows could cost him everything. What he doesn’t expect as he steals from the Capulets’ in rebellion is falling in love with Rosaline Capulet, which sets in motion a dangerous curse that will fall on both houses.As far as retellings go this novel is probably my favorite, or at least in the top five. I should mention that I am not a huge fan of retellings. Even after thinking about what I would write I am lost for words. It’s been years (quite a few of them) since I read Romeo and Juliet. I liked it but not as much as my friends. It wasn’t something I reread or wanted to reread. Prince of Shadows will be something that I would consider rereading. Benvolio is an interesting and fun protagonist to read. There’s a lot of action, good drama, and of course romance. It’s something I would absolutely recommend, especially to Romeo and Juliet fans.