What do you think?
Rate this book
Juliet Immortal #2
Romeo Redeemed
Seductive companion to the popular Juliet Immortal, in which former lovers—Romeo and Juliet—meet, not as true lovers, but truly as enemies.
Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.
Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2012
54 people are currently reading
4699 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Jay
24 books1,750 followersStacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.
Learn more at http://staceyjay.com.
Learn more at http://staceyjay.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews
September 19, 2012
***FINAL RATING: 2.55 STARS***
CATCHALL
Pretty much everyone knows that I absolutely hated Juliet Immortal. Absolutely hated it. I did not like it in any way, shape or form in any freaking way whatsoever. But becuse I liked Romeo, I decided to pick up this book anyway. While it wasn't stellar, I'm extremely glad that I did. I genuinely enjoyed this one and while I still didn't love it, it was entertaining and I actually found that I was able to like the characters. It was fun although at times frustrating, and overall perfectly readable.
THE HEROINE
ROMEO
I adore Romeo. He's definitely a bad boy, but I like him. It's really, really interesting to get into his head. He's conflicted about so many things, and it takes him a long time to get his priorities straight and to decide what he wants to do. But when he does, he doesn't back down from it. He makes his choices and he sticks with them, and he's strong. Also, very loyal.
THE HEROINE
ARIEL
I wasn't sure how I felt about Ariel for a long time, but I ended up liking her. She has some serious issues, and like Juliet, she could be incredibly irritating. Unlike Juliet, she knew how to be strong without having a boyfriend. Ariel's past isn't easy for her to live with, either. And yet somehow I think that she doesn't use that as a crutch.
THE LOST LOVE
JULIET
Juliet actually does have some part in this novel, and she's still as annoying and irritating as ever. I didn't like her before and I still don't like her now. I really don't have anything more to say.
THE PLOT
The plot. Ah, yes.
I mean, it could have been so much better than it was. It had so much potential! Really! I actually was really interested in it, and there was some intensity that always made me want to know what was going to happen next. I mean, really. It was awesome.
Romeo and Ariel's story is heartbreaking. There are many twists and turns in the plot so that I was never sure where it was going to head next. Or anything of what was next. I couldn't ever be sure of the future because it constantly kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing.
The main problem with the book is that, like Juliet Immortal, it has about a thousand plot holes.
I don't want to go into this since it'll spoil everything, but really? Stuff just happens without any explanation and I am not cool with accepting that. There are so many random aspects that don't make any sense at all and are never explained.
I don't understand this. It's one thing to mess up once, but totally a whole other story to mess up a second time in the exact same way.
I really wish there weren't so many plot holes. Because if there weren't, I really could have loved this book. Honestly. Romeo and Ariel are seriously awesome, and while their romance isn't perfect, they click.
But there are a ton of plot holes.
THE ROMANCE
The romance in this book is still a bit instalovey, but it's not the pure instalove that i hated so much in Juliet Immortal. It still is something like that, but the difference is that this time there's not only more chemistry, there's more development. While Ariel and Romeo do fall in love awfully quickly, their romance suffers some serious problems that seem much more realistic than what occurred in the previous book between Juliet and Ben. Also, this romance rings much more true and is worth swooning for.
THE WRITING
Stacey's writing is pretty much the same as it was in Juliet Immortal. The thing that makes it much better is that instead of Juliet being the main narrator, Ariel and Romeo both rotate between narrations, and I like their voices. They're very aching and full of emotion, and they actually really ring true with me. It all feels very painful and yet hopeful at once.
THE ENDING
The ending I actually thought was…okay. Not the best. I still don't like the same things I disliked in Juliet Immortal, and there were some major plot holes that completely threw me off. But I am glad that Romeo and Ariel were given a happy ending. Without going into too much detail, there's a random supernatural aspect that really isn't explained at all and unfortunately messed this up for me.
WRAPUP
Though this book was far from perfect and had myriad problems, I still really liked it. It was a quick and fun read that kept me hooked. Romeo and Ariel were a joy to hang out with. Compared to Juliet Immortal, I'm still not sure I could recommend this one, but if you do want to read it, there's no need to read Juliet Immortal first. I might read some of Stacey's work in the future, even. Overall, yes, this really was a positive experience for me.
FINE.
Find more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!
CATCHALL
Pretty much everyone knows that I absolutely hated Juliet Immortal. Absolutely hated it. I did not like it in any way, shape or form in any freaking way whatsoever. But becuse I liked Romeo, I decided to pick up this book anyway. While it wasn't stellar, I'm extremely glad that I did. I genuinely enjoyed this one and while I still didn't love it, it was entertaining and I actually found that I was able to like the characters. It was fun although at times frustrating, and overall perfectly readable.
THE HEROINE
ROMEO
I adore Romeo. He's definitely a bad boy, but I like him. It's really, really interesting to get into his head. He's conflicted about so many things, and it takes him a long time to get his priorities straight and to decide what he wants to do. But when he does, he doesn't back down from it. He makes his choices and he sticks with them, and he's strong. Also, very loyal.
THE HEROINE
ARIEL
I wasn't sure how I felt about Ariel for a long time, but I ended up liking her. She has some serious issues, and like Juliet, she could be incredibly irritating. Unlike Juliet, she knew how to be strong without having a boyfriend. Ariel's past isn't easy for her to live with, either. And yet somehow I think that she doesn't use that as a crutch.
THE LOST LOVE
JULIET
Juliet actually does have some part in this novel, and she's still as annoying and irritating as ever. I didn't like her before and I still don't like her now. I really don't have anything more to say.
THE PLOT
The plot. Ah, yes.
I mean, it could have been so much better than it was. It had so much potential! Really! I actually was really interested in it, and there was some intensity that always made me want to know what was going to happen next. I mean, really. It was awesome.
Romeo and Ariel's story is heartbreaking. There are many twists and turns in the plot so that I was never sure where it was going to head next. Or anything of what was next. I couldn't ever be sure of the future because it constantly kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing.
The main problem with the book is that, like Juliet Immortal, it has about a thousand plot holes.
I don't want to go into this since it'll spoil everything, but really? Stuff just happens without any explanation and I am not cool with accepting that. There are so many random aspects that don't make any sense at all and are never explained.
I don't understand this. It's one thing to mess up once, but totally a whole other story to mess up a second time in the exact same way.
I really wish there weren't so many plot holes. Because if there weren't, I really could have loved this book. Honestly. Romeo and Ariel are seriously awesome, and while their romance isn't perfect, they click.
But there are a ton of plot holes.
THE ROMANCE
The romance in this book is still a bit instalovey, but it's not the pure instalove that i hated so much in Juliet Immortal. It still is something like that, but the difference is that this time there's not only more chemistry, there's more development. While Ariel and Romeo do fall in love awfully quickly, their romance suffers some serious problems that seem much more realistic than what occurred in the previous book between Juliet and Ben. Also, this romance rings much more true and is worth swooning for.
THE WRITING
Stacey's writing is pretty much the same as it was in Juliet Immortal. The thing that makes it much better is that instead of Juliet being the main narrator, Ariel and Romeo both rotate between narrations, and I like their voices. They're very aching and full of emotion, and they actually really ring true with me. It all feels very painful and yet hopeful at once.
THE ENDING
The ending I actually thought was…okay. Not the best. I still don't like the same things I disliked in Juliet Immortal, and there were some major plot holes that completely threw me off. But I am glad that Romeo and Ariel were given a happy ending. Without going into too much detail, there's a random supernatural aspect that really isn't explained at all and unfortunately messed this up for me.
WRAPUP
Though this book was far from perfect and had myriad problems, I still really liked it. It was a quick and fun read that kept me hooked. Romeo and Ariel were a joy to hang out with. Compared to Juliet Immortal, I'm still not sure I could recommend this one, but if you do want to read it, there's no need to read Juliet Immortal first. I might read some of Stacey's work in the future, even. Overall, yes, this really was a positive experience for me.
FINE.
Find more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!
April 4, 2012
What possessed me to read this book, I have no idea. Maybe I have high hopes for humanity. Or maybe I'm a masochist or just plain stupid. I can never tell.
Stacey Jay is one of my favorite authors, so don't go around yelling, "OMG! Hater in da hawz!" or else, I will punch you. Hard. Ok? So violence aside, I REALLY HATE this book. I felt betrayed and somehow tricked!
To give you a better understanding, this is what it felt like:
So you were happily minding your own business when an ice cream truck stopped in front of your house. This truck smelled like marshmallows and chocolates. It was all white but oh-it's-so-shiny and you could see your reflection in it! There's cheerful music playing in the background. And then all the children in the neighborhood flocked around the said truck.
One kid came out of the mob holding a very delicious-looking cookies and cream. She looked so delighted, you couldn't help yourself from asking to taste it! So she let you and the ice cream tasted like lettuce! Yuck! Maybe it just gone bad. So you went ahead and got yourself your own cookies and cream. Holding the cone, you were giddy with excitement and just couldn't wait to eat it. So you licked it and.. wait. "This isn't right", you thought. And you licked it again and again until you felt like throwing up! What the heck?!
It tasted like COUGH SYRUP.
COUGH. SYRUP.
"Is this a trick? Am I getting punk'd?", you asked. But you knew deep inside, that you just got trolled. And worst, you couldn't do anything about it even if you tried to throw it all up.
So yeah. That's what happened to me.
If you haven't read Juliet Immortal yet, you would be putting your sanity in danger if you start with Romeo Redeemed. You can read my review of Juliet Immortal here.
The story started with Romeo betraying Juliet, his soulmate, the year was 1304. After a series of indecisions and self-hate, we move on to the present day where he was rightfully punished for his crimes. Okay okay, we already knew that from the last book, right? What else is new?
Juliet's nurse, the Ambassador who started this mess, gave Romeo a chance to redeem himself. His mission: to have Ariel fall in love with him within 3 days. If he successfully fulfilled his mission, he will become an Ambassador, otherwise, his soul will go back to his rotting corpse. You can probably guess where this is going...
THE CHARACTERS:
ROMEO: He is a chronic liar and a seven-hundred-year-old pervert. SEVEN HUNDRED. I repeat, seven freaking hundred. But that's okay 'cause he died when he was sixteen, therefore, he never aged. Umm, yeah, I'm not buying that, sorry. I didn't find him romantic at all. I think he's super creepy and disgusting. All he thinks about is SEX, because people, Romeo is sexually-deprived since 1304, so it's totally normal for him to prey on an innocent teenager. Um, NO.
I don't know what kind of message Jay is sending out to her readers, but I didn't find it to be a positive one.
ARIEL: She is filled with self-pity from head to toe. And I think that she's very, very disturbed. I thought that I was gonna like her, but she was just a complete mess. Her personality made a 360 degree turn after she realized that she loved Romeo. Like it was some kind of REVELATION or something. Ariel's head is full of crap like: "Listening to Romeo sing is a full body experience." Wait... what?!
Her character is spineless and stupid. She also needs to attend some anger-management class before she turns into a psycho killer, just sayin'.
GEMMA: Again, one of the characters that I had big problems with. It is NEVER okay to say shit things about your parents to other people, no matter how much you hate them. So what if she's a teenager? Age is not an excuse for ungratefulness. I was never like that when I was her age. It's a little ironic how the theme of this novel is about LOVE, like IN YOUR FACE LOVE. So apparently, the only kind of love in the world is Romantic Lust or Love, but it doesn't matter, because there really is no difference.
Gemma is an ungrateful little... eh bird... and she is also the world's worst best friend. Yet, despite all that, she gets to be with her soulmate? NO. I cannot accept that. So what is the point of this book again?
JULIET: Oh boy! Juliet, Juliet, we meet again. In Romeo Redeemed, we get snippets of Juliet's situation with the Mercenary. And speaking of the intermezzo, WHAT THE FUDGE?! I read this novel so I can get some answers from the previous one. I didn't have any high expectations so that's not the problem. But seriously, what the fudge? The ending of Juliet Immortal and the Intermezzos of Romeo Redeemed completely contradicts each other. Are you kidding me? Stacey Jay, do you really expect me to gobble that shit up? NO. JUST EFFIN' NO.
I. Don't. Get. It.
THE PLOT: It sucked. Alternate reality was never really explained well. So if Ariel died in the first reality and the other one is still alive, then does mean that there is more than one soul of Ariel? If that's the case, then what happened to the alternate souls of Romeo and Juliet? I didn't get it. And if the Ambassadors are the representatives of anything "Good and Light", then why are they willing to murder an innocent person? Why?! How come the Mercenaries are so loserish? Shouldn't they be, I don't know, overflowing with evil?
WHAT THE FUDGE?! What is the point of this novel?
I received an ARC of "Romeo Redeemed" by Stacey Jay via NetGalley -- to be published by Random House Children's Books on October 09, 2012.
This review can also be seen here.
Stacey Jay is one of my favorite authors, so don't go around yelling, "OMG! Hater in da hawz!" or else, I will punch you. Hard. Ok? So violence aside, I REALLY HATE this book. I felt betrayed and somehow tricked!
To give you a better understanding, this is what it felt like:
So you were happily minding your own business when an ice cream truck stopped in front of your house. This truck smelled like marshmallows and chocolates. It was all white but oh-it's-so-shiny and you could see your reflection in it! There's cheerful music playing in the background. And then all the children in the neighborhood flocked around the said truck.
One kid came out of the mob holding a very delicious-looking cookies and cream. She looked so delighted, you couldn't help yourself from asking to taste it! So she let you and the ice cream tasted like lettuce! Yuck! Maybe it just gone bad. So you went ahead and got yourself your own cookies and cream. Holding the cone, you were giddy with excitement and just couldn't wait to eat it. So you licked it and.. wait. "This isn't right", you thought. And you licked it again and again until you felt like throwing up! What the heck?!
It tasted like COUGH SYRUP.
COUGH. SYRUP.
"Is this a trick? Am I getting punk'd?", you asked. But you knew deep inside, that you just got trolled. And worst, you couldn't do anything about it even if you tried to throw it all up.
So yeah. That's what happened to me.
If you haven't read Juliet Immortal yet, you would be putting your sanity in danger if you start with Romeo Redeemed. You can read my review of Juliet Immortal here.
The story started with Romeo betraying Juliet, his soulmate, the year was 1304. After a series of indecisions and self-hate, we move on to the present day where he was rightfully punished for his crimes. Okay okay, we already knew that from the last book, right? What else is new?
Juliet's nurse, the Ambassador who started this mess, gave Romeo a chance to redeem himself. His mission: to have Ariel fall in love with him within 3 days. If he successfully fulfilled his mission, he will become an Ambassador, otherwise, his soul will go back to his rotting corpse. You can probably guess where this is going...
THE CHARACTERS:
ROMEO: He is a chronic liar and a seven-hundred-year-old pervert. SEVEN HUNDRED. I repeat, seven freaking hundred. But that's okay 'cause he died when he was sixteen, therefore, he never aged. Umm, yeah, I'm not buying that, sorry. I didn't find him romantic at all. I think he's super creepy and disgusting. All he thinks about is SEX, because people, Romeo is sexually-deprived since 1304, so it's totally normal for him to prey on an innocent teenager. Um, NO.
I don't know what kind of message Jay is sending out to her readers, but I didn't find it to be a positive one.
ARIEL: She is filled with self-pity from head to toe. And I think that she's very, very disturbed. I thought that I was gonna like her, but she was just a complete mess. Her personality made a 360 degree turn after she realized that she loved Romeo. Like it was some kind of REVELATION or something. Ariel's head is full of crap like: "Listening to Romeo sing is a full body experience." Wait... what?!
Her character is spineless and stupid. She also needs to attend some anger-management class before she turns into a psycho killer, just sayin'.
GEMMA: Again, one of the characters that I had big problems with. It is NEVER okay to say shit things about your parents to other people, no matter how much you hate them. So what if she's a teenager? Age is not an excuse for ungratefulness. I was never like that when I was her age. It's a little ironic how the theme of this novel is about LOVE, like IN YOUR FACE LOVE. So apparently, the only kind of love in the world is Romantic Lust or Love, but it doesn't matter, because there really is no difference.
Gemma is an ungrateful little... eh bird... and she is also the world's worst best friend. Yet, despite all that, she gets to be with her soulmate? NO. I cannot accept that. So what is the point of this book again?
JULIET: Oh boy! Juliet, Juliet, we meet again. In Romeo Redeemed, we get snippets of Juliet's situation with the Mercenary. And speaking of the intermezzo, WHAT THE FUDGE?! I read this novel so I can get some answers from the previous one. I didn't have any high expectations so that's not the problem. But seriously, what the fudge? The ending of Juliet Immortal and the Intermezzos of Romeo Redeemed completely contradicts each other. Are you kidding me? Stacey Jay, do you really expect me to gobble that shit up? NO. JUST EFFIN' NO.
I. Don't. Get. It.
THE PLOT: It sucked. Alternate reality was never really explained well. So if Ariel died in the first reality and the other one is still alive, then does mean that there is more than one soul of Ariel? If that's the case, then what happened to the alternate souls of Romeo and Juliet? I didn't get it. And if the Ambassadors are the representatives of anything "Good and Light", then why are they willing to murder an innocent person? Why?! How come the Mercenaries are so loserish? Shouldn't they be, I don't know, overflowing with evil?
WHAT THE FUDGE?! What is the point of this novel?
I received an ARC of "Romeo Redeemed" by Stacey Jay via NetGalley -- to be published by Random House Children's Books on October 09, 2012.
This review can also be seen here.
July 24, 2016
I really enjoyed this story. Maybe more than the first book. This time Romeo wants to make things right and wants to save Ariel. I liked this series.
October 21, 2012
WOW! THIS STORY WAS INTENSE!!
4,5 stars
Romeo Redeemed picks right after Juliet Immortal.
This is Romeo's story, and this is his chance to redeem himself, of all the wrongdoings he commited as a member of the mercenaries...for those of you, who haven't read the first book, i will try to keep the explanations to a minimum. Imagine, that love, just like power, and money, is one of the greatest forces of the world...so great, that the loss of a single (but always important ) soul to the mercenaries, can affect the future of humankind.
So this never ending battle is fought between the Ambassadors of light(supposedly the good guys) and the Mercenaries. Juliet Capulet, used to belong to the first ones, and Romeo of course, due to his acts, to the Mercenaries. But in the end of the first book,
Romeo's mission,in this story, is to make sure that Ariel Dragland doesn't get influenced by the Mercenaries. Apparently this girl has a grand potencial for darkness. Darkness that Romeo must fight against with love. In the span of no more than three days, Romeo will have to make Ariel fall in love with him...which may prove a little difficult to achieve, since the body that Romeo is currently inhabiting, belongs to a boy that Ariel whish were dead. And i'm not kidding....she really means it.
So for the duration of three days, history's cursed lover, will have to resort to all his wiles and trickeries to make Ariel fall in love with him...because if she doesn't, Romeo will find himself one again living in his cursed rotted corpse...not a pretty perspective.
But between lies, and half truths, the thruth starts surfacing...and for the first time in his life, Romeo Montague, finds himself in great danger of falling helplessy in love...with someone that in the end, may just be too broken to recognize that feeling, and trusting in it.
And when one starts messing with the past, some things are bound to change. In a way that no one could expect...
The feelings in this story, were raw and so perfect in their intensity.
The last part of the book, was amazing. All the twists and turns in the story were perfect.
Although i confess, that the first time Juliet appeared (and in those "circumstances") i was left a little baffled...but, in the end, i understood the reason behind that "change"....
The ending, was very cute. I really liked seeing
On and on, it was a perfect finale to a new take on Romeo and Juliet story. Who said that these two couldn't have a happy ending? :)
Well Shakespeare did, but thankfully author Stacey Jay, appreciates the importance of a HEA!!
4,5 stars
Romeo Redeemed picks right after Juliet Immortal.
This is Romeo's story, and this is his chance to redeem himself, of all the wrongdoings he commited as a member of the mercenaries...for those of you, who haven't read the first book, i will try to keep the explanations to a minimum. Imagine, that love, just like power, and money, is one of the greatest forces of the world...so great, that the loss of a single (but always important ) soul to the mercenaries, can affect the future of humankind.
So this never ending battle is fought between the Ambassadors of light(supposedly the good guys) and the Mercenaries. Juliet Capulet, used to belong to the first ones, and Romeo of course, due to his acts, to the Mercenaries. But in the end of the first book,
Romeo's mission,in this story, is to make sure that Ariel Dragland doesn't get influenced by the Mercenaries. Apparently this girl has a grand potencial for darkness. Darkness that Romeo must fight against with love. In the span of no more than three days, Romeo will have to make Ariel fall in love with him...which may prove a little difficult to achieve, since the body that Romeo is currently inhabiting, belongs to a boy that Ariel whish were dead. And i'm not kidding....she really means it.
So for the duration of three days, history's cursed lover, will have to resort to all his wiles and trickeries to make Ariel fall in love with him...because if she doesn't, Romeo will find himself one again living in his cursed rotted corpse...not a pretty perspective.
But between lies, and half truths, the thruth starts surfacing...and for the first time in his life, Romeo Montague, finds himself in great danger of falling helplessy in love...with someone that in the end, may just be too broken to recognize that feeling, and trusting in it.
And when one starts messing with the past, some things are bound to change. In a way that no one could expect...
The feelings in this story, were raw and so perfect in their intensity.
The last part of the book, was amazing. All the twists and turns in the story were perfect.
Although i confess, that the first time Juliet appeared (and in those "circumstances") i was left a little baffled...but, in the end, i understood the reason behind that "change"....
The ending, was very cute. I really liked seeing
On and on, it was a perfect finale to a new take on Romeo and Juliet story. Who said that these two couldn't have a happy ending? :)
Well Shakespeare did, but thankfully author Stacey Jay, appreciates the importance of a HEA!!
October 4, 2012
Romeo truly believed he was doing Juliet a kindness when he decided to trick her into killing herself. He chose to grant her death instead of letting her live in poverty, shame, and exile with him. His actions, though wrong and evil, were born out of desperation, and he believed the friar’s lies that when Juliet died she would live a happy life in heaven. Romeo never thought Juliet’s soul would be tainted by so much anger and rage that she would never be at peace. Juliet’s pain and hate were the only feelings that reached Romeo when he couldn’t feel anymore. This is why he relished their encounters.
Now Romeo has been given a second chance at life, and maybe at love, in an alternate reality. His task is to save Ariel (the real Ariel not Juliet) from the Mercenaries. He has to do this by turning her from her dark side and making her fall in love, and he has exactly three days to do it! But this is no easy feat, as Ariel doesn’t buy his sudden change of attitude. Remember Dylan had made that bet to sleep with her? Yeah. Romeo has a lot to make up for what Dylan did, and for his own miserable soul. It also seems most of his evilness came from being a Mercenary, and now that he isn’t one his true self is revealed. New feelings surface and he doesn’t trust himself not to still be the monster he was. As flawed as he is I couldn’t help falling in love with him.
And the real Ariel couldn’t help but love him too! She starts out a bit emo and suicidal, but turns out to be a really tough chick whose a bit scary at times. Seriously. She can match Romeo’s wicked streak, and in turn the romance between them is sizzling! Romeo really is redeemed in this second book. He’s sweet, caring, loving…I mean the boy invites Ariel shopping for prom! Now that is love (lol). On a side note, I still hated Gemma with all my heart.
The whole thing about different realities, and souls traveling time and dimensions, was once again mind scrambling. For a minute things didn’t make sense like at all, but once the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together I was amazed by Stacey Jay’s work. She really has gone way beyond any simple re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. This is a dark and complicated romance that will tug at your heartstrings and take you on a spin across time and space as Romeo finds the real meaning of forgiveness in true love. Romeo Redeemed is wicked fun and sexy! This one gets the full five.
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
Now Romeo has been given a second chance at life, and maybe at love, in an alternate reality. His task is to save Ariel (the real Ariel not Juliet) from the Mercenaries. He has to do this by turning her from her dark side and making her fall in love, and he has exactly three days to do it! But this is no easy feat, as Ariel doesn’t buy his sudden change of attitude. Remember Dylan had made that bet to sleep with her? Yeah. Romeo has a lot to make up for what Dylan did, and for his own miserable soul. It also seems most of his evilness came from being a Mercenary, and now that he isn’t one his true self is revealed. New feelings surface and he doesn’t trust himself not to still be the monster he was. As flawed as he is I couldn’t help falling in love with him.
And the real Ariel couldn’t help but love him too! She starts out a bit emo and suicidal, but turns out to be a really tough chick whose a bit scary at times. Seriously. She can match Romeo’s wicked streak, and in turn the romance between them is sizzling! Romeo really is redeemed in this second book. He’s sweet, caring, loving…I mean the boy invites Ariel shopping for prom! Now that is love (lol). On a side note, I still hated Gemma with all my heart.
The whole thing about different realities, and souls traveling time and dimensions, was once again mind scrambling. For a minute things didn’t make sense like at all, but once the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together I was amazed by Stacey Jay’s work. She really has gone way beyond any simple re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. This is a dark and complicated romance that will tug at your heartstrings and take you on a spin across time and space as Romeo finds the real meaning of forgiveness in true love. Romeo Redeemed is wicked fun and sexy! This one gets the full five.
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
December 5, 2012
There's one good thing about my waiting to read Juliet Immortal, and that was being able to read both of these book back to back. Picking up immediately after Juliet Immortal ends, Romeo Redeemed lives up to it's seductive nature. I mean look at that cover.... Romeo is definitely not at all who I thought I had figured him out to be. He's much more complex, and intense. I loved the side of Romeo I got in this story.
Much like Ariel was, I found myself drawn to his vulnerability and that hidden redeeming quality he has. It made him seem much less of a monster and much more a broken boy who yearned to fix his past mistakes and just be loved. The romance and chemistry are exactly what I would have excepted with love story like this, addictive and sighworthy. Romeo definitely lives up to his name. Of course Romeo's love story isn't without it's complications.
Stacey Jay did an amazing job at bring Romeo and Juliet's love story full circle. She revealed surprising things about her incredibly flawed, vulnerable, broken characters. Through the heartbreak, the surprises, and twists, there's moments of love, romance, and above all hope for each of the characters. I really liked that this story was told from three different perspectives, Romeo's, Juliet's and Ariel's. It gave the story more depth, and allowed me to understand each character more, as well as connect with them on some small level.
Being a more character driven storyline added a richness to the story I don't think would have been possible if it had been written differently. Like all classics, this story has magic, an incredibly character journey and an epic quest for love. If you're looking for an addictive, mesmerizing love story I'd recommend picking up Juliet Immortal & Romeo Redeemed.
Much like Ariel was, I found myself drawn to his vulnerability and that hidden redeeming quality he has. It made him seem much less of a monster and much more a broken boy who yearned to fix his past mistakes and just be loved. The romance and chemistry are exactly what I would have excepted with love story like this, addictive and sighworthy. Romeo definitely lives up to his name. Of course Romeo's love story isn't without it's complications.
Stacey Jay did an amazing job at bring Romeo and Juliet's love story full circle. She revealed surprising things about her incredibly flawed, vulnerable, broken characters. Through the heartbreak, the surprises, and twists, there's moments of love, romance, and above all hope for each of the characters. I really liked that this story was told from three different perspectives, Romeo's, Juliet's and Ariel's. It gave the story more depth, and allowed me to understand each character more, as well as connect with them on some small level.
Being a more character driven storyline added a richness to the story I don't think would have been possible if it had been written differently. Like all classics, this story has magic, an incredibly character journey and an epic quest for love. If you're looking for an addictive, mesmerizing love story I'd recommend picking up Juliet Immortal & Romeo Redeemed.
April 21, 2016
In this wonderful sequel to Juliet Immortal, Romeo has a chance to redeem himself by making Ariel fall in love with him. We find Romeo trying to redeem himself for the things he has done. He works so hard to become the good person that Ariel wants him to be and I value that he tries and even succeeds. Whether or not, Romeo deserved it all in Juliet Immortal, I find him so vulnerable and broken that he understands that nothing will work out for him until he falls in love.
I loved how much Romeo had grown and how different he is from the previous book. I didn’t really like Ariel as a character because I found her quite annoying and immature. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t as emotionally invested because I always wanted Juliet to be his love. That’s just a manner of personal preference because I’m in love with Stacy Jay’s writing. She writes this retelling with such depth and emotion and even adding her own spin on the tragic love story which I also loved.
Don’t miss out on reading this one! Especially if you enjoy the original Shakespearean play.
Quotes
“Haven’t you heard you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! Especially if all the words inside are different?”
“You’re not nobody. Not to me.” (179)
“I love you enough that I want you to love someone else when I’m gone.” (231)
I loved how much Romeo had grown and how different he is from the previous book. I didn’t really like Ariel as a character because I found her quite annoying and immature. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t as emotionally invested because I always wanted Juliet to be his love. That’s just a manner of personal preference because I’m in love with Stacy Jay’s writing. She writes this retelling with such depth and emotion and even adding her own spin on the tragic love story which I also loved.
Don’t miss out on reading this one! Especially if you enjoy the original Shakespearean play.
Quotes
“Haven’t you heard you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! Especially if all the words inside are different?”
“You’re not nobody. Not to me.” (179)
“I love you enough that I want you to love someone else when I’m gone.” (231)
January 10, 2013
I like it, especially the ending it was romantic. The romance and characters was so good. my type of book.
May 22, 2018
This review can also be found on my blog: A Match Made in Heaven
This book was amazing! It did funny things to my heart. I really enjoyed Juliet Immortal, but one of my favourite things about it was Romeo, even though he was the villain in the first book. He was clearly a tortured soul, and they make the absolute best love interests! So I knew I would enjoy this one even more, and I did.
At first Romeo's assignment was just to make Ariel believe in love. It didnt matter whether or not he loved her in return. It had an alternating POV between Romeo and Ariel, and whenever it was on an Ariel chapter, I would forget he was faking it, and I would totally be swooning along with Ariel. Oh.My.Gosh! This guy knows how to woo! Then it would switch back and I would remember he was faking it, but only in the beginning. He had serious feelings for her fairly early on, but it took forever for him to realize it! He was always like, "It's been so long, I dont remember, is this what love feels like?" It was so sweet to watch him falling in love without realizing it, but his wooing is still my favourite part. Jeez, this guy is like magic! No wonder his name is synonymous with romance. And once his love becomes real, he only gets better!
“My chest aches, but not with fear or sadness. With hope. With love. I love her. I love her, and it is better than anything else I can remember. "You found me.”
I mostly really liked Ariel too. She was a very broken girl who really needed to be loved. But the Ambassadors were right about her potential for evil, and needing to win her over to good before it was too late. I hated seeing how easily she turned against Romeo. If their love was so amazing she should not have doubted him. She should have stayed true to Romeo! But luckily, Romeo remains awesome, and loves her and forgives her and that is what she really needed to permanently banish the darkness from her soul. And they live happily ever after.
This book was amazing! It did funny things to my heart. I really enjoyed Juliet Immortal, but one of my favourite things about it was Romeo, even though he was the villain in the first book. He was clearly a tortured soul, and they make the absolute best love interests! So I knew I would enjoy this one even more, and I did.
At first Romeo's assignment was just to make Ariel believe in love. It didnt matter whether or not he loved her in return. It had an alternating POV between Romeo and Ariel, and whenever it was on an Ariel chapter, I would forget he was faking it, and I would totally be swooning along with Ariel. Oh.My.Gosh! This guy knows how to woo! Then it would switch back and I would remember he was faking it, but only in the beginning. He had serious feelings for her fairly early on, but it took forever for him to realize it! He was always like, "It's been so long, I dont remember, is this what love feels like?" It was so sweet to watch him falling in love without realizing it, but his wooing is still my favourite part. Jeez, this guy is like magic! No wonder his name is synonymous with romance. And once his love becomes real, he only gets better!
“My chest aches, but not with fear or sadness. With hope. With love. I love her. I love her, and it is better than anything else I can remember. "You found me.”
I mostly really liked Ariel too. She was a very broken girl who really needed to be loved. But the Ambassadors were right about her potential for evil, and needing to win her over to good before it was too late. I hated seeing how easily she turned against Romeo. If their love was so amazing she should not have doubted him. She should have stayed true to Romeo! But luckily, Romeo remains awesome, and loves her and forgives her and that is what she really needed to permanently banish the darkness from her soul. And they live happily ever after.
November 25, 2012
After enjoying Juliet Immortal last year, I was pleased to discover this sequel especially since I found Romeo quite reprehensible in that outing. How would Jay strengthen his character to make him palatable as the center of attention?
Well, Jay gave him a chance at redemption. In an alternate world, he is returned by the mercy of an Ambassador to once again woo Ariel who is in full possession of her body this time; Juliet is not there this time. She had worked with Juliet previously but is willing to give Romeo's wretched soul a chance to win Ariel over to the cause of light and protect the world from the devastation she could unleash if the evil Mercenaries won her to their cause. However in the three days Romeo has to accomplish this, he learns more about the two sides and how they are maybe not as dissimilar as they would claim. He also remembers what being in love can be like while Ariel grows leaps and bounds in confidence and in her willingness to be vulnerable, which I think is a key aspect to being in love.
Although I'm not usually into goopy love stories, this one mostly won me over. Seeing Ariel and Romeo's inner thoughts where they were nervous and feeling so much charmed me. Yeah, there was a lot of thinking about the other's appearance and the kissing scenes weren't entirely my cup of tea. But I rooted for those two crazy kids.
However I still am not entirely sure I "get" the Ambassadors and Mercenaries nor do I understand the many alternative worlds that are posited in this book-they would have to be innumerable. I'm also not super thrilled with the setting of the conclusion. I don't want to spoil anything so SPOILER WARNING: why do they have to live back then? Who would choose that time of disease over contemporary America? Her world > his world END SPOILER WARNING
But overall this was a fun adventure and one you'll definitely want to check out if you enjoyed the first book (you should read that one first).
Cover: Love the blues and I actually really like this cover. It's not my usual (why are they making out in the surf?) but I find it very striking.
Well, Jay gave him a chance at redemption. In an alternate world, he is returned by the mercy of an Ambassador to once again woo Ariel who is in full possession of her body this time; Juliet is not there this time. She had worked with Juliet previously but is willing to give Romeo's wretched soul a chance to win Ariel over to the cause of light and protect the world from the devastation she could unleash if the evil Mercenaries won her to their cause. However in the three days Romeo has to accomplish this, he learns more about the two sides and how they are maybe not as dissimilar as they would claim. He also remembers what being in love can be like while Ariel grows leaps and bounds in confidence and in her willingness to be vulnerable, which I think is a key aspect to being in love.
Although I'm not usually into goopy love stories, this one mostly won me over. Seeing Ariel and Romeo's inner thoughts where they were nervous and feeling so much charmed me. Yeah, there was a lot of thinking about the other's appearance and the kissing scenes weren't entirely my cup of tea. But I rooted for those two crazy kids.
However I still am not entirely sure I "get" the Ambassadors and Mercenaries nor do I understand the many alternative worlds that are posited in this book-they would have to be innumerable. I'm also not super thrilled with the setting of the conclusion. I don't want to spoil anything so SPOILER WARNING: why do they have to live back then? Who would choose that time of disease over contemporary America? Her world > his world END SPOILER WARNING
But overall this was a fun adventure and one you'll definitely want to check out if you enjoyed the first book (you should read that one first).
Cover: Love the blues and I actually really like this cover. It's not my usual (why are they making out in the surf?) but I find it very striking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2012
I think Stacey Jay put an interesting spin on your Shakespearean classic, but I honestly think she should have stopped after book 1.
While this book gave us a little more insight on Romeo and redeems him from our hatred, as well as gives us an explanation of how he came to be with Rosaline at the end of book 1, I think this book was inconsistent with a lot of what happened in the first book.
DO NOT READ THIS PART UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE FIRST BOOK.
I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin this book for people who haven't read it yet, but at the end of book 1, Juliet wakes up and Benvolio tells her that Romeo has run off with Rosaline. In this book, she actually gets to experience some time with Romeo before actually seeing Benvolio.
Also, the timeline is a bit off here. Romeo gets a second chance from when he first enters Dylan's body. But Juliet goes back a different time to the tomb. Now whether she's actually experienced her life as Ariel and then come back (as you think occurred in book 1) or if she's still stuck in the past and dreamed all of this through her nurses message (I THINK that's what may have happened in this book though I'm not sure). You would think that their parallel universes will line up.
And I understand that Ben and Benvolio and Ariel and Rosaline are different versions of themselves. But I was confused how Benvolio was in the future (Romeo points out it's not Ben Luna) and Ben was in the past on Benvolio's horse. And I was also confused about Rosaline's presence in the future or was that just her past mind just surfacing up while Ariel's was trapped in the background. I don't know, the whole concept was confusing to me because of the switches.
Overall, not a bad read, but there were some things that were kind of a confusing and some things that didn't line up from the first book and the second book.
While this book gave us a little more insight on Romeo and redeems him from our hatred, as well as gives us an explanation of how he came to be with Rosaline at the end of book 1, I think this book was inconsistent with a lot of what happened in the first book.
DO NOT READ THIS PART UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE FIRST BOOK.
I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin this book for people who haven't read it yet, but at the end of book 1, Juliet wakes up and Benvolio tells her that Romeo has run off with Rosaline. In this book, she actually gets to experience some time with Romeo before actually seeing Benvolio.
Also, the timeline is a bit off here. Romeo gets a second chance from when he first enters Dylan's body. But Juliet goes back a different time to the tomb. Now whether she's actually experienced her life as Ariel and then come back (as you think occurred in book 1) or if she's still stuck in the past and dreamed all of this through her nurses message (I THINK that's what may have happened in this book though I'm not sure). You would think that their parallel universes will line up.
And I understand that Ben and Benvolio and Ariel and Rosaline are different versions of themselves. But I was confused how Benvolio was in the future (Romeo points out it's not Ben Luna) and Ben was in the past on Benvolio's horse. And I was also confused about Rosaline's presence in the future or was that just her past mind just surfacing up while Ariel's was trapped in the background. I don't know, the whole concept was confusing to me because of the switches.
Overall, not a bad read, but there were some things that were kind of a confusing and some things that didn't line up from the first book and the second book.
April 28, 2012
http://tsloaar.com/2012/10/book-revie...
cover
I am not usually one for covers with people kissing on them, but the colors on this cover just draw you in. Just like Juliet Immortal (the first book of this series), I would have picked up the book based on cover alone. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but its the first impression, and I like the first impression Romeo had on me.
plot
SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ JULIET IMMORTAL BEFORE READING
When we last left Romeo, he was a changed man, well sort of. He began to feel the regret he had been hiding from all those years. Romeo Redeemed is about exactly what the title says. While at first, his redemption is more for selfish reasosn, he begins to change and grow and of course fall in love again.
writing style
I think Stacey is great writer. To the point, I felt like there were no wasted words in this story, and every sentence has a significance in where the story was going.
characters
I can’t believe with how much I hated Romeo in the first book, Stacey was able to make me love him just as much in this book. In fact, I think I might have liked this book even more because of him.
pace
This book is as fast paced as the last one, like I said before everything had a purpose, including stuff that was said and done in the first book.
uniqueness
As unbelievable and out of control the events of this book are, it is hard not getting sucked into this unique retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I would say the world building/ concepts are a little confusing at times, but I still enjoyed this story.
cover
I am not usually one for covers with people kissing on them, but the colors on this cover just draw you in. Just like Juliet Immortal (the first book of this series), I would have picked up the book based on cover alone. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but its the first impression, and I like the first impression Romeo had on me.
plot
SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ JULIET IMMORTAL BEFORE READING
When we last left Romeo, he was a changed man, well sort of. He began to feel the regret he had been hiding from all those years. Romeo Redeemed is about exactly what the title says. While at first, his redemption is more for selfish reasosn, he begins to change and grow and of course fall in love again.
writing style
I think Stacey is great writer. To the point, I felt like there were no wasted words in this story, and every sentence has a significance in where the story was going.
characters
I can’t believe with how much I hated Romeo in the first book, Stacey was able to make me love him just as much in this book. In fact, I think I might have liked this book even more because of him.
pace
This book is as fast paced as the last one, like I said before everything had a purpose, including stuff that was said and done in the first book.
uniqueness
As unbelievable and out of control the events of this book are, it is hard not getting sucked into this unique retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I would say the world building/ concepts are a little confusing at times, but I still enjoyed this story.
October 25, 2012
Originally featured on www.yareads.com, reviewed by Kiona
Romeo has made a lot of mistakes. But he’s finally trying to atone for them by joining the side of the Ambassadors of Light. His mission? He must inhabit Dylan Stroud’s body and make Ariel Dragland fall in love with him…in three days. To make matters worse, Ariel hates Dylan. He made a bet with his friends that he could convince the school “Freak” to sleep with him and she very nearly fell for it. Romeo finds himself transported to Dylan’s body just as Ariel’s trying to kill the both of them. If that isn’t enough, Ariel has some very dark secrets of her own that prevent her from letting anyone get too close and Juliet is set on revenge for Romeo’s past transgression.
This book is likable simply because of how adorable Romeo is. I’m not one of those people who gets all hung up on the idea of immortals/vampires/what-have-you being old perverts attracted to teenagers. In my mind and for the sake of the story, they’re teenagers as well; brains not fully developed, raging hormones, the whole shebang. This book is purely a love story and you know that going in, so you can’t really complain about the fact that what you see is what you get. That being said, I appreciate the love-story aspect of this book, but not much else.
Like I said, Romeo is such a gem in Romeo Redeemed. He’s funny, repentant, charismatic, and moral (you know, unlike the Ambassadors of Light). While he says all the right things to make Ariel fall in love with him, he accidentally kind of falls for her in the process. And they’re pretty cute together, except for the whole falling in love in three days things. In my personal opinion, not possible. But then again, given the roots of the story–the love story to end all love stories–Romeo actually takes his time this time around. I’d say he gets to know Ariel far better than he ever knew Juliet.
As for Ariel, I have mixed feelings. She and Romeo are really great together sometimes. A lot of the strengths Romeo admires in her are her most likable characteristics. But Romeo tends to overlook her sociopathic tendencies. She considers and attempts to commit murder on multiple occassions. This girl is highly unstable and I don’t think she can blame that instability on the voices she occasionally hears. After all, she only hears them when she’s angry and even then, they’re so overwhelming that she passes out. The voices don’t make her angry and they don’t ask anything of her or force her to take action. All they do is overwhelm her. What begins as an interesting plot device ends in disappointing underdevelopment. According to the Ambassadors, Ariel holds the fate of the world in her hands…but how? Jay never really expands on this. Ariel hears voice…so what? She’s not really put off by the idea of killing people, but does that mean she’s a danger to the entire world?
The whole idea of the Mercenaries and the Ambassadors is hard to swallow. They’re also underdeveloped and it’s hard to believe that these protective beings of Light don’t mind manipulating people and killing innocent young girls. And Juliet really drew the short straw. Nurse claims to care about Juliet more than anyone else, but I don’t see any evidence of that. The ending of Romeo Redeemed feels very forced and unnatural. Even thinking about it now makes me cringe a little, but I suppose it suffices as a happy ending. Basically, I’d read Romeo Redeemed with a grain of salt. I appreciated the love-story aspects of it and enjoyed reading about Romeo’s attempts to seduce Ariel. The supernatural twists are just a little too much for me.
Romeo has made a lot of mistakes. But he’s finally trying to atone for them by joining the side of the Ambassadors of Light. His mission? He must inhabit Dylan Stroud’s body and make Ariel Dragland fall in love with him…in three days. To make matters worse, Ariel hates Dylan. He made a bet with his friends that he could convince the school “Freak” to sleep with him and she very nearly fell for it. Romeo finds himself transported to Dylan’s body just as Ariel’s trying to kill the both of them. If that isn’t enough, Ariel has some very dark secrets of her own that prevent her from letting anyone get too close and Juliet is set on revenge for Romeo’s past transgression.
This book is likable simply because of how adorable Romeo is. I’m not one of those people who gets all hung up on the idea of immortals/vampires/what-have-you being old perverts attracted to teenagers. In my mind and for the sake of the story, they’re teenagers as well; brains not fully developed, raging hormones, the whole shebang. This book is purely a love story and you know that going in, so you can’t really complain about the fact that what you see is what you get. That being said, I appreciate the love-story aspect of this book, but not much else.
Like I said, Romeo is such a gem in Romeo Redeemed. He’s funny, repentant, charismatic, and moral (you know, unlike the Ambassadors of Light). While he says all the right things to make Ariel fall in love with him, he accidentally kind of falls for her in the process. And they’re pretty cute together, except for the whole falling in love in three days things. In my personal opinion, not possible. But then again, given the roots of the story–the love story to end all love stories–Romeo actually takes his time this time around. I’d say he gets to know Ariel far better than he ever knew Juliet.
As for Ariel, I have mixed feelings. She and Romeo are really great together sometimes. A lot of the strengths Romeo admires in her are her most likable characteristics. But Romeo tends to overlook her sociopathic tendencies. She considers and attempts to commit murder on multiple occassions. This girl is highly unstable and I don’t think she can blame that instability on the voices she occasionally hears. After all, she only hears them when she’s angry and even then, they’re so overwhelming that she passes out. The voices don’t make her angry and they don’t ask anything of her or force her to take action. All they do is overwhelm her. What begins as an interesting plot device ends in disappointing underdevelopment. According to the Ambassadors, Ariel holds the fate of the world in her hands…but how? Jay never really expands on this. Ariel hears voice…so what? She’s not really put off by the idea of killing people, but does that mean she’s a danger to the entire world?
The whole idea of the Mercenaries and the Ambassadors is hard to swallow. They’re also underdeveloped and it’s hard to believe that these protective beings of Light don’t mind manipulating people and killing innocent young girls. And Juliet really drew the short straw. Nurse claims to care about Juliet more than anyone else, but I don’t see any evidence of that. The ending of Romeo Redeemed feels very forced and unnatural. Even thinking about it now makes me cringe a little, but I suppose it suffices as a happy ending. Basically, I’d read Romeo Redeemed with a grain of salt. I appreciated the love-story aspects of it and enjoyed reading about Romeo’s attempts to seduce Ariel. The supernatural twists are just a little too much for me.
April 3, 2018
I think this is a great book if you love good and evil, love and hate. Definitely pairs really well with Juliet Immortal. RTC.
May 27, 2018
WHHOOP! WHHOOP! INSTALOVE ALERT!
I picked this book up because I'd loved the idea of the first book in the duology, Juliet Immortal, and even though I had some reservations about the actual execution of the book I wanted to see what the author did with the sequel.
Like Juliet Immortal, this was an okay book. And like Juliet Immortal, this one left me feeling like some vital facts were being withheld from me. I'm now starting to think that this is just the author's style of writing, so I don't think I'll be reading anything else of hers (although there's nothing inherently wrong or offensive about it, so I'm sure other readers may really warm to her style).
My main bugbear with this one was the massive, crashing instalove-attraction between Romeo and Ariel. It made me die inside a little bit, I've gotta say. One of the tropes I love most is two friends who've known each other forever falling in love (especially if there's Some Kind Of Misunderstanding, or possibly An Important Reason They Can't Be Together) and instalove is the literal opposite of this.
Romeo was pretty annoying in this book: he fancies himself in love with Ariel, but really all he wants to do is bone her. That's not love, dude. It's exactly how he acts in Romeo and Juliet and I thought he was a towering twat in that as well.
It's not that I'd say give this duology a swerve - I'm sure lots of readers will like it - it's more that I'd say, go into it with your eyes open. Manage your expectations. My expectations were, I think, a bit too high and the reality didn't quite measure up.
I picked this book up because I'd loved the idea of the first book in the duology, Juliet Immortal, and even though I had some reservations about the actual execution of the book I wanted to see what the author did with the sequel.
Like Juliet Immortal, this was an okay book. And like Juliet Immortal, this one left me feeling like some vital facts were being withheld from me. I'm now starting to think that this is just the author's style of writing, so I don't think I'll be reading anything else of hers (although there's nothing inherently wrong or offensive about it, so I'm sure other readers may really warm to her style).
My main bugbear with this one was the massive, crashing instalove-attraction between Romeo and Ariel. It made me die inside a little bit, I've gotta say. One of the tropes I love most is two friends who've known each other forever falling in love (especially if there's Some Kind Of Misunderstanding, or possibly An Important Reason They Can't Be Together) and instalove is the literal opposite of this.
Romeo was pretty annoying in this book: he fancies himself in love with Ariel, but really all he wants to do is bone her. That's not love, dude. It's exactly how he acts in Romeo and Juliet and I thought he was a towering twat in that as well.
It's not that I'd say give this duology a swerve - I'm sure lots of readers will like it - it's more that I'd say, go into it with your eyes open. Manage your expectations. My expectations were, I think, a bit too high and the reality didn't quite measure up.
February 15, 2024
This book was wild. I couldn't follow what was going on 90% of the time. I feel like the writing style of this one was completely different than the first one
August 26, 2016
Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.
Something I love to do but don't get to all that often is read a series pretty much back to back. With a memory like mine, reading the series altogether is the only way that I can guarantee I don't miss key plot lines or internal references. Although Juliet Immortal has apparently not been especially popular with bloggers, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. Romeo Redeemed struck me as one of the most consistent sequels I have ever encountered. I liked and disliked the very same things about this one as the first, so, if you liked Juliet Immortal, you're in for another crazy, fun ride.
At the opening of Romeo Redeemed, Romeo wanders the earth in his specter form, more disgusting than any zombie. All he feels is pain. He hears the screams of people running away from him. Basically, he's Humperdinck if Westley followed through on his threats. The Nurse offers him a choice, though: perform a trial task for a chance to become an Ambassador or continue living in his refuse heap of a body. Unsurprisingly, he chooses to do anything other than be himself. His task: to make Ariel fall in love with him.
Ariel, the girl whose body Juliet inhabited and died in during Juliet Immortal in an alternate universe, has problems. She's got scars on her face, no self-confidence and she hears voices sometimes, and, when she does, she wets herself. Because of an episode like that, she's been a pariah at school since childhood, with only one friend, Gemma, who isn't necessarily the most supportive BFF all the time, focusing more on her own drama and needs.
Romeo has been put, again, into the body of Dylan. He takes over mid-date, after Ariel's learned Dylan was trying to sleep with her for a bet and before she tries to drive the car off the road. With foreknowledge of what she would do, he manages to prevent the accident. She gets out of the car and runs. He, with the need to woo her, talks her down and convinces her to spend the rest of the night with him.
As with Juliet Immortal, I liked the writing a lot, and the reading of the book was a pleasurable experience, but the romance plot line makes me antsy. My biggest problem is that Ariel, poor, damaged Ariel, would never trust someone so quickly, let alone a guy who bet on her and threatened rape. She has trouble trusting her mom, who loves her even if she's not great about saying so. Why would she trust Dylan/Romeo? In the course of just three days, she falls in love with him. I'm not saying he couldn't have made her fall in love with him over time, but three days? No. Issues with self-worth and trust do not go away that quickly. They just don't.
Romeo, too, inevitably falls for Ariel, which makes more sense, considering that's what he's always done. Romeo's thoughts: "Oooh, a pretty girl. I wonder if she'll sleep with me. Probably not yet. Maybe if we were in love? Oh, sweet torture to love her so but not be able to, you know, love her so." Thus, I can accept this part, and laugh at Romeo's idiocy. He manages to act all jaded for like twenty pages, but very quickly returns to his natural state: obsession with the first pretty girl to cross his path. Some people grow and change, like Juliet did in some ways, and some don't, like Romeo.
I so wanted to be able to give this book a 4, that extra bump up, but I just couldn't do it. What it came down to was the ending, which was just too cheesy. Where I wanted her to go tragedy, she went drama! Romeo and Ariel living happily forever after? I THINK NOT. Also, there's a twist that did not work for me at all.
Though by no means a perfect series, I appreciate these books for taking a fresh, completely unique look at an overdone series. For my tastes, they could have benefited from a couple dashes more cynicism, but at least I got to revel in how much Romeo and Juliet didn't work out.
Something I love to do but don't get to all that often is read a series pretty much back to back. With a memory like mine, reading the series altogether is the only way that I can guarantee I don't miss key plot lines or internal references. Although Juliet Immortal has apparently not been especially popular with bloggers, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. Romeo Redeemed struck me as one of the most consistent sequels I have ever encountered. I liked and disliked the very same things about this one as the first, so, if you liked Juliet Immortal, you're in for another crazy, fun ride.
At the opening of Romeo Redeemed, Romeo wanders the earth in his specter form, more disgusting than any zombie. All he feels is pain. He hears the screams of people running away from him. Basically, he's Humperdinck if Westley followed through on his threats. The Nurse offers him a choice, though: perform a trial task for a chance to become an Ambassador or continue living in his refuse heap of a body. Unsurprisingly, he chooses to do anything other than be himself. His task: to make Ariel fall in love with him.
Ariel, the girl whose body Juliet inhabited and died in during Juliet Immortal in an alternate universe, has problems. She's got scars on her face, no self-confidence and she hears voices sometimes, and, when she does, she wets herself. Because of an episode like that, she's been a pariah at school since childhood, with only one friend, Gemma, who isn't necessarily the most supportive BFF all the time, focusing more on her own drama and needs.
Romeo has been put, again, into the body of Dylan. He takes over mid-date, after Ariel's learned Dylan was trying to sleep with her for a bet and before she tries to drive the car off the road. With foreknowledge of what she would do, he manages to prevent the accident. She gets out of the car and runs. He, with the need to woo her, talks her down and convinces her to spend the rest of the night with him.
As with Juliet Immortal, I liked the writing a lot, and the reading of the book was a pleasurable experience, but the romance plot line makes me antsy. My biggest problem is that Ariel, poor, damaged Ariel, would never trust someone so quickly, let alone a guy who bet on her and threatened rape. She has trouble trusting her mom, who loves her even if she's not great about saying so. Why would she trust Dylan/Romeo? In the course of just three days, she falls in love with him. I'm not saying he couldn't have made her fall in love with him over time, but three days? No. Issues with self-worth and trust do not go away that quickly. They just don't.
Romeo, too, inevitably falls for Ariel, which makes more sense, considering that's what he's always done. Romeo's thoughts: "Oooh, a pretty girl. I wonder if she'll sleep with me. Probably not yet. Maybe if we were in love? Oh, sweet torture to love her so but not be able to, you know, love her so." Thus, I can accept this part, and laugh at Romeo's idiocy. He manages to act all jaded for like twenty pages, but very quickly returns to his natural state: obsession with the first pretty girl to cross his path. Some people grow and change, like Juliet did in some ways, and some don't, like Romeo.
I so wanted to be able to give this book a 4, that extra bump up, but I just couldn't do it. What it came down to was the ending, which was just too cheesy. Where I wanted her to go tragedy, she went drama! Romeo and Ariel living happily forever after? I THINK NOT. Also, there's a twist that did not work for me at all.
Though by no means a perfect series, I appreciate these books for taking a fresh, completely unique look at an overdone series. For my tastes, they could have benefited from a couple dashes more cynicism, but at least I got to revel in how much Romeo and Juliet didn't work out.
July 16, 2017
I liked this book a lot although not as much as "Juliet Immortal."
This book is told in two pov's~ Romeo's and Ariel's. Ariel is the girl that Juliet took over in Juliet Immortal. This time Ariel is herself and not Juliet.
The main plot of the book is that Romeo is given a second chance and a chance to become an ambassador. He switched sides to good to save hi soul. His mission is to get Ariel to believe in love and to turn to the light side. Ariel is important in the war between Ambassadors and Mercenaries. If Ariel becomes dark, she can destroy the world with "atrocities" she will commit. So Romeo's job is to get her to fall in love with him. The book is how he tries to get Ariel to fall in love.
I liked Romeo. He was still his sassy self but he wasn't a vicious monster anymore. He really is good a saying all the right things to get a girl to love him. At first, he is selfish because he only wants Ariel to love him so that he can save his soul. After awhile though he changes and wants to protect Ariel. He tried to do the right things by her even if it's things he doesn't want to do. I like the change in him. He also becomes very sweet, loving and good, especially towards Ariel.
I have to admit I didn't like Ariel so much. I think it's because I still think Romeo and Juliet should be together. Old habits... Anyway Ariel is a very damaged girl. She is always doubtful and even after she falls for Romeo she is not strong enough to hold on to her emotions and allows herself to have doubts. She has a very bad anger problem too. She is sassy though which I'll give her. She is always questioning things and she has a fear of being hurt, which is understandable. She overcomes some of these issues by the end though. Ehh I don't really have much to say about her.
I did enjoy the romance between Romeo and Ariel. I also loved how Romeo didn't realize he had fallen in love with Ariel. He is kinds dense so it took him awhile. He was very sweet to her and he really loved her a lot. Ariel loved him very much as well and became such a happier person when she was with him.
All in all a good book.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
This book is told in two pov's~ Romeo's and Ariel's. Ariel is the girl that Juliet took over in Juliet Immortal. This time Ariel is herself and not Juliet.
The main plot of the book is that Romeo is given a second chance and a chance to become an ambassador. He switched sides to good to save hi soul. His mission is to get Ariel to believe in love and to turn to the light side. Ariel is important in the war between Ambassadors and Mercenaries. If Ariel becomes dark, she can destroy the world with "atrocities" she will commit. So Romeo's job is to get her to fall in love with him. The book is how he tries to get Ariel to fall in love.
I liked Romeo. He was still his sassy self but he wasn't a vicious monster anymore. He really is good a saying all the right things to get a girl to love him. At first, he is selfish because he only wants Ariel to love him so that he can save his soul. After awhile though he changes and wants to protect Ariel. He tried to do the right things by her even if it's things he doesn't want to do. I like the change in him. He also becomes very sweet, loving and good, especially towards Ariel.
I have to admit I didn't like Ariel so much. I think it's because I still think Romeo and Juliet should be together. Old habits... Anyway Ariel is a very damaged girl. She is always doubtful and even after she falls for Romeo she is not strong enough to hold on to her emotions and allows herself to have doubts. She has a very bad anger problem too. She is sassy though which I'll give her. She is always questioning things and she has a fear of being hurt, which is understandable. She overcomes some of these issues by the end though. Ehh I don't really have much to say about her.
I did enjoy the romance between Romeo and Ariel. I also loved how Romeo didn't realize he had fallen in love with Ariel. He is kinds dense so it took him awhile. He was very sweet to her and he really loved her a lot. Ariel loved him very much as well and became such a happier person when she was with him.
All in all a good book.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
May 4, 2013
really an amazing story. This is the second book and I'm still absolutely blown away with Stacey Jay's imagination and incredible writing - that can turn an ordinary story that we all know (Romeo & Juliet) and give it such a unique and original twist.
it is falling in love all over again.
it is falling in love all over again.
May 17, 2016
That ending was so perfect, oh my gosh.
July 13, 2023
Reread #1: I read this one consecutively after Juliet Immortal this time, so it made a little more sense than last time. I think a lot of my initial thoughts are still relevant. Ariel’s very fast mood changes from suic*dal tendencies, to love and sex, to murder still seems abrupt and out of character (from how she is presented in Juliet Immortal and the first few chapters of this book. Considering how scarred and traumatized she is, her character is way too trusting. Romeo’s character arc made more sense this time, but
brought up questions (for me) about the Ambassador and Gemma. It’s unclear in the first book whether we are supposed to like these characters, but that could either be intentional (presenting a morally grey character) or it could be the fault of weak writing, and that’s never clarified. The time travel is still unexplained, and the complete disregard for Juliet’s epilogue is even more confusing the second time. My one good revelation to come out if this reread is name symbolism. In my review for Juliet Immortal, I speculated about the characters and the significance of their names. In this book, there is an added layer to Ariel’s name that is reminiscent of The Little Mermaid (the original, not the Disney version), which I thought was cool.
Original Review:
Okay, that was steamier than expected...
No, there wasn't anything explicit but there was a lot of innuendo and a fade-to-black scene.
Also, trigger warning, there is mention in this book of abuse and assault. It isn't described in detail but two character say that there were assaulted when they were younger by adults.
This one was so different than Juliet Immortal that I almost feel like I need to compare them differently from each other, but because I'm a jerk I'm going to compare them against each other.
I will preface by saying that I'm reading this one a couple of months after I read the first one, so I don't quite remember what happened but I had the basic idea of Ambassadors vs. Mercenaries. No, this book did not clear up any lingering misconceptions about the Ambassador vs. Mercenary battle for me, but instead made it more confusing. No, this book did not explain the "going from the 2010s back in time to 1304," but instead made it even more confusing. No, this book did not explain why Juliet found Ben's soul in 1304 in the form of Benvolio, but instead disregarded the epilogue of Juliet Immortal and created a new, unrelated plot for Juliet?
I did not expect the plot to flow so seamlessly from a time-traveling Beauty and the Beast story to Carrie to Heathers to the epilogue of Mockingjay, but that's exactly what happened (and, if I recall correctly, I had also compared Juliet Immortal to both Carrie and Heathers in my review.... Coincidence? I think not!). There were also little interludes from Juliet's POV but I fail to understand how those were relevant to what Romeo and Ariel were doing. I think they were supposed to be foreshadowing, but my brain has been so fried lately that the foreshadowing went straight over my head (this is why I shouldn't paint my nails at 10:30 at night).
So about the characters...
Romeo's character arc was literally Noah's from Genesis. Tortured, tragic bad (maybe) boy is trying desperately to atone for his sins when no one trusts him? Don't get me wrong, I love that trope but with Romeo it felt a bit odd. I did like how conflicted his chapters were, and we get a lot of depth and background about his character. I... did not like Ariel. She was too easy to "win over" (and I suspect that was just so the romance could start sooner). Remember, the main plot starts with Ariel trying to drive both she and Dylan off a cliff because Dylan bet his friends that he could take the "school freak's" virginity. Yet literal CHAPTERS later they're getting smoochy. I don't know about you, but if the school's biggest douche had bet that he could take my, the person who the rest of the school disdains, virginity, I'd be heckin pissed and I wouldn't let him anywhere near me for the rest of eternity. And I get that Dylan/Romeo "sincerely" apologized, but trust is fragile. I saw somewhere that it takes 10 compliments to "make up for" one negative comment. So Ariel should NOT have believed Dylan/Romeo so easily. And having sex literal days later? I'm not saying it's unrealistic, I'm not. I'm just saying that literally days before Ariel was so insecure about herself and her body and her heart was closed and sealed off. Yet because Mr. Smexy says some nice things to her, she completely abandons her lifelong personality like that? Mind you, it wasn't a gradual character change, it was instalove. That's the only way to put it. Ariel and Romeo's relation was so rushed, .
And the "sending back in time" thing was so confusing. What happened to Juliet? Why was she there too and why did she remember? What about Ben? Is his consciousness trapped by Benvolio just like Ariel was trapped in Rosaline? What happened to the people left in the present? Did they find dead bodies in the present or did Romeo's body and Ariel's body complete travel back in time? What about Dylan's body? Did it burn in the fire or was he saved? Did the present "forget" Ariel and Romeo because of magic, or is Ariel now a missing person in that world? And if not, what about Gemma and Ariel's mom? Do they remember anything? I wish there was way more explanation for this plot thing, because the last book did it too.
I can't say that I liked this book as much as the first one, because I didn't. It had it's good parts and I liked the characters (mostly) but the plot was so confusing.
brought up questions (for me) about the Ambassador and Gemma. It’s unclear in the first book whether we are supposed to like these characters, but that could either be intentional (presenting a morally grey character) or it could be the fault of weak writing, and that’s never clarified. The time travel is still unexplained, and the complete disregard for Juliet’s epilogue is even more confusing the second time. My one good revelation to come out if this reread is name symbolism. In my review for Juliet Immortal, I speculated about the characters and the significance of their names. In this book, there is an added layer to Ariel’s name that is reminiscent of The Little Mermaid (the original, not the Disney version), which I thought was cool.
Original Review:
Okay, that was steamier than expected...
No, there wasn't anything explicit but there was a lot of innuendo and a fade-to-black scene.
Also, trigger warning, there is mention in this book of abuse and assault. It isn't described in detail but two character say that there were assaulted when they were younger by adults.
This one was so different than Juliet Immortal that I almost feel like I need to compare them differently from each other, but because I'm a jerk I'm going to compare them against each other.
I will preface by saying that I'm reading this one a couple of months after I read the first one, so I don't quite remember what happened but I had the basic idea of Ambassadors vs. Mercenaries. No, this book did not clear up any lingering misconceptions about the Ambassador vs. Mercenary battle for me, but instead made it more confusing. No, this book did not explain the "going from the 2010s back in time to 1304," but instead made it even more confusing. No, this book did not explain why Juliet found Ben's soul in 1304 in the form of Benvolio, but instead disregarded the epilogue of Juliet Immortal and created a new, unrelated plot for Juliet?
I did not expect the plot to flow so seamlessly from a time-traveling Beauty and the Beast story to Carrie to Heathers to the epilogue of Mockingjay, but that's exactly what happened (and, if I recall correctly, I had also compared Juliet Immortal to both Carrie and Heathers in my review.... Coincidence? I think not!). There were also little interludes from Juliet's POV but I fail to understand how those were relevant to what Romeo and Ariel were doing. I think they were supposed to be foreshadowing, but my brain has been so fried lately that the foreshadowing went straight over my head (this is why I shouldn't paint my nails at 10:30 at night).
So about the characters...
Romeo's character arc was literally Noah's from Genesis. Tortured, tragic bad (maybe) boy is trying desperately to atone for his sins when no one trusts him? Don't get me wrong, I love that trope but with Romeo it felt a bit odd. I did like how conflicted his chapters were, and we get a lot of depth and background about his character. I... did not like Ariel. She was too easy to "win over" (and I suspect that was just so the romance could start sooner). Remember, the main plot starts with Ariel trying to drive both she and Dylan off a cliff because Dylan bet his friends that he could take the "school freak's" virginity. Yet literal CHAPTERS later they're getting smoochy. I don't know about you, but if the school's biggest douche had bet that he could take my, the person who the rest of the school disdains, virginity, I'd be heckin pissed and I wouldn't let him anywhere near me for the rest of eternity. And I get that Dylan/Romeo "sincerely" apologized, but trust is fragile. I saw somewhere that it takes 10 compliments to "make up for" one negative comment. So Ariel should NOT have believed Dylan/Romeo so easily. And having sex literal days later? I'm not saying it's unrealistic, I'm not. I'm just saying that literally days before Ariel was so insecure about herself and her body and her heart was closed and sealed off. Yet because Mr. Smexy says some nice things to her, she completely abandons her lifelong personality like that? Mind you, it wasn't a gradual character change, it was instalove. That's the only way to put it. Ariel and Romeo's relation was so rushed, .
And the "sending back in time" thing was so confusing. What happened to Juliet? Why was she there too and why did she remember? What about Ben? Is his consciousness trapped by Benvolio just like Ariel was trapped in Rosaline? What happened to the people left in the present? Did they find dead bodies in the present or did Romeo's body and Ariel's body complete travel back in time? What about Dylan's body? Did it burn in the fire or was he saved? Did the present "forget" Ariel and Romeo because of magic, or is Ariel now a missing person in that world? And if not, what about Gemma and Ariel's mom? Do they remember anything? I wish there was way more explanation for this plot thing, because the last book did it too.
I can't say that I liked this book as much as the first one, because I didn't. It had it's good parts and I liked the characters (mostly) but the plot was so confusing.
July 10, 2023
"Romeo Redeemed" by Stacey Jay proved to be a delightful reading experience, reminiscent of my enjoyment of its prequel. Stacey’s skillful writing style effortlessly transported me into a world brimming with intrigue and emotion. Each page was infused with an irresistible allure, leaving me eager to uncover the unfolding narrative. The author's ability to craft compelling characters and maintain a tantalizing pace held my attention captive throughout. As the story reached its climactic conclusion, I found myself deeply satisfied, appreciating the meticulous attention to detail and the satisfying resolution that left me with a lasting sense of fulfillment.
October 12, 2017
Look, this isn't a good book. The ending is profoundly stupid. But I enjoyed it more than book 1, mostly because Romeo is much more self aware and therefore more interesting than Juliet. The author was also wise to focus on Ariel, who got super screwed over in the first book. Still, that ending. Ugh.
March 16, 2020
I don't really have much to say about this one. I liked it; it was definitely more intriguing than Juliet's story, in my opinion. However there were a lot of questions left unanswered at the end.
July 24, 2021
3.75-4 starts. I loved the book but it was tragic in more than one way...
May 29, 2023
What an…interesting, if not a bit convoluted, way to end this tale. I don’t know exactly how I feel but I know I didn’t hate it and that’s good enough for me!
May 12, 2021
This is just as good as the first one, a great sequel.
October 13, 2012
I really fell in love with Juliet Immortal when I picked it up a couple of months ago and honestly could not wait to get my hands on Romeo Redeemed. Truth be told the book did not let me down. Actually I think that in the end I enjoyed this book a little more than I did Juliet Immortal. When I started this book I did have a general idea of what to expect but I did find myself surprised a couple of times. The book basically starts off where Juliet Immortal ended. With Romeo being punished for his actions and his current circumstances may be a little sad but I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for him to start. Not to say I dislike him but I know what brought him to where he currently is. However this book is about redemption and getting another shot to do right. This comes in the form of an offer and a not so easy task. Romeo has to fight for love instead of against it and has to show a girl that love is worth it. Problem he only has a certain period of time to accomplish this and then he must become an Ambassador.
The book is told from both Romeo and Ariel's point of view. There is even a little Juliet thrown in throughout the book. This did confuse me to start and I was beyond thrown because of the glimpse we got at the end of Juliet Immortal. The switch from each POV is put at the start of each chapter but more than that you can just tell who you are reading. Their voices are very clear,easy to identify and made the book go much faster than I had anticipated. That being said I was happy with how the book was paced and the way things were placed throughout the book. This was more of a what's happening now than what happened before and really I think that may have given this book a bit of an edge from the first.
There is a lot of growth in Romeo in particular in this book. As previously stated Romeo wasn't exactly a saint and made a lot of wrong choices to get where he is. To start he seemed like the same old selfish Romeo, the one that is only looking out for his own best interest but things change. I loved the changes that occurred within Romeo and the things that he learned strictly because of true love. The revelation that he makes does not come without consequences but the end result seems to be worth it. Not only for him but also for those around him. The Romeo we knew with Juliet has turned into someone that we could fall for and feel for.
Ariel (who is actually Ariel not Juliet this time around) is the object of Romeo's mission. She is troubled and hardened but with good reason. Her life hasn't really been simple or easy and because of this she lives with her heart guarded. Really my heart went out this girl. There were times I wanted to run and hug her and others that I wanted to shake and scream at her. Ariel in my opinion was both strong and weak. I know what a contradiction right? However there were times I would smile because she would put her foot down and that was the way it was and also when she felt something she didn't fear it. The opposite end of that was that she didn't always think things through and was swayed way too often by the thoughts and opinions of others. The one time I thought she was going to fight it she just didn't. This makes her more human though I guess and I found her to be an overall beautiful and developed character.
The romance in this book are for the most part beautiful and heart felt. Though it does move really fast due to the three day time limit that Romeo is given to make Ariel love him. So to some this will be something they see as an insta love and nothing more than that. The love wasn't instant though. Rushed yes but not by choice and Ariel didn't just swoon herself into Romeo's arms. They had to work for it in many different ways. Once Ariel let her guard down and all truth that could be out there was out there the romance was beautiful and what they had was wonderful. Though their love never seems to come easy and there is a lot of stuff standing in the way at every turn.
I repeat what I said with Juliet Immortal: Stacey Jay took a chance with twisting this well known love story into something different. With book two it still works if not a little more so than the previous story. The ending was wonderful and I loved how everything felt finished. There was no loose ends with anyone really and everyone got an ending. Even Juliet's story is truly finished in this novel. I would still warn those that are really attached to the original story of Romeo and Juliet that this series is nothing like the story you know and you need to brace yourself for a new truth. That being said I look forward to seeing what Stacey comes up with next!
June 27, 2012
Romeo Redeemed starts off where Juliet Immortal ended. Romeo has been banished to his former rotting body and given back his senses to feel again. Alone and broken with nothing but his pain, regret, hate and his love to further his present hell, Romeo finally understands the true meaning of suffer. But he's been given the choice of a second last chance. Make Ariel Dragland believe in love, banish the darkness in her and make her fall in love and Romeo will join the Ambassadors of Light and become a peacekeeper for love.
Yeah, like he's not gonna take up this golden opportunity. He will change Ariel and have her swimming in his arms. Or...will it be the other way around?
To be honest, I really did enjoy this book, but I think I enjoyed the first one a lot more. As soon as I understood Romeo's mission I knew this book was gonna be interesting. Romeo has the kind of confidence you want to smack and smirk at. So I was very intrigued to see how he was going to try to win Ariel's heart, specially with him being in Dylan's body. A boy who toyed with her emotions, played with her already low self-esteem and took a bet to get her in bed.
Oh yeah, this was gonna be wicked fun to see how things would play out, but it surprised me how fast the tables turned in this book.
I liked Romeo a lot. This was the Romeo I was waiting to meet. He's charming and playful and loves deeply.
Same goes for Ariel. I was anxious to meet the real her as well. She's a fighter and not as shy as I thought she was going to be. Together, they will make the reader see that true love is worth fighting for, all you have to do is believe.
I liked the characters and I've always enjoyed the way Stacey Jay writes, but sadly, I felt the story-line was a little to scrambled for my liking.
The twists and turns in plot were to big, and I think it had to do mostly with the way the 'new reality' collides with the 'old reality'. It felt very disconnecting trying to figure out who was who, who was good, who was bad, who was telling the truth and who was lying. Even the main characters themselves would have a sudden string of doubt from chapter to chapter which would make the whole experience feel even more unsettling.
I also really didn't like Juliet's part in this book. I've always had this huge thing about not messing with a character and/or couple who's already established a HEA in the previous book and while it turned out to be alright in the end...during the entire story it got under my skin that Juliet was even involved that way. It just didn't seem necessary to Romeo and Ariel story.
With that said, I still enjoyed this book and I really loved the ending, in fact, I think the ending is what saved this book for me.
All in all, I'm glad I had the chance to read this. It had genuine moments that made me melt and was entertaining from start to finish. It may have been slightly confusing from time to time, but I still think it's worth a read.
(Arc provided by Netgalley)
Yeah, like he's not gonna take up this golden opportunity. He will change Ariel and have her swimming in his arms. Or...will it be the other way around?
To be honest, I really did enjoy this book, but I think I enjoyed the first one a lot more. As soon as I understood Romeo's mission I knew this book was gonna be interesting. Romeo has the kind of confidence you want to smack and smirk at. So I was very intrigued to see how he was going to try to win Ariel's heart, specially with him being in Dylan's body. A boy who toyed with her emotions, played with her already low self-esteem and took a bet to get her in bed.
Oh yeah, this was gonna be wicked fun to see how things would play out, but it surprised me how fast the tables turned in this book.
I liked Romeo a lot. This was the Romeo I was waiting to meet. He's charming and playful and loves deeply.
Same goes for Ariel. I was anxious to meet the real her as well. She's a fighter and not as shy as I thought she was going to be. Together, they will make the reader see that true love is worth fighting for, all you have to do is believe.
I liked the characters and I've always enjoyed the way Stacey Jay writes, but sadly, I felt the story-line was a little to scrambled for my liking.
The twists and turns in plot were to big, and I think it had to do mostly with the way the 'new reality' collides with the 'old reality'. It felt very disconnecting trying to figure out who was who, who was good, who was bad, who was telling the truth and who was lying. Even the main characters themselves would have a sudden string of doubt from chapter to chapter which would make the whole experience feel even more unsettling.
I also really didn't like Juliet's part in this book. I've always had this huge thing about not messing with a character and/or couple who's already established a HEA in the previous book and while it turned out to be alright in the end...during the entire story it got under my skin that Juliet was even involved that way. It just didn't seem necessary to Romeo and Ariel story.
With that said, I still enjoyed this book and I really loved the ending, in fact, I think the ending is what saved this book for me.
All in all, I'm glad I had the chance to read this. It had genuine moments that made me melt and was entertaining from start to finish. It may have been slightly confusing from time to time, but I still think it's worth a read.
(Arc provided by Netgalley)
July 17, 2015
I love the feeling you get after just finishing an exciting that book that ended on a high. That's why I thought I'd better review this a.s.a.p. before the buzz leaves me and I feel depressed because the series is over.
Romeo Redeemed was just as beautiful as Juliet Immortal, and filled with just as much - if not even more - drama, action, romance and twice as much adrenaline. It was beautiful, and I loved it - despite the fact that if you ask me in six months whether I loved a book based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, I'll deny it.
Romeo Redeemed has a similar storyline to that of Juliet Immortal, except that it's now a two-way narrative between Romeo and Ariel - the girl whose body Juliet inhabited in Juliet Immortal (if you're not following, read my review on Juliet Immortal - sorry, the storyline is confusing), but this time, Romeo, previously destined to live out eternity in a rotting body, has been given a second chance, this time to work with the Ambassadors of Light. His first mission to prove himself is to go back to where Juliet's story began in Ariel, this time without Juliet, and to make Ariel believe in love. Easy, right? Wrong. Ariel is ready to kill herself, and her date, after finding out that bad boy, Dylan Strauss, was only going out with her on a bet, and then offered her fifty bucks to "seal the deal". Coincidentally, Romeo is now inhibiting Dylan's body, so convincing Ariel that love exists is proving to be a lot harder than he imagined...
It sounds soppy, right? Well, it's not. True, it's a soppy romance novel at times, but it's also got that supernatural twist which, let's be honest here, makes all us teenage girls go a bit gooey... So long as there's no Edward Cullen... Which there isn't, I promise.
I love the characters in this series, Romeo Redeemed especially. When I say Ariel is a typical teenage girl, I mean she's a typical teenage girl. She has issues with her body, even though she's beautiful; she falls far too easily for boys, especially the ones that are no good for her; she has major trust issues; she believes everything her best friend tells her; she has fights with her mom... the list goes on. She's relatable, and that's what makes a good book. Honestly, all of us girls want to believe that a seven-hundred-year-old badass that's been reincarnated several times could potentially fall in love with us... sort of... (We'd settle easily for Patch or Daemon... If you're out there...)
But back onto the book. It had all those moments where you wanted to rip your hair out, then squeal, then cry... and then you just had to put the book down because, you know... too many feels. But that's what made it good, and that's why I liked it.
I recommend the entire Juliet Immortal series to anyone who's looking for an easy, fluffy read. It's really short and the storyline's easy to follow (once you're reading it).
Romeo Redeemed was just as beautiful as Juliet Immortal, and filled with just as much - if not even more - drama, action, romance and twice as much adrenaline. It was beautiful, and I loved it - despite the fact that if you ask me in six months whether I loved a book based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, I'll deny it.
Romeo Redeemed has a similar storyline to that of Juliet Immortal, except that it's now a two-way narrative between Romeo and Ariel - the girl whose body Juliet inhabited in Juliet Immortal (if you're not following, read my review on Juliet Immortal - sorry, the storyline is confusing), but this time, Romeo, previously destined to live out eternity in a rotting body, has been given a second chance, this time to work with the Ambassadors of Light. His first mission to prove himself is to go back to where Juliet's story began in Ariel, this time without Juliet, and to make Ariel believe in love. Easy, right? Wrong. Ariel is ready to kill herself, and her date, after finding out that bad boy, Dylan Strauss, was only going out with her on a bet, and then offered her fifty bucks to "seal the deal". Coincidentally, Romeo is now inhibiting Dylan's body, so convincing Ariel that love exists is proving to be a lot harder than he imagined...
It sounds soppy, right? Well, it's not. True, it's a soppy romance novel at times, but it's also got that supernatural twist which, let's be honest here, makes all us teenage girls go a bit gooey... So long as there's no Edward Cullen... Which there isn't, I promise.
I love the characters in this series, Romeo Redeemed especially. When I say Ariel is a typical teenage girl, I mean she's a typical teenage girl. She has issues with her body, even though she's beautiful; she falls far too easily for boys, especially the ones that are no good for her; she has major trust issues; she believes everything her best friend tells her; she has fights with her mom... the list goes on. She's relatable, and that's what makes a good book. Honestly, all of us girls want to believe that a seven-hundred-year-old badass that's been reincarnated several times could potentially fall in love with us... sort of... (We'd settle easily for Patch or Daemon... If you're out there...)
But back onto the book. It had all those moments where you wanted to rip your hair out, then squeal, then cry... and then you just had to put the book down because, you know... too many feels. But that's what made it good, and that's why I liked it.
I recommend the entire Juliet Immortal series to anyone who's looking for an easy, fluffy read. It's really short and the storyline's easy to follow (once you're reading it).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews