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Bright Smoke, Cold Fire #1
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire: A Young Adult Dark Romance and Fantasy Retelling of Romeo and Juliet
Sabriel meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning and atmospheric novel—the first in a duology—from the author of Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound.
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou, share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on the Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding the Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo only wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou, share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on the Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding the Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo only wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .
464 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2016
140 people are currently reading
21136 people want to read
About the author
Rosamund Hodge
27 books4,894 followersCatholic. Writer. Lay Dominican. I write books about gods & death & girls with knives. Next: WHAT MONSTROUS GODS, coming 03/05/2024.
Goodreads policies: I do read messages. I seldom friend people. I never comment on reviews of my own work.
Goodreads policies: I do read messages. I seldom friend people. I never comment on reviews of my own work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 668 reviews
September 23, 2016
This breaks my heart.
Hodge is the author of two of my favourite YA novels - Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound - but try as I might, I could not get into this book. And it would be better titled "Romeo and Juliet and Zombies".
It's not because Romeo and Juliet is an epic emofest of the instalove variety. I was still excited to see what Hodge would do with this story, and Caine's Prince of Shadows - also inspired by R&J - is one of my favourite retellings. I was also feeling positive because the author has a tendency to get very creative with her retellings. You can see the inspiration behind them, but her stories are usually very different from the original. I like that - who wants to read the same story again?
No, the problem is that this world is so damn convoluted. The book tackles an ambitious premise - a completely new fantasy world with revenants, necromancers and a walled city surrounded by death. Literally. All of this tucked into the familiar tale of starcrossed lovers. And for the first half of the book, I honestly couldn't follow it. It was so confusing.
The author's writing style is usually gorgeous - sensual even - but it is lost here among an overload of information. I'll try to explain the basic story as best as I can. It opens near the end of the traditional Romeo and Juliet story arc. In this world, "the Juliet" is a girl bespelled at birth to deliver justice by punishing any enemies of the Catresou clan. So when Romeo kills Tybalt, she is compelled to kill him in return. However, to avoid murdering her lover, she decides to make Romeo her "Guardian" - the one person who can control and command the Juliet - instead of Paris.
Unfortunately, the magic of this ritual goes all wrong, Juliet ends up dead, and Paris ends up tied to Romeo instead. *deep breath* Elsewhere, Runajo really wants to protect her city and she attempts to join the Sisterhood in order to do so. Before she can do that, however, she must sit through the virgil of souls at the Mouth of Death - a trial where reapers and dead souls appear to her. One of these turns out to be the Juliet, and she's not quite as dead as she should be. When Runajo accidentally pulls her out, they are bound together.
Still with me? Okay. So the main chunk of the story alternates between Romeo and Paris trying to find out what Tybalt and the Catresou clan are all caught up in, and Juliet and Runajo trying to figure out how to save Viyara. Phew. It was exhausting just trying to summarize the basic premise.
On the plus side, this is not an angsty romance. It's not a romance at all beyond the few flashbacks to Romeo and Juliet's love affair. On the negative, it was genuinely quite dense and boring for the most part. There was no finesse to the world-building - it just seemed like a random hodgepodge of ideas shoved together to create a R&J retelling we haven't seen before.
None of the characters interested me. Romeo is the same wet mop he always was, and Paris is even worse. The Juliet is a cold, unrelatable, distant character that I never warmed to, and Runajo is forgettable. Also confused why a clan as powerful as Catresou would choose to select one young girl to fight their enemies...
Too much going on. Too many MCs and not enough characterization. I am so sad that I won't be adding another of Hodge's books to my favourites. I will say one thing in its favour, though: that last short chapter was exquisite. So beautiful and perfect - exactly what I would expect from this author.
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Hodge is the author of two of my favourite YA novels - Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound - but try as I might, I could not get into this book. And it would be better titled "Romeo and Juliet and Zombies".
It's not because Romeo and Juliet is an epic emofest of the instalove variety. I was still excited to see what Hodge would do with this story, and Caine's Prince of Shadows - also inspired by R&J - is one of my favourite retellings. I was also feeling positive because the author has a tendency to get very creative with her retellings. You can see the inspiration behind them, but her stories are usually very different from the original. I like that - who wants to read the same story again?
No, the problem is that this world is so damn convoluted. The book tackles an ambitious premise - a completely new fantasy world with revenants, necromancers and a walled city surrounded by death. Literally. All of this tucked into the familiar tale of starcrossed lovers. And for the first half of the book, I honestly couldn't follow it. It was so confusing.
The author's writing style is usually gorgeous - sensual even - but it is lost here among an overload of information. I'll try to explain the basic story as best as I can. It opens near the end of the traditional Romeo and Juliet story arc. In this world, "the Juliet" is a girl bespelled at birth to deliver justice by punishing any enemies of the Catresou clan. So when Romeo kills Tybalt, she is compelled to kill him in return. However, to avoid murdering her lover, she decides to make Romeo her "Guardian" - the one person who can control and command the Juliet - instead of Paris.
The Juliet was much, much more important to the Catresou than Paris ever would be. The spells laid upon her since birth let her sense anyone who had shed their clan's blood and compelled her to avenge it.
Unfortunately, the magic of this ritual goes all wrong, Juliet ends up dead, and Paris ends up tied to Romeo instead. *deep breath* Elsewhere, Runajo really wants to protect her city and she attempts to join the Sisterhood in order to do so. Before she can do that, however, she must sit through the virgil of souls at the Mouth of Death - a trial where reapers and dead souls appear to her. One of these turns out to be the Juliet, and she's not quite as dead as she should be. When Runajo accidentally pulls her out, they are bound together.
Still with me? Okay. So the main chunk of the story alternates between Romeo and Paris trying to find out what Tybalt and the Catresou clan are all caught up in, and Juliet and Runajo trying to figure out how to save Viyara. Phew. It was exhausting just trying to summarize the basic premise.
On the plus side, this is not an angsty romance. It's not a romance at all beyond the few flashbacks to Romeo and Juliet's love affair. On the negative, it was genuinely quite dense and boring for the most part. There was no finesse to the world-building - it just seemed like a random hodgepodge of ideas shoved together to create a R&J retelling we haven't seen before.
None of the characters interested me. Romeo is the same wet mop he always was, and Paris is even worse. The Juliet is a cold, unrelatable, distant character that I never warmed to, and Runajo is forgettable. Also confused why a clan as powerful as Catresou would choose to select one young girl to fight their enemies...
Too much going on. Too many MCs and not enough characterization. I am so sad that I won't be adding another of Hodge's books to my favourites. I will say one thing in its favour, though: that last short chapter was exquisite. So beautiful and perfect - exactly what I would expect from this author.
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September 28, 2016
Sabriel, in case you haven't read it yet, was an awesome book. Romeo and Juliet, not so much. Still, I had high hopes, given that it's Rosamund Hodge...however, this book was a disappointment. Which is such a shame, because this book had necromancy and zombies. ZOMBIES!!!!!!!
This is what I think happens in the book. There's a world in which the dead rise as the living. There's some kind of a magical super powerful but cold and emotionless (because emotions = weakness, duh) protector of the people with hair like moonlight (I'm not kidding) who is "The Juliet" and her cousin Tybalt gets murdered. Paris is the guy sent to guard The Juliet and they're supposed to be bound together to protect everything, but The Juliet elopes with Romeo instead because...? Because. Paris is angry and pissed off and wants to prevent the binding between The Juliet and Romeo but consequently gets bound to Romeo instead. Awkward.
Oh, and there's this random ass girl named Runajo who wants to do something in a magical library somewhere to defeat all the zombies.
I think that's what happened. I'm not quite sure because it was all SO confusing. I would not compare this to Sabriel. I wouldn't call this a love story. It dragged on in a tremendously long, convoluted mess, and I did not care to finish this book.
The Ruining was more than the white fog that killed every person it touched. It had changed the nature of death. Even here in Viyara, behind the walls, the dead would rise again within two days, mindless and hungry for the living.The setting was dark, dramatic, but it was just so freaking confusing. I still am not quite sure of the plot.
This is what I think happens in the book. There's a world in which the dead rise as the living. There's some kind of a magical super powerful but cold and emotionless (because emotions = weakness, duh) protector of the people with hair like moonlight (I'm not kidding) who is "The Juliet" and her cousin Tybalt gets murdered. Paris is the guy sent to guard The Juliet and they're supposed to be bound together to protect everything, but The Juliet elopes with Romeo instead because...? Because. Paris is angry and pissed off and wants to prevent the binding between The Juliet and Romeo but consequently gets bound to Romeo instead. Awkward.
Oh, and there's this random ass girl named Runajo who wants to do something in a magical library somewhere to defeat all the zombies.
I think that's what happened. I'm not quite sure because it was all SO confusing. I would not compare this to Sabriel. I wouldn't call this a love story. It dragged on in a tremendously long, convoluted mess, and I did not care to finish this book.
Want to read
February 8, 2016We hosted the official cover reveal for Rosamund Hodge's new book this morning:
Look at the pretty!
It's a dark romantic fantasy inspired by Romeo and Juliet...but with necromancers!
Incidentally, if you're not a fan of R&J, note that the author says she thought it was dumb when she first read it as well, hah. Her take on it is pretty interesting, and this story begins towards the end of the play.
Rosamund is on the blog today telling us more about how the story came to be, PLUS we're giving away two early ARCs of the book.
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2016...
Look at the pretty!
It's a dark romantic fantasy inspired by Romeo and Juliet...but with necromancers!
Incidentally, if you're not a fan of R&J, note that the author says she thought it was dumb when she first read it as well, hah. Her take on it is pretty interesting, and this story begins towards the end of the play.
Rosamund is on the blog today telling us more about how the story came to be, PLUS we're giving away two early ARCs of the book.
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2016...
Want to read
March 13, 2016When I first read the synopsis for this, it sounded like a Paris + Romeo and Runajo + Juliet gay/bi/lesbian Shakespearean extravaganza. I was so on board. I am so on board for gay retellings of anything. ANYTHING. But then I saw the word "friendship" and I was like...
February 9, 2017
DNF @ 158 pages (35%)
I'm sorry but I just couldn't get through this book. It was just so dull, boring, and everything was all over the place. It was just so bad that I actually dreaded the times where I had to force myself to pick up this book to try and get through it.
When I read that this was going to be a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I was absolutely ecstatic. I've came across star-crossed lovers in a few YA books but never one that was dubbed as an R&J retelling. Naturally, I needed to get my hands on this book ASAP. So giving this a one star rating actually makes me feel really bad. I tend to not rate books that I DNF if I never made it to at least 50% but I feel like my opinion wouldn't have changed if I read 35% or even 100% of the book. In fact, I almost NEVER DNF books. You can go through my shelves and see for yourselves that I only have three books, including this one, that have be DNFed.
No matter how bad a book is, I will push myself through and find just one thing that I enjoyed about that book and let that motivate me to continue on reading until the end. Unfortunately, the only good thing I can say about this book is the beautiful cover. And in truth, Rosamund Hodge is blessed with such beautiful covers! None of her covers could even be in the ballpark of ugly or "meh". The only other book by Rosamund Hodge I've read was Cruel Beauty and although it wasn't exactly a 5-star read for me, I still enjoyed the concepts and the characters of the story. My expectations weren't too high going into Bright Smoke, Cold Fire but I didn't expect it to be this bad for me to DNF.
In all honesty, I went into this book expecting to read a romance because when you think Romeo and Juliet, you think something along the lines of forbidden romance and star-crossed lovers. But Romeo and Juliet weren't even really the main characters in the story? If anything they were just supporting characters to Paris and Runajo. On top of that, Paris and Runajo weren't even very likable. Especially not Runajo. Paris's chapters were bearable but I had to drag myself through Runajo's chapters because I really didn't like her right from the very beginning.
Secondly, the whole storyline was just a big jumbled up mess. Rosamund Hodge tried to do so much all at once and it didn't make sense to me at all. Or at least it was so boring and info-dumpy that I didn't really care to even bother understanding the story anymore. It was like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies but more like Romeo and Juliet and the Undead because as far as I'm concerned, I don't think there were any zombies in the story. Juliet died but didn't really die but was brought back from the dead by Runajo so I guess that would make her undead so I'll just go with undead.
I can't really say much about the story considering how I didn't even make it that far. I'm hoping to get back to this some other time so I can give it another chance, finish it, and then hopefully give a higher rating than just one star. I really want to enjoy a book written by Rosamund Hodge and I don't want to be doomed to never like a book that's been written by her. Her concepts have so much potential but there are just some things that don't really work for me. I have no doubt that Rosamund is a great author and that shows through her beautiful writing but it's just the executions that fall really flat for me. Hopefully, my second try at reading will be a better experience!
I'm sorry but I just couldn't get through this book. It was just so dull, boring, and everything was all over the place. It was just so bad that I actually dreaded the times where I had to force myself to pick up this book to try and get through it.
When I read that this was going to be a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I was absolutely ecstatic. I've came across star-crossed lovers in a few YA books but never one that was dubbed as an R&J retelling. Naturally, I needed to get my hands on this book ASAP. So giving this a one star rating actually makes me feel really bad. I tend to not rate books that I DNF if I never made it to at least 50% but I feel like my opinion wouldn't have changed if I read 35% or even 100% of the book. In fact, I almost NEVER DNF books. You can go through my shelves and see for yourselves that I only have three books, including this one, that have be DNFed.
No matter how bad a book is, I will push myself through and find just one thing that I enjoyed about that book and let that motivate me to continue on reading until the end. Unfortunately, the only good thing I can say about this book is the beautiful cover. And in truth, Rosamund Hodge is blessed with such beautiful covers! None of her covers could even be in the ballpark of ugly or "meh". The only other book by Rosamund Hodge I've read was Cruel Beauty and although it wasn't exactly a 5-star read for me, I still enjoyed the concepts and the characters of the story. My expectations weren't too high going into Bright Smoke, Cold Fire but I didn't expect it to be this bad for me to DNF.
In all honesty, I went into this book expecting to read a romance because when you think Romeo and Juliet, you think something along the lines of forbidden romance and star-crossed lovers. But Romeo and Juliet weren't even really the main characters in the story? If anything they were just supporting characters to Paris and Runajo. On top of that, Paris and Runajo weren't even very likable. Especially not Runajo. Paris's chapters were bearable but I had to drag myself through Runajo's chapters because I really didn't like her right from the very beginning.
Secondly, the whole storyline was just a big jumbled up mess. Rosamund Hodge tried to do so much all at once and it didn't make sense to me at all. Or at least it was so boring and info-dumpy that I didn't really care to even bother understanding the story anymore. It was like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies but more like Romeo and Juliet and the Undead because as far as I'm concerned, I don't think there were any zombies in the story. Juliet died but didn't really die but was brought back from the dead by Runajo so I guess that would make her undead so I'll just go with undead.
I can't really say much about the story considering how I didn't even make it that far. I'm hoping to get back to this some other time so I can give it another chance, finish it, and then hopefully give a higher rating than just one star. I really want to enjoy a book written by Rosamund Hodge and I don't want to be doomed to never like a book that's been written by her. Her concepts have so much potential but there are just some things that don't really work for me. I have no doubt that Rosamund is a great author and that shows through her beautiful writing but it's just the executions that fall really flat for me. Hopefully, my second try at reading will be a better experience!
July 7, 2016
Three stars might not seem like a very high rating for a Rosamund Hodge book from me considering I absolutely loved her previous books. I didn't hate Bright Smoke, Cold Fire but I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. It fell somewhere in the middle between good and bad for me.
Starting the book I was very confused because the world in it, though it was pretty brilliant, was quite a lot to take in. And it took me a while (at least 40-50% in the book) to really got what was going on. And I was also pretty disappinted with the writing. It just didn't feel as amazing as in the other books like Cruel Beauty.
The points of view were writting in Paris and Runajo's. I did like the friendship (not even sure I can call it that, maybe partnership?) that Paris formed with Romeo and Runajo with Juliet. I didn't care much for the chapters featuring Paris and Romeo. I just didn't like them as characters. I did, however, love Runajo and I eventually warmed up to Juliet also. Their connection and friendship (I'll just call it that) was pretty amazing as it grew.
I do want to give the author points for the complex and dark world she has created in this book. It was also a very original reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. And I do want to find out what happens next of course, even though it was not as great as I thought it would be. It's still a good enough YA fantasy, in my opinion.
Starting the book I was very confused because the world in it, though it was pretty brilliant, was quite a lot to take in. And it took me a while (at least 40-50% in the book) to really got what was going on. And I was also pretty disappinted with the writing. It just didn't feel as amazing as in the other books like Cruel Beauty.
The points of view were writting in Paris and Runajo's. I did like the friendship (not even sure I can call it that, maybe partnership?) that Paris formed with Romeo and Runajo with Juliet. I didn't care much for the chapters featuring Paris and Romeo. I just didn't like them as characters. I did, however, love Runajo and I eventually warmed up to Juliet also. Their connection and friendship (I'll just call it that) was pretty amazing as it grew.
I do want to give the author points for the complex and dark world she has created in this book. It was also a very original reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. And I do want to find out what happens next of course, even though it was not as great as I thought it would be. It's still a good enough YA fantasy, in my opinion.
August 12, 2016
An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own. This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.
Unlike a lot of people, Romeo & Juliet has never been my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. (I go more for the brutal, cunning Macbeth.) I just don't get how overly romanticized R&J is when Romeo was infatuated with the fair Rosaline one day, only to find himself in love with Juliet the next. Fickle I may be at times, but that just rubbed me the wrong way. However, I am a Rosamund Hodge fangirl for life, and I will read anything and everything she writes.
And now that I've read Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, I'm not really sure what to do with myself. I've gotten so used to Hodge's stand-alone fantasies that it's rather shocking to be done with this book and not know how everything turns out. It's a planned duology, and I would very much like to have the next book in my hands now, but regardless of that fact, I'm still quite sure I loved this dark, bloody little novel. I absolutely love how Hodge turns the original tale of Romeo & Juliet on its head and basically makes me love her version better than Shakespeare's.
Gone are the romantic notions that Romeo and Juliet could end up happily ever after. This retelling opens on the eve of the end of Romeo and Juliet's tale and it's clear that this story is every bit the tragedy that the original play was. Especially since there are evil necromancers lurking in plain sight, wreaking their own brand of havoc while the city - the last in existence - is already plagued by revenants and reapers. And anyone who passes and is not burned upon death reawakens to become the living dead. Creepy. Imagine what this might mean, then, for our tortured lovers, if you will.
That being said, this is not a zombie book. There are no walking dead, shambling about in search of brains. Not yet, anyway. There are those who are being reanimated to do the necromancers bidding, though, and that's bad enough. And this is where our key players come in, because at the heart of the story is each of their desire to save the city from itself.
Romeo is still a besotted fool, but Paris has a much bigger role in this version. Rather than being Juliet's intended, he is her protector. Because Juliet is not just a girl. She is THE Juliet, a weapon in her own right. Even Rosaline has a starring role in this tale, though as the [mostly] unfeeling Runajo who will sacrifice herself in her determination to save Viyara. After a chain of events that none of them could have predicted, and on opposite sides of the city, these enemies from rival families form some rather reluctant alliances and it is exquisite.
I found the world-building in this book to be rather intense but phenomenal, though it may be rather dense for some readers. Everyone trapped within the walls of the city for their own safety. The lower market. The underground library. Magic and blood and blood magic. All of it was so easy to imagine with Hodge's vivid descriptions. And I loved seeing the parallels to the original tale of woe while reading a completely different - albeit still lovely and tragic - story. Obviously, there was that whole ordeal with Romeo and Juliet, but then there are the warring families, the apothecary...the duel with Tybalt that leaves Romeo a wanted man. I loved every detail Hodge kept from the original story, and I loved them even more as they morphed into something evil and dark and altogether awful.
Unlike her other novels, though, this one is not remotely romantic. Okay, maybe a teensy bit. In flashbacks. But I think the story is all the better for the absence of romance. At least in this first book. There's still so much for the characters to learn and understand, and a city to save, so it makes sense for any romance to take a backseat to the pivotal struggle at hand.
Suffice it to say, I am thoroughly impressed with this novel. That's not surprising, though, considering how much I enjoyed her previous retellings. I very much look forward to the conclusion to this Romeo & Juliet retelling, especially as I wonder if the lovers will face the same fate as in the original tale...
GIF it to me straight:
Unlike a lot of people, Romeo & Juliet has never been my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. (I go more for the brutal, cunning Macbeth.) I just don't get how overly romanticized R&J is when Romeo was infatuated with the fair Rosaline one day, only to find himself in love with Juliet the next. Fickle I may be at times, but that just rubbed me the wrong way. However, I am a Rosamund Hodge fangirl for life, and I will read anything and everything she writes.
And now that I've read Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, I'm not really sure what to do with myself. I've gotten so used to Hodge's stand-alone fantasies that it's rather shocking to be done with this book and not know how everything turns out. It's a planned duology, and I would very much like to have the next book in my hands now, but regardless of that fact, I'm still quite sure I loved this dark, bloody little novel. I absolutely love how Hodge turns the original tale of Romeo & Juliet on its head and basically makes me love her version better than Shakespeare's.
Gone are the romantic notions that Romeo and Juliet could end up happily ever after. This retelling opens on the eve of the end of Romeo and Juliet's tale and it's clear that this story is every bit the tragedy that the original play was. Especially since there are evil necromancers lurking in plain sight, wreaking their own brand of havoc while the city - the last in existence - is already plagued by revenants and reapers. And anyone who passes and is not burned upon death reawakens to become the living dead. Creepy. Imagine what this might mean, then, for our tortured lovers, if you will.
That being said, this is not a zombie book. There are no walking dead, shambling about in search of brains. Not yet, anyway. There are those who are being reanimated to do the necromancers bidding, though, and that's bad enough. And this is where our key players come in, because at the heart of the story is each of their desire to save the city from itself.
Romeo is still a besotted fool, but Paris has a much bigger role in this version. Rather than being Juliet's intended, he is her protector. Because Juliet is not just a girl. She is THE Juliet, a weapon in her own right. Even Rosaline has a starring role in this tale, though as the [mostly] unfeeling Runajo who will sacrifice herself in her determination to save Viyara. After a chain of events that none of them could have predicted, and on opposite sides of the city, these enemies from rival families form some rather reluctant alliances and it is exquisite.
I found the world-building in this book to be rather intense but phenomenal, though it may be rather dense for some readers. Everyone trapped within the walls of the city for their own safety. The lower market. The underground library. Magic and blood and blood magic. All of it was so easy to imagine with Hodge's vivid descriptions. And I loved seeing the parallels to the original tale of woe while reading a completely different - albeit still lovely and tragic - story. Obviously, there was that whole ordeal with Romeo and Juliet, but then there are the warring families, the apothecary...the duel with Tybalt that leaves Romeo a wanted man. I loved every detail Hodge kept from the original story, and I loved them even more as they morphed into something evil and dark and altogether awful.
Unlike her other novels, though, this one is not remotely romantic. Okay, maybe a teensy bit. In flashbacks. But I think the story is all the better for the absence of romance. At least in this first book. There's still so much for the characters to learn and understand, and a city to save, so it makes sense for any romance to take a backseat to the pivotal struggle at hand.
Suffice it to say, I am thoroughly impressed with this novel. That's not surprising, though, considering how much I enjoyed her previous retellings. I very much look forward to the conclusion to this Romeo & Juliet retelling, especially as I wonder if the lovers will face the same fate as in the original tale...
GIF it to me straight:
December 11, 2016
Sadly, this is what is left in me after finishing this book: Bright nothing, cold disappointment. In spite of all the negative reviews I've seen, I still had this sliver of hope that no, it can't be true, it's Rosamund Hodge, she can't let you down Nastassja. Alas, she did.
I don't know what to say about this book... the cover is beautiful? That is probably it. I can't say this book was a big cliche or that the characters annoyed me or the plot was stupid - none of these things are true. The truth is way more trivial: 
Everything felt lifeless and confusing, and not once the plot made me care to stop half-skipping the book and pay closer attention. It felt like this story took a little bit from every other story the author had written before. I wouldn't call this story unoriginal, but it might seem such if you have read anything written by Rosamund Hodge before. Magic system, feuding lovers, ancients and Gods, political intrigues. You might argue that there's plenty of other books with similar elements, but I am talking about the way Rosamund was using those elments in her previous books is very similar to the way she's using them in this one.
As for Romeo and Juliet, well, I was never a fan of their story, but this book doesn't compliment their story of woe even barely. Romeo acts and talks like a total maroon, proclaiming he'll go and tell Juliet's killers everything he thinks about them and after he'll be ready to die from their swords. Like what? And Juliet acts like a killer machine programmed for one purpose: kill the enemies of her clan. And it is her role in the book to kill those enemies, and it was so strange and dull. Plus Romeo and Juliet not even the main characters of the story and they don't have POVs. I guess there's logic somewhere there, but I really didn't care to look for it, and Romeo and Juliet felt like those zombies this book was suppose to make us afraid of. Again, if only I cared! And for lovers of romance, don't expect any here. We only have snippets of Romeo and Juliet's original story but no real substance or real romantic relationship to root for. And the main characters - Runajo and Paris were so unremarkable, I don't even know what to say about them. They were nice? But dull? But what was their purpose in the book? Ah, I have no idea what the purpose of the whole book . Honestly, I felt like reading two different books, because our main characters never crossed paths, though, they had the same storyline, I didn't feel connection between them they way you feel it when you have two different characters set apart, and observe how their destinies lead them into each others directions and you can't wait for that epic reunion and emotions!! Here nothing of the sort happened. But maybe it's just me, unfeeling brat.
Oh, there's also the author's nice writing style I always loved in her books. But who needs that when everything else is in ruin.
There's going to be a sequel, but my interest is deadlier than the dead in this book.
I'll go now, to find something to wash away this bitter taste of disappointment... 
September 9, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was an interesting YA fantasy story, with characters named Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet were very different characters to what I expected! For a start, Juliet wasn’t even named Juliet, she was The Juliet – her families executioner and thought of more as property than as a daughter. She was pretty kick-ass though, and I really admired her strength and drive. Romeo we didn’t really seem to get that much from, and the main characters in this book were actually Paris and Runajo. Runajo was also very stubborn and strong though, and I liked her too.
The world in this book was pretty impressive, and we had the threat of the revenants (like zombies), reapers, and necromancers, whilst the romance between Romeo and Juliet was exceptionally small and appeared only in a couple of low key flashbacks. In fact other than the names, this was not your average retelling at all.
We than had one of our main characters Runajo trying to save the city from the threat of the revenants beyond the walls, at possibly any cost, even if it took stopping Juliet from dying, and taking them on one at a time to find out what magic really protected the city.
The book did jump about between the girls and the boys though, which made things a bit tougher to follow, and again, the romance was practically non-existent, with Romeo and Juliet spending the entire book apart except for the occasional flashback.
The ending to this was pretty good, and it will be interesting to see how the story ends in the second instalment.
7 out of 10
“He was her world, and now she is going to destroy him.”
This was an interesting YA fantasy story, with characters named Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet were very different characters to what I expected! For a start, Juliet wasn’t even named Juliet, she was The Juliet – her families executioner and thought of more as property than as a daughter. She was pretty kick-ass though, and I really admired her strength and drive. Romeo we didn’t really seem to get that much from, and the main characters in this book were actually Paris and Runajo. Runajo was also very stubborn and strong though, and I liked her too.
“It was risky, and it was probably going to get her killed.
But at least she would die fighting.”
The world in this book was pretty impressive, and we had the threat of the revenants (like zombies), reapers, and necromancers, whilst the romance between Romeo and Juliet was exceptionally small and appeared only in a couple of low key flashbacks. In fact other than the names, this was not your average retelling at all.
“He’s working with somebody called the Master Necromancer.”
We than had one of our main characters Runajo trying to save the city from the threat of the revenants beyond the walls, at possibly any cost, even if it took stopping Juliet from dying, and taking them on one at a time to find out what magic really protected the city.
“Even here is Viyara, behind the walls, the dead would rise again within two days, mindless and hungry for the living.”
The book did jump about between the girls and the boys though, which made things a bit tougher to follow, and again, the romance was practically non-existent, with Romeo and Juliet spending the entire book apart except for the occasional flashback.
“I will always do what is right, and not what my family tells me.”
The ending to this was pretty good, and it will be interesting to see how the story ends in the second instalment.
7 out of 10
September 14, 2016
Meeeeeehhhhhhhh.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
Book One of the Bright Smoke, Cold Fire series
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 27, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .
What I Liked:
I think I liked this book, but maybe there were just too many little things that I didn't love. I did think that it's an amazing and very creative retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but parts of the story were not to my liking. That being said, my somewhat low rating could be attributed to "it's not you it's me". You as a different reader might love this book!
The Ruining has come over the world for a hundred years. There is no place left on the earth with living humans except the city of Viyara. Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou are part of two families at odds. Juliet is the sword of the Catresou family, and she is set to have a Guardian to help her. That Guardian would be Tybalt, her cousin. When Romeo kills Tybalt Catresou, Juliet is supposed to avenge her family and kill Romeo, but she can't - she and Romeo are hopelessly in love. Instead, they marry in secret and begin the process to make Romeo Juliet's Guardian. But this goes terribly wrong, and Romeo finds himself bound to Paris of the Catresou clan, and he thinks Juliet is dead. But Juliet is brought back from the dead by Runajo of the Mahyanai, who is a Sister of Thorn, sworn to protect Viyara. Runajo finds that having the sword of the Catresou family bound to her is not as advantageous as she expected. Both pairs - Paris and Romeo, Runajo and Juliet - will work together to uncover truths about the Ruining, necromancers, and the two families. And both pairs will find that death is closer than they think.
I think the thing I really liked about this book was how incredibly unique it is, as a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Hodge captures that original story, and then twists it up. You have a lovesick Romeo, who seems weak from love but truly is strong because of it. You have Juliet, who loves Romeo and dies for him, only to be brought back. There is Tybalt (though I'm still trying to figure out who Mercutio would be), and Runajo is actually Rosaline! But in this retelling, there are revenants and reapers and so much undead. I don't know what it is about the dead and undead that fascinates Hodge so much, but all of her stories seem to incorporate a lot of each.
This book is NOT written from Romeo's POV, or Juliet's. Instead, it's written from Runajo and Paris's alternating third-person POVs. At first I was a little thrown by this because obviously I was expecting Romeo and Juliet's alternating POV (or at least one of their POVs). But I actually really liked that this book was not told from Romeo and Juliet's POVs. It's cool because the story is not really romance-driven, and it's not romance-centered. With Romeo and Juliet not as narrators, the story is less focused on the romance and more focused on the families and the undead and revenge.
I thought Paris was okay, and Runajo was interesting. Both are interesting narrators to follow, though I didn't really *love* either of them. I thought Paris was kind of wimpy at times, and a bit mean to Romeo. Runajo is kickbutt and fearless, but I think those qualities alienated her and made her a little cold. She was tough as nails though, and very driven.
I like the relationships in this book. Romeo and Juliet are very in love, and they stay that way from start to finish (despite pretty much never interacting throughout the entire book - they each think the other is dead). Paris is very devoted to Juliet (as her would-be Guardian) and the Catresou family (at first). But Paris and Romeo become friends, which is fun. There is also another character, Vai, that develops a good relationship with Paris. THAT was fun to read - Vai is hilarious! Runajo and Juliet's friendship took a long time to develop, and I'm still not sold on Runajo, but I think she eventually stops seeing Juliet as a weapon and a slave, and more of a human.
I was never bored while reading this book, though I will say that I breezed through some of the longer passages that seemed to drag on and on. This happened... a lot. Still, the story was very intriguing and I couldn't stop reading. But in the end, I guess I felt a little meh.
What I Did Not Like:
I don't think I really connected with any of the characters. This could have been me, my preferences, my mood, I don't know. I didn't like Paris, I thought Runajo was okay but cold, and I feel like I really would have like Juliet but we never read from her perspective. Romeo was okay, and he grew on me towards the end of the story. But overall, none of the characters really called to me except Juliet, and maybe Vai. Vai is a fun character, but definitely meant to be more of a secondary character.
This story is twisted and kind of cruel and heartbreaking. While I think the author did a great job of writing this (clearly, if the intent was to break hearts and make readers despair), I didn't necessarily love reading this book, as I was reading. I felt SO bad for Romeo, and Juliet, and it hurt seeing them apart, and seeing them believe that the other was dead. And then, since each of them was bounded to someone else (Juliet to Runajo, Paris to Romeo), their free will was kind of taken away. Paris could command Romeo, and Runajo could command Runajo. THIS was hard to read, as it always is for me to read, when it comes to free will taken away. I hate it when compulsion is a huge factor in books. Runajo could have told Juliet to walk off a cliff. And Runajo commands Juliet to do some things... I don't know, guys. I know this is all part of the story, but it hurt to read.
I definitely wanted more explanation as to the Ruining, and why Viyara was the only city with living beings, and where all the revenants and such were coming from, and the necromancers too. Basically, the world-building was cool, and very dark and intense, but very little was explained. Of course, the author could be saving all of this juicy stuff for book two (I believe this is a duology). And she very briefly touches upon a potential explanation to one thing. But I wasn't really satisfied.
I know I said that I liked that we never get Juliet and Romeo's POVs, but that doesn't mean that I liked that they NEVER interacted in this book. There are three (or maybe four?) scenes from the past that feature Romeo and Juliet, but they are short scenes, and there are only those three (or four) in the entire book. I wanted to see Romeo and Juliet interact, gravitate, fight for each other WITH each other. Instead, for the entire duration of the book, Juliet believes that Romeo died, and Romeo believes that Juliet died. This is still not cleared up at the end of the book, despite both of them surviving from their attempt at making Romeo Juliet's Guardian. Talk about frustrating!
The story is slow. I'll be frank - I breezed through passages that didn't seem to add much to the story. Maybe they did (they probably didn't, in general), but there were a lot of paragraphs that seemed unnecessary. And the story barely moved at all, at first. It took me about, let's say one-third, of the story for me to really get into it, and even then, the story still moved somewhat slowly.
The ending features a huge cliffhanger, and it's not the nicest ending. We still have separation of key characters, and ignorance too, and there is something shocking that probably can't be "fixed" in book two. The ending is pretty surprising, and I'm definitely interested in reading the next book.
Would I Recommend It:
Ehhhhh. This story was a very different retelling of Romeo and Juliet, I'll give it that. The female characters are SO fierce, and the undead aspect is wacky, and all the secrets are intriguing. But I don't think this is a must-read book. If anything, I'd wait to binge-read the series (I think it's a duology). Or skip altogether - I'm not getting life-changing vibes from the story.
Rating:
3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. I'm going to be slightly harsh with the rating simply because this just wasn't as great as I expected. The retelling aspects were really different and interesting, but little pieces of the story didn't fit well for me. It could be my mood! I just didn't find this story impressive. I really liked Cruel Beauty, but I didn't love Crimson Bound. This new book seems to be underwhelming, much like Crimson Bound was.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
Book One of the Bright Smoke, Cold Fire series
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 27, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .
What I Liked:
I think I liked this book, but maybe there were just too many little things that I didn't love. I did think that it's an amazing and very creative retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but parts of the story were not to my liking. That being said, my somewhat low rating could be attributed to "it's not you it's me". You as a different reader might love this book!
The Ruining has come over the world for a hundred years. There is no place left on the earth with living humans except the city of Viyara. Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou are part of two families at odds. Juliet is the sword of the Catresou family, and she is set to have a Guardian to help her. That Guardian would be Tybalt, her cousin. When Romeo kills Tybalt Catresou, Juliet is supposed to avenge her family and kill Romeo, but she can't - she and Romeo are hopelessly in love. Instead, they marry in secret and begin the process to make Romeo Juliet's Guardian. But this goes terribly wrong, and Romeo finds himself bound to Paris of the Catresou clan, and he thinks Juliet is dead. But Juliet is brought back from the dead by Runajo of the Mahyanai, who is a Sister of Thorn, sworn to protect Viyara. Runajo finds that having the sword of the Catresou family bound to her is not as advantageous as she expected. Both pairs - Paris and Romeo, Runajo and Juliet - will work together to uncover truths about the Ruining, necromancers, and the two families. And both pairs will find that death is closer than they think.
I think the thing I really liked about this book was how incredibly unique it is, as a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Hodge captures that original story, and then twists it up. You have a lovesick Romeo, who seems weak from love but truly is strong because of it. You have Juliet, who loves Romeo and dies for him, only to be brought back. There is Tybalt (though I'm still trying to figure out who Mercutio would be), and Runajo is actually Rosaline! But in this retelling, there are revenants and reapers and so much undead. I don't know what it is about the dead and undead that fascinates Hodge so much, but all of her stories seem to incorporate a lot of each.
This book is NOT written from Romeo's POV, or Juliet's. Instead, it's written from Runajo and Paris's alternating third-person POVs. At first I was a little thrown by this because obviously I was expecting Romeo and Juliet's alternating POV (or at least one of their POVs). But I actually really liked that this book was not told from Romeo and Juliet's POVs. It's cool because the story is not really romance-driven, and it's not romance-centered. With Romeo and Juliet not as narrators, the story is less focused on the romance and more focused on the families and the undead and revenge.
I thought Paris was okay, and Runajo was interesting. Both are interesting narrators to follow, though I didn't really *love* either of them. I thought Paris was kind of wimpy at times, and a bit mean to Romeo. Runajo is kickbutt and fearless, but I think those qualities alienated her and made her a little cold. She was tough as nails though, and very driven.
I like the relationships in this book. Romeo and Juliet are very in love, and they stay that way from start to finish (despite pretty much never interacting throughout the entire book - they each think the other is dead). Paris is very devoted to Juliet (as her would-be Guardian) and the Catresou family (at first). But Paris and Romeo become friends, which is fun. There is also another character, Vai, that develops a good relationship with Paris. THAT was fun to read - Vai is hilarious! Runajo and Juliet's friendship took a long time to develop, and I'm still not sold on Runajo, but I think she eventually stops seeing Juliet as a weapon and a slave, and more of a human.
I was never bored while reading this book, though I will say that I breezed through some of the longer passages that seemed to drag on and on. This happened... a lot. Still, the story was very intriguing and I couldn't stop reading. But in the end, I guess I felt a little meh.
What I Did Not Like:
I don't think I really connected with any of the characters. This could have been me, my preferences, my mood, I don't know. I didn't like Paris, I thought Runajo was okay but cold, and I feel like I really would have like Juliet but we never read from her perspective. Romeo was okay, and he grew on me towards the end of the story. But overall, none of the characters really called to me except Juliet, and maybe Vai. Vai is a fun character, but definitely meant to be more of a secondary character.
This story is twisted and kind of cruel and heartbreaking. While I think the author did a great job of writing this (clearly, if the intent was to break hearts and make readers despair), I didn't necessarily love reading this book, as I was reading. I felt SO bad for Romeo, and Juliet, and it hurt seeing them apart, and seeing them believe that the other was dead. And then, since each of them was bounded to someone else (Juliet to Runajo, Paris to Romeo), their free will was kind of taken away. Paris could command Romeo, and Runajo could command Runajo. THIS was hard to read, as it always is for me to read, when it comes to free will taken away. I hate it when compulsion is a huge factor in books. Runajo could have told Juliet to walk off a cliff. And Runajo commands Juliet to do some things... I don't know, guys. I know this is all part of the story, but it hurt to read.
I definitely wanted more explanation as to the Ruining, and why Viyara was the only city with living beings, and where all the revenants and such were coming from, and the necromancers too. Basically, the world-building was cool, and very dark and intense, but very little was explained. Of course, the author could be saving all of this juicy stuff for book two (I believe this is a duology). And she very briefly touches upon a potential explanation to one thing. But I wasn't really satisfied.
I know I said that I liked that we never get Juliet and Romeo's POVs, but that doesn't mean that I liked that they NEVER interacted in this book. There are three (or maybe four?) scenes from the past that feature Romeo and Juliet, but they are short scenes, and there are only those three (or four) in the entire book. I wanted to see Romeo and Juliet interact, gravitate, fight for each other WITH each other. Instead, for the entire duration of the book, Juliet believes that Romeo died, and Romeo believes that Juliet died. This is still not cleared up at the end of the book, despite both of them surviving from their attempt at making Romeo Juliet's Guardian. Talk about frustrating!
The story is slow. I'll be frank - I breezed through passages that didn't seem to add much to the story. Maybe they did (they probably didn't, in general), but there were a lot of paragraphs that seemed unnecessary. And the story barely moved at all, at first. It took me about, let's say one-third, of the story for me to really get into it, and even then, the story still moved somewhat slowly.
The ending features a huge cliffhanger, and it's not the nicest ending. We still have separation of key characters, and ignorance too, and there is something shocking that probably can't be "fixed" in book two. The ending is pretty surprising, and I'm definitely interested in reading the next book.
Would I Recommend It:
Ehhhhh. This story was a very different retelling of Romeo and Juliet, I'll give it that. The female characters are SO fierce, and the undead aspect is wacky, and all the secrets are intriguing. But I don't think this is a must-read book. If anything, I'd wait to binge-read the series (I think it's a duology). Or skip altogether - I'm not getting life-changing vibes from the story.
Rating:
3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. I'm going to be slightly harsh with the rating simply because this just wasn't as great as I expected. The retelling aspects were really different and interesting, but little pieces of the story didn't fit well for me. It could be my mood! I just didn't find this story impressive. I really liked Cruel Beauty, but I didn't love Crimson Bound. This new book seems to be underwhelming, much like Crimson Bound was.
September 30, 2016
"Journeys end in lovers meeting. Every wise man's son doth know."
Do yourself a favor and only read the first chapter. Close the book. Make up your own ending.
The first chapter of Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is everything it should have been. Juliet going into the catacombs to meet Romeo with rage in her heart. Vowing to kill him for murdering her cousin.
Murderess Juliet?
But after the prologue, it descends into your typical Hodge novel. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the author follows a formula. Retelling of something, check. No other countries because of a magical apocalypse in the past, check. World is ending, but no one else except the female protagonist knows it, check. Plot involves some kind of prophecy and clue-following, check.
Combined with the writing, it makes for an incredibly dull read. I can't even pinpoint what's wrong with it. It's not bad, it just lacks spark. It's that decade-old manuscript at the bottom of the trunk you've outgrown, but don't want to admit all those years were for nothing, so you keep revising and revising: "It doesn't matter if it's shit. Just as long as it's readable and grammatically correct. I just want this fucking done and out of my life."
I can't make head or tails of the world-building. I know there are zombies and necromancers and a city wall that gets its strength from blood—you know, pieces. But not the whole puzzle.
For the sake of full disclosure, the narrative style is unique. Instead of being narrated by Romeo and Juliet, it's told through the POVs of Rosalie (called Runajo here) and Paris. Due to a bonding spell gone wrong at the beginning of the novel, instead of being tied to Romeo like Juliet wanted, she died and is bound to Runajo. Romeo is then bound to Paris because the latter interrupted the spell. We do get flashes of how Romeo and Juliet fell in love (which as cheesy and unrealistic as the original play), but the plot mainly focuses on Runajo trying to protect her city with Juliet's help while the boys attempt to track down Juliet.
Yeah, I'm making it sound a lot more interesting than it really is.
But who knows? Maybe others will enjoy it. It failed to capture my interest though.
ARC provided by Edelweiss. Quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change.
August 27, 2016
It breaks my heart to rate it this low. Maybe 2.5 stars.
I was sold at Rosamund's name on the cover, but then the synopsis mentioned Romeo + Juliet and I was in love. Sadly, my infatuation didn't last.
The relationship between Juliet and Runajo was the intriguing. I didn't care for Paris at all and of course only wanted scene of Romeo and Juliet together. The various "before" scenes are what kept me reading.
I struggled hard with this book. The world building is interesting and quite intricate, but none of it made sense. There wasn't any sort of explanation as to why things were happening, it just was. I loved the idea of it, but nothing clicked.
The ending was captivating and I'm curious if there will be a sequel. If so, I'll probably read it in hopes that it explains more of what happened here.
**Huge thanks to Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
I was sold at Rosamund's name on the cover, but then the synopsis mentioned Romeo + Juliet and I was in love. Sadly, my infatuation didn't last.
The relationship between Juliet and Runajo was the intriguing. I didn't care for Paris at all and of course only wanted scene of Romeo and Juliet together. The various "before" scenes are what kept me reading.
I struggled hard with this book. The world building is interesting and quite intricate, but none of it made sense. There wasn't any sort of explanation as to why things were happening, it just was. I loved the idea of it, but nothing clicked.
The ending was captivating and I'm curious if there will be a sequel. If so, I'll probably read it in hopes that it explains more of what happened here.
**Huge thanks to Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
Want to read
May 28, 2022this is only $0.99 on kindle today! obviously, even though i have 250 unread books on my kindle, i bought it anyway. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
October 15, 2018
3.5 stars
There comes a time when you encounter a book with an interesting premise only to discover that it has a lot of mixed reviews. Some love it, some hate it, and some find it OK. I found myself in that same position. And the end result was: I liked it.
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. This is my first Rosamund Hodge book and I was pleasantly surprised by how I liked Bright Smoke, Cold Fire. I wasn't sure how I would enjoy the book knowing it has a lot of mixed reviews. I went into it with little expectations based on reviews and I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, it does have its flaws, and I can see where a lot of people are coming from.
Is this book going to be for everyone? No, I can honestly say that. While I did like the book, for the most part, I can acknowledge that there were parts which I did not like which could be deal breakers for others. So read at your own risk.
As mentioned earlier, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is a Romeo and Juliet retelling. It takes place in a world where there are magic and necromancy. There is a fog known as the Ruining where anyone who gets caught up in it, dies and comes back as the living dead. The city, Viyara, is the last known settlement in the world that isn't affected by the Ruining. We follow four characters in total. Runajo, who wants to save the city by any means necessary. Paris, who wants to live up to his clan while being Juliet's guardian. Romeo, our hapless romantic. And Juliet, who acts as her clans' fighter and bringer of justice.
Due to circumstances, Runajo is paired with Juliet, and Paris and Romeo are paired together. Each duo then sets off to discover the secrets of the city, magic and stopping a necromancer who could bring about the end of the world.
With a premise like that, along with a Romeo and Juliet retelling, it might sound like a good book? Well, yes and no. Yes, it has its moments where the plot does hold interest, but no because there is a lot of lacking in regards to the world and magic.
I will put out a CW and say this book uses blood magic, meaning the characters will cut themselves to use magic. Just putting that out there as a warning.
Pros.
What I liked initially about Bright Smoke, Cold Fire was the magic. What initially drew me into BS,CF was the necromancy. The magic in the world is paid with blood, meaning that in order to live, you have to give back.
Next would be Runajo and Juliet. These two are a unique duo in which their ideals clash with each other. We have Runajo who is cold-hearted and wants to save the city and its inhabitants. And we have Juliet where she is content with her life but has an underlying sense of justice.
Runajo is the most compelling character of the book because of her no-nonsense attitude about the world dying around her. She knows the truth, she knows what's really going on. I like characters who are like that; straight to the truth and doesn't sugarcoat things.
Juliet was also an interesting character that I wished we got to know more about. The book is seen from Runajo and Paris, so we don't get to be in the mind of Romeo or Juliet. But from what I've seen of Juliet, I think she's a good character. Her sense of justice is foggy, but she doesn't hesitate to act when needed.
Cons.
While the world of BS,CF is interesting, there is a lot of lacking in regards to the magic and the world itself. I say lacking because we don't know too much about the origins or even the basic understandings of the magic and world. For example, we don't hear a lot about the world before the Ruining. I get that most of the world is covered in the fog, hence why we don't hear a lot about other cities, but at least some info would be good.
As for the magic, while somewhat understandable, I wished there was more information about it. There is lore in the story about gods and such, but we get little to nothing about them. There is mention of nine gods and that's all there is, just a mention of them here and there without substance. Had Hodge taken the time to expand on the world and given us more information, I would've enjoyed it a bit more.
Show us how magical the world is, not tell us.
Lastly, we have Paris and Romeo. I don't hate them as characters, but they weren't necessarily my favorites. I do like Paris more than Romeo because he does have a sense of pride to protect his clan. He's a flawed character who is trying to do the right thing and while I admire him for that, that was his overall arc as a character. Nothing more and nothing less.
Romeo... he's the same hapless romantic idiot in the original Romeo and Juliet. That's it.
Verdict
Overall, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire was... alright. I see both the good and the bad of the book. There are some things that people will love or hate. This is a book you would want to check out from your library if you ever want to give it a chance.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
There comes a time when you encounter a book with an interesting premise only to discover that it has a lot of mixed reviews. Some love it, some hate it, and some find it OK. I found myself in that same position. And the end result was: I liked it.
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. This is my first Rosamund Hodge book and I was pleasantly surprised by how I liked Bright Smoke, Cold Fire. I wasn't sure how I would enjoy the book knowing it has a lot of mixed reviews. I went into it with little expectations based on reviews and I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, it does have its flaws, and I can see where a lot of people are coming from.
Is this book going to be for everyone? No, I can honestly say that. While I did like the book, for the most part, I can acknowledge that there were parts which I did not like which could be deal breakers for others. So read at your own risk.
As mentioned earlier, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire is a Romeo and Juliet retelling. It takes place in a world where there are magic and necromancy. There is a fog known as the Ruining where anyone who gets caught up in it, dies and comes back as the living dead. The city, Viyara, is the last known settlement in the world that isn't affected by the Ruining. We follow four characters in total. Runajo, who wants to save the city by any means necessary. Paris, who wants to live up to his clan while being Juliet's guardian. Romeo, our hapless romantic. And Juliet, who acts as her clans' fighter and bringer of justice.
Due to circumstances, Runajo is paired with Juliet, and Paris and Romeo are paired together. Each duo then sets off to discover the secrets of the city, magic and stopping a necromancer who could bring about the end of the world.
With a premise like that, along with a Romeo and Juliet retelling, it might sound like a good book? Well, yes and no. Yes, it has its moments where the plot does hold interest, but no because there is a lot of lacking in regards to the world and magic.
I will put out a CW and say this book uses blood magic, meaning the characters will cut themselves to use magic. Just putting that out there as a warning.
Pros.
What I liked initially about Bright Smoke, Cold Fire was the magic. What initially drew me into BS,CF was the necromancy. The magic in the world is paid with blood, meaning that in order to live, you have to give back.
Next would be Runajo and Juliet. These two are a unique duo in which their ideals clash with each other. We have Runajo who is cold-hearted and wants to save the city and its inhabitants. And we have Juliet where she is content with her life but has an underlying sense of justice.
Runajo is the most compelling character of the book because of her no-nonsense attitude about the world dying around her. She knows the truth, she knows what's really going on. I like characters who are like that; straight to the truth and doesn't sugarcoat things.
Juliet was also an interesting character that I wished we got to know more about. The book is seen from Runajo and Paris, so we don't get to be in the mind of Romeo or Juliet. But from what I've seen of Juliet, I think she's a good character. Her sense of justice is foggy, but she doesn't hesitate to act when needed.
Cons.
While the world of BS,CF is interesting, there is a lot of lacking in regards to the magic and the world itself. I say lacking because we don't know too much about the origins or even the basic understandings of the magic and world. For example, we don't hear a lot about the world before the Ruining. I get that most of the world is covered in the fog, hence why we don't hear a lot about other cities, but at least some info would be good.
As for the magic, while somewhat understandable, I wished there was more information about it. There is lore in the story about gods and such, but we get little to nothing about them. There is mention of nine gods and that's all there is, just a mention of them here and there without substance. Had Hodge taken the time to expand on the world and given us more information, I would've enjoyed it a bit more.
Show us how magical the world is, not tell us.
Lastly, we have Paris and Romeo. I don't hate them as characters, but they weren't necessarily my favorites. I do like Paris more than Romeo because he does have a sense of pride to protect his clan. He's a flawed character who is trying to do the right thing and while I admire him for that, that was his overall arc as a character. Nothing more and nothing less.
Romeo... he's the same hapless romantic idiot in the original Romeo and Juliet. That's it.
Verdict
Overall, Bright Smoke, Cold Fire was... alright. I see both the good and the bad of the book. There are some things that people will love or hate. This is a book you would want to check out from your library if you ever want to give it a chance.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
October 13, 2020
اگرچه دود روشن، آتش سرد چیزی نبود که تصورش رو میکردم، ولی خب همچنان تونست من رو جذب و با خودش همراه کنه.
یه چیزی دربارهی این کتاب وجود داشت که از همون لحظهی اول منو متوجه خودش کرد. وقتی که وارد داستان کتاب میشی با نکات جالبی از محتوای داستان و احساسات درونش مواجه میشیم.
این کتاب قرار نیست یه ریتلینگ ساده باشه. بلکه نویسنده بهزیبایی تغییراتی درون داستان بهوجود آورده که باعث هرچه بهتر شدن داستان میشه :)))
شکسپیر و داستانهای شکسپیری داستانهای روانخوان و آسونی نیستند و نوعی سختی در عین حال زیبایی در نوع نوشتار و روایتگوییش وجود داره. نویسندهی دود روشن هم تونسته نوشتار و لحن خاصی رو چاشنی داستانش کنه که در عین مقاربت با لحن شکسپیری، منحصربهفرد و بیهمتائه.
با نگاه کلی به داستان صرفا روایت یک رمنس مقدرشده رو میبینیم و نه الزاما ریتلینگی از داستان رومئو و ژولیت،که در حقیقت خیلی هم من رو جذب کرد :)) اگر بگم که داستان دود روشن از داستان کلاسیک رومئو و ژولیت جداست، پر بیراه نگفتم!
دربارهی شخصیتپردازی هم باید بگم که..... خیلی اتفاق هیجانانگیزی نیفتاده. نویسنده خوب به شخصیتهاش رسیده و خود پرورش داده و بعد تمام. تمرکز طبعا روی داستان بوده تا روی شخصیتهای داستان. که در این مورد بهنظرم عالیه.
متن کتاب حقیقتا زیبا و شاعرانهست و پایانش جذابه و خواننده رو توی شرایط کنجکاوی میذاره تا منتظر جلد دوم بمونه :(
عاشقان فانتزی و شکسپیر بخوانند!
یه چیزی دربارهی این کتاب وجود داشت که از همون لحظهی اول منو متوجه خودش کرد. وقتی که وارد داستان کتاب میشی با نکات جالبی از محتوای داستان و احساسات درونش مواجه میشیم.
این کتاب قرار نیست یه ریتلینگ ساده باشه. بلکه نویسنده بهزیبایی تغییراتی درون داستان بهوجود آورده که باعث هرچه بهتر شدن داستان میشه :)))
شکسپیر و داستانهای شکسپیری داستانهای روانخوان و آسونی نیستند و نوعی سختی در عین حال زیبایی در نوع نوشتار و روایتگوییش وجود داره. نویسندهی دود روشن هم تونسته نوشتار و لحن خاصی رو چاشنی داستانش کنه که در عین مقاربت با لحن شکسپیری، منحصربهفرد و بیهمتائه.
با نگاه کلی به داستان صرفا روایت یک رمنس مقدرشده رو میبینیم و نه الزاما ریتلینگی از داستان رومئو و ژولیت،که در حقیقت خیلی هم من رو جذب کرد :)) اگر بگم که داستان دود روشن از داستان کلاسیک رومئو و ژولیت جداست، پر بیراه نگفتم!
دربارهی شخصیتپردازی هم باید بگم که..... خیلی اتفاق هیجانانگیزی نیفتاده. نویسنده خوب به شخصیتهاش رسیده و خود پرورش داده و بعد تمام. تمرکز طبعا روی داستان بوده تا روی شخصیتهای داستان. که در این مورد بهنظرم عالیه.
متن کتاب حقیقتا زیبا و شاعرانهست و پایانش جذابه و خواننده رو توی شرایط کنجکاوی میذاره تا منتظر جلد دوم بمونه :(
عاشقان فانتزی و شکسپیر بخوانند!
nevermind
February 16, 2017
OMG IT HAS A COVER.
August 13, 2023
اتمام
۱۷/ مـرداد/۰۲
19:20
عجیبه ولی برای من کل جذابیت داستان رو کارکتر “وای” به تنهایی به عهده داشت :)
با اینکه حتی کارکتر اصلی هم نبود!
در کل کتاب رو اونقدر که بخوام جلد دومش رو بخونم دوست نداشتم :( با اینکه برای ادامهش کنجکاوم اما..
۱۷/ مـرداد/۰۲
19:20
عجیبه ولی برای من کل جذابیت داستان رو کارکتر “وای” به تنهایی به عهده داشت :)
با اینکه حتی کارکتر اصلی هم نبود!
در کل کتاب رو اونقدر که بخوام جلد دومش رو بخونم دوست نداشتم :( با اینکه برای ادامهش کنجکاوم اما..
April 21, 2017
3.5* more like
This wasn't a bad book in my opinion. The story entertained me and the ending left me enough interested that I will read the second book when it comes out to tie up the loose ends of the first book (which there were a lot of loose ends).
This wasn't a bad book in my opinion. The story entertained me and the ending left me enough interested that I will read the second book when it comes out to tie up the loose ends of the first book (which there were a lot of loose ends).
Want to read
February 11, 2016Oh my God, cover awesomeness alert.
July 27, 2020
خب، نمیدونم متوجه شدید یا نه اما موضوع کلی این کتاب الهام گرفته از نمایشنامه و داستان معروف رومئو و جولیت است و اما کاملاً موضوعش و جزئیات و روند داستان با داستان رومئو و جولیت متفاوته و فقط شخصیت ها و نام های رومئو و جولیت توش یکسانه که عاشق هم میشن و بقیه چیزها اصلا شباهتی به نمایشنامه نداره.
اولین بار چیزی که بیشتر جذبم کرد به این کتاب خلاصهش، اسمش و طرح جلدش بود اما یکمی با اون چیزی که انتظار داشتم فاصله داشت. شخصیت پردازی کتابی کمی ضعیف بود و به درستی نمی شد با شخصیت ها ارتباط برقرار کرد. حدود پنجاه صفحهی اول هم زیاد چنگی به دل نمیزد و شخصا نتونستم باهاش جلو برم اما به مرور بهتر شد و بازم میگم اون چیزی نبود که واقعا انتظار داشتم. ولی در کل موضوع جذابی داشت و ایدهی کلی که نویسنده استفاده کرده بود به نظرم جدید بود.
به نظر من یکی از نقاط ضعف این کتاب این بود که به صورت سوم شخص نوشته شده بود و فکر میکنم اگر از زبان روناجا و پاریس به شکل اول شخص بیان میشد خیلی بهتر میتونستم باهاش ارتباط برقرار بکنم.
یک چیزی که کاملا شوکهتون میکنه، کشتارهای زیاد توی کتابه😄 همینجور مثل آب خوردن آدما میمیرن🔪😄 و کاملاً حس متفاوتی بهتون دست میده. میگم ایدهی خوبی داشت. اینکه آدمها وقتی میمیرن، به صورت روح زنده میشن و خیلی چیزهای دیگه که جالب بود.
پایانشم خوب بود. کاملا به جلد دوم وصله و نمیتونید نصفه ولش کنید چون همه چیز ادامه داره....
اولین بار چیزی که بیشتر جذبم کرد به این کتاب خلاصهش، اسمش و طرح جلدش بود اما یکمی با اون چیزی که انتظار داشتم فاصله داشت. شخصیت پردازی کتابی کمی ضعیف بود و به درستی نمی شد با شخصیت ها ارتباط برقرار کرد. حدود پنجاه صفحهی اول هم زیاد چنگی به دل نمیزد و شخصا نتونستم باهاش جلو برم اما به مرور بهتر شد و بازم میگم اون چیزی نبود که واقعا انتظار داشتم. ولی در کل موضوع جذابی داشت و ایدهی کلی که نویسنده استفاده کرده بود به نظرم جدید بود.
به نظر من یکی از نقاط ضعف این کتاب این بود که به صورت سوم شخص نوشته شده بود و فکر میکنم اگر از زبان روناجا و پاریس به شکل اول شخص بیان میشد خیلی بهتر میتونستم باهاش ارتباط برقرار بکنم.
یک چیزی که کاملا شوکهتون میکنه، کشتارهای زیاد توی کتابه😄 همینجور مثل آب خوردن آدما میمیرن🔪😄 و کاملاً حس متفاوتی بهتون دست میده. میگم ایدهی خوبی داشت. اینکه آدمها وقتی میمیرن، به صورت روح زنده میشن و خیلی چیزهای دیگه که جالب بود.
پایانشم خوب بود. کاملا به جلد دوم وصله و نمیتونید نصفه ولش کنید چون همه چیز ادامه داره....
December 21, 2016
I’ve never read anything so cheerful in my life.
There was a lot of BLOOD and DEATH and BLOODY DEATH. Pretty sure that 80% of the book was a variation of DEAD, DEATH, DIE, DIED with BLOOD somewhere in between. I lost count of the number of times I read those words in one page. On droned the protagonist: we’re all already dead. We’re all going to die. Death is everywhere. Death does not bargain. I’m dead. You’re dead. They’re dead. Bloody death. Death and blood. There is no point in life. Let’s just die. DIE, LOSERS, DIE!
PUH-LEASE. Give me a flipping break.
Rosamund Hodge’s world building skills are excellent, Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound are proof of that. Even in this, there was so much potential and countless fascinating concepts and ideas, all, I’m sad to say, wasted. First off, there is an extreme confusion about the what, the how and the when. I’ve read the whole book and have no clear notion as to what happened, be it the background or the plot. Especially the plot. I am a fan of no bullshit and straight answers so when the writers skirt around those and try to make it all intriguing and mysterious, well, sometimes it works … but this was not one of those times.
I’m having trouble pinpointing the source of the spiritless nature of the book. The best I can say is that underneath that breath-taking and gorgeous wrapping, there is nothing. It’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling and the writer’s spin on the characters and their circumstances is fun. At first. It starts going downhill and stops being amusing pretty fast. Ambiguity, confounding nature AND execution, incessant talk of death and awful characters. That is what killed Bright Smoke, Cold Fire.
So the last of humanity now lives in Viyara after the Ruining, uh…well, ruined the world and turned the people who came into contact with it Revenants (reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio, LOL). Revenant is just a fancy word for medieval zombies which is what everybody becomes when they die even within the walls of Viyara. The walls are made from magic and blood. They are sustained by blood and sacrifice and they are dying. There is a covenant of women who takes care of that. There are also three major clans; Mahyanai, Catresou and Old Viyaran. I have no idea which clan believed in what or dismissed what ideas. Everyone had their own agendas, their own set of faiths, it got tangled up pretty bad.
There are two things the four main characters have in common:
A) One or both of their parents are either dead or horrible.
B) They are pretty much useless.
RUNAJO:
Clan: Mahyanai
Profession: Sister of Thorn
Status: Dull, Suicidal, Obnoxious
ROMEO:
Clan: Mahyanai
Profession: I’m not sure. Lovesick idiot?
Status: Pathetic, Uninteresting, Stupid
JULIET or THE JULIET:
Clan: Catresou
Profession: Assassin of the Catresou born to avenge her clan
Status: Plain WEIRD.
PARIS:
Clan: Catresou
Profession: Trained (poorly) to become La Juliet’s guardian
Status: The biggest loser of them all.
I meant what I said, they ARE completely annoying and infinitely useless. Runajo just talks and talks and TALKS of death, Juliet glares and stares and makes idle threats, Romeo cries ALL THE TIME and Paris humiliates himself constantly. There is no depth (although the book tries) and the characters are one-dimensional. The only one I really liked was Vai and he turned out to be a woman. Funny how that keeps happening in books. Did I think this was completely unexpected and lame or did I take in a stride? I am not even sure. Romeo and Juliet’s iconic love was not iconic at all.
Three stars because this is from the author of the two books I loved and because I’m feeling generous. I expected better.
August 29, 2016
What we've all come to love, trust, and even respect about Hodge's writing is her ability to weave a familiar tale, put a beautifully dark twist on it and make it all her own and her latest release is no exception to her brilliance.
Wonderfully told with twists around ever bend including the very fact that this tale is not told from Juliet and her Romeo's point of view but instead from Paris and Runajo, our hero and heroine of the story. Don't get me wrong, Juliet and Romeo play a very big part in this story, but this story isn't all about them nor their star crossed love. After all, if it was, how ordinary would that be? And if Hodge has taught us anything over the years, it is that her writing is anything bur ordinary.
Rich is detail, imaginative, creative, and wonderfully dark, this tale will leave your imagination running wild, your expectations high and most of all by the end, leave you longing for the rest of the story.
*ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Wonderfully told with twists around ever bend including the very fact that this tale is not told from Juliet and her Romeo's point of view but instead from Paris and Runajo, our hero and heroine of the story. Don't get me wrong, Juliet and Romeo play a very big part in this story, but this story isn't all about them nor their star crossed love. After all, if it was, how ordinary would that be? And if Hodge has taught us anything over the years, it is that her writing is anything bur ordinary.
Rich is detail, imaginative, creative, and wonderfully dark, this tale will leave your imagination running wild, your expectations high and most of all by the end, leave you longing for the rest of the story.
*ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
October 7, 2020
4.5
قبیله کترسو و ماهیانای ها، دشمنان خونی یکدیگر هستند. جولیت، شمشیر کترسو هاست. دختری که زندگیاش طبق اوراد روی بدنش باید فدای قبیله شود. دختری که انتقامجو و حافظ عدالت در قبیله است. دخترکی که قرار بود بیاحساس باشد، دل به پسری به نام رومئو که پسری ماهیانای است باخته!
رومئو پسر دایی جولیت را به قتل رسانده و حال این جولیت است که وظیفهی عدالت بردوشش است، اما جولیت قدرت اینکار را ندارد.
جولیت سعی میکند تا پیوندی بین خودش و رومئو برقرار کند اما اشتباهی رخ داده و این پیوند بین پاریس که آرزوی محافظ جولیت بودن را در سر میپرورانده، برقرار میشود و در این بین جولیت میمیرد.
روناجو دختری عضو محفل خواهران خار است. خواهرانی که محافظان شهر هستند، آنان که مسئولیت دارند تا مهای که مرز میان مردم شهر (آخرین باقیمانده دنیا) و مردگان است را نگه دارند. روناجو میداند که شهر رو به نابودیست و سعی دارد تا از این واقعه و فروپاشی مرز جلوگیری کند.
ماهیانای روناجو در یک امر اتفاقی جولیت را زنده کرده و همان ارتباط بین این دو نیز برقرار میشود.
رومئو و پاریس، جولیت و روناجو میخواهند شهر را از سرنوشت شومش نجات دهند، فارق از اینکه هر گروه ناآگاهانه نقشههای گروه مقابل را از بین میبرد.
پلات و ایده داستان خیلی نابه. کیه که داستان مردگانی که میخوان زنده ها رو نابود کنن نشنیده باشه؟ الان این داستان یه جلوه واقعی و منجسم داره. یعنی داستان طبق یه روال خیلی حساب شده جلو میره. داستان خیلی جذابه و خب نمیدونم چطکری میشه حس جذاب شدن به یه داستان رو گفت. فقط میتونم بگم اون حس و حالی که ماجرا و اتفاقات بهم میداد باعث شد جذب بشم. در مورد اقتباس بودنش هم واقعا محشر بود. رومئو و ژولیت خود اسمشون باعث شد تصمیم بگیرم کتابو نخرم، اما تعریفا رو که شندیدم دلو زدم به دریا و وقتی خوندم؛ اصلا انقدر این داستان خوب بود که حتی ممکنه رومئو و ژولیت هم براتون جذاب بشه. رومنس کتاب فوقالعاده پایینه، یعنی انقدر که در انتظار رومنس میپوسیم :د
فضاسازی داستان هم خیلی عالی بود. ویژگی های خاص جادویی شهر به نظرم باعث شد تا جذاب تر تصورش کنم. یه شهری که به نظرم ترکیبی که محله های قدیمی چینی و یه فناوری نوین علمی تخیلی بود. کلا داستان فانتزیه اما یه شمه ای از پساآخرزمانی هم توی خودش داره! شما بیا ترکیبی از فانتزی و علمی تخیلی و رازآلود رو بده به یه عشق گمانه زن، چی میشه؟
شهر ترکیبی از علم و جادوی نویسنده و واقعا مکان اصلی این داستان حتی از توصیفی هم نداشته باشه جذاب به نظر میرسه. فضاهای کتابخونه و اون قربانگاه-_- و ایناشونم خیلی باحال بود! اصلا خود اون فضا هیجان میده، چه برسه اتفاقیم توش بیوفته.
شخصیتها اینطوری بودن که اول کتاب کلی آدم ریخته بود جلوم، یعنی من با متن پشت جلد میخوندم که کی به کیه! همچین داستاناییه رو دوست دارم، شما نمیفهمی چرا شخصیت این کار رو کرد و اصلا هاج و واج میمونی و میگه چرا انقد خنگه اما بعد که آشنا میشی باهاش تازه میفهمی که اتفاقا از روی زیرکی ش بوده. یا مثلا روناجو که...
شخصیت پردازی ها به شدت قویه. یعنی اینکه یه شخصیت خنگه تقصیر نویسنده نیست، اون خنگ خداییه!:/
خود شخصیت های کتاب میتونن یه دلیل باشن که باید این کتاب رو بخونین و هر کدوم ویژگی ها و صفات منحصر به فرد خودشون رو دارن که از قضا این صفات نمادی از یه سری مردمن و حالا اون اهداف ندیسنده برای خلق این جور آدم ها.
در مورد نثر و ترجمه. حقیقتا من کتاب متن اصلی نخوندم و فقط میتونم در باب ترجمه نظر بدم. ترجمه واقعا جذاب بود. یکی از محدود کتابایی بود که خود زبان ادبیش رو یه ویژگی در نظر گرفتم. جالب اینجاست که این ادبیه حتی باعث میشه بیشتر با کتاب رابطه برقرار کنی!
اون مفهموم پشت کتاب هم که نگم. کلی چیز خوب داشت. اینکه فرض من بر این بود که یه سری افراد کترسو (سنتی) هستن و یه سری ها ماهیانای (روشن فکر) بعد حالا کلی از نسل جدید کترسو ها یه کششی به قوانین ماهیانای داره و میخوان فراتر برن. یا اینکه جوونای ماهیانای میخواستن مرزها رو بردارن و سرکش بودن. این جدال های بین قبیله ها برام جالب بود و عشق رومئو و جولیت هم جذاب بود. رومئو حاضر بود هر کاری بکنه و توی این راه کلی آدم رو برای یه عشق چند ماهه به کشتن داد! آیا عشق اینقدر ارزش داره؟ کتاب یکم دیدگاهمو به یه سری چیزا عوض کرد و به نظرم از اون نوع کتابایی که بستگی به خودت داره تا از وقایع و مهره ها چه برداشتی بکنی.
حالا اینو بگم که چرا چهار و نیم دادم. فصل بیست و هفت اضافی بود. اون فصل آخر درسته خیلی کنجکاوم کرد که کتاب بعدی رو بخونم اما خب پایانش یه طوری ناقص بود. از پایان یه جلد کتاب انتظار حداقل تموم شدن یه قسمتی از ماجراها رو داشتم و خب به نظرم اون تموم شدنه کامل نبود و مثل یه فصل از کتاب تموم شد. به نظرم میتونست پایانشو بیشتر جمع کنه.
تصویر جلد هم خیلی خوب و خفن بود و عاشقش شدم●~●
قبیله کترسو و ماهیانای ها، دشمنان خونی یکدیگر هستند. جولیت، شمشیر کترسو هاست. دختری که زندگیاش طبق اوراد روی بدنش باید فدای قبیله شود. دختری که انتقامجو و حافظ عدالت در قبیله است. دخترکی که قرار بود بیاحساس باشد، دل به پسری به نام رومئو که پسری ماهیانای است باخته!
رومئو پسر دایی جولیت را به قتل رسانده و حال این جولیت است که وظیفهی عدالت بردوشش است، اما جولیت قدرت اینکار را ندارد.
جولیت سعی میکند تا پیوندی بین خودش و رومئو برقرار کند اما اشتباهی رخ داده و این پیوند بین پاریس که آرزوی محافظ جولیت بودن را در سر میپرورانده، برقرار میشود و در این بین جولیت میمیرد.
روناجو دختری عضو محفل خواهران خار است. خواهرانی که محافظان شهر هستند، آنان که مسئولیت دارند تا مهای که مرز میان مردم شهر (آخرین باقیمانده دنیا) و مردگان است را نگه دارند. روناجو میداند که شهر رو به نابودیست و سعی دارد تا از این واقعه و فروپاشی مرز جلوگیری کند.
ماهیانای روناجو در یک امر اتفاقی جولیت را زنده کرده و همان ارتباط بین این دو نیز برقرار میشود.
رومئو و پاریس، جولیت و روناجو میخواهند شهر را از سرنوشت شومش نجات دهند، فارق از اینکه هر گروه ناآگاهانه نقشههای گروه مقابل را از بین میبرد.
پلات و ایده داستان خیلی نابه. کیه که داستان مردگانی که میخوان زنده ها رو نابود کنن نشنیده باشه؟ الان این داستان یه جلوه واقعی و منجسم داره. یعنی داستان طبق یه روال خیلی حساب شده جلو میره. داستان خیلی جذابه و خب نمیدونم چطکری میشه حس جذاب شدن به یه داستان رو گفت. فقط میتونم بگم اون حس و حالی که ماجرا و اتفاقات بهم میداد باعث شد جذب بشم. در مورد اقتباس بودنش هم واقعا محشر بود. رومئو و ژولیت خود اسمشون باعث شد تصمیم بگیرم کتابو نخرم، اما تعریفا رو که شندیدم دلو زدم به دریا و وقتی خوندم؛ اصلا انقدر این داستان خوب بود که حتی ممکنه رومئو و ژولیت هم براتون جذاب بشه. رومنس کتاب فوقالعاده پایینه، یعنی انقدر که در انتظار رومنس میپوسیم :د
فضاسازی داستان هم خیلی عالی بود. ویژگی های خاص جادویی شهر به نظرم باعث شد تا جذاب تر تصورش کنم. یه شهری که به نظرم ترکیبی که محله های قدیمی چینی و یه فناوری نوین علمی تخیلی بود. کلا داستان فانتزیه اما یه شمه ای از پساآخرزمانی هم توی خودش داره! شما بیا ترکیبی از فانتزی و علمی تخیلی و رازآلود رو بده به یه عشق گمانه زن، چی میشه؟
شهر ترکیبی از علم و جادوی نویسنده و واقعا مکان اصلی این داستان حتی از توصیفی هم نداشته باشه جذاب به نظر میرسه. فضاهای کتابخونه و اون قربانگاه-_- و ایناشونم خیلی باحال بود! اصلا خود اون فضا هیجان میده، چه برسه اتفاقیم توش بیوفته.
شخصیتها اینطوری بودن که اول کتاب کلی آدم ریخته بود جلوم، یعنی من با متن پشت جلد میخوندم که کی به کیه! همچین داستاناییه رو دوست دارم، شما نمیفهمی چرا شخصیت این کار رو کرد و اصلا هاج و واج میمونی و میگه چرا انقد خنگه اما بعد که آشنا میشی باهاش تازه میفهمی که اتفاقا از روی زیرکی ش بوده. یا مثلا روناجو که...
شخصیت پردازی ها به شدت قویه. یعنی اینکه یه شخصیت خنگه تقصیر نویسنده نیست، اون خنگ خداییه!:/
خود شخصیت های کتاب میتونن یه دلیل باشن که باید این کتاب رو بخونین و هر کدوم ویژگی ها و صفات منحصر به فرد خودشون رو دارن که از قضا این صفات نمادی از یه سری مردمن و حالا اون اهداف ندیسنده برای خلق این جور آدم ها.
در مورد نثر و ترجمه. حقیقتا من کتاب متن اصلی نخوندم و فقط میتونم در باب ترجمه نظر بدم. ترجمه واقعا جذاب بود. یکی از محدود کتابایی بود که خود زبان ادبیش رو یه ویژگی در نظر گرفتم. جالب اینجاست که این ادبیه حتی باعث میشه بیشتر با کتاب رابطه برقرار کنی!
اون مفهموم پشت کتاب هم که نگم. کلی چیز خوب داشت. اینکه فرض من بر این بود که یه سری افراد کترسو (سنتی) هستن و یه سری ها ماهیانای (روشن فکر) بعد حالا کلی از نسل جدید کترسو ها یه کششی به قوانین ماهیانای داره و میخوان فراتر برن. یا اینکه جوونای ماهیانای میخواستن مرزها رو بردارن و سرکش بودن. این جدال های بین قبیله ها برام جالب بود و عشق رومئو و جولیت هم جذاب بود. رومئو حاضر بود هر کاری بکنه و توی این راه کلی آدم رو برای یه عشق چند ماهه به کشتن داد! آیا عشق اینقدر ارزش داره؟ کتاب یکم دیدگاهمو به یه سری چیزا عوض کرد و به نظرم از اون نوع کتابایی که بستگی به خودت داره تا از وقایع و مهره ها چه برداشتی بکنی.
حالا اینو بگم که چرا چهار و نیم دادم. فصل بیست و هفت اضافی بود. اون فصل آخر درسته خیلی کنجکاوم کرد که کتاب بعدی رو بخونم اما خب پایانش یه طوری ناقص بود. از پایان یه جلد کتاب انتظار حداقل تموم شدن یه قسمتی از ماجراها رو داشتم و خب به نظرم اون تموم شدنه کامل نبود و مثل یه فصل از کتاب تموم شد. به نظرم میتونست پایانشو بیشتر جمع کنه.
تصویر جلد هم خیلی خوب و خفن بود و عاشقش شدم●~●
July 31, 2020
J'AI RIEN COMPRIS!! Voilà, je l'ai dis.
Sorry, my French needed to get out. It basically meant that I didn't understand a damn thing about this book, lmao. Or at least, it feels like it. I don't know if I should be crying or laughing. Probably both.
I have to say that prologue was a freaking liar because I loved it and I hoped the rest of the book would be as gripping. Unfortunately, I was confused and frustrated most of the time and my brain knew I didn't enjoy myself so he tried to wander off while I was listening and doing my best to figure out what was going on. Obviously, I didn't do a great job xD. I don't know what's happening to me lately but it feels like I haven't loved a YA Fantasy in a long time. My bet ---> 80% because of the books I choose, 10% because I love audiobooks and I'm a lazy reader and 10% because I'm picky. Anyway, I thought a few things and ideas that could have been good but I just didn't like the overall execution of the book.
In conclusion, I don't think this author's writing is for me. I had to DNF Crimson Bound and I would have DNF'ed this one as well if I didn't have a BR planned for it. If I know what's good for me, I won't try to read something else by Rosamund Hodge in the future.
Sorry, my French needed to get out. It basically meant that I didn't understand a damn thing about this book, lmao. Or at least, it feels like it. I don't know if I should be crying or laughing. Probably both.
I have to say that prologue was a freaking liar because I loved it and I hoped the rest of the book would be as gripping. Unfortunately, I was confused and frustrated most of the time and my brain knew I didn't enjoy myself so he tried to wander off while I was listening and doing my best to figure out what was going on. Obviously, I didn't do a great job xD. I don't know what's happening to me lately but it feels like I haven't loved a YA Fantasy in a long time. My bet ---> 80% because of the books I choose, 10% because I love audiobooks and I'm a lazy reader and 10% because I'm picky. Anyway, I thought a few things and ideas that could have been good but I just didn't like the overall execution of the book.
In conclusion, I don't think this author's writing is for me. I had to DNF Crimson Bound and I would have DNF'ed this one as well if I didn't have a BR planned for it. If I know what's good for me, I won't try to read something else by Rosamund Hodge in the future.
May 7, 2017
SPOILER FREE REVIEW
This book does many things right, except in the wrong order, and that can break the experience. But first, let's talk about the plot, and boy it's a doozy: Romeo and Juliet live in a city where zombies roam the perimeter. There is a force field protecting the walls, but it's failing for some reason. Two other characters, Paris and Runajo, are working against the clock to solve the walking dead problem, eventually teaming up with Romeo and Juliet when the lovers aren't too busy sucking on each other's faces while the world is collapsing around them.
Oddly enough, I would have expected the zombie part of the novel to suck, but it doesn't. In fact, it's downright exciting! Hodge writes as though the characters are fighting against a fate that they cannot hope to win against, and this Sisyphean struggle ups the dramatic tension considerably. Even though there are a few hiccups (i.e., an anticlimactic battle scene, characters making eye-roll-worthy mistakes, inadequate explanation of the magic system), for the most part the whole story about revenants and necromancers is tight and well-paced with plenty of neck-breaking and wrist-slashing to satisfy even the most hardcore adventure fan. True, it starts off fairly slow, but as the stakes pile up and the threat of the looming dead grow even stronger, it becomes difficult not to turn the pages. As far as the zombies are involved, this book is a clear winner:
But then we get to the love story between good ol' R and J. And that, my friends, is a stinker.
Romance novelists usually follow a specific formula that fans have come to expect. It's tried-and-tested throughout the ages, and deviating from it is a bad idea. Here's the pattern:
1. Boy meets girl
2. Boy proves himself worthy
3. Girl accepts boy
Number two is the most crucial step. You can relegate number one off-page, but if you skip number two, number three will turn into the cliche known as insta-love. Unfortunately, Hodge mumbles something about number one then dives straight to number three, pouring on the till-death-do-us-part thick and heavy. However, without a number two to ground it, it's nothing but smoke and mirrors. All we are told is that Romeo and Juliet are in love. How? When? Where? Why? Who cares, just get with the program! Every page is absolutely dripping in sweet, syrupy, and downright sappy romantic lines such as:
or how about this one from Lord Byron Junior himself:
But wait! If you call 1-800-SAVEME right now, we'll give you even more for free:
Seriously, who talks like that? No one. Not even Tennyson on his best days. This kind of language works well on stage because plays are primarily an aural medium, which means the actors are allowed to use all the flowery speech they want (it's expected, even) and can compensate with body language, but it crashes and burns when used in a novel. Hodge commits, in my opinion, the cardinal sin of writing dialogue: no subtext. Everything is laid out in the open. Romeo really means what he says. It would have been much better if he threw a slushball at Juliet's head and yelled, "Hey! Fatty! Tell Tybalt I said 'Hi'" with a sly wink and a flying kiss.
Okay, maybe that's not the best alternative, but you get my point.
There's also a crucial mistake early on (although not entirely Hodge's fault since she's only following the source material). In the first chapter, we learn that Romeo had been courting the character Runajo and had tried to elope with her. Then he swoons for Juliet and everything else is forgotten. This leaves a horrible question in the eyes of the reader: if he changed his mind about the first woman, then how do we know he won't change his mind about Juliet? In fact, this is mentioned several times in the book by other people:
Really? How do we know that?
In the end, I'm glad R and J weren't the main characters. Paris and Runajo were more sensible and complicated than either of them, and as long as the story focused on chasing zombies, I was hooked. Every time it deviated to snogging necks, I wanted to skip that chapter entirely. By far my favorite character was a guy named Vai. You'll know why I liked him when you come to a specific part in the book.
I began this review by saying that Hodge skipped number two (boy proves himself worthy) of the classic romantic formula. Well, that's not exactly true. She finally reveals how Romeo won Juliet's heart in a beautiful flashback when the novel is about to end. When I read it, everything suddenly clicked into place. The sappy lines now had a foundation and became more tolerable. I started to appreciate the bond of love between them both. Romeo and Juliet became living people and not cardboard cutouts of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.
Although I could see the reasons why Hodge would try to withhold the courtship from the reader for dramatic purposes, it wasn't worth it. The last chapter should have been the first. By then, it was too little, too late.
This book does many things right, except in the wrong order, and that can break the experience. But first, let's talk about the plot, and boy it's a doozy: Romeo and Juliet live in a city where zombies roam the perimeter. There is a force field protecting the walls, but it's failing for some reason. Two other characters, Paris and Runajo, are working against the clock to solve the walking dead problem, eventually teaming up with Romeo and Juliet when the lovers aren't too busy sucking on each other's faces while the world is collapsing around them.
Oddly enough, I would have expected the zombie part of the novel to suck, but it doesn't. In fact, it's downright exciting! Hodge writes as though the characters are fighting against a fate that they cannot hope to win against, and this Sisyphean struggle ups the dramatic tension considerably. Even though there are a few hiccups (i.e., an anticlimactic battle scene, characters making eye-roll-worthy mistakes, inadequate explanation of the magic system), for the most part the whole story about revenants and necromancers is tight and well-paced with plenty of neck-breaking and wrist-slashing to satisfy even the most hardcore adventure fan. True, it starts off fairly slow, but as the stakes pile up and the threat of the looming dead grow even stronger, it becomes difficult not to turn the pages. As far as the zombies are involved, this book is a clear winner:
The Ruining was more than the white fog that killed every person it touched. It had changed the nature of death. Even here in Viyara, behind the walls, the dead would rise again within two days, mindless and hungry for the living. And so the bodies had to be cremated first; the furnaces of the Sisters never cooled.
But then we get to the love story between good ol' R and J. And that, my friends, is a stinker.
Romance novelists usually follow a specific formula that fans have come to expect. It's tried-and-tested throughout the ages, and deviating from it is a bad idea. Here's the pattern:
1. Boy meets girl
2. Boy proves himself worthy
3. Girl accepts boy
Number two is the most crucial step. You can relegate number one off-page, but if you skip number two, number three will turn into the cliche known as insta-love. Unfortunately, Hodge mumbles something about number one then dives straight to number three, pouring on the till-death-do-us-part thick and heavy. However, without a number two to ground it, it's nothing but smoke and mirrors. All we are told is that Romeo and Juliet are in love. How? When? Where? Why? Who cares, just get with the program! Every page is absolutely dripping in sweet, syrupy, and downright sappy romantic lines such as:
She was as lovely as rumor said: skin like moonlight, hair like midnight, eyes as blue as the twilight sky.
or how about this one from Lord Byron Junior himself:
He stares out over the city as he says dreamily: “ The moon is alone, and so am I; My sleeves are wet with tears.”
“I don’t know that one,” she says.
“It does not yet exist,” he says, turning to her, “but I will write it for you. Let me write you a thousand and eight poems, one for every morning I wake up beside you. Let me cover the whole world in words, and drown in oceans of ink.”
She cannot help laughing, though her heart is breaking. She knows what he is asking. She knows the answer.
“My father will never set my hand in yours,” she says.
She has never had to tell him, I will not desert my people. It is part of why she loves him.
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He knows what she is thinking. He takes her hands, and oh, his smile has all the spark and gleam that she has loved since she met him. “Lady of loveliness surpassing all the stars,” he says, “star of the night that until you requite me will darken my heart, and heart that moves the blood in my breast— will you take pity on a pilgrim, and marry him?”
She laughs, and kisses him in reply.
Seriously, who talks like that? No one. Not even Tennyson on his best days. This kind of language works well on stage because plays are primarily an aural medium, which means the actors are allowed to use all the flowery speech they want (it's expected, even) and can compensate with body language, but it crashes and burns when used in a novel. Hodge commits, in my opinion, the cardinal sin of writing dialogue: no subtext. Everything is laid out in the open. Romeo really means what he says. It would have been much better if he threw a slushball at Juliet's head and yelled, "Hey! Fatty! Tell Tybalt I said 'Hi'" with a sly wink and a flying kiss.
Okay, maybe that's not the best alternative, but you get my point.
There's also a crucial mistake early on (although not entirely Hodge's fault since she's only following the source material). In the first chapter, we learn that Romeo had been courting the character Runajo and had tried to elope with her. Then he swoons for Juliet and everything else is forgotten. This leaves a horrible question in the eyes of the reader: if he changed his mind about the first woman, then how do we know he won't change his mind about Juliet? In fact, this is mentioned several times in the book by other people:
“He was begging me to run away with him three months ago,” she said. “Whatever happened between you two, it wasn’t—”
“It was real.” Juliet’s voice was unyielding. “It was swift and it was foolish, but it was real.”
Really? How do we know that?
In the end, I'm glad R and J weren't the main characters. Paris and Runajo were more sensible and complicated than either of them, and as long as the story focused on chasing zombies, I was hooked. Every time it deviated to snogging necks, I wanted to skip that chapter entirely. By far my favorite character was a guy named Vai. You'll know why I liked him when you come to a specific part in the book.
I began this review by saying that Hodge skipped number two (boy proves himself worthy) of the classic romantic formula. Well, that's not exactly true. She finally reveals how Romeo won Juliet's heart in a beautiful flashback when the novel is about to end. When I read it, everything suddenly clicked into place. The sappy lines now had a foundation and became more tolerable. I started to appreciate the bond of love between them both. Romeo and Juliet became living people and not cardboard cutouts of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.
Although I could see the reasons why Hodge would try to withhold the courtship from the reader for dramatic purposes, it wasn't worth it. The last chapter should have been the first. By then, it was too little, too late.
dnf-lost-interest
October 23, 2016DNF @ 60%
God, I love this author. Her imagination astounds me...but my brain just couldn't keep up with this one. The fantasy world being developed in the first installment of this Romeo and Juliet retelling is so very complex. Blink and you're lost... and I got lost more times than I'm willing to admit. Just going to put it down for now :(
God, I love this author. Her imagination astounds me...but my brain just couldn't keep up with this one. The fantasy world being developed in the first installment of this Romeo and Juliet retelling is so very complex. Blink and you're lost... and I got lost more times than I'm willing to admit. Just going to put it down for now :(
March 15, 2019
DNF 34%
I am not someone who can usually DNF books. In fact, I have the worst habit of not only forcing myself to finish everything I read but also forcing myself to finish off the entire series… no matter how long it might be. Call it optimism. Call it stupidity. Blame it on my Slytherin impulse to see the challenge in it and be unable to back down. Whatever it is, it makes DNFing next to impossible. It was only when I realised that the more I forced myself to read this, the more I found myself procrastinating reading that I knew how ridiculous I was being. I have so many library books I want to read before the end of the year, I do not have the patience to fall into a slump. Hence the DNF.
What in particular made me struggle with this? The pacing, for one. God, it’s slow. It is nearly 500 pages and the first two hundred pages felt like an introduction. The world building seems clever and unique at first but it is messy and I found it hard to keep straight. The plot follows a few different strands and it was a chore to keep them straight. The writing style is just kind of vague? I feel like everyone knows what is happening except me and I just could not dredge up the will to care. The characters are also entirely unpleasant. Paris was such a dull pushover and Runajo was kind of mean? I loved that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling but meh. The more I read, the less and less I found myself caring, so I called it a day.
I have heard amazing things about this author’s debut so I might pick that up in the future? We shall see.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
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I am not someone who can usually DNF books. In fact, I have the worst habit of not only forcing myself to finish everything I read but also forcing myself to finish off the entire series… no matter how long it might be. Call it optimism. Call it stupidity. Blame it on my Slytherin impulse to see the challenge in it and be unable to back down. Whatever it is, it makes DNFing next to impossible. It was only when I realised that the more I forced myself to read this, the more I found myself procrastinating reading that I knew how ridiculous I was being. I have so many library books I want to read before the end of the year, I do not have the patience to fall into a slump. Hence the DNF.
What in particular made me struggle with this? The pacing, for one. God, it’s slow. It is nearly 500 pages and the first two hundred pages felt like an introduction. The world building seems clever and unique at first but it is messy and I found it hard to keep straight. The plot follows a few different strands and it was a chore to keep them straight. The writing style is just kind of vague? I feel like everyone knows what is happening except me and I just could not dredge up the will to care. The characters are also entirely unpleasant. Paris was such a dull pushover and Runajo was kind of mean? I loved that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling but meh. The more I read, the less and less I found myself caring, so I called it a day.
I have heard amazing things about this author’s debut so I might pick that up in the future? We shall see.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
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February 13, 2019
The world was dying, and death did not care who mourned.
This was such a disappointment. I'd heard it wasn't as good as Cruel Beauty, which was one of my faves last year, but I didn't think it would be this...meh.
I guess I should also say that I don't particularly care for Romeo and Juliet to begin with.
The Writing and Worldbuilding
The writing was okay. The dialogue felt unnatural for the most part; half direct Shakespeare quotes, half incongruously modern-sounding speech. Juliet's dialogue was particularly bad. Mostly because she was always saying things without emotion. So she basically never expressed any emotion that wasn't righteous indignation. But more on that in a bit.
The two different plotlines worked for the most part, but for half the book, I didn't care about Paris's whatsoever while liking Paris himself, and was very intrigued by Runajo's but hated her guts. Paris's story got more interesting as time went on, but unfortunately, it kind of traded places with Runajo's, and left hers a convoluted mess. And the pacing of the emotional journey was truly dreadful. The exact same story beat would play out one chapter after another in each of the plots. In one chapter, Runajo realized she actually thought of Juliet as a friend and didn't want her to die. In the next, Paris realized he actually thought of Romeo as a friend and didn't want him to die. A little variation or at least some more time between these chapters would have been so much better. And a reason for any of these characters to like each other would have also been nice.
The world was cool, but so much of it is told to me through mindless exposition that I retained little of it and was scrambling later on to make sense of anything. Some set-pieces were atmospheric, especially the Sunken Library, but most were white rooms. The zombies were okay, but barely a threat; and the reapers were sort of cool, but lacked presence. I like necromancer stories, but this just felt generic. And I was so confused about what anyone looked like, even though it was said all the time. What culture was this world based on, because the terms all sound Indian to me but then some characters are blonde? It isn't that important to me, but it still took me out of the story, because to me, every character looked exactly the same and I had such a hard time imagining any of them, so I mostly just used a placeholder character in my mind. It was a struggle.
The Characters
Juliet, the robot girl, just wanders around, scowling and threatening to kill people the entire book, contributing little to the plot. She has no personality to speak of and the most unconvincing of love stories (which is hilarious, because it's literally based on Romeo and Juliet, the quintessential love story). Why anyone would fall in love with her, let alone the hopeless romantic that is Romeo, is beyond me.
Runajo, on the other hand, has too much personality. She's insufferable, rude, and a straight-up b the entire book. She judges literally everyone for the most shallow of reasons, has zero compassion, and is generally selfish, with no redeeming qualities. I hated her! The protagonist of Cruel Beauty had her issues, but she wasn't altogether the worst! Her faults made me like her even more, not make me want to slap her.
Paris was the only character I genuinely liked, and he sometimes got on my nerves as well. I appreciated his cowardice because it made him more real, but honestly, when the main antagonist points out that he supposedly trained for his whole life to be a Guardian and yet he sucks at fighting (except for when the plot needs him to be good, apparently), you know something is wrong.
I initially didn't like Romeo. He was annoying and boring, but he grew on me. He was sort of a cinnamon roll, so I liked him enough. But he and Paris have basically the same way of speaking, so sometimes I got lost in their conversations trying to figure out who was saying what.
All the other characters were ok. I liked Vai. The antagonists felt generic, but the main villain seems promising, so hopefully the next book is better.
Conclusion
This is being compared to Sabriel, and first of all, how dare you? Second of all, if anything, it copies more from Lirael, but cut out all the charm.
Also, what the heck is the title supposed to mean? Because I've read the entire book and I couldn't tell you.
February 8, 2018
2.5/5 STARS
this is a very, very loose retelling of romeo and juliet. and ... i don't even know how to tell you the plot because i don't really know???!?!!! there's clans, sort of, and necromancy and a world where the dead don't stay dead.
the good, the bad: while i LOVED rosamund hodge's cruel beauty, and enjoyed crimson bound, but i just couldn't really get into or wrap my head around BSCF. there was SO much world-building that was just sort of tossed out there and either left unexplained or explained repetitively, with the characters having loooong inner monologues over and over again. the writing was gorgeous as usual, but very...dense. it was just difficult to get into, and while i liked the characters of romeo, paris, and juliet, i reeeeally disliked runajo. but even with the characters i liked, i still couldn't really connect with them *shrugs*.
RECAP: all in all, it's not bad, but it wasn't really for me. but you should all read cruel beauty by the same author, because IT IS AMAZING.
this is a very, very loose retelling of romeo and juliet. and ... i don't even know how to tell you the plot because i don't really know???!?!!! there's clans, sort of, and necromancy and a world where the dead don't stay dead.
the good, the bad: while i LOVED rosamund hodge's cruel beauty, and enjoyed crimson bound, but i just couldn't really get into or wrap my head around BSCF. there was SO much world-building that was just sort of tossed out there and either left unexplained or explained repetitively, with the characters having loooong inner monologues over and over again. the writing was gorgeous as usual, but very...dense. it was just difficult to get into, and while i liked the characters of romeo, paris, and juliet, i reeeeally disliked runajo. but even with the characters i liked, i still couldn't really connect with them *shrugs*.
RECAP: all in all, it's not bad, but it wasn't really for me. but you should all read cruel beauty by the same author, because IT IS AMAZING.
January 7, 2017
I really wanted to like this one. I did.
A romeo and Juliet re-telling - where Romeo is moody and emotional (just like I thought he would be) and Juliet is fierce and a little...traumatized.
But...the rest of this world is different. There are castles and factions and some village area where there are fights with the leader being called a Cat. It's odd and hard to get into. I just didn't find myself drawn into the story or liking any of the characters.
A romeo and Juliet re-telling - where Romeo is moody and emotional (just like I thought he would be) and Juliet is fierce and a little...traumatized.
But...the rest of this world is different. There are castles and factions and some village area where there are fights with the leader being called a Cat. It's odd and hard to get into. I just didn't find myself drawn into the story or liking any of the characters.
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