The picks for my first WoW of 2013 are:
Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
Goodreads' description:
"Romeo and Juliet are
gone. Will love live on? Despite the glooming peace that's settled on
Verona after the recent tragedy, Montagues and Capulets are brawling in
the streets. Faced with more bloody battles, Prince Escalus concludes
that the only way to truly marry the fortunes of these two families is
to literally marry them together. Everyone is skeptical, but none more
so than the pair selected, for the most eligible Montague bachelor is
Benvolio, Romeo's best friend, still anguished by the loss of his
companions, and the chosen Capulet maid is Juliet's older cousin
Rosaline, the girl Romeo first loved and whose refusal of Romeo's
affection paved the way for bloodshed. Contrary to their late cousins,
there's no love lost between Benvolio and Rosaline, yet they forge a
bond to end the renewed feud not only to escape their forced betrothal,
but to save their lives and the city of Verona itself."
The premise of this one totally reminds me of Lisa Fiedler's book Romeo's Ex. It looks like Still Star-Crossed might have a more dramatic, less lighthearted take on the twist, though. I'm interested to see what Melinda Taub does with it!
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
Goodreads' description:
"It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . .
Young adult veteran Tom
McNeal (one half of the writing duo known as Laura & Tom McNeal) has
crafted a novel at once warmhearted, compulsively readable, and
altogether thrilling--and McNeal fans of their tautly told stories will
not be disappointed."
I'm keen to see how the fairy tale aspect is tackled here. Gotta say, the premise sounds pretty wild!
What books are you waiting for?
Love the look of Still Star-Crossed-it's interesting how Benvolio and Rosaline are always paired together in these R&J retellings!
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