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  • Prince of Shadows: A Novel of Romeo and Juliet by Rachel Caine
  • Karen Coats
Caine, Rachel. Prince of Shadows: A Novel of Romeo and Juliet. New American Library, 2014. 351p. ISBN 978-0-451-41441-0 $17.99 R* Gr. 9-12.

Benvolio Montague takes center stage in this utterly irresistible reconceptualization of Romeo and Juliet. Charged by the formidable she-dragon of the family with calming his cousin Romeo’s romantic excesses toward Rosaline, Benvolio draws on his talents earned in his avocation as the Prince of Shadows, a thief who steals from the unworthy citizens of Verona in order to expose their corruption. It is not Romeo but Mercutio, however, whose personal tragedy ultimately brings about the downfall of both Montague and Capulet; following the murder of his secret lover, Tomasso, Mercutio consorts with a witch to make his famed “plague o’ both your houses” into an effective, supernaturally enforced curse that explains the fierce and hasty attraction between Romeo and Juliet and threatens the more reserved Benvolio and Rosaline as well. Caine’s exquisite attention to detail in plot, scene-setting, character, and language make this a book-lover’s dream, correcting in some ways the implausibilities of Romeo and Juliet’s sudden passion and Friar Lawrence’s stupidity, and replacing them with period superstitions and [End Page 445] prejudices that seat more comfortably within contemporary readers’ expectations. Only occasionally quoting from the play, she nonetheless evokes her source text through clever references to the more famous passages; her prose integrates both direct quotations and paraphrases seamlessly while creating moments of stylistic pleasure. Even the many fight scenes possess an elegant narrative grace amid the gore, serving to ennoble and vilify character and motive by turns. Ah, but then there’s that ending, which romantic souls always hope will turn out differently; the book manages an uncompromised twist that, while predictable, is nonetheless completely sigh-worthy. An appropriate-mood-evoking playlist is included.

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