(Copyrighted Catherine Girard-Veilleux, 2019)
Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 282
ISBN: 9780648127918
Format: eBook, Paperback
Publication date: July 5th, 2017
Publisher: Marissa Price (Literature Factory)
Type: Fiction, Novel (Series)
*I received this free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to BookTasters and Marissa Price!*
Introduction:
I was browsing the selection of books by BookTasters when I stumbled upon this gem: a Romeo & Juliet retelling! You have to know that it's my favorite love story, ever. And yes, I know it's not realistic (don't care) and it's a tragedy (exactly why I love it). I read the blurb and… a modern girl who goes back to 14th century Verona?! As Juliet?!
You guessed it: I chose The Vault of Verona as this month's book. Let's be honest here: I couldn't have possibly scrolled past it. Not with my love for the play, retellings, AND such a good idea with a modern girl facing the Middle Ages as one of them!
The Blurb:
Harriet Hunter, a modern Australian and teenage student, has to write a homework about Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Harriet's feminist personality doesn't like this story, nor weak Juliet much, and she draws a picture of what she'd look like if she existed. Overnight, Harriet is transported back in time to Verona with Paris, Romeo, Friar Lawrence, and other play characters… but she finds herself as Juliet! And so the race begins to try and end the play (or is this real life?) in another manner than the original and to find a way back home.
The Positive Sides:
For a start, the MC, Harriet, oozes feminism and equality as the pop references and the story itself do. This story has strong beliefs and stands up for women. I enjoyed how it paints women from earlier times just like us but without the means and rights to be who they were, as well as how other people aren't magnified, but simply human and humane (for the most of them, that is). Also, I love, love, love Harriet's feminist interventions with the ladies in Verona. It's so funny and empowering! In summary, it's undoubtedly a novel written by a woman for women and lauding their strength.
Speaking of Harriet more precisely, I loved her! She's intelligent and cultivated. She thinks quickly. All these elements are so hard to pull off. Her intelligence and the deft writing that shows it believably. I so rarely see this in books that I read—I'm just awed! FINALLY that's a smart character and not one-whose-author-tried-to-make-them-like. The three only other intelligent characters done well (in my opinion) are Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and Thomas from the Maze Runner, and Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson. So, cheers to the author for this feat! Moreover, I loved how Harriet cared about saving Juliet and the lives of those around her in the 14th century. Her gradual understanding of Juliet's character and own strength by being in her shoes is beautiful and inspiring.
On a character side note, I love the Nurse character. Her love for Juliet is clear to see and so heartwarming. I also appreciated the switch of POV to Paris and other characters we either saw very little of in the play, or not at all. It allowed us to explore their thoughts and personality as well as situations.
As for the realism of the Middle Ages, I liked the details of life in that time such as the velvety black sky with twinkling stars that is so much different from the one we see in cities nowadays. Also, the short breaths because of corsets and the very pale lights due to only the moon and a candle. Nice ones!
The friendships were on the spotlight in The Vault of Verona. I loved the talk of equality between one of the main characters and Harriet and her interest about marriage equality as well as the truth of women's equality and how it had to be fought for. It filled me with pride and hope for women and other marginalised people.
As for her writing, the vocabulary is well chosen and not childish, but often literary. Admirable. Indeed, she has good writing, mostly in metaphors and comparisons (as well as her literary words). For example, "against the hunger of the dark" (I find this beautiful, poetic and poignant.) The descriptions of her settings are precise and gripping without being overwhelming. Also, the transitions are smooth between thoughts, actions, events and chapters. The hooks at the chapter ends are awesome and make you want to find out the famous "What happens next?"
But what about the rhythm and coherence? Well, the tension and action imposed by the situation and Harriet's actions are fun and engrossing. You feel the ticking bomb. Something else that pleased me was how every little thing or mention finds meaning at some point in the story. It's beautiful. Another thoughtful thing is how the author talks about all the characters' new situations at the end. There is a real satisfying closure.
All in all, this book messes up with your expectations and there's an excellent middle plot twist!! It was a long time since I was so hooked to a book, thinking about it even when I wasn't reading, while doing banal chores (I'm looking at you dishes and showering). I had a blast!
P.S.: There is such a good hint about where she's headed next towards the end.
The Negative Sides:
Now, there were a few mistakes that I can't just toss away such as how the dialogues are a bit too revealing about information the characters should already know. Also, the Harriet's main setting (Wineglass Bay, Australia) was hard to grasp before a good thirty pages. The author gives such small crumbs of info it was hard to piece them together until she mentioned the name of the city later so I could google it. This was more annoying than a real mistake per se, mind you.
Also, I found a few spelling mistakes ("focussed", for example), but the real problem was the editing. Let me explain with examples. There is an instance where Juliet's father is called "Lord Montague" instead of "Capulet". Wrong family. Moreover, there's this part where it says "Taking a deep breath (…), she took a deep breath." in the same sentence! And such other editing issues appear throughout the book. Has this been edited? Because I'm sure an editor would have caught them and it would have made this already awesome book into a perfect one.
Lastly, Romeo doesn't seem to care about the murder of his best friend, Mercutio—he only has eyes for Juliet. And I noticed a bit of head-hopping, but it's always introduced with the name of the following head-hopped character in a sentence right before it. So this doesn't really count as a mistake, but more of a technique to improve, I think?
In Conclusion:
Seriously, this read was captivating and thrilling! Like I said, it's been a long while since I was so hooked to a book. Despite its editing flaws, I think this book is a gem in terms of historical fiction, retelling, and feminism; it makes you care. I took out a point for the editing, but I can't give The Vault of Verona any less than a rating of 4 stars out of 5 for how fun reading this book was and how many emotions it made me feel.
I'll gladly recommend this book to everyone I know, mostly if you have tastes in these genres! Also, I'll keep myself updated about the author and her books because this is certainly not the last of hers I will read! In fact, I'm staring at the second volume. I'll try to get it as a review copy (because more promotion for this great series!), but if I can't it's a sure purchase!
If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site and The Literature Factory. You can also follow her on Twitter and Goodreads. You can also add The Vault of Verona to your bookshelves on Goodreads and LibraryThing.
Tagged: book review, book reviewing, book reviews, booktasters, capulet, fantasy, fiction, historical, historical fiction, into the abyss, marissa price, montague, novel, romeo & juliet, the literature factory, the vault of verona, verona, YA, young adult
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