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A review by bookforthought
Benvolio and Mercutio Turn Back Time by Elle Beaumont
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The idea behind this book is engaging and immediately captured my attention: we all know how Romeo and Juliet's story plays out, but what if there was a way for two friends-turned-lovers to go back in time and prevent the tragedy from unfolding?
Any readers familiar with the original tale should be aware that the setting in this retelling differs from the original, to a more modern 1900s steampunk version of Verona, which promised to be an interesting change. Starting from this premise, I was looking forward to following Benvolio and Mercutio on their journey through time, and especially seeing how their relationship would play out. Unfortunately, I was seriously disappointed by the execution.
The pacing of this book is messy, with the first part essentially being devoted solely to Benvolio and Mercutio jumping around through time with no connection to the stated aim, which was to prevent Mercutio's death, but also with no time being devoted to exploring any of the timelines further. The book itself moves frantically from one thing to the next, with no breathing room nor space to delve deeper, leaving the sense that it remained consistently surface-level, leaving me unsatisfied.
The worldbuilding is also severely lacking, with no clear sense of how anything works nor the rules of the world. I was especially frustrated when a demon was suddenly summoned, when there had been no previous indication of the existence of magical creatures within this world.
The characters could have been better developed. As they were, they appeared to be largely one-dimensional, their dialogues often stilted and their behaviour nonsensical. The romantic element is cute though, and I did enjoy watching it develop although I would have appreciated it more if more time was spent significantly developing this instead of meandering through a messy plot.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free via BookSirens. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Any readers familiar with the original tale should be aware that the setting in this retelling differs from the original, to a more modern 1900s steampunk version of Verona, which promised to be an interesting change. Starting from this premise, I was looking forward to following Benvolio and Mercutio on their journey through time, and especially seeing how their relationship would play out. Unfortunately, I was seriously disappointed by the execution.
The pacing of this book is messy, with the first part essentially being devoted solely to Benvolio and Mercutio jumping around through time with no connection to the stated aim, which was to prevent Mercutio's death, but also with no time being devoted to exploring any of the timelines further. The book itself moves frantically from one thing to the next, with no breathing room nor space to delve deeper, leaving the sense that it remained consistently surface-level, leaving me unsatisfied.
The worldbuilding is also severely lacking, with no clear sense of how anything works nor the rules of the world. I was especially frustrated when a demon was suddenly summoned, when there had been no previous indication of the existence of magical creatures within this world.
The characters could have been better developed. As they were, they appeared to be largely one-dimensional, their dialogues often stilted and their behaviour nonsensical. The romantic element is cute though, and I did enjoy watching it develop although I would have appreciated it more if more time was spent significantly developing this instead of meandering through a messy plot.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free via BookSirens. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death