Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies

De: Koji Steven Sakai

Narrado por: Lauren Ezzo

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we raise our dead. Romeo - the only heir to the Montague name, a socialite who dreams of making a name for himself as a playwright and the consummate lover; he seems just as famous for his kissing skills as he is infamous for his inability to do much of anything else. Juliet - Capulet heiress, born soldier; in most every way, the precise opposite of Romeo. She's spent her entire life trying to find some way out of her insufferable life as a noblewoman, and so far she's had precious little luck. When a black plague breaks out in the city of Verona, these two feuding families are met with far more trouble than a mere feud, no matter how longstanding and bloody that feud has been. In this grim reimagining of Shakespeare's most famous tragic romance, Romeo and Juliet must form an unlikely alliance if they ever intend to survive being overrun by a horde of ravenous, flesh-seeking un-dead.

©2015 Koji Steven Sakai (P)2016 Koji Steven Sakai

Funniest book I've listened to in a while

What did you love best about Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies?

I loved everything about this book. The voices Lauren Ezzo gave each character were fantastic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies?

It's hard to pick just one. I guess the party where Romeo and Juliet meet. Also, when Romeo is left at the castle while Juliet goes out to fight.

Which character – as performed by Lauren Ezzo – was your favorite?

Probably Mercutio because the voice Lauren Ezzo gave him was so funny. I loved how Juliet was portrayed as a warrior and Romeo was a love seeking sensitive fool.

If you could rename Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies, what would you call it?

I wouldn't change it, the title is perfect.

Any additional comments?

This book was so good. It's definitely on my list of books that I'll listen to again.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

New Twist on Romeo and Juliet

I was scanning through Twitter like one does and came across an author friend of mine who said her book was up on Audiobook Boom! only I'd never heard of it till that moment. So of course being the book nerd that I am, I had to see what she was talking about. I was surprised to see Audiobook Boom! was giving away free audio books to anyone who would simply write a review. I thought, why the hell not. I read them like candy anyways, so I might as well do one for an author who's looking to move forward a bit. So in exchange for a free copy of the audio book, I'm writing this brutally honest review. And so without further ado, I present to you Romeo & Juliet vs. Zombies.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked ROMEO & JULIET VS. ZOMBIES as my book. I'd never heard of the author or the book before but I'm usually willing to give everything a go at least once. This was not what I'd expected at all. It wasn't like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies which is sort of what I was expecting. Instead, it was a gender bent retelling. I enjoyed most of it for this reason alone. Romeo's nickname was Princess and Juliet was a warrior. I loved the priest who secretly hated everyone and was trying to bring destruction instead of peace.

That all being said, and keeping in mind I know nothing of this author, it felt like a debut book. There were times when the writing was a bit sloppy and the adverbs made me cringe. On a whole, I feel like the unique story made up for this. I can't help but feel it would be a stronger book with maybe one more edit from fresh eyes. Someone who can cut out the telling and transform it to showing. On a whole though, it wasn't half bad and I think I picked a decent title for my first Audiobook Boom! title. In the end, if you're a fan of Shakespeare or Romeo and Juliet, I'd say give this a try. Zombies only ever spice things up a bit!

Better than Bill's

This book was much more enjoyable than the original, at least in my opinion. The added conflict made the story much more compelling than the usual one of a couple of teenagers completely wrapped up in themselves. Not saying that there wasn't a bit of that anyway, but the story was allowed to progress such that there seemed to be more character development. This may have had a bit to do with some of the uncharacteristic roles of the original characters, but that made it all the better.

As for the narration, it was excellent. The inflectionsused were spot- on for the interspersed "modern vernacular " as well as the tension and emotions shown. Truly a masterful performance.

The one thing that I can say was difficult about the book was that it took a bit to get sucked in. That being said, I highly recommend this book as well as pushing through the first bit so that you can get to the extraordinary bit that lay beyond.

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Grotesquely awesome

Any additional comments?

This was different from the original that’s for sure. I’m not going to lie I hated the characters Romeo and Juliet but I kind of get the feeling throughout the book you are supposed to have a little loathing for them since they are immature bratty teens. I loved the book the Nun and Fryers story really took it up a notch and adding the zombies in made it that much better.

“This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobookboom”

Meh

I was really underwhelmed by this book. The characters are unlikable. Which makes it really hard to enjoy the book. The story was OK but if you're not invested in the characters what's the point.

I personally didn't care for the narrator. She did an ok job but a different narrator could have made the book much more likable.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.