Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies

By: Koji Steven Sakai

Narrated by: 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

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!

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.

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.

Well narrated amusing retelling

This my first foray into "classics plus monsters" and I am pleasantly surprised by this story and how it entwines, and also turn on it's head, the classic elements and scenes from the original Romeo and Juliet. This certainly exceeded my expectations.

In fair Verona, who families are at war. in this humourous retelling Romeo Capulet is a self professed "lover not a fighter", obsessed with romance and chasing girls, and with writing a romantic play about young star crossed lovers (with himself in the lead role, of course). Juliet Montague is a tough "fighter not a lover" proto-feminist, not interested in boys except for when she can fight them with a sword. Through the actions of the two warring families an innocent is killed, upon which revenge is promised against both families. That revenge comes in the form of releasing a contagion onto Verona, in the form of the undead.

The story takes the well known scenes and character of R+J (the party, the balcony, Mercuctio's death, the fake-out deaths etc) and uses them as great setup for the story and the character. The actual events of R+J run out somewhere mid story here and the rest of the book is completely new, just using the characters and events set up in the first half to springboard off of.

The voice acting by Lauren Ezzo is great. The main narrator work is in a toffee biritsh accent, something that you would expect to fit in Elizabethan or Victorian England perfectly. Each other character have their own voice/accent/personality that works wonderfully with the story and the characters. Really enjoyable work that added greatly to the story. And Ezzo really seemed to get the humour and hit all the right beats for the jokes.

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

Great performance

If you could sum up Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies in three words, what would they be?

I would describe this (audio)book as fun, melodramatic, and entertaining.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Sometimes the writing was a bit corny. I would have enjoyed it more had the writing been more refined. It was still good to listen to, though.

What does Lauren Ezzo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The different voices she uses for each character made them feel more real. Her performance helped me keep track of the characters and kept me engaged when the story itself lagged.

If you could take any character from Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Juliet for sure!

Any additional comments?

I was provided with a code to listen to/ review this audio book.

Like eating Pizza on the couch w/ Zombies on top!

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

This is the story we all should have read in high school instead of the sparknotes for WS and a cheesy Dicaprio movie.The last few days have been spent with headphones on and randomly laughing in the office as my co-workers look like I'm nutty... WORTH

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

The "Happily Ever After..." is where clever author and astounding narrator really drew me in. Read it.

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

Tie between Juliet and Frier Lawrence. Both had the lines that made me snort-laugh throughout the tale.

Ms. Ezzo's performance brought the story to life. She wove this tale so well that I am genuinely sad it ended...Time to RELISTEN!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was laughing and tense and feeling all sorts of things as the story unfolded. The voices were perfect for the characters and made the emersion complete.

Any additional comments?

This was Comfortable& Tense, Funny& Maddening, Droll& Clever. One could listen to this over and over again. I was offered a free copy of the book by the narrator (Aces to Ezzo) and have been trying to write a good enough review for this AWESOME work...

It's a Good Read. I Liked it very much. You should Listen to this. It makes you feel...things.