Teach The Torches To Burn

So… is it still Romeo & Juliet when most of the story is quite different? Potato/potahto… I won’t try and answer that. But I found it to be an entertaining read. The language is at times richly poetic, which seems right for the story. Juliet may have a bit more freedom than a highborn woman of her time may have had, but ultimately it is a fun listen and handles the plot points from Shakespeare in a sufficiently loose fashion as to stay somewhat unpredictable, and yet still in its own way makes its own statement about how social strictures are sometimes at odds with love.

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A young aspiring artist searches for true love amid a bloody, centuries-old feud in this fresh take on Shakespeare’s most notorious classic, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and The Song of Achilles.

Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his “womanly” artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor—particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he’s ever met, and is shocked to learn he’s Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever—if not by society’s scorn, then by the edge of a blade.

Queer star-crossed love amid a centuries-old feud takes center stage in this Romeo & Juliet remix that knows sometimes, the best way is to make it gay. (And spoiler alert: this take doesn’t end in tragedy.)

The Purple Fantastic Steam rating gives this a 3 out of 5. It has steamy bits, but not explicit. The focus is on the plot and character development. You can read more about the Steam Ratings on the About Page.