Book: Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix

 

I read this right after the original Pride & Prejudice and all I can say is that it falls short of the original. You know how sometimes you might take a dish and repackage it as "disassembled". Example: Sushi bowl is all the ingredients in a bowl and not wrapped in nori. This felt like if you took those same ingredients and put them in a blender in an attempt to make something original. Yeah, it's what I know repackaged, but is it done well, or at least enjoyable? Please don't misunderstand me I think it’s amazing to take an old classic and add diversity, but this book takes a slow burn romance and has the two-lead falling in love and fighting every other scene which is just draining.

Also, in the original Eliza hated Darcey for legitimate reasons, here Zuri Benitez hates Darius Darcey because he's rich. He hasn't said anything, he hasn't done anything, and he doesn't have to; she just hates him on principle for existing and she's incredibly bossy and controlling of everyone around her If I knew her in real life, I would avoid her like the plague. She gets aggressive about literally everything as she perceives everything as an attack on her or her people. I found myself drained and not amused by this story.

Honestly if the writer would've taken the romance out of the story, I would've liked it more, since every scene that didn’t involve love was interesting and informative of a world that not everyone might be informed about. But as soon as you start to enjoy this new environment Zuri starts verbally attacking Darcey for not dancing with a 13-year-old girl which confused me. You have evidence he's not a pedophile why are you mad? That scene was so mind-bogglingly stupid to me I literally took a week off from this book. I should be enjoying myself not dreading the continuation of the story.

That said, the writing style is good and the incorporation of Zuri's poetry was nice. But it is by no means a modern classic. Also, if Zuri is such a great judge of character why she is changing her mind about him every 5 seconds. Zuri isn't witty, just cutting and verbally aggressive which isn't "spicey" to me, merely exasperating. The Romance isn't streamlined or elegant it's an unrealistic Hodgepodge of drama and chaos that rushes to push them together in the last few chapters. If this were a story about Zuri finding herself and growing up while getting ready for college I would have no complaints.

Honestly, I give this book 2 and a half stars (mostly because of the writing style and poetry)

Kat K out-