Cover Image: These Violent Delights

These Violent Delights

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Member Reviews

Initial Thoughts

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book. I planned to read it with my favorite buddy reader @lianne_the_bibliophile and that just made this read so much more enjoyable.

Some Things I Liked

The setting. I loved 1920s Shanghai as a backdrop for this book. I haven’t read anything set there but I loved it. This story was rich with history and made me want to really dig deep into researching the time period. I loved that about it.
Peaky Blinders attitude. This book, especially the main characters, had so much of what I love about the TV show Peaky Blinders. They were more than just gangsters, they were key members of society with incredible influence. I also loved that Juliette and Roma were gangsters with consciences. Juliette was the perfect Tommy Shelby character.
The side characters. I haven’t read a book in a while where I loved the side characters so much. Kathleen, Marshall, and Benedikt were so fun to read about and I’m so invested in their secrets. I need to know more.
Nods to the inspiration. I loved that this was a Romeo and Juliet retelling but it was self-referencing. It was a close interpretation but had some notable changes that I welcomed. I was never super into the idea of Romeo and Juliet both dying in the end of their story so I was excited to see how Chloe Gong was going to change that.
Sci-fi vibes. That was a plot element that I wasn’t expecting at all and I really enjoyed it. Honestly, it grossed me out but in the best way. It was an unexpected contrast to the historical setting and it fit the story very well.

Series Value

I’m super excited to read the next book in this series and see how the rest of the story pans out. These Violent Delights ends on a cliffhanger so I need the next book (which doesn’t even have a title yet) ASAP.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was fantastic for a debut and I’d be eager to keep reading whatever Chloe Gong writes. Chloe made me like Romeo and Juliet so much more because now I have Roma and Juliette as references.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly – if you enjoyed the idea of a Romeo and Juliet retelling with a sci-fi twist, try this new release.
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He – if you liked the idea of enemies to lovers romance, history, and plot twists that you’d never see coming, try this standalone.

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It took me a few days to collect my thoughts because These Violent Delights is a wild ride. Though you may feel the story starts pretty slowly, I believe the author does it on purpose to build-up her story. Do you know what I felt while reading this book? Imagine a ride in a theme park. One of those ride which goes up and up and up — always slowly — and then it drops you and all you can do is scream. This is how I felt. You know the drop is coming but you’re not prepared for it. I knew Chloe Gong was going to go hard even though it’s her debut novel. The 30ish last pages made me scream — I guess CW is my witness, I legit popped up out of nowhere in her dms and started rambling about what happened by the end of the story. Chloe Gong serves you twist after twist, until the end and it is always wonderfully done.

Foreshadowing is, I believe, something the author knows how to do. She leaves you hints, throughout the story, and pull them out at the last second and all you can do is sit there and enjoy the ride. You can feel the author knows what she’s doing, there’s never a part of the story which is left out. Everything is connected and sometimes you feel pretty stupid about not noticing something before the author put it right under your nose saying, « it was there all along ». Well, maybe it was just me and how I felt when one of the biggest twist was revealed. I put down my kindle and just– nothing. I sat there wondering what I just read.

I have so many things to say about the characters ans especially the main cast. Chloe Gong crafted characters you end up loving and rooting for. Juliette is a fierce, strong and loyal character. I loved seeing her grow throughout this first book, seeing her fighting internally about what she was supposed to do to fight against the madness. Oh and, Juliette speaking in French? Last thing I expected to see but damn– how can a fictional character be that cool. To be honest, before reading These Violent Delights, I didn’t imagine Roma as a soft boy. Don’t get me wrong he still fiercely fights for his gang and is still a ruthless gangster. But the more you read about him, the more you discover that he’s more than that. That maybe, if he has the power, the blood feud between the White Flowers and the Scarlet Gang wouldn’t be what it is currently.

The tension between Juliette and Roma killed me. Literally. You learn about their past, you see their present and you can help but wonder what will happen to them in the future — Chloe Gong, if you’re reading this: please be kind. Their dynamic was so interesting, especially how they struggle between what they knew they should do and how they were supposed to act as heir of their gang. What stabbed me right in the heart is the fact that if it wasn’t for the blood feud, if they weren’t in opposite gang, they would be happy. I mean, yeah, I just stated the obvious but it’s the thoughts I kept having in mind while reading. I guess this is why Romeo and Juliet retelling are so hard to read for me: I have a soft heart, I just want everybody to live happily.

The fact that you also read from the other main characters’ pov allow you to get attached to them. I liked the fact that all of them are loyal to their gang but always in their own way. This is no surprise for the people following me on twitter but Marshall was definitely my favorite character. I don’t know how the author did it but I just started to like him immediately after he was introduced. Marshall is funny, adorable — deadly adorable? And I just love him so much I sent a tweet to the author asking her to duel me under the Eiffel Tower if something ever happens to him. I guess we will see next year if the duel ever happens.

These Violent Delights takes place in 1926, Shanghai, which means the author mentions historical moments. Colonialism and imperialism especially. And I loved, really loved how the author managed to talk about colonialism, to talk about its consequences on people who didn’t ask for anything besides living in peace. In an interview (you can check it here), Chloe Gong explains These Violent Delights is about « colonialism and the way it entrenches so deeply into a society, the widespread damage it does and the ways that people living under the system are forced to contribute to it » and yeah, it really shows in the book. There is no way to explain how well it is done so I can only tell all of you to read the book and see for yourself. Though, sometimes I felt like the author wanted the reader to think that the madness was actually the colonization and not something more supernatural. And, as a Vietnamese woman living in France, I can’t help but enjoy each time the author talk badly about the French colonization (oups).

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I was so hyped for this book and while some of my expectations were held up, I was let down in other ways. I loved that it's an ownvoices novel with a setting you don't see very often but I felt like there was too much going on for me to ever really sink into the story. I think it might have worked better for me if the book was focused on the history/politics aspect OR the supernatural/monster aspect. The pacing was also an issue for me - the numerous flashbacks and detours with side characters slowed the narrative down (and at 450 pages, there's a lot of narrative!). However, I can respect an ambitious debut novel and I'm looking forward to where the story goes in the next book.

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"Anyone can be the master to a monster should their heart be wicked enough."


These Violent Delights is an ownvoices story starring a Chinese heiress who recently moved back to Shanghai and is willing to do anything to prove to her father that she is ready to rule the Scarlet Gang. But in 1920s Shanghai, the city has many foreign occupiers from the British, to the French, to Americans, to Russians, etc (more about colonization later in the review). And the rival gang in the city is the White Flowers who are ruled by the Russians, and as of now the gangs ruthlessly kill each other while trying to assert dominance in their territories, but they might have to work together when a monster comes from the sea and attacks and kills anyone regardless of their hierarchies and districts. Oh, and it’s also a loose Romeo and Juliet retelling.
Remarkably interesting set up, true? I was so very intrigued, and I was not disappointed. I loved all the overarching important themes in this book and how this author unapologetically wrote about them. The monster might be a made up thing for this story, but the real monsters are the people who take land and culture while also trying to control every aspect of the people they are stealing from's lives. And those are very much real and still thriving in 2020, and scarier than the scariest of book monsters.


"You destroy me and then you kiss me. You give me reason to hate you and then you give me reason to love you. Is this a lie or the truth? Is this a ploy or your heart reaching for me?"


I really loved Juliet and I was always compelled to learn more and more about her and her family. The Romeo in the story is named Roma and he is also the heir to the White Flower throne, hopefully. Both of their fathers are not completely sold on their leadership, which is why they are both trying to prove so much. It is also why they have this common ground (and a common, but bloody, past) with each other. I think most of you will enjoy their dynamic, especially being rival heirs who once were maybe more. And I really enjoyed them dancing around each other, discovering clues, and just having to work together again before the city is completely destroyed.

"This place rumbles on Western idealism and Eastern labor…"


This book also very much talks about communism and how white people like to still romanticize the political theory. Meanwhile, so many countries have been completely torn apart by it. This book really shows how people will use communism to help them take over PoC’s land and cities in the name of equality when they are just stealing. The monster (and a contagious disease that people need a cure for) in the book very much plays a part in this. I will say too that this book was very unexpectedly gory. If you are a bit squeamish, you might want to take a bit of caution with this one, because the author does not pull back with incredibly detailed descriptions.

"They believed themselves the rulers of the world—on stolen land in America, on stolen land in Shanghai. Everywhere they went—entitlement."


Okay, let’s talk about colonization. Seeing Juliet feel like a foreigner in her own country? Her feeling like she must be more Americanized for people to hear her and listen to her? Being sent away to America, “forced” to get an education in American, using the name Juliet, dressing more American, speaking English and with a minimal accent at that? Heartbreak, truly heartbreaking. But this is a reality that so many Asians are forced to live even in 2020 (even my biracial white passing self). The world has always tried to tell us that Westernized voices are the ones that get heard, and if you want people to listen to you then you have to at least appear to be a “model minority” from the East. But I don’t even have words for how extra heartbreaking that is in your own country.
This book also has some really good queer representation, with a brewing m/m romances between side characters that I think will be very much developed in the next book, but also with a trans girl side character who completely won me over. Obviously, it is ownvoices for the Chinese representation, and one half of the m/m relationship is Korean!


"Juliette Cai feared disapproval more than she feared grim on her soul."


Overall (and again), I loved the themes of this book and I truly did love Juliet. I just felt like I didn’t love the plot with the actual monster in this book. I also felt like a lot plot points built up and just went nowhere, even though I’m sure they will be talked about in future books. I also didn’t love the romance, because I just didn’t love Roma. I think this book did a lot of talking, and not showing us, things about the characters. And the ending of this book really left me wanting so much more, but not necessarily in a good way. I still recommend this completely for the themes alone, and I think it is a very impressive debut. You can also tell that this story means a lot to the author, and her family and culture, and it is a tale that deserves to be read (and a history you shouldn’t let your Westernized education ignore). This is truly the highest of three stars from me, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Trigger and Content Warnings: lots of blood depiction, lots of gore, violence, death, murder, loss of a loved one, general plot around a disease that is contagious, talk of drug use and addiction, self-harm and suicide because of the “monster” in the book, colonization, racism (and lots of microaggressions), lots of talk of communism, brief mention of human trafficking and kidnapping, brief mention of loss of a pet, brief transphobia microaggression in the past (regarding choosing a name/identity), and just in general I think this book could be a tough read for you if you experience entomophobia (a fear of insects) so please use caution!

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First - you had me at "Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai." YES. Insta-love or not, I have always been a fan of R&J as well as Shakespeare in general. I love reading retettings and new takes on the story, especially since it actually predates the Shakespeare version. So These Violent Delights was a lot of fun to read. I loved catching the refereances but also the fresh voice of the immigrant experience and how you can feel like a foregner in your homeland. This was a fantastic debut with reach worldbuilding, story, cuture and mystery. I cannot wait to see what Chloe Gong writes next! I am a fan.

Full Review on www.readandwander.com closer to publication.

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An interesting, well-thought-out spin on Shakespeare’s classic tale of Romeo & Juliet, perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh’s The Beautiful.

I had heard so many great things from other reviewers/bookstagrammers, and was so excited to be given an ARC of this book. I loved the idea of it being set in 1920s Shanghai, and the representation, as well as inclusivity in this book, was amazing. The execution, however, was a little disappointing for me. This book was HECKA dense. And for an R & J retelling, there wasn’t a whole lot of romance. Like, at all. I love the former lovers dynamic (Persuasion anyone 😏?), but it just didn’t sit right with this one. Instead of feeling the ache and the pining, I just felt nothing. I didn’t feel like I knew these characters enough to care. Not about their past, or the complicated tensions between their families. There was great commentary on colonization, and the politics of Shanghai, however.

I also found the whole subject matter of the mystery subplot to be super weird. It didn’t work for me in the story. This is just my personal opinion. HOWEVER, that doesn’t take away from the amazing inclusivity this story provided to the Shakespeare-retelling niche genre. It was definitely an interesting read! I learned so many new things about 1920s Shanghai that I didn’t know before.

Big thank you to Simon Teen + Netgalley for sending an ARC copy of this book!

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I had some hesitations heading into this book. I am always worried I won't be immersed in the culture of a book. However, in this story that is simply not true.
I started this book and I had instant West Side Story feels. Which is so close to my heart.
I also adore Romeo and Juliet so much.
So it was almost an instant winner.
But Juliette was fun to read about. Her internal struggles were relatable.
Plus the premise of the book, rivaling gangs and heiresses, is super impressive.
I was impressed by the amount of gore and detail thought into the books as well!
Overall, extremely solid, beautiful read.I am looking forward to more!

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2020 has not been a great year, but it did give us this marvelous debut. There is so much to love about These Violent Delights. The setting is gorgeous, the writing superb, the characters flawed and lovely. This is one book that played just like a Netflix miniseries in my head, and I hope that someday, I will be able to experience this book that way.

Shanghai, 1926. Does it get better? Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are aspiring leaders of rival gangs. While this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, this book holds its own as something new and exciting. While these two characters are dealing with movements against the other, as well as their slow-burning love story, there is a virus waging war on both gangs alike. The two of them must work together to put aside their differences while they try to discover what could be attacking their gang members.

As somebody who didn't like Romeo and Juliet, I can safely say this is far enough away from the original to be it's own thing. There are Easter eggs for anybody familiar with the play--character names and the skeleton of the plot is similar, but holy cow, did I love this book. I felt like I had fallen into this gorgeous world Chloe Gong laboriously put together. I loved how the characters spoke several languages, and I felt that I was just as invested in the side characters as I was the main two. Their love story was incredibly told, while feeling realistic. I loved the flashback scenes to show what had previously happened between them--I was dying to know! I am so excited for book two, and I can't wait to put this into so many teen's hands in the library. (And to make sure their parents and English teachers know about it too!)

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3.5 Stars

I absolutely adored this one. It is a Romeo & Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai. Roma & Juliette are the respective heirs to their rival gangs. After a string of unexplained murders of their people, the two must now put aside the blood feud between their gangs to find out what is responsible for these deaths and save the city. Tensions flare, feelings are kindled and the game is afoot!

If like me, you aren’t a fan of Romeo and Juliet fear not, I am happy to say that while there are nods to the original, this romance is much more grounded than that and doesn’t over take the plot of the book. Roma & Juliette have their own agency and together they play well off of each other.

What I especially loved about it is that it is an own voices book that speaks to the immigrant experience and how you can feel like a foreigner not just in a foreign country but in your native land as well. There is this feeling as if you are never quite enough of one to truly belong. Gong also doesn’t shy away from tackling colonialism and it’s effects on a country, it’s people and culture.

There were a few things that didn’t work for me, namely the big bad and how exactly there came to be a monster in a world where there isn’t any magic. I needed a bit more there. But overall These Violent Delights is a solid debut featuring great diverse rep, trans rep and there is a side M/M romance I am rooting for. You should definitely add this one to your tbr.

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Wow. Wow!! I will be the first to admit, I was apprehensive about yet another YA Romeo and Juliet retelling. I thought the premise sounded promising but it's beyond that--These Violent Delights is brilliant, rich in world-building and characterization. It's a dazzling retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and I adored it. It will pair marvelously with the early aughts film version and will be an excellent resource for those looking for a way to sell Shakespeare to readers who can't get into the original play.

These Violent Delights absolutely shines as a retelling of a classic story but it stands on its own through its brilliant plot and characterizations. Very, very highly recommended.

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If a Romeo and Julet retelling set in 1926 Shanghai with an added mystery disease/madness thrown in sounds like something you'd like? Then this book is definitely for you. Juliet Cai, heir of the Scarlet Gang, and her bitter rival, Roma Montagov, heir of the Russian White Flower gang, must team up to figure out why their people are going mad and ripping their own throats out. Is it related to the monster sightings by the water?

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An enjoyable read but as someone who teaches Romeo and Juliet well, I didn't grab me as much as someone with maybe less knowledge of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this story but as I read it, I separated it in my mind from the original. The setting was beautiful and the writing was well done. I feel like some of my students will devour this story! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Beautifully poetic and incredibly suspenseful. I loved every word of this book. I found myself compulsively highlighting excerpts on my kindle app to reread later--what a masterclass in prose.

https://twitter.com/sosaidvictoria/status/1319676572501221376

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First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of These Violent Delights.

Even though Romeo and Juliet is ridiculously overdone, I was so stoked for a new take on it! I loved the premise and the setting, so I couldn't wait to read it.

Unfortunately, I seriously struggled through These Violent Delights. The way the characters are written actually fall more into the New Adult genre rather than Young Adult. YA is supposed to be about NEW, about firsts, whereas New Adult is supposed to be about seconds, about rediscovering, about figuring out adulthood.

In These violent Delights, Roma and Juliette have already been in love, and it's been a few years.

I found the writing to be too flowery, and yet not describe characters' emotions or thoughts fully. Juliette was such a stereotypical strong-woman trope, that it made the book such a struggle for me. I thought it was interesting to see her think a bit about the person she wanted to be, and the perosn she was forced into being, but at the same time, we got so little of it!

Also, can I just say I was not a fan of the name changes? I get it, she was trying to adapt the names to the multiple cultures represented in the book, but it felt so forced. I would have almost rather different names entirely. Instead of just choosing similar names, I would have almost rather she'd shown the character of each more strongly. The personalities of most secondary characters were just pretty lacking.

I loved the representation, and it's something seriously lacking in the YA Historical genre, but I just couldn't do it with this book. It's definitely for a younger audience who isn't as familiar with Shakespeare as I am. As a theater nerd and an older reader, this book just didn't do it for me.

Thank you again for the chance to read it, I'm sure this is the right book for some readers out there, and again, great representation for the genre!

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An atmospheric and inventive reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with compelling tension, a sharp-as-knives protagonist in Juliette, and a horror element that creeps under your skin.

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I was pre-approved of an eARC on NetGalley by the publisher, so thank you Margaret K. McElderry Books!

My Rating: 3.5 / 5 🌟

A “Romeo & Juliet” reimagining in the world of “The Godfather” set in 1920s Shanghai. This was the pitch of These Violent Delights when I first came across this debut novel. Being a romantic, I was truly intrigued by what the book will bring in terms of the romance and that was my biggest mistake going into the book. While These Violent Delights is a retelling of “Romeo & Juliet”, the story had so many other elements to showcase that it was a story of its own.

These Violent Delights is a story about the heirs of the two gangs in Shanghai – the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers – putting aside their rivalry and teaming up together when the threat of a contagion and a monster starts taking the lives of their gang members. And with the lack of initiative from both of their fathers, it became the responsibility of Juliette Chai, the heir of the Scarlet Gang; and Roma Montagov, the heir of the White Flowers; to find the cause behind the madness.

Right off the bat, the first aspect I want to give praise to is the exceptional writing that has been displayed by the author. Since this book has the element of a “Romeo & Juliet” story, it was clear through Chloe’s writing that she wanted to pay homage to the creator of that tale, but at the same time still wanting to capture the other essence of the book – the gang rivalry and the situation in Shanghai during that period. Chloe also succeeded in delivering quotes that manage to catch your attention, as well as being fully capable of standing well in its own without the context of the story.

The book is told in third person limited with the POV switching not only between the two main characters but also all the side characters – Marshall, Benedict, Rosalind and Kathleen, that allows the readers a glimpse into the lives and the past of all the characters that will be moving the story forward. All of them have a distinct voice throughout the book and I enjoyed reading from all of their perspectives. However, although having spent more time with Juliette and Roma, it was the side characters that I was more interested in reading. I think it’s because the side characters; despite being close to the two heirs, are still normal people while Juliette and Roma are the heirs, hence putting them on a higher pedestal, which created a lack of connection between me and the two main characters.

Even so, I was still invested in Juliette and Roma from the angle of their love story that I was most anticipating from the book. But sadly, the romance fell flat. Since the book does revolve around the heirs of the two rival gangs and their love story, I was interested to see how the tension between these two characters will affect their position in their respective gangs, as well as their dynamics working together. And yet, I still don’t find myself rooting for their relationship as much as I hoped. So, if you’re someone like me, who is highly anticipating the romance aspect, I would ask for you to manage your expectations for it.

Other than the disappointing romance, the book also felt messy in terms of its storylines and elements that ended up affecting the book’s pacing. How the story seems to move is by having a web of storylines heading to one main direction. I find this to be a good strategy to tell this story, as the book has fantastic storylines that not only deal with the main plot but also the idea of colonialism which is highly relevant to the given period and place this book was set in. But with all this riding on its back, the pacing became slow for my personal preference. Chloe tried to give each storyline sufficient time to develop but instead, it ended up slowing down the story as a whole. It seems that the story only got really interesting within the last quarter or so when all the storylines start coming together, but other than that, the book seems to flow passively rather than engaging.

All in all, These Violent Delights is a very solid debut novel especially since it’s written by someone who is still an undergraduate in college. While the book does take inspiration from elsewhere, I think it manages to stand out as its own true and original story, as well as bringing something new to the YA genre. I’ll be looking forward to reading the sequel in the future, although it’s not one I’ll be highly anticipating. But if you’re looking for a new breath of fresh air in the YA genre, I believe These Violent Delights would be a good choice.

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Although well told, I found the amount of detail given, wore me out to the point that I began skimming text. I don’t blame the author in this, I’m an impatient reader. If there was slightly less detail, I think I would have enjoyed it more. For instance, there was a lot of talk about the Nationalists and Communists, which I realize is a central point of the book, but some of the mentions came across as rather, for lack of a better word, clumsy. It didn’t feel organic to what was happening in the moment, it was almost text book.

Overall, this particular book wasn’t my cup of tea, but I did enjoy reading about Shanghai in the 1920s, she wove a clear and unsettling world and, if you know a little about history, you can see what is coming next (the Shanghai massacre). Hopefully, Ms. Gong comes out with future works because there is no doubt she has talent.

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I really wanted to like this one because I'm a sucker for any kind of re-telling, especially when it's Shakespeare or Jane Austen related, but this one did nothing for me. I felt like the plot was messy, I couldn't tell if this was about what happened at the beginning of the book or had to do with the drugs each side was pedaling (this is not a spoiler it mentions it at the beginning). The names of the characters really bothered me as well, with the exception of Juliette. Roma's (which was perhaps the most annoying name to read, no offense to anyone named Roma) family was supposed to be Russian, yet his name is clearly Italian and his cousin and friend had American names. Juliette was the only character that I enjoyed (for the percentage I did read) and I kind of wish this book was only from her perspective because she was a total badass and way better than Juliet in the Shakespeare play. Overall disappointing.

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These Violent Delights has been on my radar for quite some time. The author has been touting this book as a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, full of gangsters, blood feuds, and yearning, and boy did she deliver on that premise. From the writing to the characters to the execution, These Violent Delights kills it.

Most Shakespeare retellings have subtle nods to their source material, but there is nothing subtle about These Violent Delights and it works so well. The book doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is: a Romeo and Juliet retelling. The characters are named Juliet and Roma, there are two family-run gangs in a blood feud, there are side characters are named Benedikt and Rosalind, Juliet had a nursemaid growing up whom she was close too, etc. And although the reader may feel like the story is familiar and they know what to expect, the beauty of retellings (and this particular retelling) is that the author has added so many other elements that it becomes something fresh and new.

Chloe Gong is a beautiful writer. The descriptions were elegant and vivid, easily transporting me into the book. She did an amazing job crafting the setting and building the world in These Violent Delights. Not only are we given too strongly written and easily captivating protagonists by way of Juliet and Romeo, but there are a cast of side characters whom I loved reading about just as much. The book always does a fantastic job of including important themes, such as the political history of China and colonization, and wonderful LGBT rep!

These Violent Delights was a perfectly executed retelling of a Shakespeare classic. I’m obsessed with the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers and I cannot wait for every to choose a side come November!

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5/5 stars

I am all but speechless. This book blew me away in all the best ways. I'm absolutely in awe of Chloe Gong's writing — it's gorgeous, seamless, beautiful prose all throughout the book.

The structure of this novel as well — it's multi-POV with sections in the perspective of various side characters as well as, of course, Roma and Juliette. I thought the author did an incredible job of handling that interesting structure, as every perspective showed us something new about the mystery at the core of the novel without giving away too much at any point.

Now, with the caveat that I'm never someone who figures out the mystery ahead of time, I was completely shocked with the way this book wrapped up. I was at the edge of my seat, heart pounding, could-hardly-breathe-omg for the last 17% of the book, which I read all in one sitting so fast I could hardly see straight.

Don't get me started on the sheer bittersweet nature of Roma and Juliette's relationship. I love Roma a lot, he deserves the world, but Juliette? With thorns over her heart and just — she's my girl. I loved her so much.

This book is really good. You all should buy it and read it.

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