Really intriguing premise. I loved that this book just BARELY stuck to the Romeo and Juliet template. The two main characters are indeed star-crossed lovers from waring families, but that's about it. There are subtle references to R+J thrown in here and there to keep the Shakespeare nerds happy, however everyone else will still find their experience enjoyable for its own sake.

First off, let me just say that TVD is in fact quite violent. The supernatural element is pretty creepy (there's some imagery toward the end that made me downright squeamish) and people are dying horribly or being murdered left and right. If you're looking for more of a romance, this is not the book for you. In some respects the monster plot overshadows the relationship-building. However, since it is a retelling of a story often told, that didn't entirely bug me.

I dug both Roma and Juliet. The later in particular defies most expectations for the character. She's strong, hot-headed and not entirely likeable (the take on the "balcony scene" in this book made me actually LOL). I love that we meet these two characters AFTER they've fallen for each other and are now dealing with the emotional impact from mutual betrayal. I felt like their story holds much more gravitas in this story than the play. These do not feel like ignorant children, but battle-scarred warriors. (However, I did wish for just a bit more romance to round out that gravitas.)

Lastly, if you had told high school-me that someday the big love story I'd be shipping in R+J was not in fact Romeo and Juliet, but instead Benvolio and Mercutio, I would have laughed at you. But indeed for me that relationship (between Benedikt and Marshall in this story) is by far the best part of the book. I'm not necessarily excited to pick up Book 2 when it comes out, but if I DID it would only be to see how things play out for those two.

Downsides? This book felt hella long to me. I liked all of it, I just felt like there was a bit too much to get through. (So perhaps ultimately an issue with editing than the writing.)

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wild ride. From the moment you begin the prologue, things take an unexpected turn. While the Cais and the Montagovs are clearly meant to be the center of the story, it's also clear that there are so many other events and characters that hold weight within the story. Not only are we dealing with a long standing family feud, we're dealing with emotional newly formed adults who happen to have engaged in a past secret love affair, the colonization and invasion of Shanghai, and a mysterious monster that is causing havoc and spreading madness along the Huangpu River.

Let me tell you that for majority of this book I was asking myself what in the world is going on? On the surface I obviously understood what was happening, but once we start to dig deep....this was all over the place. I SWEAR I MEAN THAT IN A GOOD WAY. There were so many subplots and elements going on that I can't even decide which one was the best or had me the most involved. The battle of the Communists, the Nationalists, the Foreigners, and the gangsters of Shanghai is something that is always in the forefront. While the Montagovs and Cais are constantly at each other's throats with violent act after violent act, they also have to deal with the fact that both may be losing control of their city. They are fighting on war on multiple fronts, not just with one another. Through this mysterious monster into the mix and well....things begin to boil over.

One thing I loved is the fact that there isn't a full rhyme or reason to why the blood feud is happening. Yes we learn about the recent stressors that have led to the violent escalation of the past few years, but most of the gang members don't even know how this feud started. There is no real explanation. You don't join the gangs because you hate the opposing end. You hate the opposing end because you've joined the gang. It really lent itself to the trickle down effect that I think the gangster lifestyle has. Even the slightly association with the wrong person can get you on a list that leads to you killing or being killed. The Cais and Montagovs are the definition of on sight and we learn that from the very first page of the book.

Character wise, we meet an array of amazing faces, each with their own motivations and stories. We learn early on that Juliette is committed to being as ruthless as possible. There's no room for her to question herself. The reasons behind this aren't immediately understood, but eventually I think it all comes down to two things: Her past with Roma and her role as a female heir in an otherwise traditional family. Juliette has been westernized and so it's easy for others to question whether or not she's truly the best person to take over once her father steps down. Add on top of that that having a woman leader is something that the Cais have never had to face. Yeah that's have you trying to prove yourself. Juliette also has the added element of having a secret affair with Roma which led to devastating consequences in the past. She can't afford to be seen as weak and she'll do anything to prove that family is her first priority.

Roma is an emotionally driven character through and through. Unlike Juliette, he's fought against the notion that he has to be ruthless just because he's a Montagov. The one ruthless act he committed nearly destroyed him and yet he still has a role to play. Early on, I couldn't get a good sense of Roma and I was worried that he would just serve as a catalyst for Juliette's story, but I definitely fell in love with him while reading. It's clear that he's fiercely protective and loyal and I want him protected at all costs okay. I will say that his nonchalant attitude about the blood feud was a bit weird. I couldn't tell if he was just jaded or if he truly believed that this is the hand he was dealt.

Other characters I had strong feelings about:
-Tyler Cai and Rosalind Lang could jump off the dock because they irritated me so much. Tyler at least served as an outright antagonist so he was supposed to irritate me, but Rosalind I didn't understand. Why are you so mad sis??? Please explain.
-Kathleen Lang was amazing. I loved her loyalty and the work she put in to collect intel. I also really appreciated the dynamics of her relationship with Juliette. Her backstory just made me so emotional and I just want all the happiness for her.
-Benedikt Montagov and Marshall Seo must be protected at all costs and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

Last last 33% of the book really takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that I don't think anything can prepare you for. It literally knocked me on my ass. There were a few cliffhangers and items that weren't explained that I hope we get resolved in the follow-up book.

If I had to give a critique of anything it would be that it took awhile for me to get into Roma's character. Like I said, I eventually grew to love him, but for the first 1/3 of the book it felt like he was only there to drive Juliette's character and the plot. I would also say that sometimes things did feel a little chaotic and I had to re-read some moments to understand what was going on. I think it's just because there were so many sub-plots that at times it felt a little overwhelming.

All in all though, this was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed letting one Chloe Gong wreck my life.

This book is full of potential, but it did not work for me so I DNF’d it at 25%. I thought the setting was fascinating, but the writing didn’t bring it to life, and because of my own narrow knowledge of history my brain was unable to fill in the blanks that the writing left. I felt like I was told the setting without it living and breathing on the page. Same with the characters: on paper Juliette and Roma have interesting backgrounds which would make for complex interactions, but their dialogue and actions felt flat and cliché rather than rich and nuanced. I think the concept is great and will be of interest to a lot of readers, but the execution of the story did not work for me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Shanghai in the 1920s. Two rival gangs shoot each other on sight. A monster is indiscriminately killing the people of Shanghai. The heirs of the rival gangs, Roma and Juliet, work together to stop the monster.

At heart, this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The author elevates the tale with vivid depictions of Shanghai in the 1920s. The city is brought to life in all its gritty glory. The characters are well depicted and relateable. Entwined are issues about gender, race and culture.

Although this is labeled as Young Adult, as an adult I was drawn in at the very beginning.

My main criticism is that the ending doesn't wrap up the loose ends. Instead the events will be continued in a subsequent book.

I was given a free copy of this book and I am leaving my honest review

This Romeo & Juliet retelling set in 1920s China has the feel of a film noir movie. There are gangsters, femme fatales and shady deals all over the place. There is also a monster and a contagious madness causing the death of many. At times, the story is a little convoluted and there are too many characters but the ending makes up for it.

3.5 stars
I have... a lot of thoughts about this book. First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this as an Advanced Reader Copy for an unbiased review. And I'd like to preface this with: this was my most anticipated debut novel for 2020, so I have been dying to get my hands on this book.

The story is amazing, and the description of Shanghai makes it a character unto itself. Her prose gets a little longwinded, in the same vein as Anne Rice, but if you can muddle through it, you get a horror story wrapped up in political intrigue like a Game of Thrones burrito.

Here's why it only gets 3.5 from me: while I realize the formatting wasn't complete, the head-hopping within chapters felt clumsy and amateurish to me. It drove me nuts. And then when she thoroughly described something that the POV character *didn't* notice, I nearly threw my e-reader across the room.

Exhale. It's a good story, it's been stretched into a series by adding exhaustingly long details of history that the POV characters couldn't know (my particular gripe is Alisa's POV). Then again, it's a debut novel by a young author and I need to keep that in mind.

I will recommend it to fans of Shakespeare (I am thoroughly familiar with the source material) and fans of historical horror. I'm super glad she decided to skip all of the flapper jargon as I just had to DNF The Diviners because it sounded like the author had read a Twentie's Slang dictionary and definitely wanted us all to know. So, thank you, Chloe, from sparing us from that, if Fitzgerald didn't need it, neither do modern books. We get it.

I rounded the stars up to 4 because when you read the first Harry Potter novel, you can see that she's a novice storyteller, so I always cut debut authors some slack. It's fun, it's a little dragging, it felt way too long, but it's definitely worth a read.

PS I love you, Chloe, you're the bee's knees, don't take reviews personally, you are an amazing writer.

4.5/5 stars. - To Be Released in November 2020.
Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Margaret K. McElderry Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

These Violent Delights is a spin on the Romeo and Juliet. The novel takes places in 1920s Shanghai, amidst a time of gangsters, a divided city, and a communist threat. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, former lovers from rival gangs, must face their past and the blood feud between their families as they try to solve the source of the mysterious illness taking over the city.

There was a lot going on in this book and it was a very fun spin on the Shakespeare play. So many references and unique twists were intertwined perfectly with the setting of the 1920s. The description of city life in Shanghai was so vivid you can easily find yourself walking into the burlesque club with Juliette or down the streets with Roma. This novel has well developed characters with a a slow but perfectly paced unfolding of the character's pasts,. It will keep you on the edge of your seat as Roma and Juliette discover the origin of the monster and the plague in the city.

Even though the hype for this book in the community has been pretty intense, I tried to keep myself open-minded, especially because I went into this book basically blind. I only knew that it was set in 1920's Shanghai and there was so much more to this!

In this novel, we are introduced to Juliette Cai, one of the protagonists and the heir to one of two gangster families that run Shanghai in the 1920s. A retelling of Romeo and Juliet, it's natural that we also meet Roma; Juliette's ex from 4 years ago. They didn't exactly part ways in the best of terms and their family rivalry (well, serious blood feud) has never been more tense as members of each clan shoot each other on sight if the other breaches their territory.

Before we even meet Juliette or Roma though, we are hit with the sinister scenes of a great monster showing itself and ending lives in Shanghai. Realising that they both need to work together to try and defeat it, Juliette and Roma team up to solve this mystery of this deadly monster before it takes out their family, clan, or worse, the entire city.

The mystery and the suspense in this book were done spectacularly well. Chloe's writing is so immersive, yet so easy to read. I flew through this book in a short number of reading sessions and it made me crave more. The plot was rock solid and the pacing was done just slow enough to really drag out the suspense without losing your interest. The plot twists were exactly that, plot twists, that could really get a potent reaction from you and kept you on the edge of your seat.

The world-building of the 1920's Shanghai was fresh and so clear in my mind because the descriptions were on point. I absolutely loved this setting, particularly the great Asian & LGBTQ+ representation in this book. Every character we saw, we got to know well and they were written with great depth. The writing not only flowed well from one scene to another, but was consistent up until the end when the hell breaks loose and you're gripped to finish the story.

From a personal point of view, the writing was great but as someone that isn't a fan of Romeo & Juliet, it was hard for me to get into the tension and pent-up feelings Juliette and Roma had for each other. That being said, it added more to the story and I just personally enjoyed the mystery/thriller side of the plot a lot more. I also really like the aspect of politics, which comes into play as the respective gangster families struggle to take over each and their mutual competitors to maintain a monopoly on Shanghai. The political alliances and certain events that happened just enhanced the world-building so much that this didn't feel fictional at a certain point, and I was convinced that Shanghai really did have blood feuded gangster families and communist enemies.

While Juliette and Roma had plenty of character development through their changing relationship, I wasn't really seeing as much from side characters. I could really understand their personalities and knew them as unique characters rather than plot-points, but I wished we could've seen more from them so that they were a little more central to the story. My favourite character was definitely Juliette's cousin Kathleen, who had the most interesting and well-rounded backstory. Her relationship with Juliette was so good and it was amazing to see more women supporting each other no matter what.

What resonated the most to me, similar to Romeo and Juliet's themes are the ideas and themes in this book. It wasn't just about Roma and Juliette, but it included certain aspects that explored the differences in Eastern and Western society, how that shaped Juliette as someone who spent a lot of her time abroad in the West. It also explored the ties you have with family, the power that comes from it, and the importance of loyalty amongst what's right and wrong. There were so many topics you could discuss in greater depth, and I personally wanted to see even more of that.

Overall, this book was pretty darn fantastic for a debut novel, and I'm genuinely excited for the sequel. The ending was certainly...brutal, and while I wished I had gotten a teensy bit more from this book, it was definitely highly enjoyable and I'd highly recommend it!

This was a buddy read with my amazing friend and fellow book blogger Whitney! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong.

I found out about this book months ago in the #POCDebuts tag on Twitter, a place I recommend for people looking to support new authors, especially authors of color. I was sold on this being a retelling of Romeo & Juliet set against the backdrop of a gangster run Shanghai in 1926 with noir elements and nods to classic Hollywood monster films. That is a tall order but as a fan of all of these things separately, I checked NetGalley every single week with hopes that this one arrived. Imagine my surprise when I was accepted for it!

To put it simply, without key smashing and rambling, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Romeo & Juliet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It’s not the romance or the star-crossed lovers trope that gets me going but the fact that this was a true gangster play of Shakespeare. I don’t think many people grasp how bloody those family wars were back then and the concept of Montagues vs Capulets is just so good—the romance and drama also add to it. These Violent Delights plays more into the violence aspect of it and brings out my favorite elements of the original play.

Juliette Cai is the heir to the Scarlet Gang led by Lord Cai and Roma Montagov, the cast-aside heir to the White Flowers, led by Lord Montagov. Juliette and Roma are exes who ended on bad terms. I’m sure for more romance focused readers, the lack of true romance will frustrate them but I didn’t mind the complicated exes aspect, I thought it was well done. While Juliette becomes a product of her environment, especially with her cousin Tyler Cai nipping at her heels for a slip up, Roma Montagov is more sensitive than he lets on. Through them we meet an array of characters from both houses that I’ll go into detail on in a bit. As the blood feud wages on, Shanghai becomes a battleground for Nationalists, communists, Japanese, and white foreigners from America, Britain, and France. Both gangs are fighting for survival but a literal monster makes it more difficult as it sends out lice-like insects that cause people to rip their throats out.

These Violent Delights is a page turner, I enjoyed almost everything about this book. I could point out the clear references to the play and while some could be cliche, I found myself thinking about this book with excitement for what’s to come. The blood feud between the Cais and Montagovs was believable even though we didn’t get to the root of it. The plot monster element of the plot might seem off the rails to some people but I didn’t mind the slight science fiction element to it. The monster, insects, and madness aren’t organic in the slightest.

I went into this assuming that there will be a series and the book ends on a cliffhanger. This leads me to what I didn’t care for about this book. I have a few questions like:

Who was the spy? The White Flowers mentioned spies within Scarlet ranks and a lot of the information they were getting was from the inner circle. Juliette is believed to be the traitor when Lord Cai mentions it, but it’s clear that it’s not her which makes me wonder who it is.

Where did Walter Dexter go? Once his son Paul was introduced, his character all but faded to the background. Given the ending, his lack of presence at the end was distracting.

What were the rumors Rosalind shared about Juliette? I’m assuming it was that she and Roma were back together but it didn’t seem like fade to black worthy information.

While I’m happy with the trans rep here, I was told there was M/M rep too. I’m assuming that the reputation lies within Benedikt and Marshall’s subtle relationship. My issue with this is that it’s too subtle, even in private moments between the two characters.

My last complaint is that when it went into Romeo & Juliet mode it really went there with some dialogue that felt out of character at times. The names and plot were enough, I didn’t think it had to have the same sort of stage theatrics, monologues, and even direct quotes.

All in all, I had loads of fun with this and I need the next book immediately.

Former lovers who are the scions of their families' gangs team up to fight a supernatural monster in 1920s Shanghai. Using Romeo and Juliet as inspiration, this novel is full of Shakespearean easter eggs for those in the know, and a fine creature-horror read for those who aren't. The author does a nice job weaving together the supernatural, political, and personal strands of the story, and captures the complexity of the time period well. Many of the characters, though, are undeveloped sketches, and I could have done without the cliched ending of "but wait, there's more," especially I don't think a continuation is necessary or even the best route to take with the premise.

**Review will be posted to blog on Nov. 5, 2020**

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Let’s break it down:

My Attention: I was along for the wild ride!

World Building: retelling of Romeo & Juliet, Shanghai, 1926 – turf wars between two gangs and a communist faction coming into play

Writing Style: fast paced

Bringing the Heat: 🔥

Crazy in Love: star-crossed lovers, it’s Romeo & Juliet – it was always going to be complicated

Creativity: I loved everything about how this is a Romeo & Juliet retelling, but with gangs in Shanghai.

Mood: Excited for sequel

Triggers: violence, gore, bugs, death

My Takeaway: “These violent delights have violent ends” – Shakespeare

I Liked:
*
Where do I start? Aesthetics: from the title to the cover…the darkness, the monster…ALL of it. It is perfection and matches the story to a T. Whoever did the cover design…BRAVO.

*All the historical content about Shanghai in the 1920’s with foreign powers trying to take a piece of the city was well done. I learned a lot! We also get Juliette’s perspective of being a Chinese young woman being raised in America and the racism she experienced there.

*Romeo & Juliet always made a good gangster story, two houses that hate each other. The same vibe in the original is alive in this version except for maybe the romance part. Roma and Juliette have a bloody, heartbreaking past – but their lifestyles don’t allow them to dwell on feelings like that. So in that sense it wasn’t as close to the original but I loved it.

*Speaking of romance…there isn’t much of it. The two lovers have basically been torn apart and are given a second chance at love but wow…there is so much keeping Roma and Juliette apart. There is a lot of heartbreak between them, when they do finally acknowledge the past though, it’s further into the story.

*The monster or virus that is infecting Shanghai makes this story darker and brings some gore to it. And I enjoyed it a lot. There is a mystery and the two gangs have to find out where this “virus” is coming from and who are the major players.

*All the characters are great – but Juliette shines like a diamond that can cut glass. And she wouldn’t be afraid to cut anybody! She is hard edges, she is going to rule the Scarlet Gang one day, she can fight, she can kill and she’s smart.

Random Notes:
*This is not a full retelling of Romeo & Juliet because it’s going to be a series, so I really want to know more about Juliette’s cousins Kathleen and Rosalind! It almost felt like the story was going to wrap up like the original and then there is a twist…and made an opening for a sequel!

*Pacing wise – for me it dragged a little in the middle but it picked up speed right after.

Final Thoughts:
This is how I like my Romeo & Juliet – dark and violent! This had action, mystery, a race against the clock to stop a virus killing people (quite violently) in the city of Shanghai. It has politics, gangster drama and so much heart break. It touches on identity, family bonds and betrayal. This is an amazing retelling of a classic and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

While I am not a typical fan of Shakespeare, I enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written with excellent world building. The diversity of the characters was one of my favorite things about this. I LOVE adaptations of classic novels and then when you throw in 1920s Shanghai, I knew I'd love it. I will put this in the hands of many patrons. It was a bit dark but I also think that Romen and Juliet was dark so be selective with who you give this to.

I liked a lot of things about this book. The concept is great and the setting is really vibrant and functions like a character in the story. I like that the basis is Romeo and Juliet but that doesn't dictate every aspect of the story and things are allowed to change. There is some beautifully evocative writing here, but there needed to be a better editing to catch the frequent, slightly-off uses of vocabulary (the bar was "flocked with" people, the gangsters were ready to shoot at the least "invocation"). I felt like the story dragged a bit in the middle and could have been sped up without losing any important developments. I am curious if the anachronistic mentions of "hair gel" and "product" in Juliette's hair were intentional or just a slip. I would have liked to see some sort of world building that supported the existence f the monster, since it seems to be the only magical thing in an otherwise realistic story. I was really surprised to get to the end and find it left open for a sequel after feeling like everything was about the be wrapped up.

I love Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare reimaginings. And when I saw this beautiful cover boasting one of my favorite lines from Romeo and Juliet as the title, I knew I had to request it.

Set in 1920s Shanghai, These Violent Delights introduces us to Juliette Cai, heir to the Scarlet gang, and Roma Montagovs, heir to the White Flowers. These rival gangs have been involved in a blood feud for as long as anyone can remember, but when a mysterious contagion begins infecting members from both sides, ending in horrible, violent deaths, they must decide if they will work together to solve the mystery of who and what is responsible for the madness, or if they will adhere to the old ways and battle alone.

I really enjoyed this book. Re-tellings of such a classic text can be difficult to do successfully. People feel loyalty to the original and it has to be really spectacular to thrive. Gong does a wonderful job maintaining her originality while remaining respectful to Romeo and Juliet. I loved the central mystery of the monster and the madness. It gave the story a fresh, creepy focus that worked really well. Keeping the central plot solely on Romeo and Juliet's love story wouldn't have provided much since this has been done in many iterations already, and if you're anything like me, you have a soft spot in your heart for Baz Luhrman's cinematic masterpiece.

So I was pleasantly surprised that their love wasn't front and center, but rather another layer to complicate the plot. There's a lot going on: drug wars, Communist revolution, a monster, madness, vicious family feuds, changing demographics adding unrest to Shanghai, and political upset. Because of this, I felt the prose was a little dense at times, several pages of telling/giving backstory or explanation instead of propelling the story forward. For me, I want the action to keep moving, but if you're a fan of historical texts, this might work better for you. I didn't dislike having the added depth, but I would've preferred it to be in conjunction with the conflict rather than added exposition.

What I also really enjoyed about this was Gong's use of the traditional plot to highlight relevant social issues. This isn't just a story about rival gangs and killer monsters, love and morality. It's a story about identity--who we are to our family, our community, to ourselves. How we define who we are by our names and reputations--and oh, do I love a good study on reputation. It's also a story of assimilation and imperialism, how the changing demographics create this juxtaposition of old and new Shanghai. I had to remind myself several times that this was set in the 1920s, because Gong did a wonderful job of making the world feel incredibly present, calling into question the line between respecting cultural traditions and blending toward progress.

Overall, These Violent Delights is a stunning, fun, gripping debut which pays homage to a classic while embracing a striking new voice. If you're a fan of Shakespeare, international narratives, or stories that add a giant monster when you least expect it, you're going to want to add this one to your TBR.

Big thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

While I'm not typically a fan of Romeo & Juliet reboots, I am a sucker for novels set in 1920s Shanghai (pre-invasion and pre-Civil War). Gong gives us the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai--from the glitz and glitter of the Cais' dance halls to the savoury smells of street food vendors to the near-intolerable stench of the slums.

I also appreciated her inclusion of other types of people. Juliette Cai is Chinese while Roma Montagov is Russian--from one of the many families that fled the Bolsheviks and settled in Shanghai. Both are the heirs apparent to the city's largest (and rival) crime families. But the traditional Romeo & Juliet story happened four years before the events of this novel. When the novel starts, Juliette is a cold, calculating flapper girl recently returned from four years in New York, where her family sent her after discovering her romance with Roma--and his betrayal.

I also appreciated that not every one of Gong's characters is cisgender or heterosexual. The characters' sexual orientation or gender identity isn't the focal point, or even a subplot of the main story, which centers on the plague that is causing people to rip their own throats out--and the Romeo & Juliet protagonists to (temporarily) set aside their feud to find out who (or what) is killing the people of Shanghai while keeping their collaboration secret from their families--rival gangs controlling different parts of the city.

I got an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review. It's an amazing first novel by a new voice. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I love the unique world building of this novel. The diversity of genders, sexual orientation, and culture is brilliant and wonderful and exactly what I love reading. I really hope this novel is the next big thing.

As someone who didn't care too much about Romeo & Juliet, These Violent Delights was actually perfect because it took the story and elevated it to such a standard that I couldn't help but love it. The setting was amazing, the characters were interesting and I found myself needing more at the turn of every page.

This book was received as an ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing - Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book as I read along sound very familiar, then I had an aha moment oh yes another Romeo and Juliet adaptation. As I started to pick up, I loved the twist Chloe Gong applied to the story. Set in Shanghai two families at war, love and betrayal captivate the drama, and yes making the choice to work together and set aside differences and put an end to this war once and for all. At first this book was difficult to understand and follow but midway through is where all the magic happened throughout until the end.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

A unique take on the star-crossed lovers genre, Gong has created an engaging world that I quickly found myself lost in. A great pick for anyone looking for a dark YA fantasy.

“And you love him enough to have him hate you.”

Mind. Blown.

I don't know how exactly to put into words what I'm feeling right now- I'm feeling quite A LOT- but know this: I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK I DON'T KNOW HOW I'LL EVER RECOVER.

These Violent Delights is aptly titled if I do say so myself. It's the perfect blend of violence and delightful writing. The beautiful, addictive prose! The magnificent cover! The brilliance! The 1920s depiction of Shanghai that is both brutal and yet enchanting! All. The. Feels. THE FEELS. I don't know how Chloe Gong did it but I. Want. More. I NEED MORE.

All the things this beautiful, terrifying, brilliant book put me through. I can't.

I'm gonna be honest, this review is going nowhere. I suck at writing reviews for books I love. Wait, scratch that. I suck at writing reviews for books I'm OBSESSED with. And These Violent Delights is an obsession. What am I to do with my life now?!

I love Juliette for being unapologetically herself. She's so badass I want to be her bestfriend. Roma is just breaking and melding my heart with his Roma-ness. I'm in love with his Roma-ness. Marshall and Benedikt were perfect. PERFECT. I want more Kathleen. Tyler can just keel over and die.

Chloe Gong created a world filled to the brim with violence, excitement, intrigue and FEELS. All the feels I don't know what to do with.

I am in desperate need of book two.

I received an e-arc to read and review.