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 absolutely adored this book, The plot, the characters, the setting and atmosphere – all of them were so brilliant. The premise of the book sounds great, and it absolutely holds up in the narrative. Something about the way this book was written is absolutely electric. I loved the contrast between the moments of ruthless violence and softer moments of love in all its different forms – romantic, familial, friendship.
Juliette was exactly the kind of bad*** female character I love. She is brave, and smart, and knows her worth in the world. Roma was the perfect contrast to her, and I loved him in this book too. And all the side characters were so lovable (especially Marshall). The romance in this was great, as was the plot development. I seriously don't have any criticisms of this book, and I can't wait to recommend it to all my friends and students. This book would pair nicely with a Romeo and Juliet unit in my opinion, especially as it demonstrates the greater use of diversity in modern literature. Furthermore, I loved how certain lines from Shakespeare's work were used here, as were certain scenes, but were also subverted to be Gong's own twist on the classic.

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.

Loved the writing in this! It had some very interesting aspects but I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. I couldn't connect with the main character at all or the love interest. Maybe I was just in a weird mood.

These Violent Delights defies expectations and words. Set in 1926 Shanghai, Chloe Gong's debut is a blood soaked setting full of feuds, betrayal, and Imperialism. I have never loved Romeo & Juliet, but These Violent Delights is now cannon. Featuring emotion fueled scenes of yearning, tension that cuts with dagger edges, and walking that fine balance between betrayal tinged nostalgia, These Violent Delights is a stunning debut. Gong integrates elements from the original, transforming them into angst heavy scenes leaving readers in pieces.

From the beginning, These Violent Delights is captivating. The writing is expressive and gorgeous, weaving you in a web of detailed world building, hidden moments, and layered complexity. While you don't have to have read Romeo & Juliet beforehand, if you do you will be rewarding with an experience where you are constantly shrieking at Gong's masterful re-interpretations. But where These Violent Delights burrowed its way into my heart was the characters.

Juliette is no doubts about it, a major badass. With looks that could wither crops, hidden weapons that you'll never find, and a smile that conceals her true motivations, Juliette is dangerous. She has steel in her bones and fire in her veins. But what I love about her, is that there's also a vulnerability to her, a knowledge that weakness gets you killed. That opening our hearts ends in bloodshed. That dreams cost blood and no one escapes unscathed.

If the title of this book wasn't clear enough, <i>These Violent Delights</i> is a <i>Romeo & Juliet</i> retelling. This one is set in Shanghai in 1926 and stars Juliette and Roma, each heirs to a gang that rules part of the city and is embroiled in a fierce blood war. Juliette and Roma are 19 when the book begins, and they have their own personal history as well. Add in some communists and a monster/plague that is wreaking havoc on the city - is it supernatural? or science? - and you have a city and a story that is just about ready to explode.

This book does exactly what I want in a retelling. It has created a unique and engaging - and even surprising - tale that doesn't just add in characters and situations to check off plot points from the original story. Right away you find out that Juliette and Roma met four years ago, and they have an intense and painful history together (more details about that are revealed slowly through the story). Juliette has just returned to the city after having been sent away after those incidents, giving this a second-chance romance vibe on top of the blood enemies one (it's a potent combination). Enemies romances are my favorite already, but the history between Juliette and Roma adds another devastating layer of feeling to the whole situation, that the original tale never managed.

Besides the romance, this story has some great side characters, some characters that are just plain awful or annoying (I'm looking at you Paul/Paris). And a fascinating (and timely) plot about a sickness that is creeping through the city and killing people in the most horrifying manner. As the respective heirs of their gangs and feeling deep responsibility to their city and people, Juliette and Roma (reluctantly) team up to try to solve what is going on in their city, which just brings out a whole host of other secrets and issues.

It's impossible to tell who will be taken out next, or if it will be by a gun or the monster. I was completely glued to this entire tale and the wild ending had me screaming! I am desperate for the sequel.

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Medium

*I will review this on my blog closers to the review date, and If I mange to get a physical copy of the book, I will take a photo of it for instagram.