Wow was I obsessed with this story. Usually I’m wary of sequels- they never feel as good as the first book to me! In this case though, I enjoyed Our Violent Ends even more.

Roma and Juliette continue to try and balance politics, family disputes, and gang violence in Shanghai- and that plot twist from the end of book one is throwing quite a wrench in things. The secondary characters also get a lot more action in this book, going through their own battles with morality, loyalty, and patriotism.

Even though this book is a retelling, I was never sure of exactly what would happen. The sci-fi/fantasy twist added the perfect amount of uncertainty to mix up this centuries old plot.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone, so the last thing I’ll say is just prepare to have a LOT of feelings and theories. I can’t wait to see what Chloe Gong publishes next!

I don’t even really know where to start with this review. I first read These Violent Delights just a couple of months after it came out, at the very beginning of 2021, and the book hasn’t left my mind since.

The sequel, Our Violent Ends, brought me back into the world of Roma and Juliette, of The Scarlets and the White Flowers, and the the blood feud tearing Shanghai in two.

To sum it up, Our Violent Ends was, well, my violent end. It shattered my heart, and reading it was an emotional rollercoaster that I could not – and didn’t want to- stop. Chloe Gong has masterfully told a tale of deception, love, betrayal and history, and her writing is what brings every moment and every detail to life.

The setting of 1920’s Shanghai is the perfect one for many reasons: Shanghai is overrun with colonials wanting to lay down their own rules, their own laws, wanting to take over the city. The Scarlets and the White Flowers, the two main gangs with enormous control, are in the midst of a blood feud that has been ravaging both sides for generations. Despite their unending hatred for each other, and the fact that the blood feud is at its worst, they face a common enemy.

A monster is tearing through Shanghai, causing innocent (and not innocent) people alike to tear out their own throats. Bloodshed is washing across the cities, and as the casualties pile up, the Scarlets and White Flowers realize that they need to join forces to take down the monster of Shanghai. Because if they don’t, there will be no more people left to rule over.

The LGBTQ+ rep in Our Violent Ends is so well written, and it is so great to see queer representation in a historical novel, since that is something so often left out of the genre. There is the most amazing incredible gay couple you will ever read about, (names shall not be mentioned for risk of spoilers), not to mention the lovely Kathleen Lang, who is transgender, and who has such a heartbreaking and beautiful story. I definitely cried a couple times just reading about the three characters here.

And the characters…

Juliette, Rosalind, Kathleen, Roma, Marshall, Benedict, Alisa, Tyler… Chloe Gong has created such an expansive cast of characters, all unique and distinguishable, and all whom have incredible depth and are written very thoughtfully.

Juliette Cai is the heir to the Scarlet gang: Princess of Shanghai, she will let no one in her way, and knows exactly what she needs to do to protect her people and save the city her family has so proudly stood over for generations. Juliette is such an interesting character. Perfectly morally grey, she is impossible to read, and always has a plan.

Roma Montagov is the only one in the city who could even remotely understand her: the heir to the White Flowers, the Scarlet’s rival gang, Roma has been trained since birth to take on his father’s role as head of the White Flowers.

Tyler Cai is a despicable person, and I spent the majority of the book hating him for every single thing he did. But I can’t write this review without appreciating the layers and layers of complexity in his story, and in the end, I must admit that I pitied him, and had more than a little understanding for why he did everything that he did.

Alisa Montagov has been one of my favorites since first reading These Violent Delights, and wow. Her story does not cease to amazing the reader in the sequel: I clung to every page where she was mentioned, and so looked forwards to reading about her!

This is just a handful of the amazing characters of Our Violent Ends, but I’m not going to go into detail for every single one.

The writing, setting, and characters and fantasy aspects of Our Violent Ends combine to make such an amazing and unique novel that I loved every page of. The ending was just as tragic as you would expect any Romeo and Juliette retelling to be, and I can’t wait to read more by Chloe Gong in the future!

Our Violent Ends is a beautiful and terrifying novel about forbidden love, an ancient feud, and the power that those who dare to dream can have; to build up, and tear down everything around them.

Our violent ends takes place after the events of These Violent Delights. There is a new threat to Shanghai and Juliette must work with Roma to end it while the city teeters on the edge of a civil war that could destroy both gangs.

This book immediately starts off with tensions high and it’s an emotional roller coaster until the explosive ending.

I liked These Violent Delights. I LOVED Our Violent Ends. The story had a better pace and was easier to get into now that all of the characters have already been introduced.

Our Violent Ends is very plot driven but still manages to fit so many emotions within it as well. There are so many quotable moments in this book. You would think that a violent book wouldn’t be so funny, but there are so many times where I was laughing out loud while reading this. Don’t worry- there’s plenty of opportunities for tears as well.

I love how the side characters play such major roles in these books. They have their own storylines, wants and needs. It really brings these characters to life and makes me love them even more.

Content warning: blood, violence, guns, gore.

So thankful to have received an ARC!

5 Stars

It feels sacrilegious to give this anything less than 4 stars. I don’t like it as much as THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS but it was still really goos. If you want lots of pining, yearning, and “just kiss already!” then this is definitely for you. I should mention that I didn’t reread the first book in prep but I did read a spoiler recap on the Simon Teen website, so whether or not I missed some nuances in a reread leading up to this is my own fault.

I definitely felt like the plot of this novel…shifted. At first I thought we were going to really concerned about the vaccine and the monsters—and there is that!—but it’s also a deeper look into the gangs themselves regarding trust and loyalty and if it’s really worth sacrificing your life snd your love to continue with a (blood) feud that is scarcely remembered. Juliette faced a lot of internal struggle between her family, as the heir of the Scarlet Gang, and her love for Roma. We spend more time with Juliette and her parents than we do with Roma and his father. So trying to get a firm grasp of Roma and how his father felt about him being the heir isn’t as concrete or easy to grasp. I think there could have been more to explore within the White Flowers in the same way it was done with the Scarlet Gang.

You also really see how these members of the respective gangs are questioning the point of everything. There’s a huge shift as well in terms of continuing to remain with whatever gang said character belongs too. In the end, I think it was about choosing love, for yourself and your lover, instead of continuing in a way of hate.

There’s a lot of politics in this one as well, less in terms of foreigners like the first book, but more of an civil one within the country between the Nationalists and the Communists. I’ll admit I don’t know much of anything about these two political parties in China at the time, but it provides a good catalyst and background for these characters’ actions.

And of course my deep fear was that this will end exactly like Romeo and Juliet and well… I won’t say anything due to spoilers but I am happy with the ending because I think the author left it very open-ended. I know Gong has another series in the same universe, and I don’t think we know the MC of that one yet but after finishing this book, I definitely have an idea.

4.5 Stars

CWs: Depictions of blood, graphic injury, physical assault, murder, corporal punishment, and gun violence; some mild body horror; some explorations of grief; brief allusions to suicide; and references to contagious disease

Every single thing I felt for "These Violent Delights" I feel tenfold for this conclusion, because it simply has no business being as good as it is, and it left me in an absolute emotional tailspin more than once.

I said this when I first read "These Violent Delights," but I love this re-imagining because it honors the source material without being a copy-paste recreation of the story in any way. When you dive into this duology, you are guaranteed to get the major beats of "Romeo and Juliet," but they will never, in a million years, unfold in a way that you expect. This is not a version of the story that could possibly be anticipated just from comparing it to the original, and I think that’s an absolutely incredible feat.

Reading a sequel, I continue to have such an appreciation for the historical elements and the setting, especially because it’s abundantly clear that those choices were not arbitrary or make simply for aesthetics sake. The setting of 1920’s Shanghai is not only incredibly specific in a cultural sense, but it’s really important in terms of political conflict and exploring how foreign powers were converging in Shanghai during that time. The ongoing war between Nationalists and Communists that was being supported by factions of European and Russian foreigners really underscores the tension between these two rival gangs, who are also being swept up in politics themselves because of their own self-interest. Greed and hunger for power gets tied up in politics and the prevalence Western ideals, and the confluence of all of those issues makes for an epic finale that’s both urgent and dynamic.

I also continue to be fascinated by the fact that loyalties are being tested and even changing over time. Not only are the Montagovs and Cais crossing over enemy lines, so to speak, but some of them are defecting entirely or they’re facing down potential uprisings from within their own ranks. Even with central characters, you’re not always entirely sure where they stand, and they could decide to switch sides at a moment’s notice. Similarly, the push-and-pull dynamic between Roma and Juliette is intoxicating, because there’s an equal likelihood that they will kiss each other or *kill* each other—and they really could go either way at any given moment, which brilliantly heightens the narrative stakes.

“Interesting” feels like the wrong word, but there’s definitely a fascinating parallel between these contagious monsters and the COVID era that we're continuing to live through that I think is going to resonate with a lot of folks. The constant uncertainty, the way the monsters and the contagions evolve, the politics and the science behind developing and distributing vaccinations—it all feels very familiar, and I think there’s an added layer of tension in the story because of our current landscape. So it’s interesting to think about how that’s going to reflect back on this book ten years from now, twenty years from now. Even though the story is firmly historical fantasy, that social parallel is something that makes the story feel more immediate.

I can't say too much more without giving anything away, but this conclusion definitely solidified this duology as one of my all-time favorites. I so loved being back in this world with these characters. Following them throughout this epic, perilous finale absolutely shook me to my core and left me emotionally strung-out in every imaginable sense. I can definitely say this series kept my full attention and left me guessing until the very last page. If you haven't gotten a chance to start this duology, I assure you there's no better time than now, because it is absolutely worthwhile in every possible way.

I am SCREAMING!!! This book was… just wow.

I loved that this book had multiple POVs, sometimes I don’t, but the author really pulled it off and it was addicting.

I was rooting for the romance the entire time—like I seriously could NOT get enough of it.

I’m truly speechless. I want to do a reread already.

I really enjoyed the way that Gong continued to subvert and twist the ROMEO AND JULIET tale with unique setting and well crafted characterizations. It's the characters that really shine here, as Gong makes them feel like they are, indeed, homages to the original players, but with interesting subversions that make them complex and highly enjoyable. I especially liked Juliette, just like I did in THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, as she is so strong, capable, and kick ass, while still having a believable vulnerability. Her loyalty to her family and her need to impress them is heartbreaking the watch, as she is SO devoted and they just take advantage of her. And her love for Roma is doubly heartrendering given that she feels like she needs to keep him at arm's length no matter what. Roma has his moments too, but this is really Juliette's story, at least it was for me. The plot is just as expansive as the first one, even adding in some more outside conflict beyond new monsters. Now we have the rising tensions between the Nationalists and the Communists, which brings a whole new level of stakes into the game for Roma and Juliette. Sometimes this oculd get away from Gong, and certain plot points would be glossed over, but for the most part she did a really good job of connecting these new ideas to the original plot and made it all fit. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the side plot of Marshall and Benedikt. When we ended the previous novel, Juliette faked Marshall's death, and he's been in hiding ever since, breaking the heart of his close friend and would be lover Benedikt, who thinks he's dead. This whole storyline hit all the right notes for me.

Overall, I thought that OUR VIOLENT ENDS was a unique and satisfying end to a well done ROMEO AND JULIET retelling. If you like retellings of classic stories with twists and subversions, this would be one to check out!

So I never read Our Violent Delights, but I had no problem dropping into the setting and plot off of book 2 alone. I love the characters and writing style, and the mystery kept me turning pages even though I'm partial to shorter, faster paced books. Definitely something I'm going to want on my shelf.

OH MY GOD THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THE eARC OF THIS. 4.5/5 STARS.

Look, I'm gonna be real honest. The .5 star deduction is only because of THE AMOUNT OF FREAKING TWISTS IN THIS NOVEL. WHAT THE HECK. I felt like every chapter ended with a cliff hanger and I just...wow. Look, I know it's an R&J retelling...but some of those twists CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD. AND HOW DARE YOU DO THAT ENDING CHLOE GONG. HOW DARE YOU. I WAS NOT PREPARED. LIKE I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED IT...BUT OH MY GOD.

I love Juliette...albeit she's a bit rash...but so is Juliet from R&J. Juliette Cai is also a badass. GAROTTE WIRE. Roma can murder me with his love declarations. All the tropes that were in the first 1/3 of the book? Beautiful. Benedict and Marshall? AMAZING. Benedict and Marshall calling out Juliette and Roma for being destructive for their love? Also amazing.

Also, the politics and imperialistic colonialism critique was well done and the socioeconomic and political aspects of the novel would make a good analysis topic (and I know Gong provides analysis of it as well)

Chloe Gong knocked it out of the park with this sequel...yeah the plot was a little messy at times but so was Shakespeare and I kept wanting to turn the pages so AGHHHH.

This destroyed me in the best way possible. Where do I even begin?

Chloe Gong's ability to use every trope I would ever want and still manage to rip my heart out of my chest is the reason she owns my soul. I absolutely live for the way she writes, the angst and tension she creates so effortlessly, while still maintaining plotlines and character developments. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is only her SECOND book. The talent is undeniable and I will literally read ANYTHING she writes.

It's hard to discuss too much of the book without getting into spoilers but this is everything I wanted from the sequel. The conflict is more politics heavy versus monsters (still creepy but my skin crawled less), which was fantastic because I was very invested in the rival gang plotlines. The characters are just perfection and I love each and every one of them so much. And of course, with the way the last book ended, there's a plethora of moments where I was ready to chuck the book, and myself, across the room out of frustration.

You WILL cry. That's unavoidable. I cried multiples times, screamed a few other times and not being able to talk about this book with everyone I knew was pure torture. I truly don't think you'll be disappointed by this. Like I said at the beginning, Chloe destroyed me and I enjoyed every second of it and would gladly let her do it again.

It's been two days since I finished reading Our Violent Ends (compliments to Simon and Schuster and Turn the Page Tours for the ARC), yet I am still unable to emotionally recover and recollect myself to write a proper review for this brilliantly written sequel.

Our Violent Ends picks up two months after the events in These Violent Delights, and throws you straight into action, hooking the reader from its first page until the very last. The prose, along with its pacing, grips and compels you with unexpected twists that will leave you at the edge of your seat. Chloe Gong did not hold back with her writing as she boldly depicts the harsh and brutal realities of class disparity, power, and civil war. She expertly maintained the tension and intensity of the plot, while flawlessly weaving multiple character povs to deliver an explosive and satisfying conclusion.

At the heart of it all, her morally-grey characters and their dynamic, complex motivations, take centerstage in this sequel, where they individually and collectively contest against powerful forces that shape their choices and actions. There are moments from the book that will leave you stressed and terrified because of the weight and gravity of the situation that they're in. It makes you question yourself, "can things get any worse for them?", and I'm telling you as early as now, that yes, it will.

Our Violent Ends is darker and weighs emotionally heavier than its predecessor --- as it should be, given how the plot explores and depicts itself, yet at the center of it, it's a story between two characters born in rival families, with predetermined roles that shaped and influenced them to go against each other as they should, however love dares them to fight and hope against all odds, to do otherwise than expected of them. The romance between the characters is incredible (hands-down). It's not the kind of love that rides them off into the sunset, but rather it's a love that burns fierce --- a love that's brave in the face of adversity.

Often conclusions are hard to pull off for duologies or trilogies because it's a challenge to tie all loose ends and deliver an ending that the story deserves while satisfying the readers. However, I can confidently say that Our Violent Ends concluded in the way the story should: a carefully written plot with excellent storytelling that builds to the climax and finishes off with an explosive ending. I was absolutely blown away. I bawled my eyes out and reread the last chapter and epilogue over and over again just to relive the experience. Despite the tears, was I satisfied? YES. Was it the perfect ending? I'll leave that for you to decide.

FIVE STARS to Chloe Gong and this brilliant and incredible duology that will no doubt cement itself as one of the modern greats, and probably shape the future of YA books. Cheers to one of the most emotional and unforgettable reading experiences I've ever had.

It’s not often I can say this, but the second book in this series easily tops the first. I could barely pry my fingers away the Kindle.

In this Romeo and Juliet retelling, the struggle for power is alive and well and continues in Shanghai. With Roma’s White Flowers, Juliette’s Scarlets, the Communists, and Nationalists all battling for control, bloodshed, backstabbing (sometimes literally), and manipulation abound in the streets of the city. The terrorizing monster plot line in the first novel didn’t sit well with me and, although it’s still a part of the story, it’s not as prevalent.

Hot-headed and impulsive, I wasn’t a big fan of Juliette in book one, but she’s made progress toward becoming a more strategic player. I also didn’t feel the connection between her and Roma the first time around. Actually, I was more invested in the budding romance between Benedikt and Marshall (who have a beautiful story of their own), but Roma and Juliette’s relationship came across much stronger to me in this sequel. Taking into consideration what’s occuring around them, it’s messy, angry (with the occasional murder attempt), tense, and sometimes volatile, but more believable, and I was anxious to learn their outcome. As with many retellings, don’t assume it aligns with the original version.

With a bigger focus on politics and the men who pull the strings instead of a supernatural monster, more even pacing (it sure didn’t feel like five hundred pages), and phenomenal character development in both MCs and supporting characters, readers will be thrilled with this sequel. Although some may not agree, I thought the ending was perfect and closed the book with a smile on my face.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book even more than the first. The characters are amazing and the action is fantastic. Gong keeps you enraptured in the world from beginning to end. A masterpiece!

~Our Violent Ends Review~
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4/5
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These Violent Delights was one of my most anticipated reads last year and it did not disappoint! Since then I started following Chloe Gong on TikTok and she seems like such a funny and genuine person, so I knew I needed to request her second book on Netgalley. I’m so excited to dive back into this world and see what happens.
•
Pros:
+the sweet sweet TENSION of enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies in this one omg
+Chloe Gong’s writing is so gorgeous. there are sooo many lines that make me pause because of how beautifully worded they are
+the stakes are effectively raised!!
+MARSHALL SEO & BENEDIKT MONTAGOV
+This book is so complex and intriguing. I never know what’s going to happen but it’s a fun ride despite that
+ahaha absolute chaos
+the banter and angst is 10/10
+let’s go plot twists!!! should have seen them coming but didn’t
+I love seeing hints of the original romeo and juliet storyline come through
•
Cons:
-I’m super busy all the time so it’s hard to dedicate a ton of time to reading. this book is hard to want to read between classes because it takes a lot of mind power to read and follow all the political shenanigans that are happening
-not the biggest fan of the ending. kind of a let down
•
Overall i enjoyed the book! it wasn’t my favorite but it was still fun. i think if you enjoyed the first book you’d enjoy this one too

I finished the first book in this duology and was excited to jump into this one right after. Chloe Gong’s writing is truly what made this book a five star for me. She has a way of describing this incredible and tragic world that leaves me yearning for a time I’ve never lived in, a place where love and hate is palpable while walking the streets. Gong’s Shanghai feels so alive, or so desolate and lonely. The city reflects the feelings of the main characters and Gong truly writes this to perfection. Speaking of the characters, this second book truly made me love them all. We finally got to see the beautiful and natural connection Roma and Juliette have and it made my heart ache. This sequel also gave me so much respect for Celia, Gong truly let us get to know who she truly was and it was such a wonderful character arc to read! And we can’t forget Marshall and Benedikt! I was rooting for them, Gong made me root for them so so much. But she didn’t make their journey easy, no characters journey was easy. At all. And that’s what gave this book so much excitement and desire. The ending was so beautiful, I appreciate the closure Gong gave us while staying true to the tragedy of Roma and Juliette. I am forever affected by the emotions and feelings this book struck in me.

I was so excited for this. When I finished TVD I was ready to give up my firstborn for a chance to read this. I... don't know where all that enthusiasm and excitement went.

This felt so slow to me. And after a while, I just didn't care enough to want to push through.

I know I'm on the minority here. I've seen so many reviews saying this is an amazing, painful conclusion to the duology. I'm putting it down for now. Maybe someday I'll pick it up again.

DNF @14%

I received an ARC via Netgalley to read and review.

What I loved
When you involve monsters in a story, the sequel following has to have something new to make it compelling enough to pick up and finish the story. In this sequel, the author does just that by multiplying the number of monsters to 5 and changing the way they attack and spread the disease. You also wonder if the sequel will be long and dragged out, and in this case, no way the action, violence, and intense relationships make for a theatrical sequel that just kept going and pouring emotion across the pages.

What Left Me Wanting More
What I felt we lacked in the first book was the backstory of the side characters. Well, those got filled in this book, as well as side characters moving up to be more pro it meant in the story. Alisa though a very young character takes center stage in various parts of the book and endears you to her strength of loyalty to those who she loves. I would have liked to learn more about the vaccine origins and the research that finally turned the corner for its recreation and useable.

Final Verdict
Our Violent Ends is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, so you know how that has to play out for our two love birds, how do they die, is it dramatic, is suicidal, how close do we come to that melancholy event? The end is tragic and sweet due to the havoc and political upheaval that has plagued these characters. If you are a fan of historical fantasy with a retelling weaved in, this is the perfect duology for your pick-up.

DNF at 25%

Super politics heavy at the expense of character development. Felt like I was reading book 1 all over again - the monster bit was still as uninspired and failed to draw me in.

I did read the ending scene and am glad I didn’t read the rest of the book cause it would’ve been a major let down for me.

I think this author’s writing style just isn’t for me. My main criticism is that there’s so much telling and not enough showing throughout both books in this duology. The writing lacked emotion and connection which resulted in me losing interest as a reader.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This setting and overall concept are stellar, the cover artwork is alluring . . . sadly, the resulting storyline lands firmly in the okay category for me.

I had immediately added this title to my wish list and was already drooling over the prospect of devouring this duology . . . I had high expectations. I gladly purchased and read These Violent Delights just before starting Our Violent Ends to give the best results, having no lag time between the two books.

I wanted so much to fall in love with Romeo and Juliette reimagined in Shanghai circa 1920s. Some elements for a good rendition were present, but they quickly got lost and the excitement fizzled early on. I struggled to finish.

In order to thoroughly enjoy this novel, you must be a fan of highly dysfunctional relationships, deceitful gang-land politics, the constant warring of egos, senseless violence, and repetition. There were bright spots where the story felt clever and exciting . . . unfortunately they were few and far between. I was unable to find a main character to root for, instead finding myself hoping that this poor city could rid itself of all these horrible parasites (both human and insect).

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of Our Violent Ends for my unbiased evaluation. 3 stars

<i>"'I will be free of my name.' Juliette looked up. 'I will take yours.'
'Juliette,' he breathed. 'It is not as though my name is any better. It is not as though there is less blood on mine. You can call a rose something else, but it remains yet a rose.'
Juliette flinched, hearing a shout outside. 'So we are never to change?' she asked. 'We are forever blood-soaked roses?'
Roma took her hand. Pressed a kiss to her knuckles. 'A rose is a rose, even by another name,' he whispered. 'But we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.'
They could choose. Love or blood. Hope or hate."</i>

TL;DR: From my review of Book #1:<i> This is a long book -- but after about 10%, I didn't care. I couldn't put it down. It's fast-paced and eloquently written and Gong's prose/storytelling just pulled me in. The allusions to Shakespeare's play definitely added another layer -- but aren't necessary to understand the plot. Definitely can't wait for the sequel.</i>
This was everything -- absolutely everything -- I wanted in this sequel. I feel like the characters were true to themselves (no sudden changes to characters, no changes that don't match their behavior), the story was true to <i>Romeo & Juliet</i>, and the plot was just...you could tell that Chloe Gong had a plan, and she executed it masterfully. There were plot twists that had me gasping out loud, tearing my hair out in suspense (even when I predicted what was going to happen), laughing, crying, the whole gamut.

Vibes: A retelling of Romeo and Juliet in 1920s Shanghai where the feuding families are rival gangs (Capulets = Cais & the Scarlet Gang, Chinese; Montagues = Montagovs & the White Flowers, Russian) and our star-crossed lovers have to hunt and kill a creepy AF monster terrorizing the city. Also, Communists.

Character MVP: Juliette. Again, this is NOT Shakespeare's timid, demure, balcony sighing heroine -- Juliette is fierce and kick-ass (and more than a little cut-throat) but she's a heroine with agency and power in a male-driven world. I wouldn't say Roma isn't, but he does seem to take a bit more of a backseat in this story, and Juliette is very much the agent of the story. She seems to be the one coming up with plans, and it feels like we spend more time in her POV/headspace than in Book #1. (Which is NOT a complaint.)

Verdict: Hot damn, I loved this duology. These books...they reminded me of why I love reading, and I've been fortunate to read several of those books in a row recently. But they're the ones where you get so lost in the story, you forget you're reading a book -- the story just jumps off the page and comes to life in your mind. The types of books where you walk around doing household chores with the book in your hand because you can't put it down and you have to know what happens next.

In a way, this book reminds me of the 19th-century tomes I love so much. (And I'm saying "this book," because even though there's a bit of a chronological gap, the two books could be read back-to-back and the story would seamlessly flow.) Those books -- by George Eliot and Tolstoy and Melville -- always blended the romance/domestic/adventure plot with a backdrop of something larger, whether it was a commentary on 19th century rural life or whaling or Russian revolutionary politics and/or agrarian life. And with the focus on the Communist / Nationalist / gangster struggle, I got a Tolstoy/Victor Hugo with Les Mis vibe.

And I LOVED IT.

﹅ -- I still maintain it might not be the best pandemic read...? The "madness" that plagues Shanghai in the first book is still there, albeit in a more evolved, controlled, sophisticated form (O hai, Delta variant!) and there is talk about vaccines and waning immunity and the like.

﹅ -- Still maintain that Gong does *not* shy away from the darker aspects of gangster blood-feuds and horror-monsters: <i>Speaking of the "madness": Gong's descriptions verge toward the "horror" side of things a bit too much for my comfort. But this is 100% a personal thing because I am an utter wimp when it comes to squishy monsters lurking around in the dark and people tearing their own throats out is just a bit too graphic for me. (People infected with the madness are driven to tear their own throats out and Gong does *not* hold back.)</i>

✔︎ -- I still love the diversity. Kathleen/Celia's transgender identity is still alluded to, especially as she fully embraces Celia at the end. (And, I was worried that we were going to 86 the trans-character, but, spoilers, that thankfully doesn't happen.) And Marshall and Benedikt finally profess their love for each other! I wish there had been more of their romance, but I get that they're not the focus. I will happily take a spin-off novel about their life together in Moscow, plz.

✔︎ -- The ending, oh the ending. I don't want to talk too much about it, because, spoilers.
But I will say that I wasn't sure how everything was going to play out with like 97% of the book done, and I was torn between (1) thinking that Gong was going to stick the Shakespearean tragedy ending and (best case) she maintained the original ending or (worst case) EVERYBODY died, a la Hamlet and (2) thinking that this was finally the chance to rewrite a tragic love story and give those darn star-crossed lovers the happily-ever-after they deserved.
I won't say how Gong ends the story -- and, again, with 2% of the story left, I felt it could have gone either way -- but I will say that, IMHO, it was perfection.