Despite the fact that it is only March, I feel confident that Immortal Longings is easily going to be in my top five books at the end of the year, I loved absolutely everything about this book. Inspired by Shakespeare's Antony + Cleopatra, Immortal Longings tells the story of two individuals who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals - including entering a deadly competition.

The Setting
Immortal Longings transports the reader into San-Er,, a fantasy city inspired by Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. A dystopian setting based on the 1990's, Gong expertly interweaves the overarching sense of doom that accompanies dystopian societies with the freshness of a society on the cusp of a technological revolution. The juxtaposition of individuals literally fighting for their lives while simultaneously embracing pagers and broadcast news is fascinating and uniquely captivating.

The Magic System
This universe has some of the most unique magic I have ever read - individuals with magic have the ability to jump bodies at will. As a result, you can never truly know who you are speaking to - as it could be another's consciousness within the body of your brother/aunt/best friend/wife. This was so different from anything else I've ever read, and I was utterly entranced the entire time.

The Characters
Calla and Anton deserve the WORLD. I love them both so, so much. They are both absolutely ruthless in pursuit of their goals, regardless of who or what they may need to betray in order to accomplish said goals. The supporting characters are just as intriguing and unpredictable, which kept me on the edge of my toes from start to finish.

The Romance
This is enemies to begrudging allies to lovers done RIGHT. I got giddy each and every time these two interacted. While I love Roma+Juliette, Calla+Anton may take the cake as my favorite CG power couple.

The Writing
IL is immersive and atmospheric and absolutely entrancing. Between the writing style, the pacing, and the overall plot, this was a book I was unable to put down after wholly losing myself within the pages.

If Immortal Longing's isn't already on your TBR, you need to add it now. You won't regret it.

-----5/5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong is a thrilling and romantic epic fantasy inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Set in the kingdom of Talin, the story follows Princess Calla Tuoleimi who is in hiding after killing her parents and emptying the palace of Er five years ago. She plans to finish the job by winning the games held at the palace of San-Er every year and killing her reclusive uncle who always greets the victor.

To win the games, Calla needs the help of Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat who is deep in debt trying to keep his childhood love alive. Anton is one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, which means he can jump between bodies at will. Calla and Anton form an unexpected alliance, and with the help of King Kasa's adopted son, August, they embark on a dangerous journey to win the games and achieve their goals.

The story is full of power plays, spilled blood, and romance, which makes for a thrilling read. Gong has created a fascinating world with a unique magic system, and her writing is both vivid and engaging. The characters are well-developed, and their relationships are complex and compelling.

One of the highlights of the book is the romance between Calla and Anton. Their partnership spirals into something all-consuming, but their different goals and motives create tension and conflict. The love triangle between Calla, Anton, and August adds another layer of complexity to the story.

Overall, Immortal Longings is an excellent debut novel from Chloe Gong that is sure to please fans of epic fantasy and Shakespeare. The book is fast-paced, full of action, and has a satisfying ending that leaves room for a sequel. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

3.75 ⭐ rounded up
I enjoyed this book, but it took me a second to feel connected to any of the characters. Once I did start to connect to the characters (mainly the two main characters) I really started to enjoy the book more. I have always enjoyed Chloe Gong's writing and this book was not any different.
My biggest issue is that it took me such a long time to start to care for the plot of the book. It is an interesting premise, but until 60% in I didn't feel interested in it.
I however enjoyed the development of the two main characters, and was excited to read about there interactions with the other.
I know this book isn't out yet, but I am already starved for the sequel.

3.75🌟

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC!

This is what I thought the whole book 😂



"There are no good kings, but there are fair ones."

I thought this was fairly good for Chloe Gong's first Adult book. This novel was like a hopped-up version of the Hunger Games. It also gave Mistborn vibes that I quite enjoyed. The most interesting thing about this book is a person qi. Qi allows people to jump between bodies and deceive other people or, in this case, other players. I LOVED that the twin cities were inspired by 1990 Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City. It was so much fun exploring the twin cities with Anton and Calla. There wasn't one character that wasn't morally gray and I found it refreshing that all the characters did what they felt they needed to accomplish their goals.

"Calla has never claimed to be good. She has never wanted to be good. But she seeks it in every corner of the twin cities; a sign that goodness is something Talin is capable of."

I did enjoy this book. However, I was able to figure out the plot twists very early on, so sometimes, I had a hard time staying engaged. The pacing was all over the place for me as well. The one thing I struggled with was the relationship between Calla and Anton. For some reason, it felt unnatural and forced. I felt more chemistry between August and Galipei, which I hope there is more of in the next installments.

After finishing this book, I was unsure if I would want to continue with this series. After a couple of days, though, I found myself wanting to be back in the twin cities. I am excited to see where Chloe Gong takes this world next!

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC of Immortal Longings in exchange for my honest review!!

Literally SO grateful I got an early copy of this because it was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a book slump. It was enthralling, violent, delicious, and terrifying all at the same time. I love the story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony so I expected to enjoy this, but my expectations were fully exceeded.

The world building was so vibrant in a world that was horribly bleak. I felt as if I was walking along the filthy streets alongside Calla. I genuinely felt as if I gained a good understanding of what Chloe Gong was intending with the world she created.

The characters were all dark, no one is really the good guy throughout this book and I loved that because morally grey characters tend to be more intriguing. We also got star-crossed lovers who started out as enemies, then reluctant allies before becoming wholly obsessed with the other. One of the characters mentions how it isn’t love, it’s obsession and I can’t agree more. Seriously, it’s DELICIOUS.

I can’t say much else without spoiling, but the last two chapters are insane!! I was completely hooked and can’t wait for the rest of the series to be released.

Immortal Longings is available on July 25, 2023 and you better RUN to pick this one up. An easy 5 stars.

Thanks to @netgalley @simonandschuster and @sagasff for the opportunity to read this galley.

Chloe Gong weaves an intricate, urban fantasy setting, the likes of which I’ve never been immersed in before.

San-Er is a city full to bursting, its citizens starving and desperate while its monarch resides in ultimate luxury in the Kingdom’s palace, willfully deaf to the needs of his people.

Each year, a dangerous game takes place on the city’s dark and winding streets — 88 players fight to the death in a gruesome parody of hide and seek over a period of weeks.

Only one survivor can win the gold that could pull them out of their debts and into a new life — though some players, like Calla, have more sinister reasons for seeking the grand prize.

When Calla unexpectedly teams up with Anton, a long-exiled noble, they both have to decide whether their growing feelings for each other warrant giving up on their own hidden agendas.

I loved the setting, characters and romance in this book, and can't wait for the second one to come out!

Higher fantasy hunger games vibes. If you enjoyed The Hunter Games, you’d probably enjoy this book too.

I loved the Hunger Games esc. plot along with the dynamics between Cala and August as cousins. While I was a bit confused in the beginning, once the game began it became clearer. I loved Chloe Gong's writing as always. I love how she creates political issues, drama, and conflict. Along with how she writes conflict, Chloe Gong writes enemies to lovers romances extremely well, as seen with Cala and Anton.

Wow! There are so many great books coming out in 2023 but I think this one just stole first place on my list! Chloe Gong's Adult Debut is not one to be missed.

The world building is exquisite, inspired by 1990's Hong Kong's Kowlook Walled City I've never experienced a city like San-Er before. It is amazing how you can see smell, and feel what it is like to live in the dystopian world Gong has created.

All of the characters are deliciously morally grey. And while they can be infuriating they are so well developed you understand where they are coming from. Did I mention the body jumping? That was a fun twist, especially when it comes to how the characters view themselves and play the game.

I wasn't expecting a book that is based on a high stakes game where players battle to the death to have a romance plot but I was pleasantly surprised by a masterfully crafted enemies to lovers trope that brings the heat!

I can't say enough good things about this book, for me it was perfection. I can't wait for book two!

(Social post will be posted closer to publish date)

This was an interesting concept; I got ready player one/hunger games/I’m not even sure what else from this. In an overly urban city, a yearly ‘game’ to the death is held. Calla is entering the games to encore change, Anton needs the cash prize, but what they don’t expect is an unlikely alliance and for many outside forces working against them.

The aspect of this that I’m hoping will be further developed in coming books is the ability for one’s qui (basically your soul/consciousness) to jump to new bodies. This is outlawed in the city, but not all follow those rules and the players of the game are given free reign to jump. I think there was some more background needed for this ability, I felt that I didn’t have the whole story there(which might be the whole point)

I’m also hoping a few of the open-ended things that happened come up in the next book as I have questions!

I did enjoy this, and gave it four stars because I do think there are some parts that felt too long, but overall I was still very invested in the story/characters!

"There are no gods in this world. Only kings and tyrants."

Give me book 2 now !!!!
It's not a surprise but once again Chloe Gong did not disappoint. Her first adult book is a masterpiece, so well written with a thrilling plot and a sexy romance. The cliffhangers leave you speechless. The quality of this book is of another planet!

Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games.

Tropes :
- enemies to allies to lovers
- knife to the throat

In her New Adult debut, Chloe Gong gives us a sprawling and intricate world where lies and power are the preferred currency. Immortal longings is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat with daring plot twists and characters who are as dangerous as they are deceiving. It’s more than just a fantasy with a badass female lead, it’s page after page of enthralling world building and high stakes. You’ll find yourself falling more and more in love with this dystopian retelling with every page. Between it’s power driven characters with shaky morals and rich plot, this is guaranteed to be one of my top reads this year. Chloe Gong is a true genius with this Machiavellian fantasy.

Immortal Longings is Chloe Gong’s adult fantasy debut; however, she is no novice. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, and this is her first work in her new Flesh and False Gods trilogy.

Immortal Longings is set in the twin cities of San-Er, which immediately draws you in with its complexities, seduction, and darkness. The magic system involved in body jumping and qi was flawless and intriguing. I still have some questions about the system but I’m sure they’ll be explored in later books.
Calla, Anton, and August are the protagonists, and each brings a different view of San-Er and the surrounding politics to the story. Each of these characters feels real and distinct as they explore their humanity and live in the grey area of what we would consider black and white today. I found Calla to be the most interesting and unforgettable protagonist of Gong’s I’ve ever read. Everything she does is for what she believes to be for the greater good, and she will do anything for these beliefs no matter the cost.
Immortal Longings is inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, so prepare yourself for some Shakespearean tragedy.

This novel was very easy to get lost in and certainly lived up to (and somehow surpassed) my very high expectations. I can’t wait to continue the series when the next instalment is released.

CW: This is intended for an adult audience and contains dark themes, including graphic violence, childhood trauma and poverty. This novel also contains NSFW spice, although it is not the focus of the plot.

Thank you to Chloe Gong, Gallery Books, Saga Press, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Immortal Longings in exchange for an honest review.

This story surround three main characters: Calla, August, and Anton. A murderer princess, a crown prince, and a royal exile. All three reside in the twin cities of San-Er once ruled by two kings now ruled by one king, King Kasa. Their society is ruled by qi and those who have the strongest qi are gifted with the ability to jump into other bodies. Sometimes they can take them over forever depending on the strength of that person qi, but one must be careful not to jump to fast to many time in and out of their body or else their qi will burn them from the inside out. There are certain people within in their society who cannot be inhabited by someone else's qi, these people protect the royals and are highly coveted.
San-Er hosts a competition every year that rewards the victor with the kingdoms riches. These games are voluntary and if you desire to put your name in, it is a lottery system to see who is picked. Calla and Anton find themselves unlikely ally's in a game to the death. Calla is battling to win so that she can separate King Kasa's head from his shoulders and Anton is battling to pay off his debt and pay his old love's hospital bills. Calla begins the games allying with her cousin, Crown Prince August. August will help her win and she will murder his adopted father so that August may take the throne. Calla finds herself having to decide whether she loves Anton or her kingdom more?

When I tell you I spent every free moment reading this book I am not lying. One moment I was at 40% the next I looked I was at 86%. F**cking Gong does it again, her writing never fails to be nothing less than magnificent. The plot and characters do not fail to get you hooked, no one is the good guy and your favorite character (cough cough probs Calla) is probably a murder. The pacing of this book was the best I've seen in a long time and I never felt bored especially because the characters were so messy I loved it. The enemies to reluctant partners to lovers was laid out perfectly, my only critique was that felt that they said “I love you” too soon but the timeline in the games is kind of messy so it felt fast to me when in reality it could've been at the proper time. Nonetheless I loved the romance in this especially with too closed off rough around the edges characters. Recently, the endings of the books I have been reading have been really getting me but this one blew me away and I'm thoroughly speechless and giddy at this ending. I will reread once I get my B&N copy just to relive it. This is the kind of book that will live through the ages and will be loved for more than the next decade. It exceeded my expectations from the first teaser TikTok of Chloe's that I saw. I do not think I can wait years for the next book and will have reread this at least 3 times before the sequel is released. I think this will be the best book in 2023.
Thank you NetGalley, Chloe Gong, and Saga Press for the honor to be given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I really liked this Antony and Cleopatra retelling by Chloe Gong. It felt more real than These Violent Delights. It takes place in San-are, a country similar to Egypt. It has a dystopian feel to it (internet cafe’s and cameras). Some people are born with the ability to jump their energy or qi into new bodies, essentially stealing the bodies from original owners. Calla is a princess in exile. When she turned 18 she killed her mother and father, but never had the chance to kill her uncle, Kasa. And Anton is King Kasa’s bastard, exiled when he tried to run from the palace. Both decide to enter into a fight to the death, where the last man standing gets riches they could only dream about…but when Anton and Callahan team up, they also fall in love, complicating the game and their plans.

There were a lot of things I loved about the novels (the characters, the twists, the shocking turns that I didn’t see coming), but there were also a few things that made it difficult for me. The novel felt unnecessarily long and the beginning spent way too long complicating the qi jumping line. Those things made a pretty big dent in my star rating! Ultimately, I did like the novel!

2.5/5 - I’m so disappointed that I didn’t love this book because I loooved Chloe Gong’s other books and was so excited to read this one! It took me much longer than I would’ve liked to get into the story and understand the world. I liked the characters fine but didn’t find myself invested in anyone in particular and I wasn’t really sold on the main romance. I definitely didn’t see the huge plot twist coming but I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It felt a bit random to me and some aspects of it just didn’t make sense.
I’m sad to say that this one won’t stick with me the way her other books did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for giving me access to this book!

Thank you for the ARC!

On the whole, I really liked Immortal Longings and was excited to pick up my kindle to read it everytime I had the chance. The plot was really intriguing : a battle royale in an impressive city, palace intrigues, morally grey characters. The descriptions were well written: the way the smells, sounds and lights were described conveyed the gloomy but still lively atmosphere of the cities. I had a good experience reading this book, it was addictive and I couldn't put it down.

It will seem that I'm contradicting myself but there is a but. I found the story very repetitive, we keep reading about the stakes of the characters being victors of the game, about how the government is a failure, about something the MC did but never really knowing why exactly. There was a lack of twist and turns, it was as if the story was following a straight line without deviating from it. Ok I'm lying, there was two plot twist and I half guessed the first one (which was a bit boring, what I had in my head was better). Some elements were added to complexify the plot development, but it would have been the same if they weren't included in the story, except adding a fight scene or two.


The characters are the usual cliches of recent fantasy books : the cunning prince, the badass woman with a sword, the angry man with a soft heart (my favourite).

I wish the "love story" was more fleshed out but I don't know how you feel when you're falling in love while killing people.

All in all, it's a perfect booktok book.

I am so happy to see Chloe Gong branching into adult fantasy! This book was so interesting and entirely unique. One thing about Chloe Gong is she's going to write characters who love to scheme and Immortal Longings is no exception. It adds so much intrigue to the plot, I had a hard time putting this book down. I am looking forward to the other books, I am so curious where she will take these characters and the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for providing an eARC for me to review.

4.5/5 stars

Summary:
- I first read Choe Gong's work with her YA Romeo/Juliet retelling in the "These Violent Delights" duology and really enjoyed it. So I had high expectations for her first adult fantasy/sci-fi book in a new world of a retelling I don't know anything about, and I was not disappointed. This book had exactly what I would want for the first book in a trilogy.

It started slow for the first 30% but sped up as the games started. The book established a very exciting and interesting magic system that was a joy to read during the action scenes and able to be used for some clever manipulations and plot twists. It also introduces you to different and complex characters that have me excited to see how they will develop in future books.

Plot: 4/5 stars
- Slow-paced at first, but speeds up
- Motivations were a bit messy at first, but some of the revelations helped clear them up.
- Plenty of plot twists and action sequences, with some mystery
- Cliffhanger ending that sets up the next book nicely

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4.5/5 stars
- The setting concept of a sort of futuristic twin city kingdom becoming one was cool, could have used more background info about the world past the city.
- Overcrowded and cramped space of the city for a Hunger Games-like tournament was entertaining
- Very cool magic system with room for further growth

Characters/Development: 4.5/5 stars
- Anton and Calla had a very intriguing romance that was well-developed and wasn't too fast for me.
- Motivations were a bit messy at first, but some of the revelations helped clear them up.
- Liked all the POVs for the characters and helped me to understand clearly what their goals were.
- Would have liked a little more info on side characters, but I'm expecting it will come in future books.

As always, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. My ongoing appreciation for sharing such beautiful work with readers and connecting us to new and fresh voices.

I’m intrigued by everything this book offers: clear plot, strong and twisty characters, dark and angst-sy world building, fast pace, clear voice, and a delicious enemy-to-lover tropes. I’m dying for more, that ending is holding my mind hostage. What a page turner.

The Great Stuff:
- I love the clarity with which the author writes. She commands all the pieces and development so well. Even when the perspectives switch between characters, there’s no confusion where we are and what we’re doing in that moment.
- I’m obsessed with the characters. They have subtleties that are weaves into small details of their speech and action e.g. , how they touch each other, what they’re agonizing over in their minds, sometimes I’m still lost in thought with them then “bam” a plot twist. Agh I love this style of engagement.
- all the major twists feel, well, MAJOR. No spoilers here so I won’t write more but wow.
- Calla-Anton and the tension in their romance blending into their violent acts and surrounding. My heart kept throbbing for these two.

The So-so:
- I want to know more about jumping and how it came about. I’m essentially ready for Book 2.
- the royal story and bloodline is not deep enough. But I think with the book focusing on the game, it’s a great start for the trilogy.

Will be collecting books from Chloe Gong from now.