I was excited to read this as I am a fan of Chloe’s previous work.

Unfortunately, I tried picking this book up on two separate occasions and it was just not for me. I had a hard time following the initial dive Into the world.
The second time I picked this book up, I got about 15% in before I decided this book might just not be for me, and decided to put it down!

I usually am most interested in characters at the initial start of a story and felt I was maybe too overwhelmed with the plot before diving deeper into the rest of the story’s elements.

I had higher expectations for this book because I have enjoyed the authors previous works. The description was compelling and the body switching was interesting, but I found the story hard to get into. You meet the characters and you see them interact with other characters, but you don't really learn a lot about them. I think the book was an interesting to start to a series, but I hope the next books are better.

I am bone-deep obsessed with Chloe Gong's other works, but whew doggy. She's a talented writer but this didn't showcase it. The rest of the series can be redeemed if she tightens it up. Please empower her editor to cut down on the approximately 12 storylines and 57 characters!!
As always, a forehead kiss to the darling publicist at Gallery who accepted my request!! Thanks to you and S&S and Netgalley in general.

I went into Immortal Longings hoping for the morally gray characters I love. Sadly that was one of the only parts of the book I actually liked. I know this is Chloe Gong’s first foray into adult fiction. It didn’t hit the mark for me. The writing felt very juvenile. The relationship between Anton and Calla also missed the mark for me. It didn’t feel believable. The best character in the book was Mao Mao the cat. Overall it was a disappointing read.

Well this was my most disappointing read of the year. I gave this a 1.5. Which is heart breaking, because I LOVED Chloe's previous series, These Violent Delights. I was so incredibly disappointed and I wish I could rate this better.

For a supposed adult fantasy book this story was painfully under developed- the plot, the characters, the world building, all of it. It felt like someone hadn't done enough editing and this was a first draft.

One of my biggest issues is that I was bored. I didn't care about the story, and it took forever to get through. the ending was a let down and I finished not caring. Also, the idea of jumping between bodies without consent gave me the ICK and really turned me off to this book.

For the first half of this book, I thought I’d rate it 3 stars. The world building is confusing/convoluted, and the “games” are hard to follow. However, I did find myself entertained by this book especially in the second half. I think maybe if this had come out before hunger games I would have liked it more. But I did feel an attitude of “been there done that” while reading. Another reviewer compared it to “a tv show you put on while cleaning” and I think that’s the perfect way to describe it. But the ending… the ending yall. It definitely convinced me to continue to the series!

I really enjoyed Chloe’s debut into adult fiction! This one is a lot faster paced than tvd and I’m here for it! I enjoyed the hunger games but played in the real world vibe and I have so many questions about the end! Like I need to know what really happened lol. Can’t wait for the next one!

I love Chloe Gong and will read her grocery list if she lets me. I will say that I can understand why people might be confused by the magic system, and to that I say: just go with it. The gaps will fill themselves over time. It is not the best world building in the world, but I promise it does make sense. I really recommend giving this book a shot if you are someone who enjoyed These Violent Delights. It does read YA still, even though it is marketed as an adult debut.

I really wanted to like this book. I was so excited for Chloe's adult debut but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me. First of all, unlike her previous works this one was a bit dry. I didn't feel like I could get in the heads of the characters or understand them emotionally. Second of all, the world building has so much protentional but ultimately felt very similar to world's we've seen before. The hunger games-esque competition, the altered carbon-esque approach to body swapping. I know this is meant to be a retelling, but retellings should ideally bring something new to the table and I just didn't feel like anything new was there. Thirdly, it was just dense. The info dumps had me reeling. I barely understood what was going on half the time, and I 'm a seasoned fantasy reader. I really did think that there was potential here but the execution could've used some work.

This is a story about immortal lives not worth living forever.

I’m so happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I don’t see the Antony & Cleopatra elements at all, but ignoring that it’s definitely worth picking up. The 3 alternating view points worked nicely, and it was fun to explore the dystopian land space while the characters try to survive the hunger games style city wide competition. Looking forward to book 2!

Thank you @netgalley & @sagapressbooks for the eArc!

Very fast paced from start to finish with rotating POVs that keep you thoroughly entertained. I did not expect the cliff hanger ending but this was a nice novel that transcended being age appropriate for older teens into adulthood. It read like something you have read before but then you would feel like it was something completely new and unique. This is so important when so many books are released each year.

Fun mashup of Anthony and Cleopatra and The Hunger Games. At least this time, most of the combattants are adults. Lots of body-swapping and assassinations.
Told from several POVs, it was fascinating seeing the difference in how a character saw themselves and what other people think. Everyone is a hero of their own story.

While not familiar with Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra, I was immediately sucked into the world of San-Er and the deadly tournament. Calla, Anton, and August made an interesting triad. I did find it a bit jarring when they were suddenly speaking in paraphrased Shakespearean about 75% of the way through. I'm definitely interested in the sequel and seeing how the world continues to grow.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first, but it quickly became a GREAT read for me! I love the concept, and having never read Cleopatra & Antony before, I didn't know the references, other than the 2 main characters' names, so it was a journey for me! I'm looking forward to the next ones!

I’m so disappointed.

Immortal Longings was one of my most anticipated summer reads. I was thrilled when I received a beautiful hardcover copy from the publisher.

But…

First, I’m not even sure what kind of world this is supposed to be. Is it sci-fi (body jumping), historical fantasy (Olympic-like games, kingdoms, rulers), or some modern infusion of all of it (computers, pagers)? I just couldn’t picture this place at all.

Then we have the characters, who are not likable, but also don’t have enough personality to dislike. They’re just sort of people on a page.

And the body jumping. How does that even work? All I could picture was random bodies lying around alleys and city streets, lifeless, because the person inhabiting that body had jumped into someone else’s body and taken over.

Finally, the info dumping is way too much. Ugh. Pacing is agonizing, at least in the first quarter, which was all I could manage.

Life is short. My reading list is long. I’m moving on.

DNF

*My thanks and apologies to the publisher!*

This was a really really good, creative story. The most compelling aspect was the bleak place that Chloe Gong wrote, which was based off of a real place. I’d never heard of the Kowloon Walled City, but have looked it up since reading the book and it was so unreal and surprising. And Gong did such a good job describing it in the book, that it felt familiar when I looked at pictures of the real place. Gong showed us a community full of complex people who don’t always do the right thing and are trying to survive, but they take care of people around them. It’s dark, tragic, and tense. Not to mention the more fantastical elements of the book which involves the ability to jump from body to body, with some people being completely lost from their original body. It was a really cool element, because it made everything feel so unmoored and chaotic.

This is only my second book I’ve read by Chloe Gong, but I’m already sensing similarities that I imagine are across her other work as well. And I’m already thinking Immortal Longing might be her best work yet. If you can’t tell, I recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated books of the year!

As someone who had trouble getting into Gong's previous duology, I was pleased with the more mature, well-fleshed out world-building and characterisation in this new foray into adult fantasy. This exciting new sci-fi fantasy reimagines the classic story of love, betrayal, and heartbreak of Anthony and Cleopatra in a futuristic dystopia. Fast-paced, sleek, and sexy, past fans of Chloe Gong will not be disappointed and new fans will find the tension excellent.

For fans of other sci-fi Shakespeare retellings like The Stars Undying, this is one not to miss.

Took me a little while to get into this book because I haven’t read fantasy in a while. Chloe Gong is so good at world building that it makes reading fantasy so manageable and still so fun.

Set in a dystopian future or past this is a book that’s hunger games meets a court of thorns and roses with sci fi elements. The characters are so good and fleshed out.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.
I loved the setting of this book, the world building was beautifully done. and I enjoyed the characters, though since this is a planned trilogy, this book didn't go too in depth yet. I look forward to learning about, and growing to enjoy more, the characters.