Beginning was a little slow so it was hard to get into at first but then it got very interesting! Love the games aspect and can’t wait for the sequel.

Chloe Gong delivers violence, betrayal, and non-stop action in this adult debut. Needed the sequel immediately after that cliffhanger ending.

This book started off super slow until it wasn't. Even though things were happening, this book wasn't un-put-downable until after halfway. I liked the three main characters but I'm not sure if I'd call it "Antony and Cleopatra' retelling. The ending hooked me for the next book and I'm exciting for more complex world building.

I really liked this re-interpretation. I'm definitely going to pick up others in the series and follow the story. I think the Blade Runner + magic + Hunger Games mix was really appealing and added to what might have otherwise been a kind of flat premise. Really easy to recommend to a range of different interests for readers. Well-balanced throughtout.

A great book in my favorite genre. I was worried since this is the adult debut of a YA author, but I think this was beautifully done and missed the typical things I am wary of (YA tone, the characters acting super young/immature, or just being YA with more spice). This book hit the mark perfectly.

I was pulled into the world on the first page and I loved all the twists and turns that we go on from there. I think the worldbuilding and setting really made this book for me, and was a fun read that while reminding me of why I love these type of books was still unique and engrossing for me. The characters were all complex and compelling and have so much more potential.

I can't wait to read more!

dnf. might return to this one day but i make no promises. just wasn’t vibing with it and it didn’t seem like it was going to get better.

This was such a unique story and I really can't wait to see what happens next. Admittedly, I read it quite a while ago and I am very late to reviewing- but while so many books I read and forget details about immediately (even if I loved them!), I can still quite clearly envision in my brain several scenes from this book- so it's really stuck with me!

Again- very unique world-building and magic system, very gritty and propulsive. I enjoyed this a lot.

"Immortal Longings" is an electrifying epic fantasy that seamlessly blends Shakespearean inspiration with gripping intrigue and romance. Chloe Gong crafts a vivid world of deadly games and political machinations, where every move is fraught with tension and betrayal. With its smart narrative twists and rich character dynamics, this adult debut is a thrilling rollercoaster of power, passion, and peril that will leave readers spellbound until the very last page.

Immortal Longings is not quite the same level of fandom-inducing love as These Violent Delights for me, though there will be some who love the games and world. The suspense and ending will capture the attention of many readers, who will hunger for book two. It does still read as more YA than adult, though.

I can't wait for the second one, this was so good and so well written that I could not stop reading!!

The characters, the plots and subplots, everything that happened made feel glad that I can read, and when we got to the romance OH MY MY MY MY, I'm really waiting for the fight and love scenes that are coming in the second book.

I would really recommend this book to the lovers of dystopia, fantasy with good scenes of action, well-built worlds and of course romance with the right type of drama.

I went into this story blind. It was also my first Chloe Gong book. I loved it so much, I purchase my own hardcover copy and a special edition copy for my bookshelf.

Thank you to Chloe Gong, S&S, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was ready to love this book based off the synopsis, but I’ll be honest it fell a little short for me. The pacing was way off and the first half to three quarters of the book moved pretty slow. While the twist at the end did catch me by surprise, so did the romance. For me personally it seemed like romance was kind of thrown in for the sake of having it I’m interested in seeing what happens in the next book and I’m hoping that it was just the world gilding that caused this first book to be so slow paced and that the plot picks up faster in the next book.

Rating: 3.5 rounding up to 4.

I was so so very into this book!!! I loved the characters, their chemistry, and I loved all the action. It was a shit ton of action and I was totally there for it!!! Calla was great!! She was interesting and I couldn’t quite figure out her angle until that was revealed to us… but then… the ending. It just about did me in because I hated it so much.

Don’t get me wrong, usually I won’t rate a book solely on the ending, but this one really ticked me off. And I still can’t get over it. The book was going along so smoothly and I was more into it than I thought I’d be. So when the ending happened, I kinda felt like my brain got hit by a metaphorical bus. Like sheesh. It was rough.

I won’t ruin it for you though! If you are dying to know what happened, go for it. I think most people will end up loving this one. I just can’t. But I’ll still probably read the next one. I just have to know if the series will redeem itself. Between the fantastic writing and how interesting this was until the end, I’m sure it will!

I wanted to like this, I really did. I think after reading her These Violent Delights series my expectations were a little high. The bones of a good story is there, the world building is there, but this could have used another pass through the editing department. The story was interesting enough to get me through to the end and maybe to pick up the second book when it comes out. But this one just didn't hit for me.

One of the strengths of the novel is Gong's ability to seamlessly weave together elements of Chinese folklore and mythology with the familiar themes of love and sacrifice found in Shakespeare's play. This adds depth and a unique cultural perspective to the story, making it both familiar and refreshingly new.

However, some readers may find the pacing of the novel to be a bit uneven, with certain sections feeling rushed while others are more leisurely paced. Additionally, while the blending of genres is a key aspect of the novel's appeal, some readers may find that the balance between the historical setting, the romance, and the fantasy elements is not always consistent.

This book was not my favorite. I enjoyed some of it, and I truly appreciated the twist on the source material of Antony and Cleopatra, but it did not keep my attention for a few reasons. I felt that it could have moved faster in terms of story and plot, and while I liked the characters fine, none of them were memorable once I finished reading. I didn't feel there was anything intrinsically unique about this book, which is unfortunate because Chloe Gong is an excellent author. I'll still continue to read her though!

Chloe gong is an absolute queen and I stand by that wholeheartedly. This one gave me heavy hunger games/squid games vibes that I really enjoyed and I loved the Antony cleopatra dynamic, which is a romance retelling I feel like I don’t see often.

DNF this book. Just didn’t intrigue me enough to keep reading. Maybe it just wasn’t for me and it may have gotten better but I couldn’t get into it

I think maybe Chloe Gong's writing style is not for me. I just could not get into it. Which is a real shame because I always find her premises to be so interesting!

I'm honestly very surprised by the hate for this and questioning whether or not I have good opinions. I really liked this book. I know that this was supposed to be dystopian and similar to the hunger games, but for me it felt very much fantasy meets the squid games. It more so reminds me of the squid games because these are mostly adult players that purchase a ticket to be entered into the games. They are mostly desperate to win (mostly for the money) for one personal reason or the other (whereas the hunger games features children who were forced into the games just trying to survive). I think the world building is excellent.

**NOTE**: I received a digital copy of this and then listened to the audiobook instead. So, I do think things were easier for me to follow because I listened to them. And frankly, the narrator did a fantastic job in the audio book so paragraphs never felt like they were just going on forever, as they may have in the book. 10/10 would buy the audio book for my library.