Reviews tagging 'Grief'

These Violent Delights. Gwałtowne pasje by Chloe Gong

74 reviews

alibrarymouse's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

While the idea of this book sounds so interesting, I just couldn’t get behind the characters. The side characters really make this book because Juliette and Roma weren’t really likable. 

It’s also super gory, so it was a little gross to repeatedly hear about

people ripping their own throats out

I understand the point trying to be made, but this goes a little too far with it. I did like the world created and explored because 1920s Shanghai was interesting, but there were a few things even within the plot I would have liked explained a bit more. 

Maybe these get cleared up in the sequel? However, I wasn’t moved enough by anyone or anything to have much interest in the next and felt the ending was satisfactory enough to just call it a day after this one. 

Worth reading for the world and the commentary on colonialism/imperialism, but the slow burn, friends to enemies to lovers and twist at the end wasn’t my favorite. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

brookeimcfeely's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Cursing, Death, Violence, War, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, and Medical content

cdoubet's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Genocide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Death

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Medical content, Police brutality, and Mental illness

mblanke's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, Classism, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, and Violence

bo0ks_are_cool91's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

LOVE the world and the characters, but I felt kinda slumped during the middle. It was lots of fun following the mystery and the payoff (and that cliffhanger?????!!!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Death, and Body horror

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Alcohol

anna_333's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Nothing like I expected, loved it's gritty darkness while maintaining likable characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Physical abuse

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical content, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Bullying, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

victoria_elaine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I really liked the writing and setting of this book. I also enjoyed how much went into setting up the cultural background, as the world building was executed phenomenally. This is definitely leaning toward the fantasy side, just in a realistic setting.

I wish I didn’t have to wait so long to see Roma and Juliette together since they ended on bad terms rip, but I loved their development.

One thing I will say is this book was pretty long and drawn out in parts, but also I’m just impatient. Overall a good read and pretty different from anything I’ve read before. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Death, Murder, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Grief

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

These Violent Delights is a great re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai, China with Roma & Juliette now at odds against each other after secretly dating four years prior to the events of the novel. Their families head the rival White Flowers and Scarlet Gang, and they can never forget that key piece of their personal identities. I love the subtle (and not-so-subtle) callbacks to the original play through major and minor characters, scenes, and pivotal lines. Those were all written in carefully to tie book into its source material but not pull the reader out of the new historical fiction story. Gong also did a delicately wonderful job weaving Chinese and other world history into the setting and plot by laying the history out whenever relevant to the story or characters but never over-explaining anything. Knowing the history prior to reading this book is not necessary but did add to my experience. The mystery of what causes the madness seeping into the city pushes enemies together for collaboration, and the intense action kept me hooked. Diversity in cast felt authentic to the time period of China's forced spheres of influence from other countries' powers, and the multi-pov storytelling really made certain chapters feel like isolated scenes as in a play. I am excited to read the sequel and the other books in the world of Secret Shanghai soon. The bonus content in the B&N edition was well worth it, too. I loved getting inside Roma's head through his letters from their first romance together, the prequel story of their courtship before is so sweet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Emotional abuse, Blood, Classism, Violence, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Gore, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Cursing, Terminal illness, Racism, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Drug use

cnaccarato's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Sexism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality, Outing, Bullying, Sexual content, and Homophobia