Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
the ending wasn't entirely my cup of tea but otherwise i did like it a lot
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Oh my heart! Chloe Gong, you blew my mind with this sequel. I don’t often love sequels more than the first book, but this! *sigh* this book had me on the edge of everything. Perhaps with a title like that, you would expect the most tragic and most reluctant expectation of an ending to a book! And I loved every bit of it. 1920s Shanghai was everything I grew up watching on Chinese soap operas. Gangsters and the glamour, the bloodshed and love. This book captures it all! With Juliette and Roma at the center of it all! I fell harder in love with them as well as the rest of the crew. I need to hope as well!
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
I really wanted to love this more than I did, considering how much I enjoyed the first one.
But I wasn't as invested in the characters or the plot as it progressed. There were some moments that grabbed me but I didn't feel like I wanted to keep reading to know more.
I think it went for a bit longer than necessary but do appreciate the portrayal of a strong and passionate romance.
But I wasn't as invested in the characters or the plot as it progressed. There were some moments that grabbed me but I didn't feel like I wanted to keep reading to know more.
I think it went for a bit longer than necessary but do appreciate the portrayal of a strong and passionate romance.
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:
No
adventurous
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
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
i really wished that i liked this one more because i absolutely loved the first one. i feel like a main part of it was that i just took too long to read it.
loved how intense the enemies to lovers part was for the first half of this book. had me gagged!
i loved like all of the characters and their plot lines. i think the part of this book that fell flat for me was the monsters, because compared to the first book it was kind of just like they were there and didn't really play a huge role in everything.
anyway juliette + roma 4ever
marshall + benedikt 4 ever
i love love!
loved how intense the enemies to lovers part was for the first half of this book. had me gagged!
i loved like all of the characters and their plot lines. i think the part of this book that fell flat for me was the monsters, because compared to the first book it was kind of just like they were there and didn't really play a huge role in everything.
anyway juliette + roma 4ever
marshall + benedikt 4 ever
i love love!
The conclusion to this duology finally really leans into the Romeo & Juliet plot beats, but twists them just enough that the blend into the story, taking the reader by surprise each time those resonances occur. This is a much bigger story than just the two titular lovers; the cast from book 1 is here and the secondary characters all get at least one or two POV chapters which allow the reader to access their feelings as well as delve more into the politics at play in 1927 Shanghai. I was really glad to get more Benedikt/Marshall as well as Kathleen & a little Rosalind.
This book shines in bringing to life the atmosphere of a tumultuous and dangerous moment for Shanghai. The author's note admits to shuffling some events of history, but for a work with magic and literal monsters, it still gives a great deal of insight into the time period. I would say the magic and monsters ended up really being a secondary plot problem in comparison with the shifting alliances of the political and mob factions. This is a much more historical fiction book and the first is much more fantasy mystery. If the first book was bloody, this one is just as violent, but the death toll starts to feel more personal this time around.
The romance aspect re-treads some of the same ground in this book since Juliet has engineered their animosity to be re-kindled, and once again they are forced to work together. It had been long enough since I read the first one that I didn't mind this too much, though the reckless teenager decisions don't really let up either, and that can still be frustrating. Once again, the tension is kept pretty high throughout this book, and it moves quickly despite its length.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the Rosalind duology; I found Kathleen (and hertransformation into Celia ) to be more compelling than Rosalind's side story, and I'm hesitant on the "accidentally became immortal" premise. I am, though, interested in the picking up the novellas since the Benedikt/Marshall train murder mystery sounds fun, and I love their dynamic.
This book shines in bringing to life the atmosphere of a tumultuous and dangerous moment for Shanghai. The author's note admits to shuffling some events of history, but for a work with magic and literal monsters, it still gives a great deal of insight into the time period. I would say the magic and monsters ended up really being a secondary plot problem in comparison with the shifting alliances of the political and mob factions. This is a much more historical fiction book and the first is much more fantasy mystery. If the first book was bloody, this one is just as violent, but the death toll starts to feel more personal this time around.
The romance aspect re-treads some of the same ground in this book since Juliet has engineered their animosity to be re-kindled, and once again they are forced to work together. It had been long enough since I read the first one that I didn't mind this too much, though the reckless teenager decisions don't really let up either, and that can still be frustrating. Once again, the tension is kept pretty high throughout this book, and it moves quickly despite its length.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the Rosalind duology; I found Kathleen (and her