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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
Cheese and rice. I knew this book was going to be intense, but I was absolutely not prepared for how intense it actually was. I think I survived all of the other books I’ve read over the years just so this one specifically could kill me. Very rarely do books evoke such physical reactions in me; as I read, I was laughing, gasping, and my heart was pounding. I don’t think it slowed down at all during the second half of the book.
There’s not much I can say that’s spoiler-free, and honestly, I don’t have either the physical or emotional energy right now for an in-depth review. Just know that as much as I loved the first book, somehow I love this one even more. Juliette, Roma, Marshall, Benedikt, and Alisa stole my heart; Juliette and Roma in particular own my soul. I’m legit reevaluating my mental list of favorite series of all time to make room for this duology in the top five. Anything that affects me as much as this did sure as hell deserves it.
So yeah. My heart is a pulp and my brain is mush and I don’t really know what to do with my life right now. If these books weren’t already one of my main personality traits, they are now. I’ll definitely reread them at some point, but I need to prepare myself for that first. I’m eagerly (and nervously) awaiting Chloe Gong’s next book.
Representation
There’s not much I can say that’s spoiler-free, and honestly, I don’t have either the physical or emotional energy right now for an in-depth review. Just know that as much as I loved the first book, somehow I love this one even more. Juliette, Roma, Marshall, Benedikt, and Alisa stole my heart; Juliette and Roma in particular own my soul. I’m legit reevaluating my mental list of favorite series of all time to make room for this duology in the top five. Anything that affects me as much as this did sure as hell deserves it.
So yeah. My heart is a pulp and my brain is mush and I don’t really know what to do with my life right now. If these books weren’t already one of my main personality traits, they are now. I’ll definitely reread them at some point, but I need to prepare myself for that first. I’m eagerly (and nervously) awaiting Chloe Gong’s next book.
Representation
- Chinese protagonist and side characters
- Chinese trans girl side character
- Korean queer side character
- queer side character with OCD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Police brutality
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
“It was all one and the same. It was this city, divided by names and colors and turfs, but somehow bleeding the exact same shade of violence.”
I cried, I broke apart and pulled myself back together while reading this book, I do have a lot to say but not a lot to write so I'll keep it simple:
Miss Chloe Gong, what the actual fuck?
some quotes i loved:
“Lovers turned to strangers, and it cut deep enough to bleed.”
“And what was love if all it did was kill?”
“Let the men jump. Let them be afraid of how she moved, like a hurricane intent on destruction.”
“Eternally running around trying to save a city that does not want to be saved, that is hardly good enough to be saved.”
“Nothing in this world is complicated, only misunderstood.”
“In the end, this was all that they were. Two hearts pressed as close as they dared, shadows melding into one by the flickering candlelight.”
“Ordinary things happen to ordinary people, and ordinary people settle for something that satisfies them, never knowing if there would have been greater happiness in another life.”
“Pain at that age was an eternal thing, a feeling that might never fade. It would, of course. Pain always faded, even if it refused to fully disappear. But that was a lesson that could only come with time too.”
“It sounded like a plea. A plea to the heavens, to the stars, to the forces that drew their fates.”
“A rose is a rose, even by another name, but we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.”
“To have and to hold, where even death cannot part us. In this life and the next, for however long our souls remain, mine will always find yours. Those are my vows to you.”
“Who cared about values when the history books were being written? What did it matter if the history books rewrote everything in the end?”
i was listening to all to well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) while writing this review bc i enjoy pain
'kay, I'm out
Bye
I cried, I broke apart and pulled myself back together while reading this book, I do have a lot to say but not a lot to write so I'll keep it simple:
Miss Chloe Gong, what the actual fuck?
some quotes i loved:
“Lovers turned to strangers, and it cut deep enough to bleed.”
“And what was love if all it did was kill?”
“Let the men jump. Let them be afraid of how she moved, like a hurricane intent on destruction.”
“Eternally running around trying to save a city that does not want to be saved, that is hardly good enough to be saved.”
“Nothing in this world is complicated, only misunderstood.”
“In the end, this was all that they were. Two hearts pressed as close as they dared, shadows melding into one by the flickering candlelight.”
“Ordinary things happen to ordinary people, and ordinary people settle for something that satisfies them, never knowing if there would have been greater happiness in another life.”
“Pain at that age was an eternal thing, a feeling that might never fade. It would, of course. Pain always faded, even if it refused to fully disappear. But that was a lesson that could only come with time too.”
“It sounded like a plea. A plea to the heavens, to the stars, to the forces that drew their fates.”
“A rose is a rose, even by another name, but we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.”
“To have and to hold, where even death cannot part us. In this life and the next, for however long our souls remain, mine will always find yours. Those are my vows to you.”
“Who cared about values when the history books were being written? What did it matter if the history books rewrote everything in the end?”
i was listening to all to well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) while writing this review bc i enjoy pain
'kay, I'm out
Bye
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
I'll admit, it did take me a bit to get into this, but I think that was more of a mood reading problem than an actual book problem. Once I got into it, man. The connections to Romeo and Juliet, the pacing, the characters. Definitely doesn't suffer from second book syndrome. Stay tuned for a full review to come later this week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Self harm
rachrreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for giving me an eARC copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Our Violent Ends was a masterpiece and Chloe Gong has proven herself to be a compelling storyteller. This thrilling and emotional conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology takes place in 1920s Shanghai, where Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai are enemies. Or at least, that’s what their families want them to believe. Roma and Juliette are on two opposing gangs in a blood feud that has lasted for decades, but no one even remembers why it started.
This beautiful twist on the story of Romeo & Juliet adds in other themes as well. Filled with historically accurate political concepts, Roma and Juliette must maneuver this political minefield while also stopping the monsters from attacking again. A new “larkspur” is in control of the monsters now that Paul is gone and both gangs are being threatened. Working together this time proves to be trouble, especially when Roma believes Juliette murdered one of his best friends. It had to be done to prevent her cousin, Tyler, from taking her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir and killing Roma to do so. Juliette will do whatever is necessary to keep Roma alive, even if it means losing a relationship with him forever.
Wow. Just wow! I cannot believe Chloe Gong is the same age as me and has written one of my top 10 books I’ve read (counting series as one book)! Oftentimes I find retellings to be worn out, after all it’s the same story with different settings, but Chloe made this her own. This book is a beautiful homage to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, while also being separate enough to leave me on my toes. I found myself thinking one thing would happen, only to be thoroughly surprised when it did not.
I cannot express my love for this book enough, and I will definitely be rereading this for years to come. Not once did I feel like the pacing dragged! The prose was beautifully done and even when something made me sad, I found myself saying “Yes, Chloe, yes!” I cannot wait to read her spin-off duology in 2022. I expect great things from Chloe Gong in the future and she is an automatic buy author for me.
Our Violent Ends was a masterpiece and Chloe Gong has proven herself to be a compelling storyteller. This thrilling and emotional conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology takes place in 1920s Shanghai, where Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai are enemies. Or at least, that’s what their families want them to believe. Roma and Juliette are on two opposing gangs in a blood feud that has lasted for decades, but no one even remembers why it started.
This beautiful twist on the story of Romeo & Juliet adds in other themes as well. Filled with historically accurate political concepts, Roma and Juliette must maneuver this political minefield while also stopping the monsters from attacking again. A new “larkspur” is in control of the monsters now that Paul is gone and both gangs are being threatened. Working together this time proves to be trouble, especially when Roma believes Juliette murdered one of his best friends. It had to be done to prevent her cousin, Tyler, from taking her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir and killing Roma to do so. Juliette will do whatever is necessary to keep Roma alive, even if it means losing a relationship with him forever.
Wow. Just wow! I cannot believe Chloe Gong is the same age as me and has written one of my top 10 books I’ve read (counting series as one book)! Oftentimes I find retellings to be worn out, after all it’s the same story with different settings, but Chloe made this her own. This book is a beautiful homage to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, while also being separate enough to leave me on my toes. I found myself thinking one thing would happen, only to be thoroughly surprised when it did not.
I cannot express my love for this book enough, and I will definitely be rereading this for years to come. Not once did I feel like the pacing dragged! The prose was beautifully done and even when something made me sad, I found myself saying “Yes, Chloe, yes!” I cannot wait to read her spin-off duology in 2022. I expect great things from Chloe Gong in the future and she is an automatic buy author for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
maggiewen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC
This is one of my most anticipated books of 2021 and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT
The only thing I really have to talk about is the plot. The story was so beautifully written but whole idea of this book was that the monster was back and this time stronger, but that’s kind of repetitive since the first book had almost the exact same plot. The characters definitely kept it interesting, but I feel like some of the side characters could have gotten more character development. That’s why I’m glad there’s a spin-off though, I’m so excited to see where those characters end up in Foul Lady Fortune. This book is the kind of book that just keeps you engaged the whole time, the TENSION and SUSPENSE during the last few chapters oh my god, my heart was going to beat OUT OF MY CHEST. I could not put this down until I’d finished it, and even after, I’m going to be thinking about it for at least the next few months.
You are not going to want to miss this enthralling sequel to These Violent Delights.
“They speak of Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai as the ones who had dared to dream. And for that, in a city consumed by nightmare, they were cut down without mercy.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
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