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ye_li's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Confinement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
plumpyherb13's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia, Gore, and Body horror
packedjam's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
it’s better than the first book.
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Torture, Genocide, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, and War
Moderate: Trafficking, Xenophobia, Sexism, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
sambashua's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Suicide, Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, War, and Violence
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- 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
Characters
I really enjoyed reading about Juliette. She’s a strong female character that know what she wants. The thing I like the most about her is that she isn’t stripped of her femininity. She will save the world in dresses and she doesn’t need your opinion about that. She makes questionable choices but she is a morally gray character. It makes her believable. I liked Roma a bit less. He can be a bit whiny but he is still decent I guess.
The story
The story is about Roma and Juliette, two gangster heirs in the streets of Shanghai. They have loved each other in the past but there relationship ended because of mutual betrayal. It’s a enemy to lovers, action packed, unique story with some darker plot twists. I’m not a big romance reader but I still enjoyed this book tremendously. The story is written with a medium/fast pacing and is really well thought out. The writer is able to take you with her on a journey through history (with a twist) in this Romeo and Juliette retelling. The ending was dramatic but it fits the setting.
The worldbuilding
The author has thought up an amazing world. Yes it’s older days Shanghai but it also has an unique flair to it. It’s an interesting read because of the world that is created.
100% recommend this book for loves of romance, drama and gangsters.
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Classism, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, War, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts
annie_m_12's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Murder, War, Police brutality, Violence, Blood, and Racism
katsbooks's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
“What was love if all it did was kill?”
“Nothing in this world is complicated, only misunderstood.”
I think this second novel surpassed the first one in terms of enjoyment. The connections to Romeo & Juliet are a little more noticeable in this novel. By the time I got about half way through and fully realized the ending to R & J and had to finish to figure out how it turned out in the end. I really appreciated how Juliette had so much more agency than the Juliet of Shakespeare's play. She was a total badass that got to call so many of the shots. I loved that change from the original. I also adored Marshall and Benedikt's story. I loved how secondary characters like Marshall, Benedikt, Celia and Rosalind had side stories that were developed so much more from the first book. There were definitely points when I cared more about their stories than the main love story between Roma and Juliette. That being said, I still really loved the love story. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope so this definitely delivered in that regard. And finally, as a history teacher, I loved the connection to real life events that occurred during the Chinese Civil War. They even name-dropped Chiang Kai-Shek! The author made a point in her author's note to note the pieces that weren't quite historically accurate (other than the fantastical elements, of course.) The political intrigue felt quite realistic for that reason. I really enjoyed all of the different factions. It felt messy and complex but it rang true. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this duology and would definitely recommend. I can't wait to see what Chloe Gong comes out with next.
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
aep215's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Genocide
molly_rose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
celines_schemes's review against another edition
2.25
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
Moderate: Colonisation