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lectricefeministe's review
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Blood, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, Gun violence, Gore, War, Classism, and Colonisation
nehanaomi'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gore, Medical content, War, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Violence
aseel_reads'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? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Police brutality, War, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Violence
btrz7's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Firstly, this is one of those books where an author chooses a setting (location/time period) and instead of letting it just work as a background, they fully brought it to life and let it be relevant to the story. I think Chloe Gong painted a very vivid picture of Shangai and the gang's lives and this certainly elevates the story in my eyes.
As for plot, I understand intertwining politics with gang business (not that the two leads seemed to care that much about politics), but at some point I felt like the fantasy element was too much. Like, specially in this book, it felt like it was sidetracked for a long portion of the book, and I feel like the same effect on the story could have been achieved by a non supernatural element. This is already a retelling, which has its own elements and beats to hit, and while I thought the rival gangs with a blood feud fit it well, the book felt too long for me. As in, I felt like some sections of the plot were neglected for too long, and specially towards the second half of the book, I kept waiting for things to wrap up, and even when it felt like it was time to conclude it, there were tons of things still left.
Lastly, I didn't care much for the two main characters and their relationship (when it felt to me like it was time to end the book, I kept thinking "isn't it time for you to die now?") but I did like their respective sidekicks (Ben and Marshall, Rosalind and Kathleen), and it was their endings I was looking forward to since the end of book 1.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
averyrembish'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
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Suicidal thoughts
ourlastopus'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
ok, now iβm going back to crying
Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Torture, Death, Violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Xenophobia, Classism, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Death of parent
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
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
itβs 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
eve_reads'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? It's complicated
4.5
β Gong takes the beloved enemies-to-lovers trope and raises you enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-and-back-to-lovers-again FLAWLESSLY. She doesn't ignore the conflict between their families and political parties, but builds that tension into every scene between them. It's an agonizing slow-burn with the greatest payoff.
β This sequel was even more enriched with historical context than These Violent Delights. I've never read a book in this setting before and loved learning about/researching 1920's Shanghai.
β [spoilers] I love the small bit of hope that Gong concludes this duology with. She still honors the authentic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet but also makes space for the reader to explore other possibilities for her main characters.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, War, Cursing, Classism, and Colonisation
btwnprintedpgs'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
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Body horror