Reviews tagging 'War'

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

99 reviews

sandonat's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

It’s not bad writing but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. The ending felt unsatisfying and dark. There were specific parts that I don’t think I truly understood. It felt too long but also not enough focus on the main characters. The bugs were always so gross.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

piprigsby's review against another edition

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

4.25

this book was definitely more politics-heavy than the first book, as they are searching for the monsters but the political turmoil takes up more of the story.

SPOILERS

tell me why i decided to pick up a romeo and juliet retelling and still expected that they were going to be alive at the end??? i am the mayor of stupid city honestly but damn it hurt okay!! 

SPOILERS OVER

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Colonisation

mblanke's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Colonisation

chiruruchi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and War

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I found a copy of this book at the library bookstore.
"Our Violent Ends" is the sequel and conclusion to "These Violent Delights". A year later, and Shanghai is growing very close to a revolution. Juliette sacrificed her relationship with Roma to protect him, but all Roma knows is her betrayal, and he will not forgive her. Juliette is also trying to handle her unruly cousin who is attempting to take the throne from her and rule the Scarlet Gang himself. Roma is still trying to process the death of Marshall, and he will do anything to exact revenge. But when a bigger threat than both gangs combined threatens everyone, Juliette and Roma are forced back together to try to figure out who is terrorizing their city, and why.
I had absolutely no intention of reading this book. When I originally read "These Violent Delights" I was terribly underwhelmed and figured that this series was just not for me. But, when I found a nearly perfect condition for sale, I figured it was probably a sign and I should give Chloe Gong one more shot, and I am so happy I did.
This book had everything I wanted from the first book, and more. This duology is inspired by "Romeo & Juliet", which is great, but I wanted to see the author take this original idea and do more with it: enter book two. Juliette and Roma and their feuding families still do not get along, but Juliette and Roma still love each other, even if their love is buried by confusion and betrayal. The pair are still forced together, and their spark is still very much alive.
This installment kept having twists and turns I did not anticipate, which kept me very engaged throughout this story. I did not want to put this book down, because the stakes felt so much higher. Both gangs were out for blood, and either gang could have very easily taken out either Juliette or Roma. Juliette's perspectives were my favorite because she was acting like a double agent. She saw the bigger picture but could not let anyone in on what was happening.
If you were like me and struggled through the first book, I recommend giving the second book a shot, it is definitely the stronger of the two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War

Minor: Sexual content

bookycnidaria's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia

kottengoesbork's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Gun violence and Colonisation

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

I felt like the plot in this one wasn’t as good as the first book, but the character development was spot on. It was emotional af, though. I couldn’t handle Ben’s chapters at all.  

Fantasy, Dark Romance, Taboo, 1 🔥

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

omg!! This book definitely exceeded my expectations and was even better than the first. The action, the betrayal, and the angst made this a suspenseful yet gut wrenching read bc even if you predicted certain things, you never knew when or if they would happen or to whom. The way the book left off at the open ending of did they or didn’t they when it came to Juliette and Roma’s HEA, Chloe Gong wrote it in a way that makes you believe they did bc it’s the ending they deserves after fighting so hard for it. This duology was so good and one I’ll always appreciate reading. I’m also glad that people insisted on reading this before starting Foul Last Fortune since it’s a connected series bc I was able to get the full backstory on the rival families and the war on the city, etc. I 1000000% recommend reading this duology if you’re looking for a high stakes fantasy Romeo & Juliet retelling‼️ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Sexual content and Xenophobia

bluelilyleest's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.0

 Chloe Gong putting me behind on my reading challenge again because her books are so damn long 😅

So, I loved it. I get why people say the second book is better than the first, because in terms of character interaction/profiles/development, it did much more. The plot was thicc, the pace was fast but still allowed for funny moments or background information, the setting and atmosphere were immersive. 

Then why do I not rate it 5 stars, you ask? I ask myself the same question. I can't quite put my finger on what was lacking, and therefore you probably shouldn't take my review too seriously. It was a great retelling of what we know to be Romeo and Juliet. I think now, whenever Shakespeare's play is mentioned, I will think about Gong's Romeo and Juliet, too, and I believe that is no small feat. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Misogyny and Xenophobia