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sarahmell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ew ew EW
angheligaya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? No
5.0
tencutepuppies's review against another edition
5.0
(5/5) I’d already heard this book being raved about, but ooh girl once I read that first sentence, I knew we were in for a ride. I’m so glad I started the year off with such a bang, but this definitely raises the bar for the books to follow. These Violent Delights had the perfect melting pot of gripping mystery, gory horror, criminal dealings and a complicated romance. As a note, there will be light spoilers below.
Worldbuilding:
I figured we’d start here because wow, 1920’s Shanghai was such a spectacular choice for a setting. The worldbuilding and integration of Chinese culture was so beautiful. After reading, I honestly feel like I came out a lot more knowledgeable. As an unfortunate soul who struggled my way through the American highschool system, most of the culture and complexities of the history was new to me (though, as a side note, this was really cool to read right after taking a Monsoon Asia history course). It was also really interesting seeing how the Roaring 20’s affected Shangai; I knew of the general aesthetic in America, but I didn’t think about how it carried over to China with things like flapper girls and the general glitz and glam. The way the concepts of communism, competing foreign powers and slight references to ideas of colonization were weaved together was as informative as it was immersive. I felt like I was really there. And there wasn’t so much information that it was detrimental, like a boring history lesson that drilled info into your head, you know?
Juliette:
Juliette is the kind of protagonist I love so much: cunning, power-hungry, ruthless to a fault, and certainly not a good person. The complexity of her struggle trying to prove herself to her fellow gangsters as both a woman and an Americanized person was so nice to read about. I very much enjoyed her grappling with her identity as someone heavily influenced both by Chinese and American culture. She’s both so cold and so passionate and that’s such a good combination. In what seems like a world of protagonists with no actual detrimental flaws, Juliette is refreshingly real. Especially during the end, I feel that there is potential for an arc involving the repercussions of the dark, violent path she’s embarking on. I’m very into that.
Roma:
I feel like I don’t fully understand his character yet. There’s so much I don’t understand about him—not that this is a bad thing, I just think there’s potential to explore both his father’s abuse and his gang’s favoritism of Dmitri over Roma, the rightful heir. Due to Juliette getting the brunt of the chapters, I can understand why he wasn’t fully explored as of yet. Roma’s a good person at heart, so that made his knife fight with Dmitri all the better to read about. Roma dreams of a better world, but is repeatedly dragged into the realities of his own violent, bloodthirsty one—one he has to keep killing in just to stay alive and in his father’s good graces. It’s like he wants to be the softhearted fifteen-year-old Juliette first fell in love with, but his skill with a gun and tendency to get into situations where blood has to be shed because of the feud make that impossible.
Romance:
Oh my god. The romance. I knew it was going to be good, but not this good. They bleed out so much combined angst I thought I was going to drown. But in a good way. I normally don’t live for relationships that begin before the first page, but given the sheer amount of betrayal and hatred involved, it had me hooked. The way their feelings were intertwined with such hostility and animosity warmed my cold dead heart. I loved seeing how they kept trying to kill their connection but their romance was inevitable. Given the inspiration for this story is Romeo and Juliet, this relationship is doomed from the start but after what they’ve been through, the poor children deserve to be happy together forever. Hell, they went from enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies all in the span of one book. We love to see it.
Secondary Characters:
Kathleen - She was probably my favorite of the secondary characters; I always enjoyed her rare POV’s. Her struggles as a softer, less vicious gangster without the protection of the Cai last name made her really interesting. Kathleen and her sister’s relationship was different and complex. I’m excited to see where it’s taken in the next book. There was something about Kathleen’s personality and her grip on her own morality as a gangster that I don’t know how to put into words, but it made her very unique to me. Also, sick trans representation with her too.
Benedikt + Marshall - These two were the ultimate chaotic duo. The way their personalities clashed and the way their dialogue bounced off each other was so fun to read. I liked the way their friendship eventually deepened to reveal hidden feelings. The slow burn is real. And given *that* part of the ending, I expect a great amount of yearning and angst to come.
The Plot:
As I touched on before, the elements of horror, mystery and romance were mixed together so well. And damn, that ending hit me like a punch to the face. Whatever I was expecting, it was NOT that. If my memory serves, I don’t think I’ve read a story lately that involves a horrifying monster in such a way, but after reading the destruction and looming terror of Shangai’s monster the more people it slaughtered, I’m wondering if I should read more soon. One thing I thought was done so well was the balance of nonstop action and characterization. There was so much happening with the discovery of clues and such, but there was enough time taken to develop the characters so that I actually felt connected to them—even the secondary characters, which is sort of unusual. I greatly appreciated that.
Overall, this was a gem of a debut with gorgeous writing that makes me endlessly envious as a fellow writer. An easy five stars. I will be recommending this and definitely reading more of Ms. Chloe Gong’s future works.
Worldbuilding:
I figured we’d start here because wow, 1920’s Shanghai was such a spectacular choice for a setting. The worldbuilding and integration of Chinese culture was so beautiful. After reading, I honestly feel like I came out a lot more knowledgeable. As an unfortunate soul who struggled my way through the American highschool system, most of the culture and complexities of the history was new to me (though, as a side note, this was really cool to read right after taking a Monsoon Asia history course). It was also really interesting seeing how the Roaring 20’s affected Shangai; I knew of the general aesthetic in America, but I didn’t think about how it carried over to China with things like flapper girls and the general glitz and glam. The way the concepts of communism, competing foreign powers and slight references to ideas of colonization were weaved together was as informative as it was immersive. I felt like I was really there. And there wasn’t so much information that it was detrimental, like a boring history lesson that drilled info into your head, you know?
Juliette:
Juliette is the kind of protagonist I love so much: cunning, power-hungry, ruthless to a fault, and certainly not a good person. The complexity of her struggle trying to prove herself to her fellow gangsters as both a woman and an Americanized person was so nice to read about. I very much enjoyed her grappling with her identity as someone heavily influenced both by Chinese and American culture. She’s both so cold and so passionate and that’s such a good combination. In what seems like a world of protagonists with no actual detrimental flaws, Juliette is refreshingly real. Especially during the end, I feel that there is potential for an arc involving the repercussions of the dark, violent path she’s embarking on. I’m very into that.
Roma:
I feel like I don’t fully understand his character yet. There’s so much I don’t understand about him—not that this is a bad thing, I just think there’s potential to explore both his father’s abuse and his gang’s favoritism of Dmitri over Roma, the rightful heir. Due to Juliette getting the brunt of the chapters, I can understand why he wasn’t fully explored as of yet. Roma’s a good person at heart, so that made his knife fight with Dmitri all the better to read about. Roma dreams of a better world, but is repeatedly dragged into the realities of his own violent, bloodthirsty one—one he has to keep killing in just to stay alive and in his father’s good graces. It’s like he wants to be the softhearted fifteen-year-old Juliette first fell in love with, but his skill with a gun and tendency to get into situations where blood has to be shed because of the feud make that impossible.
Romance:
Oh my god. The romance. I knew it was going to be good, but not this good. They bleed out so much combined angst I thought I was going to drown. But in a good way. I normally don’t live for relationships that begin before the first page, but given the sheer amount of betrayal and hatred involved, it had me hooked. The way their feelings were intertwined with such hostility and animosity warmed my cold dead heart. I loved seeing how they kept trying to kill their connection but their romance was inevitable. Given the inspiration for this story is Romeo and Juliet, this relationship is doomed from the start but after what they’ve been through, the poor children deserve to be happy together forever. Hell, they went from enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies all in the span of one book. We love to see it.
Secondary Characters:
Kathleen - She was probably my favorite of the secondary characters; I always enjoyed her rare POV’s. Her struggles as a softer, less vicious gangster without the protection of the Cai last name made her really interesting. Kathleen and her sister’s relationship was different and complex. I’m excited to see where it’s taken in the next book. There was something about Kathleen’s personality and her grip on her own morality as a gangster that I don’t know how to put into words, but it made her very unique to me. Also, sick trans representation with her too.
Benedikt + Marshall - These two were the ultimate chaotic duo. The way their personalities clashed and the way their dialogue bounced off each other was so fun to read. I liked the way their friendship eventually deepened to reveal hidden feelings. The slow burn is real. And given *that* part of the ending, I expect a great amount of yearning and angst to come.
The Plot:
As I touched on before, the elements of horror, mystery and romance were mixed together so well. And damn, that ending hit me like a punch to the face. Whatever I was expecting, it was NOT that. If my memory serves, I don’t think I’ve read a story lately that involves a horrifying monster in such a way, but after reading the destruction and looming terror of Shangai’s monster the more people it slaughtered, I’m wondering if I should read more soon. One thing I thought was done so well was the balance of nonstop action and characterization. There was so much happening with the discovery of clues and such, but there was enough time taken to develop the characters so that I actually felt connected to them—even the secondary characters, which is sort of unusual. I greatly appreciated that.
Overall, this was a gem of a debut with gorgeous writing that makes me endlessly envious as a fellow writer. An easy five stars. I will be recommending this and definitely reading more of Ms. Chloe Gong’s future works.
bo0ks_are_cool91's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
LOVE the world and the characters, but I felt kinda slumped during the middle. It was lots of fun following the mystery and the payoff (and that cliffhanger?????!!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcohol
heliosphere's review against another edition
2.0
not to be mean but this book really has the awkward florid wordiness of a fanfiction and the wattpad white boy asian girl pairing to match it. also the vague stance on colonialism and anti-communism-bait are crazy... that said, i have to read the 2nd book to find out how this is resolved.
the_nook_of_tomes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nikkilpzs's review against another edition
4.0
filmed a vlog hehe but over all I loved it! Warning: it’s not a romance book as it’s marketed, it’s more focused on power dynamics and political intrigue !
carmenpeerezm's review against another edition
4.0
El final me tuvo a punto de infarto, no sé yo si sobreviviré al segundo porque MADRE MÍA.
Amo a todos los personajes pero… Juliette y Benedikt <3
Eso si, sobre todo por el medio le faltó un pelín más de emoción. Yo entiendo que tenia que ser lento para que no quedasen cabo sueltos pero pf, hubo un cierto momento que era todo bastante estático.
Amo a todos los personajes pero… Juliette y Benedikt <3
Eso si, sobre todo por el medio le faltó un pelín más de emoción. Yo entiendo que tenia que ser lento para que no quedasen cabo sueltos pero pf, hubo un cierto momento que era todo bastante estático.