Scan barcode
prashiie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
"These violent delights have violent ends."
This story too shows similarities with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I don’t want to spoil it, so you’ll see when you read it. Just read it…!
This story too shows similarities with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I don’t want to spoil it, so you’ll see when you read it. Just read it…!
The tables have turned and there’s so much chaos. In the previous book, Roma kept a secret from Juliette and protected her whilst Juliette held a grudge against Roma for betraying her. Now it is Juliette who is trying to protect Roma. So to sum it up: lovers turned enemies turned lovers turned enemies again.
It was a little frustrating, because I felt like she should have told Roma and they could have figured it out together. Like he said:
But of course as soon as Tyler notices Juliette’s misstep, he would swoop in and take over everything. The frictions were already escalating between the gangs, so Juliette is forced to pick a side.
There were so many emotional moments: Benedikt’s grief, Rosalind’s and Tyler’s fate. Juliette did what she had to do to save Roma, but it broke my heart when she looked back to her past interactions with Tyler. On the other hand, there were some very adorable moments as well, for example when Roma and Juliette get married in secret! And the cute nicknames they have for each other! Oh, my heart…
“I take you, Juliette Cai,” Roma whispered in concentration, ”to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, until…” He looked up as he finished the knot. Paused. When he spoke again, he did not look away. "No, scratch that. 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.”
“I take you, Juliette Cai,” Roma whispered in concentration, ”to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, until…” He looked up as he finished the knot. Paused. When he spoke again, he did not look away. "No, scratch that. 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.”
"Together or not at all, dorogaya," Roma whispered back. "I'm with you if we run. I'm with you if we fight."
No, I’m not crying. You’re crying!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
hnagarne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Grief, Police brutality, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Genocide, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Homophobia and Deadnaming
katsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
"...for however long our souls remain, mine will always find yours.”
“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.
“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.
Content Warnings
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
keiraeliza's review against another edition
adventurous
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? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Deadnaming and Violence
More...