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pages_with_panda'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
“Tiān nǎ” (I hope I'm using that phrase right!)
A beautiful continuation of the first story, picking up right where we left off. There's really no time for much recap so if it's been a while since you read the first one, maybe brush up on some names. This book is fast-paced, full of betrayal, violence, and yearning.
"Lovers turned to strangers, and it cut deep enough to bleed."
The monsters are still here - this time with a new master who can control them at will. The threat of the Communists, the Revolutionaries and both gangs are still around our main characters and they have to deal with the plot-twist of the last book.
Juliette and Romeo's relationship in this book was amazing. I loved their development from enemies-to-lovers and their love-hate relationship. Forced together (again) to work on solving the mystery of the monsters was great and I ate it up.
Only he knew that if he screamed I hate you, what he really meant was I love you. I still love you so much that I hate you for it.
Beyond our two star-crossed lovers, I fell in love with Alisa, Rosalind, Celia, Marshall and Benedict. Their stories were intertwined well with our main characters, and I loved all of them...Though one a lot less than the others.
The relationships/romance weren't the main points of the story either. (Reminder that the original Romeo+Juliet wasn’t a romance but a TRAGEDY.) Gong does a great job of making this a historical fantasy book by tying in real events that happened in Shanghai. The politics were interesting and making no one faction the good guy/bad guy made for a great story. Her writing was descriptive and poetic, and she even quoted some of the plays dialogue in a way that fit the setting.
And even though this is a retelling, the story was full of surprises and I audible gasped at a few scenes. The ending should've been expected but still hurt.
Loved it.
She would rather hold this hope so close to her chest that it feels like a fire on its own, flickering against the darkness, flickering even where other embers burn out.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
andatherrin'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and War
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
esme_t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Abandonment
hnagarne's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Deadnaming and Homophobia
clawclawclaw'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: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and War
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
namenotimportant's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"In the end, this was all that they were. Two hearts pressed as close as they dared, shadows melding into one by the flickering candlelight."
Wow, I'm in awe. This book had me in a chokehold for the last 100 pages. No scratch that, at least the last 200 pages.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
rexpostfacto's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
sabrinz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The threat of more monsters hangs over Shanghai and Roma is convinced by Juliette's charade that she has killed Marshall. However, the two crime lords want their heirs to work suddenly work together to find a blackmailer who threatens to unleash more of the monsters. Soon, the blackmailer becomes the least of Roma and Juliette's problems as the powder keg that is Shanghai is only seconds away from exploding.
Buckle in for book 2 because there is a LOT going on and hardly a moment to catch your breath. It's a great conclusion to this take on Romeo and Juliet.
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Torture
sydneyluxford'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
4.5
Juliette and Roma have my whole heart, for real.
Despite the ending, the moments between Juliette and Roma were so fucking good. It was definitely a step up from the first book, which I felt was lacking. I don’t know how I’m going to recover from this. The way they always found their way back to each other despite being literal gang rivals and having all odds against them 🥲😞.
Bro, Benedikt and Marshal are SO CUTE. The love confession from Ben at the end had no business being that cute when the stakes were so high:
“I’ll say it however many times you want. I’ll romance you until you get sick of me. I am horrendously, horrendously in love with your dreadful face.”
I actually don’t know how I’m going to be able to read Foul Lady Fortune KNOWING that Rosalind was the cause of all of this. She better redeem herself.
Juliette and Roma are literally The Great War by Taylor Swift.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Suicide, and Colonisation