Scan barcode
chronicacademia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Torture, Violence, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
karcitis'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Colonisation, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Death
Minor: Homophobia, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Transphobia, and Car accident
vaish's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Physical abuse
kdailyreads'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Torture, War, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, Gun violence, Medical content, Classism, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Child death
plumpaperbacks'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
3.75
It’s not that this was a bad book. It wasn’t. But it did lack the intrigue that drew me into and then kept me reading These Violent Delights. I guessed one of the major plot twists back in the first quarter of the book, and was just generally not as invested in the story or characters. The only one of the seven that I really liked was Alisa. Of the others, we barely saw Celia or Oliver, and I thought both Oliver and Phoebe were kind of annoying. I was mostly indifferent toward Rosalind and Orion—although Orion was, at least, occasionally amusing—and Silas just felt bland.
I couldn’t even get behind any of the ships. Silas and Phoebe had no chemistry. If we hadn’t been told that they liked each other, I wouldn’t have known. Oliver and Celia didn’t have nearly enough page time for me to get behind them. Honestly, I feel like both Silas and Celia could do better, sorry not sorry. As for Rosalind and Orion, I’ll admit that they had a few good scenes and some good banter, but for the most part, they just kind of felt… meh. I hate to say all of this, but it’s true. I know what Chloe can do with romance—I’ve seen it in Romette and in Benmars. I adore both of those couples and was hoping to feel similar love for these new ones, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I do think that Rosaorion has the most potential for the sequel, though. Maybe I could still board that ship at some point. We’ll see.
My favorite part of the book was the tiny Benmars update we got in one of Alisa’s early chapters, and the most entertaining part was searching for clues as to whether or not Roma and Juliette are still alive. I already thought they were before starting; now that I’ve finished, I’m certain not only that they’re alive, but also that we’ll see them in the sequel. If I had money, I would bet on it. I legit have a note on my phone full of textual evidence and theories.
So, yeah. It pains me to give one of Chloe’s books less than five stars, but this just… didn’t do it for me. I had both high hopes and high expectations after reading and adoring the TVD books last year, and unfortunately, this fell flat. I’m still going to read the sequel though, partially out of curiosity, but mostly because I want to see Roma and Juliette again. 💁🏼💁🏼
Representation
- demisexual Chinese protagonist
- two bisexual Chinese protagonists
- trans MTF Chinese protagonist
- unlabeled queer Chinese protagonist
- Chinese protagonist
- aromantic asexual protagonist
- various Chinese and Japanese side characters
Graphic: War, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Physical abuse
Emotional and physical abuse are there regarding mentions of them in characters’ pasts. Additional content warning for human experimentation.ashortbooklover'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: Physical abuse, Gore, Torture, Murder, Death, Violence, and Sexual harassment