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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
You destroy me and then you kiss me. You give me a reason to hate you and then you give me a reason to love you. Is this a lie or the truth? Is the a ploy or your heart reaching for me?
I know a good retelling when I see it
I know a good retelling when I see it
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in Shanghai in the 1920s… and with gangs. Loved the idea of it. I didn’t like the original Romeo and Juliet but this sounded so good. Unfortunately it’s a lot of info dumping, slow paced, and not a lot happening until over half way into the book. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t. I’m going to try the next book in the series and see if it gets better. Fingers crossed.
3.5/5
Ngl this was very slow at first and didn’t pick up until halfway. I struggled to get into it and almost DNFed until I switched to the audiobook. For some reason, the format change was much better for me in getting through the slow pacing. The narration kept me more engaged. The world-building was interesting but could definitely use some more work since parts of it were clunky and confusing. But I was hooked once the main conflict started happening. The characters were really the best part of this and kept me drawn in. Juliet and Roma are just
Ngl this was very slow at first and didn’t pick up until halfway. I struggled to get into it and almost DNFed until I switched to the audiobook. For some reason, the format change was much better for me in getting through the slow pacing. The narration kept me more engaged. The world-building was interesting but could definitely use some more work since parts of it were clunky and confusing. But I was hooked once the main conflict started happening. The characters were really the best part of this and kept me drawn in. Juliet and Roma are just
The ENDING was insane but the first half was hard for me to get into.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
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
The book is a very nice rendition of Romeo and Juliet, while still containing enough of its own story, which keeps it interesting. I thought the parallels were beautifully crafted, which caused some very cool moments of "OHHH, I know this scene". That being said, it was a bit too gory for me at times and I was a bit disappointed by the ending. I just feel like it would've been better as a standalone book and the second book was a bit forced. I will still read it though.
This was a really fun twist on Romeo and Juliette taking place in 1930s Shanghai . Slow burn enemies to lovers. It also incorporates a lot of politics of the times which was really interesting.