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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
DNF. Couldn’t finish and didn’t connect/care about the characters
Captivated from the start and thank goodness it’s nothing like the original. Roma’s way more realistic but I adore and live for Juliette’s fiery temper. Tyler made me want to chuck the book at the wall, and Alisa is so adorably innocent. I love how it was a slow burn enemies to lovers, and it was more plot based than Iovey dovey. The ending killed me even though I knew Marshall “died” by Juliette’s hand (I only spoiler a tiny bit). Super excited for the second book, and hopefully it’s not an emotional roller coaster
I’m not even a fan of Romeo & Juliet, but these retellings are getting out of hand!!! Seriously, take me into the world of These Violent Delights, to 1920’s Shanghai where I can befriend rival gangsters and hunt river monsters.
Although I’m tempted to kick off this review with praise, the first half of the book left me with mixed opinions. Roma and Juliette were probably the least interesting characters in my opinion, which—considering they’re the protagonists—made things harder for me to get through. You’d think that Roma being the male heir to a Russian gang and Juliette being the female heir to a Chinese gang would offer culturally vibrant and overall very different perspectives, but that wasn’t always the case. Similar family dilemmas and trauma made their POV’s feel closely related a lot of the time.
Since the start, though, These Violent Delights had a massive saving grace, one that was a consistent high point: Basically every character except Roma and Juliette.
I’m serious. The side characters undug the early grave this book was readying for itself. I love Kathleen, Benedikt and Marshall an unhealthy amount. I’m itching to read the sequel for them (and a certain *cough* dilemma involving two of them).
The amount of LGTBQ representation was lovely. Chloe Gong mentioned that said rep is incredibly important because it reflects the state of our current world, and teens should be able to see themselves in the stories they read (which I loved to hear!!) Kathleen’s experience as a trans woman in the 20’s touched my heart, and watching Marshall and Benedikt’s feelings for eachother subtly unravel was so sweet.
The last 20% of this book was mind blowing. The romance, action scenes, and plot twists that came had me beyond taken aback. (Swooning, gasping, putting the book down, and crying a bit for someone…). I need the sequel, desperately.
“The stars incline us, they do not bind us.”
Although I’m tempted to kick off this review with praise, the first half of the book left me with mixed opinions. Roma and Juliette were probably the least interesting characters in my opinion, which—considering they’re the protagonists—made things harder for me to get through. You’d think that Roma being the male heir to a Russian gang and Juliette being the female heir to a Chinese gang would offer culturally vibrant and overall very different perspectives, but that wasn’t always the case. Similar family dilemmas and trauma made their POV’s feel closely related a lot of the time.
Since the start, though, These Violent Delights had a massive saving grace, one that was a consistent high point: Basically every character except Roma and Juliette.
I’m serious. The side characters undug the early grave this book was readying for itself. I love Kathleen, Benedikt and Marshall an unhealthy amount. I’m itching to read the sequel for them (and a certain *cough* dilemma involving two of them).
The amount of LGTBQ representation was lovely. Chloe Gong mentioned that said rep is incredibly important because it reflects the state of our current world, and teens should be able to see themselves in the stories they read (which I loved to hear!!) Kathleen’s experience as a trans woman in the 20’s touched my heart, and watching Marshall and Benedikt’s feelings for eachother subtly unravel was so sweet.
The last 20% of this book was mind blowing. The romance, action scenes, and plot twists that came had me beyond taken aback. (Swooning, gasping, putting the book down, and crying a bit for someone…). I need the sequel, desperately.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
i’ve been sitting on my bed for 15mins questioning my existence
DNF it just never gripped me despite how much I read. I wasn't invested in Roma or Juliet at all. I really wish I was
I gotta say this is one of the better YA novels I’ve read in recent memory. Everything from the characters to the setting to the plot is substantial and worth caring about. If you’re looking for a semi-mystery semi-romance novel, this is the one for you.
The scenes were set so well with incredible care for detail and, consequently, created a mental picture akin to that of Gotham city in terms of mood. Throughout the read my mind, was bathed in the dark lamplight of a dark 1920s cityscape filled to the brim with shadow and crime.
The characters themselves did not disappoint: Juliette and Roma, as well as their close friends and relatives, all had distinct personalities as well as believable internal struggles and cares that made it more than easy to become invested in scenes with any of the characters—even if some weren’t the main focus of the story.
Above all the writing and focus on the lifestyle of our protagonists shines brightest with constant attention to detail concerning languages, dialects, voices and social interactions between varying cultures. With such details as these, the world feels all the more real in a way that is not too detail-oriented but justly rooted in the reality of a city of meshing countries and people.
The scenes were set so well with incredible care for detail and, consequently, created a mental picture akin to that of Gotham city in terms of mood. Throughout the read my mind, was bathed in the dark lamplight of a dark 1920s cityscape filled to the brim with shadow and crime.
The characters themselves did not disappoint: Juliette and Roma, as well as their close friends and relatives, all had distinct personalities as well as believable internal struggles and cares that made it more than easy to become invested in scenes with any of the characters—even if some weren’t the main focus of the story.
Above all the writing and focus on the lifestyle of our protagonists shines brightest with constant attention to detail concerning languages, dialects, voices and social interactions between varying cultures. With such details as these, the world feels all the more real in a way that is not too detail-oriented but justly rooted in the reality of a city of meshing countries and people.
Chloe Gong really ate with this book. I haven’t read a YA Fantasy in a minute, and this book really reminded me why I love the genre so much. The plot was so rich, and the romance was such a good slow burn. Scenes in this book played out like I was watching a movie in my head. LIKE IT WAS SO HARD TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. Some parts of the storyline were predictable and I definitely recognized some tropes from other YA fantasy novels especially in the beginning of the storyline, but the book was still a good read nonetheless.