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bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
[This full review can also be found on my BLOG]
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, mass shooting, murder, injury, death, kidnapping, torture, whipping, suicidal thoughts, war themes, parental abuse, police brutality
Our Violent Ends, where the “our” is really the reader because after finishing this I was so NOT okay!
This sequel continues a couple of months after the end of These Violent Delights with Shanghai on the brink of revolution. The blood feud is back in full force, especially with Roma seeing red after Juliette’s betrayal, which is not helping the situation in the slightest. Meanwhile Juliette is trying to tiptoe her way around her own secrets to save her neck as well as Roma’s. However, when the dreaded monster madness threat resurfaces Roma and Juliette are forced to once again come to a truce and combine forces to save their beloved city.
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, mass shooting, murder, injury, death, kidnapping, torture, whipping, suicidal thoughts, war themes, parental abuse, police brutality
Our Violent Ends, where the “our” is really the reader because after finishing this I was so NOT okay!
This sequel continues a couple of months after the end of These Violent Delights with Shanghai on the brink of revolution. The blood feud is back in full force, especially with Roma seeing red after Juliette’s betrayal, which is not helping the situation in the slightest. Meanwhile Juliette is trying to tiptoe her way around her own secrets to save her neck as well as Roma’s. However, when the dreaded monster madness threat resurfaces Roma and Juliette are forced to once again come to a truce and combine forces to save their beloved city.
“Maybe it was inevitable in a city like this. Each and every one of them, taking on a path of destruction, even if they knew better, even if they would warn someone else off it.”
Chloe Gong's remarkable prose both immerses you right back into the setting, the city once again acting as a character itself, and perfectly captures the various tensions that can be found in its streets.
Much like the first book Gong has masterfully merged the classic story with the real world history of Shanghai, the political side to the storyline in particular taking centre stage. Plus with some of the primary plot from the play already having been mirrored in book 1 the retelling side is a little looser. However, I still had that constant anticipation for what events from the original were going to be rewritten and stumbling across cleverly utilised Shakespeare quotes made it all the more enjoyable.
“A rose is a rose, even by another name,” he whispered. “But we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.”
As ever the characters own my heart. The interactions between Roma and Juliette were as you would expect like a dagger in the heart, full of even more angst than before and I loved every second of it. I will admit I did spend a lot of time just wanting to jump into the book myself to knock some sense into the two of them and mainly yell at him to admit that HE LOVES HER and at her to acknowledge that HE’LL UNDERSTAND if she comes clean!!!
What I also really enjoyed was that there was a bigger spotlight on Kathleen, Rosalind, Benedict, Marshall and even Alisa which added so much more to the narrative! It has made me all the more excited for Foul Lady Fortune, the first book in the spin off duology releasing later in 2022!
“Sometimes hatred has no memory to feed off. It has grown strong enough to feed itself, and so long as we do not fight it, it will not bother us. It will not weaken us.”
All that aside I think I fall into the minority group of those who really enjoyed this book but didn’t love it as much as the first one (hence my slightly lower rating). The main reasons being the pacing and that I guessed a lot of the twists.. The book had a little bit of a slow start – despite there being some actiony scenes in the beginning which were great - and then when the political side of the plot really kicked off it got much more explosive and interesting but I also felt that the amount of focus on this made the monster part of the story seem a little overlooked? Not that this was a bad thing just there was SO MUCH going on!
Furthermore, I was reading this at an off time for me personally (it’s why I didn’t get through the ARC in time) so I think my mood definitely had an impact on my overall enjoyment but like I mentioned before this book was fantastic and I really didn’t want it to end.
Speaking of which, bittersweet though it was I don’t think we could have asked for a more perfect conclusion to this duology. I look forward to my heart being broken again in the next adventure Chloe Gong has in store for us.
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Police brutality
perseffable's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
applesaucemaybegood's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
what the hell :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
“It was all one and the same. It was this city, divided by names and colors and turfs, but somehow bleeding the exact same shade of violence.”
I cried, I broke apart and pulled myself back together while reading this book, I do have a lot to say but not a lot to write so I'll keep it simple:
Miss Chloe Gong, what the actual fuck?
some quotes i loved:
“Lovers turned to strangers, and it cut deep enough to bleed.”
“And what was love if all it did was kill?”
“Let the men jump. Let them be afraid of how she moved, like a hurricane intent on destruction.”
“Eternally running around trying to save a city that does not want to be saved, that is hardly good enough to be saved.”
“Nothing in this world is complicated, only misunderstood.”
“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.”
“Ordinary things happen to ordinary people, and ordinary people settle for something that satisfies them, never knowing if there would have been greater happiness in another life.”
“Pain at that age was an eternal thing, a feeling that might never fade. It would, of course. Pain always faded, even if it refused to fully disappear. But that was a lesson that could only come with time too.”
“It sounded like a plea. A plea to the heavens, to the stars, to the forces that drew their fates.”
“A rose is a rose, even by another name, but we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.”
“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.”
“Who cared about values when the history books were being written? What did it matter if the history books rewrote everything in the end?”
i was listening to all to well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) while writing this review bc i enjoy pain
'kay, I'm out
Bye
I cried, I broke apart and pulled myself back together while reading this book, I do have a lot to say but not a lot to write so I'll keep it simple:
Miss Chloe Gong, what the actual fuck?
some quotes i loved:
“Lovers turned to strangers, and it cut deep enough to bleed.”
“And what was love if all it did was kill?”
“Let the men jump. Let them be afraid of how she moved, like a hurricane intent on destruction.”
“Eternally running around trying to save a city that does not want to be saved, that is hardly good enough to be saved.”
“Nothing in this world is complicated, only misunderstood.”
“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.”
“Ordinary things happen to ordinary people, and ordinary people settle for something that satisfies them, never knowing if there would have been greater happiness in another life.”
“Pain at that age was an eternal thing, a feeling that might never fade. It would, of course. Pain always faded, even if it refused to fully disappear. But that was a lesson that could only come with time too.”
“It sounded like a plea. A plea to the heavens, to the stars, to the forces that drew their fates.”
“A rose is a rose, even by another name, but we choose whether we will offer beauty to the world, or if we will use our thorns to sting.”
“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.”
“Who cared about values when the history books were being written? What did it matter if the history books rewrote everything in the end?”
i was listening to all to well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) while writing this review bc i enjoy pain
'kay, I'm out
Bye
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Because I was such a slow reader, however, the hardcover came out before I could finish, so I read the last half in physical copy.
Why is it that every time I read a Romeo & Juliet retelling, I end up bawling my eyes out despite knowing the original story was never intended to be a romantic ideal?
It took me a solid week to get through this because it's a lot of politics crammed into 500 pages. You have to pay attention to every detail, otherwise you'll be lost further down the story. It would also help to have (re)read the first book recently. I couldn't for the life of me remember which sister was Kathleen and which was Rosalind, and the mention of Celia didn't help. I haven't picked These Violent Delights since I read the eARC last year, so I definitely wasn't in the loop anymore.
You get attached to all the characters, so every chapter is a knife in the gut where you wonder who will suffer this time around. Spoiler (not really): they all get their turn.
Chloe Gong managed to flawlessly include dialogue from the original play (eg "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet") and set it in this rich historical Shangai setting that will make you feel like you're really there. Her worldbuilding is a masterpiece, and the author's note at the very end speaks to the amount of research put into her work.
Speaking about the author's note, though, I need to know what the hell she meant by setting the set for the 1930s... Is there another book set in that era brewing? Because I will buy this thing the day it comes out!
Why is it that every time I read a Romeo & Juliet retelling, I end up bawling my eyes out despite knowing the original story was never intended to be a romantic ideal?
It took me a solid week to get through this because it's a lot of politics crammed into 500 pages. You have to pay attention to every detail, otherwise you'll be lost further down the story. It would also help to have (re)read the first book recently. I couldn't for the life of me remember which sister was Kathleen and which was Rosalind, and the mention of Celia didn't help. I haven't picked These Violent Delights since I read the eARC last year, so I definitely wasn't in the loop anymore.
You get attached to all the characters, so every chapter is a knife in the gut where you wonder who will suffer this time around. Spoiler (not really): they all get their turn.
Chloe Gong managed to flawlessly include dialogue from the original play (eg "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet") and set it in this rich historical Shangai setting that will make you feel like you're really there. Her worldbuilding is a masterpiece, and the author's note at the very end speaks to the amount of research put into her work.
Speaking about the author's note, though, I need to know what the hell she meant by setting the set for the 1930s... Is there another book set in that era brewing? Because I will buy this thing the day it comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Racism, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
kinsportch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Jesus. One of the best books I’ve read in awhile. The writing was supreme and the ending was so incredibly emotional. These Violent Delights was amazing, but nothing compared to Our Violent Ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts