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sapphic_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rep:
Chinese main character and cast
Chinese trans girl main character
Gay main character
Korean main character
M/M side relationship
Chinese main character and cast
Chinese trans girl main character
Gay main character
Korean main character
M/M side relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
sambashua's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Suicide, Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, War, and Violence
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
If you liked book one, book two is an amazing pairing that brings the chaos and tragedy of the R&J story. While opening up an interesting world for what is to come afterwards. I would definitely suggest picking it up, if that’s the case for you. However, I am on the other side where I was anticipating Book 1 forever and felt bored and disappointed throughout it. While Book 2 gives some character development and explains some of the GAPING context holes, for me, it still wasn’t a WIN. I’m glad I gave the second book a chance, but the blood feud remains nonsensical, Roma & Juliette continue putting each other above everyone else EXCEPT the people that they DO NOT KNOW who they feel the need to protect for no reason but the city is “theirs” and they feel responsible… For a mess they did not create. The length/pacing of this was too drawn out for me. And it made all the parts that could have made this a 4/5 star read for me feel lost in all the other plot lines, characters, etc. I’m tired. I never want to dive into this world again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Torture, Grief, Confinement, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
_persephone_'s review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
Omg was this book was so good, probably one of the best books I've read this year. It was beautifully written in so many different ways, the writing style, the characters, the romance. I truly cannot think of a single complaint and I recommend this book to everyone. Also the first half of the book where Roma hated Juliette I wanted to sob, istg I cried happy tears when they got back together .
And I heard there's gonna be a spin-off duology about Rosalind (I don't actually know if that was a spoiler but better safe than sorry). And I can't wait.
And I heard there's gonna be a spin-off duology about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Colonisation, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Alcohol, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
brynn_books's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
I think I need to sue for emotional damage after reading this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, Blood, and Torture
saoreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
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
I'm just glad it doesn't have a fixed ending. Somehow, there's that hope and that hope that could provide even a little bit of a silver lining that the sacrifices were worth it. It displayed a lot of realistic analogies, especially on bouts of inciting war, which have become more prevalent with the pandemic since the first book was released in 2020, and how it wasn't all about the blood feud and physically taking over cities, but a metaphor for biological warfare through the form of a monster. Or how the main cause of evil wasn't uprooted (there's some truth in that, only the ones who seemingly caused harm at the very moment and not in the long run). I have to properly process this book because it evoked in me various emotions: it made me giddy, made me mad, made me feel sappy, and made me badly detached. This book had an obvious denouement, but at some point, life still goes on and this tale continues to live on, and maybe that's how love is made eternally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Torture, War, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Violence
writingcaia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Roma Montagov from the White Flowers Gang and Juliette Cai from the Scarlet Gang have been thorn apart by bloodshed in the past, but four years later, after being exiled in NY, Juliette is back to Shangai. And, just as things heat up in the blood feud and when a creepy monster that sheds hundreds of horrid lice-like ones to infect people into tearing their throats out prowls the streets of their town. It is this common threat to both their people that will have Juliette and Roma come together again, now with not but resentment in their hearts, or so it seems, but they’ll have to put their hatred aside and team up to take down their mutual threat. However, nothing is made easy for these two, love and hate runs close to the skin, the blood feud always in the path of their love, and the monster not as easy to deal with as they hoped especially when they have to run against time to save their loved ones.
This a slow to medium paced story, anchored both in the historical events of the 20/30’s in Shangai, revolution, communists, nationalists, foreign invaders, gangsters all making the streets of the town run red with the blood of the people, and it’s also a retelling of the famous Shakespearean love tragedy Romeu and Juliet.
I’ve to say it wasn’t the easiest book to dive into, thankfully there’re the Montagov and Marsh who were all so endearing and made me keep going, eventually I came into syntony with the story albeit dreading how close to the original it would stick to.
Soon it became a riveting read and continued until the end, with plenty of bloodshed, monsters, hate, betrayal, murder, and of course love to conquer all odds.
I can’t say how close it cut to the original tale without spoilers, I can only say there’re a few plot twists related and unrelated with the Shakespearean tragedy.
Overall a 4.5⭐️ duology and if you like YA retellings, with dark mystery, gangs, history and tragedy this is for you.
This a slow to medium paced story, anchored both in the historical events of the 20/30’s in Shangai, revolution, communists, nationalists, foreign invaders, gangsters all making the streets of the town run red with the blood of the people, and it’s also a retelling of the famous Shakespearean love tragedy Romeu and Juliet.
I’ve to say it wasn’t the easiest book to dive into, thankfully there’re the Montagov and Marsh who were all so endearing and made me keep going, eventually I came into syntony with the story albeit dreading how close to the original it would stick to.
Soon it became a riveting read and continued until the end, with plenty of bloodshed, monsters, hate, betrayal, murder, and of course love to conquer all odds.
I can’t say how close it cut to the original tale without spoilers, I can only say there’re a few plot twists related and unrelated with the Shakespearean tragedy.
Overall a 4.5⭐️ duology and if you like YA retellings, with dark mystery, gangs, history and tragedy this is for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Drug use, Torture, Alcohol, Gore, Suicide, Gun violence, Death, Blood, Body horror, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Transphobia
aklovekorn'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
These violent delights was one of my favorite fairyloot books. It was different from the kinds of books I had read before and I gave it 5⭐️ Back then. I liked the book and after reading the second book I’m sure of one thing: I love this duology.
Characters
I really enjoyed reading about Juliette. She’s a strong female character that know what she wants. The thing I like the most about her is that she isn’t stripped of her femininity. She will save the world in dresses and she doesn’t need your opinion about that. She makes questionable choices but she is a morally gray character. It makes her believable. I liked Roma a bit less. He can be a bit whiny but he is still decent I guess.
The story
The story is about Roma and Juliette, two gangster heirs in the streets of Shanghai. They have loved each other in the past but there relationship ended because of mutual betrayal. It’s a enemy to lovers, action packed, unique story with some darker plot twists. I’m not a big romance reader but I still enjoyed this book tremendously. The story is written with a medium/fast pacing and is really well thought out. The writer is able to take you with her on a journey through history (with a twist) in this Romeo and Juliette retelling. The ending was dramatic but it fits the setting.
The worldbuilding
The author has thought up an amazing world. Yes it’s older days Shanghai but it also has an unique flair to it. It’s an interesting read because of the world that is created.
100% recommend this book for loves of romance, drama and gangsters.
Characters
I really enjoyed reading about Juliette. She’s a strong female character that know what she wants. The thing I like the most about her is that she isn’t stripped of her femininity. She will save the world in dresses and she doesn’t need your opinion about that. She makes questionable choices but she is a morally gray character. It makes her believable. I liked Roma a bit less. He can be a bit whiny but he is still decent I guess.
The story
The story is about Roma and Juliette, two gangster heirs in the streets of Shanghai. They have loved each other in the past but there relationship ended because of mutual betrayal. It’s a enemy to lovers, action packed, unique story with some darker plot twists. I’m not a big romance reader but I still enjoyed this book tremendously. The story is written with a medium/fast pacing and is really well thought out. The writer is able to take you with her on a journey through history (with a twist) in this Romeo and Juliette retelling. The ending was dramatic but it fits the setting.
The worldbuilding
The author has thought up an amazing world. Yes it’s older days Shanghai but it also has an unique flair to it. It’s an interesting read because of the world that is created.
100% recommend this book for loves of romance, drama and gangsters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Classism, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, War, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts