Reviews with content warning for Deadnaming - These Violent Delights

Reviews tagging 'Deadnaming'

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

33 reviews

superstar_y2k's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

this book is not as complex as it seems to be (or rather has the potential to be)
this book speaks on colonialism, racism and white supremacy, murder, betrayal, politics, and other humanitarian topics but somehow oversimplifies and brushes off those topics to follow a clumsy mystery where our romeo & juliette must work together despite their previous murderous betrayals. see, the thing about shakespeare’s romeo & juliette is that the reader wants to root for them. roma & juliette cai aren’t likable characters that i felt didn’t actually love each other.
i could go on, but honestly there are many other reviews i’ve seen that correspond to the way i feel, so i won’t beat a dead horse

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thehannahclaire's review

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DNF @ 50%

LOVED the premise, wasn’t a fan of the execution outside of the discussion of colonialism and race. I really wanted to feel connected to the characters, but I just wasn’t.

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natesalsbury's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

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prashiie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

“A love like theirs was never going to survive in a city divided by hatred.”

It took me a while to really get into the story and the insects and how they are described deserve a trigger warning! At first it was disgusting to read about the insects and it grossed me out, but luckily it got better.

This story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in Shanghai in the year 1926. The main characters Juliette and Roma are the heirs of feuding families and are expected to put their own family and gang first. But something weird is happening in Shanghai and it’s up to them to protect the city, together. However, from the start it is clear that there is some bad history between them.

“She could have reminded him of what he did four years ago, pushed the blade of guilt in until he was bleeding.”

As the story proceeds, we get to know what happened between them. They are both interesting and strong characters. I also really liked Marshall and Celia!

What shocked me the most is China’s political turmoil at that time and how much racism Chinese people faced by foreigners not only in America, but even in their own country. I could sense the resentment the author feels, rightfully so!

“Foreigners built parks and demanded the Chinese keep out. They poured funds into the city, and though China was never formally a colony, that was precisely what was going on in Shanghai: segment after segment being colonized.”

I’m glad to have read this book, because the background of this story was very educational! Now I’m curious to learn more about the history of Asia.

I’m so happy Marshall is still alive. I was ready to give up on this series when Juliette shot him… Great twist, Chloe Gong :)

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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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3.5

Hey look, I finally read this! It wasn't quite my thing? A bit more horror-y than I expected. But I'll still read the sequel.

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julswk's review

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mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The relationship between Juliette and Roma does not have much buildup in the book, rather it relies completely on what happened 4 years prior which we only get slight snippets of, but not enough to make me care for the characters.

We are told they're in love but not really shown.

Because of that their relationship falls quite flat.

Juliette's character also relies heavily on the implication that she is ruthless and has a reputation, but I wish the author let her be more violent and unhinged throughout the book. Especially during her fights.

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