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mezzano's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, except the setting takes place in 1920s Shanghai. The premise in this book is absolutely captivating. Imperialism has torn apart Juliet's home, and she herself was sent to study in America before coming back to her gang as the current heir. Juliet's perspectives throughout the book is compelling, as she does what she needs to keep her family safe and strong, even at a great personal cost. Her struggles with her Chinese identity after Westernized influence was a beautifully nuanced part of this story, as it was unapologetic in execution and affected almost every action Juliet took in the story in subtle ways. Gong also reiterates in her story that Communism is also an evil, and is not something for others to romanticize or wish for. These nuances and connections to modern perspectives and experiences is what inspired me to keep reading. Gong's strength is certainly in Juliet and the experiences she has from the world she has grown up in.
Roma is also a lovable character in his own right. He convinces Juliet to work together with him to save his sister and prevent a terrible illness from sweeping the entirety of Shanghai, regardless of where gang control lies. I appreciated that Roma seemed more emphatic compared to Chloe at times, which brightened some otherwise tense conversations. Roma also takes a comedy relief role at times, which in a book as tense and dark as this one, is much needed. Roma's history as Juliet's ex boyfriend is mentioned several times in the book, but the chemistry between the two characters is lacking. At times, it's hard to believe Roma and Juliet ever had any sort of relationship with each other, let alone one of romantic ambitions.
While These Violent Delights is an incredible addition to Own Voices bookshelves and offers diversity in the otherwise homogenous Fantasy genre, there are aspects of the book which could be improved in time for its sequel. The writing at times feels dense and over-written. This creates a lot of scenes which are at time, lost in descriptions and imagery. In the beginning of the book especially, I felt that the pace was incredibly slow due to the effort that went into setting up the locational imagery in the story. I also found myself wondering if the monster in the lake was truly needed for the story, with the vaccine/illness and cultural diaspora subplots demonstrating much more compelling moments in the story.
Overall, this book was a great read which incorporated a famous English play into a story rich with Chinese culture, language, and history. The cultural aspect is where These Violent Delights shines. Although I'm more interested in the world of Gong's duology than the actual plot, I will likely pick up These Violent Ends to see how closely it follows the source material and how the cliff hangers end.
Roma is also a lovable character in his own right. He convinces Juliet to work together with him to save his sister and prevent a terrible illness from sweeping the entirety of Shanghai, regardless of where gang control lies. I appreciated that Roma seemed more emphatic compared to Chloe at times, which brightened some otherwise tense conversations. Roma also takes a comedy relief role at times, which in a book as tense and dark as this one, is much needed. Roma's history as Juliet's ex boyfriend is mentioned several times in the book, but the chemistry between the two characters is lacking. At times, it's hard to believe Roma and Juliet ever had any sort of relationship with each other, let alone one of romantic ambitions.
While These Violent Delights is an incredible addition to Own Voices bookshelves and offers diversity in the otherwise homogenous Fantasy genre, there are aspects of the book which could be improved in time for its sequel. The writing at times feels dense and over-written. This creates a lot of scenes which are at time, lost in descriptions and imagery. In the beginning of the book especially, I felt that the pace was incredibly slow due to the effort that went into setting up the locational imagery in the story. I also found myself wondering if the monster in the lake was truly needed for the story, with the vaccine/illness and cultural diaspora subplots demonstrating much more compelling moments in the story.
Overall, this book was a great read which incorporated a famous English play into a story rich with Chinese culture, language, and history. The cultural aspect is where These Violent Delights shines. Although I'm more interested in the world of Gong's duology than the actual plot, I will likely pick up These Violent Ends to see how closely it follows the source material and how the cliff hangers end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Racism, Murder, Misogyny, Medical content, Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Transphobia and Homophobia
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