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litliz's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical content, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Bullying, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit
raven_readss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are of rival gangs and were once lovers
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Body horror
dianaschmidty's review
- 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
Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Gore, Blood, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, War, Death of parent, and Drug use
gamora_zen1's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gore, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, and War
eddine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Sexism, and Violence
sophiejo_'s review
- 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
4.0
YESS FIRST 5 STAR OF THE YEAR 🥳🥳
[edit i brought it down to 4 lmao]
to be honest I went into this book expecting a five star simply because of the cover art alone, so maybe I have a bias in writing a book but I truly think it was deserving of all of those stars.
I suppose we should get the negative out-of-the-way first, so my one qualm with the book was a small lack of emotion in Chloe Gong’s writing. Don’t get me wrong she is a very descriptive author and her metaphors are amazing and some of the quotes I really wanted to highlight bc they are just so amazing. However I found that in the romantic scenes or an extra violent scenes that I was wanting a little more passion or pain and it seems that she just scratched the surface on the emotion level.
HOWEVER like everything else was amazing. For someone who’s read the Romeo and Juliet original play and watched multiple movie adaptations, it was very clear the distinction between the characters names and roles etc., but if you hadn’t read the book or even if you were just unfamiliar with it I feel like she disguised the Shakespeare part really well. And the idea was fabulous; just imagine someone coming up with a plot in 1920s SHANGHAI with GANG RIVALS AND MONSTERS off the top of their head. Absolutely fantastic. The characters were amazing and the cast was SO incredibly diverse it was pleasant to read about. It’s funny I actually ship another set of characters more than I ship Roma and Juliette but I think that circles back to the lack of emotion written in their reconnecting scenes.
to be honest the plot twist wasn’t incredibly mind breaking but that’s because I was guessing all sorts of different outcomes all throughout the book, and nevertheless it is not to say that I was not incredibly sucked in and constantly engaged with the story.
WARNING THOUGH. if you’re grossed out by insects like me… may not be the book for you ahahaha.
Anyways this was a really amazing book and I am going straight into the sequel, not because of a cliffhanger but because I want to learn more about a certain set of characters. Also this book partially inspired my bullet journal theme for February so there’s that.
>> triggers <<
death, violence, mass murder, gore, child abuse, swarms of insects
✨ best quote(s) ✨
“Even the land of dreams needs to wake up sometimes. And though there may be beauty beneath its core rot, though it is big and open and plentiful, hiding those who want to be hidden and shining on those who wish to be remembered, it is elsewhere. “This is where we belong, Roma. This is where we will always belong.” The voice quavers even with the surety of such words. They fool themselves. These heirs think themselves kings and queens, sitting on a throne of gold and overlooking a glittering, wealthy empire. They are not. They are criminals—criminals at the top of an empire of thieves and drug lords and pimps, preparing to inherit a broken, terrible, defeated thing that looks upon them in sadness.
Shanghai knows. It has always known.
This whole damn place is about to fall apart.“
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Death, and Murder
emsavors's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
angelareads's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, and Terminal illness
Minor: Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexism, Trafficking, Transphobia, and Vomit