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goodgamerlaine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first half of the novel is pretty slow. It’s much more of an ensemble piece than I was anticipating and it’s very focused on the political and national struggles of the current times. Originally, in the first half, I had rated the story about a 3 star rating. It was pretty good but nothing to write home about. There were some random moments of Girlboss that I didn’t totally love. I found (even til the end) some of the secondary characters to be underdeveloped (namely Rosalind and Roma, surprisingly enough) and kind of boring. Everyone else really comes into their own in the second half. We don’t spend a whole lot of time with Roma and I found the connection with Juliette to be lacking a little. But there’s a lot to accomplish and establish in the first of a series so I’m not TOO upset at it. I went back and forth on Juliette’s character but one cannot deny that we spend the most amount of time with her, in contrast to the original text. I loved the references to Shakespeare and even if you haven’t read “Romeo and Juliet”, you can still appreciate those moments. All in all, I did really enjoy this book. The second half really, really is worth the first 220 pages moving slowly. I cannot wait for the sequel, I have high hopes that the pacing will pick up and the characters, as individuals and interpersonally, will grow and deepen together. For a debut novel, this is spectacular.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Racism and Sexism
chantellimus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide, Sexism, Misogyny, Drug use, and Death of parent
giannaroberts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Racism
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Sexism
nightfell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
Unpopular opinion: Juliette and Roma were never enemies, they just had gun kinks and knife kinks.
Listen, I know they have serious trust issues with each other and lingering feelings of dislike because they've both killed each other's loved ones ect ect but they were never enemies. They literally had FRIENDLY banter, teased each other constantly, Juliette was simping for Roma the entire time while being mean to Roma. But her being mean to him was lessened by the fact that she was rude to literally EVERY character, even the random one time appearance characters, like she has some pent-up aggression she needs to deal with. It made me less sympathetic to her character as it got really excessive, she was rude unnecessarily and then weirdly nice in a way that felt out of character for her. Although I see why she is so rude, because she has to work hard for her family's respect as a female heir ect ect, however I just couldn't get behind it. Maybe because I can't take the whole gang aspect seriously. The whole idea of gangs in literature feels immature and especially the rivalry in Romeo and Juliette which is notoriously petty, I just couldn't take it fully seriously, therefore I couldn't agree with Juliette's actions towards others. However, I think the depiction of these two gangs in context of 1920s Shanghai and all the colonialism gave it the realism that I needed to connect with the story, and is what made the story so interesting. Chloe Gong did an excellent job in weaving the story of Romeo and Juliette (but make it childhood friends to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies..., slow burn, angst, pining) and the history of the French and British taking over Shanghai mixed with the fantasy elements. It was so interesting, and while I feel like the relationship between Roma and Juliette could have been more intense in the way that they acted towards each other I think it was done well (maybe the author depicted their relationship more realistically in not making them extremely antagonistic between each other, besides the frequent threats of violence, as they have a long history, basically grew up with each other and were lovers, so it would make sense, I just wish they were outwardly hostile in more than just threatening to shoot/stab each other, especially because I knew they would never have actually done it, it felt like an empty threat the whole time which it was).
Also Roma is my lil bby, he's so cute idk why I just feel protective over him. Probably because Juliette's so mean.
Marshall, Benedikt and Kathleen are the best characters fight me. I really wasn't expecting Chloe Gong to include as much diversity as she did (other than racial) and it made me so happy. I think in Fantasy YA there typically isn't much diversity other than a black/Asian side character (this could just be me) and I don't see more than one LGBTQ+ character, so to have 3 was so refreshing and gave the story depth and a range in perspectives. Also I could be wrong but I think they're also neurodivergent, love that rep. Marshall and Benedikt's relationship development was so beautiful, I started shipping them about halfway through the book but I didn't actually think they'd be canon I'm so happyyy. They NEED to KISS AND BE TOGETHER. I literally ship them more than Roma and Juliette. I love Kathleen.
After reading the last chapter of the book, I'm not sure if I like Juliette anymore. I know that was the only way to keep them all alive, I think it was smart and I think it was the right thing to do, but Benedikt will have PTSD after seeing his bf dying, grieving, thinking he's dead only to find him alive... that's messed up. But the reason I don't support Juliette is because she basically killed his mum. Like. I know I asked for more antagonism between them but this is too far. The more you think about it, the worse you realise it is. Imagine dating someone who killed your mum. Idc if she didn't directly do it, she told her family the location knowing the type of people they are, the literal BLOOD FEUD they have and their history of ruthlessness and violence, therefore she killed his mum, which he is clearly still torn up about. Roma shouldn't have to sympathise with her, or empathise or have to even see her again, like that is so messed up. I still am probably going to lowkey want them together, because I can't help it, but at the same time I can't fully support their relationship, I just feel so bad for Roma. Also, what he did to her was nothing compared to her betrayal. He killed her servants so she wouldn't die, she killed his mum out of spite. Like what. Anyway.
Overall it was a good book, the pacing was really slow for me, and I think there were a lot of scenes that described the scenery that were a little unnecessary, although they did add to the cinematography of this book. The author did such an amazing job with the writing, truly some of the best writing I've read in a while. I could see all of it vividly in my head; this was a cinematic masterpiece. Can't wait for the sequel.
Also, the detail of the potion that makes someone seem dead from the source material, I thought was so smart, it was so cool to see that detail added, especially because it seems quite different from the original play.
Also Roma is my lil bby, he's so cute idk why I just feel protective over him. Probably because Juliette's so mean.
Marshall, Benedikt and Kathleen are the best characters fight me. I really wasn't expecting Chloe Gong to include as much diversity as she did (other than racial) and it made me so happy. I think in Fantasy YA there typically isn't much diversity other than a black/Asian side character (this could just be me) and I don't see more than one LGBTQ+ character, so to have 3 was so refreshing and gave the story depth and a range in perspectives. Also I could be wrong but I think they're also neurodivergent, love that rep. Marshall and Benedikt's relationship development was so beautiful, I started shipping them about halfway through the book but I didn't actually think they'd be canon I'm so happyyy. They NEED to KISS AND BE TOGETHER. I literally ship them more than Roma and Juliette. I love Kathleen.
After reading the last chapter of the book, I'm not sure if I like Juliette anymore. I know that was the only way to keep them all alive, I think it was smart and I think it was the right thing to do, but Benedikt will have PTSD after seeing his bf dying, grieving, thinking he's dead only to find him alive... that's messed up. But the reason I don't support Juliette is because she basically killed his mum. Like. I know I asked for more antagonism between them but this is too far. The more you think about it, the worse you realise it is. Imagine dating someone who killed your mum. Idc if she didn't directly do it, she told her family the location knowing the type of people they are, the literal BLOOD FEUD they have and their history of ruthlessness and violence, therefore she killed his mum, which he is clearly still torn up about. Roma shouldn't have to sympathise with her, or empathise or have to even see her again, like that is so messed up. I still am probably going to lowkey want them together, because I can't help it, but at the same time I can't fully support their relationship, I just feel so bad for Roma. Also, what he did to her was nothing compared to her betrayal. He killed her servants so she wouldn't die, she killed his mum out of spite. Like what. Anyway.
Overall it was a good book, the pacing was really slow for me, and I think there were a lot of scenes that described the scenery that were a little unnecessary, although they did add to the cinematography of this book. The author did such an amazing job with the writing, truly some of the best writing I've read in a while. I could see all of it vividly in my head; this was a cinematic masterpiece. Can't wait for the sequel.
Also, the detail of the potion that makes someone seem dead from the source material, I thought was so smart, it was so cool to see that detail added, especially because it seems quite different from the original play.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Deadnaming, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Transphobia
nicamooch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.75
enjoyed the characters and character development, loved the world building but a lot about the climax and ending seemed to fall flat for me
it dragged a LOT at times and some lines feel also though they could have benefited from sitting on them a while and reworking
i’m still excited for OVE anyway
it dragged a LOT at times and some lines feel also though they could have benefited from sitting on them a while and reworking
i’m still excited for OVE anyway
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Transphobia, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Torture
foreverinastory'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
4.5
Well this is now my favorite Romeo & Juliet retelling ever.
These Violent Delights takes us to a fantasy Shanghai were rival gangs fight over control of the city. As the blood feud rages, outside forces have come to Shanghai to try and take over. It will come down to Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov to figure out what the rumors of a monster and madness mean and who is responsible.
I loved this retelling so much. The way this story differs from the original was masterfully done. I felt like this story had so much more heart and dimension than the original as well. While we still have starcrossed lovers and rival gangs, this book also adds in a magical element of a monster that spreads a plague. At times, it did feel quite gory. And the fact that insects were involved just ups the cringe factor.
I loved these characters and their backstories so much! Juliette is so ruthless and cunning. She is the heir, but she's also working against a lot of misogyny and sexism to ensure she gets her due. Roma is secretly a cinnamon roll, but he looks like he could kill you. I really loved seeing these two work together and how their past actions informed their present. I'm not explaining this well but I just loved all their interactions.
Then there were all the side characters! This book is so rich in setting, culture and character. Like every little thing added up. Even though this was a longer audio, I felt like I sped through it and I can't wait for the sequel!
Rep: Chinese female MC, Korean male MC, Chinese trans female side character, possible MLM side couple, Chinese and Korean supporting cast.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, animal death (insects), blood, colonisation, death, gore, gun violence, injury/injury detail, medical content, misogyny, murder, racism, sexism, violence, war, xenophobia. Moderate: deadnaming, grief, transphobia/transmisia.
These Violent Delights takes us to a fantasy Shanghai were rival gangs fight over control of the city. As the blood feud rages, outside forces have come to Shanghai to try and take over. It will come down to Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov to figure out what the rumors of a monster and madness mean and who is responsible.
I loved this retelling so much. The way this story differs from the original was masterfully done. I felt like this story had so much more heart and dimension than the original as well. While we still have starcrossed lovers and rival gangs, this book also adds in a magical element of a monster that spreads a plague. At times, it did feel quite gory. And the fact that insects were involved just ups the cringe factor.
I loved these characters and their backstories so much! Juliette is so ruthless and cunning. She is the heir, but she's also working against a lot of misogyny and sexism to ensure she gets her due. Roma is secretly a cinnamon roll, but he looks like he could kill you. I really loved seeing these two work together and how their past actions informed their present. I'm not explaining this well but I just loved all their interactions.
Then there were all the side characters! This book is so rich in setting, culture and character. Like every little thing added up. Even though this was a longer audio, I felt like I sped through it and I can't wait for the sequel!
Rep: Chinese female MC, Korean male MC, Chinese trans female side character, possible MLM side couple, Chinese and Korean supporting cast.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, animal death (insects), blood, colonisation, death, gore, gun violence, injury/injury detail, medical content, misogyny, murder, racism, sexism, violence, war, xenophobia. Moderate: deadnaming, grief, transphobia/transmisia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Grief, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
acerbicread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
This book was everything I needed on a Sunday evening in October: suspense, mystery, and a badass, 1920's, Chinese, gangster, flapper heroine who hates white men and speaks 10 languages as easily as she threatens people. The book feels like Casablanca meets Roaring 20's meets Alien. The writing is phenomenal for a Debut author, and the character development is amazing. The pacing felt good for me, but everyone has different preferences.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Vomit, Colonisation, Gun violence, Medical content, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
charliebriggs96's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence
lainiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I forgot to write a review again OOPS
SUCH A GOOD BOOK??? Chloe Gong's writing style is just unmatched, man. She just made everything that happened sound so cool?? Like I felt cool reading this book !! I will forever love all of her books, I can just tell.
I also just loved the characters. Juliette is probably one of my favorite characters ever, she is exactly who I would want to be if I was in a gang and also was just like chill with murder. And Roma is also great, and Benedikt and Marshall are great, and Kathleen is great, EVERYONE IS GREAT.
This book just feels like something everyone should love? Like it is so well written and so undeniably good that everyone should read it and get to experience how good it is.
I had more articulate thoughts while reading, but now all I really need to say is this book is wonderful and if you have not read it yet, this is your sign to do so! Hurry, before the sequel comes out! GO!
I can't wait to cry while reading the next book!
Okay bye, gonna go get "The stars incline us, they do not bind us" tattooed on my soul.
SUCH A GOOD BOOK??? Chloe Gong's writing style is just unmatched, man. She just made everything that happened sound so cool?? Like I felt cool reading this book !! I will forever love all of her books, I can just tell.
I also just loved the characters. Juliette is probably one of my favorite characters ever, she is exactly who I would want to be if I was in a gang and also was just like chill with murder. And Roma is also great, and Benedikt and Marshall are great, and Kathleen is great, EVERYONE IS GREAT.
This book just feels like something everyone should love? Like it is so well written and so undeniably good that everyone should read it and get to experience how good it is.
I had more articulate thoughts while reading, but now all I really need to say is this book is wonderful and if you have not read it yet, this is your sign to do so! Hurry, before the sequel comes out! GO!
I can't wait to cry while reading the next book!
Okay bye, gonna go get "The stars incline us, they do not bind us" tattooed on my soul.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Transphobia and Panic attacks/disorders
c45p1n's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING WHAT I CANT IM SPEECHLESS OH MY GOD WHAT NO WHAT NSJFJSKDJSJ HHHHHHHHHHH
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Transphobia, Torture, Sexism, Death of parent, and Cursing
if you dont like small bugs with many legs and detailed explanations BE WARY OR DONT READ