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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
HOW DID I NOT LIKE THIS BOOK WHEN I FIRST READ IT??? LITERALLY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS IVE EVER READ??? IT WAS GONNA BE 4 STARS BUT THE ENDING MADE IT 5 STARS
Catchy title and intro, but I felt zero connection to the characters.
I had such a good time with These Violent Delights! It’s a dark, glittery, Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai which is honestly one of the most unique settings I’ve come across in YA fantasy. Chloe Gong really brings the city to life with all the political tension, gang rivalry, and just the right level of creepy supernatural mystery.
Juliette and Roma are both messy, intense characters and full of angst the best way. I loved their dynamic and the whole ex-lovers-to-reluctant-allies situation. The slow-burn tension was chef’s kiss, even if I wanted a bit more emotional payoff at times.
The atmosphere was immaculate and The writing was lush and really visual throughout. The plot however was little slow in the middle, and the mystery dragged just a touch, but overall, I was hooked. There’s so much going on: colonialism, identity, loyalty, betrayal… it will keep you intrigued!
Not quite a full 5 stars for me, just because the pacing dipped here and there, and I felt like the romance could’ve had a bit more depth. But still a really impressive debut and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.
Juliette and Roma are both messy, intense characters and full of angst the best way. I loved their dynamic and the whole ex-lovers-to-reluctant-allies situation. The slow-burn tension was chef’s kiss, even if I wanted a bit more emotional payoff at times.
The atmosphere was immaculate and The writing was lush and really visual throughout. The plot however was little slow in the middle, and the mystery dragged just a touch, but overall, I was hooked. There’s so much going on: colonialism, identity, loyalty, betrayal… it will keep you intrigued!
Not quite a full 5 stars for me, just because the pacing dipped here and there, and I felt like the romance could’ve had a bit more depth. But still a really impressive debut and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.
mid. does not deserve the hype. took me two whole tries to get through and for what.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
1.5 stars
I was really sad to dnf this book, especially since I had heard so many good things about it, looked forward to it, AND LOVED the cover! But around the 300 page mark, I just couldn't push on! I've read some books that weren't really my thing, but I was still somewhat able to get into them :/ I enjoyed the descriptions in this book, but everything else sort of fell flat.
To me, the book just didn't seem to be going anywhere plot-wise and Juliette was just an asshole to everybody, so it was really hard to root for her and care about what she was up to in the novel. There was one scene where she was just absolutely terrible to a waitstaff worker and it just further damaged my opinion on her. :( on top of this, I felt really disconnected from the main couple since all of the past experiences that made them love each other weren't in the book, and were instead just left in the past. This sort of made it hard to picture the MC and the ML even being together, especially with how they treated each other. I might give this author another go, but probably not for a while.
I was really sad to dnf this book, especially since I had heard so many good things about it, looked forward to it, AND LOVED the cover! But around the 300 page mark, I just couldn't push on! I've read some books that weren't really my thing, but I was still somewhat able to get into them :/ I enjoyed the descriptions in this book, but everything else sort of fell flat.
To me, the book just didn't seem to be going anywhere plot-wise and Juliette was just an asshole to everybody, so it was really hard to root for her and care about what she was up to in the novel. There was one scene where she was just absolutely terrible to a waitstaff worker and it just further damaged my opinion on her. :( on top of this, I felt really disconnected from the main couple since all of the past experiences that made them love each other weren't in the book, and were instead just left in the past. This sort of made it hard to picture the MC and the ML even being together, especially with how they treated each other. I might give this author another go, but probably not for a while.