A review by baexlee
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

5.0

This was delightful. Immediately I was drawn in by Juliette and Roma but the mystery and historic setting were also going to be right up my alley and of course I was thrilled with this read. I found my heart racing in some moments and aching in others and while I was initially tempted to rate this lower than five stars just because I was a bit disappointed with how quickly and loosely the end wrapped up, I realized I have been a bit to harsh with my own ratings lately and I truly enjoyed this book. I think that I was just disappointed that I will have to wait until the next book to see what happens and the cliffhanger in this is brutal. (especially
if you're hoping for romance between Roma and Juliette to reignite
)

Despite the fact that both characters have plenty of blood on their hands and find plenty more before the end of the story, it was not hard to root for either Juliette or Roma as they try to protect their people, even when their means were more... questionable. I didn't find that I was distracted by the moments where the story was making references more directly to the Romeo & Juliet inspiration, which was appreciated because I either find that it is distracting or nonexistent in other works, but I felt Gong found a nice balance here.

This was absolutely delightful, the only thing that could have made it better would be some more romance but I do love some slow burn trading betrayal back and forth enemies to lovers romance (ie Cardan and Jude from The Cruel Prince) so I guess I won't complain too much about it because I can have something to look forward to in the second book.
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