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A review by ceruleanheather
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am conflicted. On one hand, I have to give the author props for making the book so disturbing and crazy that I absolutely had to find out what happened. TW: insects... lots of detailed descriptions of insects and burrowing...
On the other hand, I did not particularly enjoy Juliette or Roma and found the character development to be lacking. I get that it is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and in that respect it does okay, but I just didn't care for the main characters that much. Juliette is mean, doesn't stop to think for someone who is supposedly so smart, and obviously did not learn her lesson from 4 years ago. Roma is flat, more like ornamentation. I did like the addition of Kathleen, who was probably the best character. My favorite character in the original Shakespeare play is Mercutio, but his equivalent in this book (Marshall) just did not have the same flair. I wanted the Queen Maab speech! I did like the little twist at the end, but was not at all surprised.
I am glad I borrowed this from the library instead of purchasing it.
On the other hand, I did not particularly enjoy Juliette or Roma and found the character development to be lacking. I get that it is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and in that respect it does okay, but I just didn't care for the main characters that much. Juliette is mean, doesn't stop to think for someone who is supposedly so smart, and obviously did not learn her lesson from 4 years ago. Roma is flat, more like ornamentation. I did like the addition of Kathleen, who was probably the best character. My favorite character in the original Shakespeare play is Mercutio, but his equivalent in this book (Marshall) just did not have the same flair. I wanted the Queen Maab speech! I did like the little twist at the end, but was not at all surprised.
I am glad I borrowed this from the library instead of purchasing it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror