A review by theengineerisreading
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Empires can fall in mere hours. This one is no different. Here in Shanghai, whoever shoots first has the best chance of surviving."

Some books are amazingly good right off the first page while there are a few that become an unexpected favorite be it because of a shocking revelation or a stunningly well-written conclusion.

And to be honest, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong falls in the latter category.

I'll admit that I had a hard time following the story of 1920s Shanghai dominated by two opposing family gangs - the Cais, more knows as the Scarlet Gang, and the Montagovs, aka the White Flowers - at first because Chloe is such a generous storyteller who keeps on giving every detail of the scene. Adding to this is the fact that the book is written in third-person which affected the way I build my connection with the main characters Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov.

The pacing of the the first half was also slow which made me almost stop reading this book because I can feel a slump building up.

BUT...

Fast forward to last night when I decided to finish this book as I left the story hanging at around page 320 and that's when the events picked up.

Right after the star-crossed lovers agreed to chase the mastermind of the madness, the story changed pace and the intensity of the storyline revved up which piqued my interest and cured the early slump symptoms.

I mean, all the details built up in the first half made sense when Juliette and Roma start uncovering the reality about the madness that is killing their city.

The way Chloe managed to play with my guts and emotion, especially during the last 50 pages, is a proof that the author knows how to translate pain into words.

I almost cried twice just to end up feeling like a fool because I am crying for something that is part of Juliette's huge plan to escape both the madness and the prying eyes of both gangs.

I love how the romance did not take over the main plot that is set in 1920s Shanghai dominated by gang. And I love how subtle the development of this Romeo and Juliet retelling is.

It's retold in a different manner so don't expect to see it patterned from the original Shakespeare novel because retelling can also mean being rewritten in a completely different manner with only the main elements being adopted in the new form.

Also, I enjoyed the politics between the gangs and oh boy, how I loathe them conquering foreigners strolling in Shanghai with all their self-proclaimed entitlement. Chloe managed to blow punches on white supremacy (e.g. colonialism) without sacrificing the history of Shanghai during that time.

Though the fantasy/monster part of this story took time to be unveiled, I am satisfied with how the book took me in a wild ride with a lot of unexpected turns at the end.

Anyway, read These Violent Delights. It will take time to get there but it's definitely worth it.

RATING: 5stars