A review by booksanna
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.75

This book has a brilliant world building and imagery. it really feels like you are in Shanghai, from culture to stalls I could feel the city’s booming setting. You could almost smell the food from the food stalls, feel the anger of factory workers, hear the booming voices of foreigners and natives, and almsot see the lgiths of Shanghai as the story progresses. I also loved the political and economic developement in the story, it really felt athentic and well-written. As for the main characters, I really like the way Romeo and Juliet plot has been intervined with the story, yet it was also seperate as well. The story was so much more unique and special with the different plot changes. I loved the multiple points of view of characters that made the story so captivating.  The pacing was well written and interesting. And I loved the multiple langauges(as a person with decent understanding of Russian, anytime Roma said dorogaya I went head over heels :)) included int he story showing the cultural diversity of Shangahai. Overall a great read. The only reason it’s not 0.25 is the monster. I thought it was a nice touch to a add a mythical aspect to original Romeo and Juliet, however, the intricate details of the moster sometimes confused me :(. But that is partly my fault, so the book is magnificent despite the confusing moments!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings