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A review by sarahna
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This will be a continuation of my review on the first book (these violent delights) and thus the duology as a whole so it'll be full of spoilers!
It's been a few days since I've finished the book and I still can't wrap my head around the ending. I knew going into this that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920 Shanghai and that the main characters, Roma and Juliette, were heirs of their gangs who happen to be rivals. The outcome would of course result in them having to kill each other because their love wouldn't be acknowledged by their families and violence filled city. Still, it was kept somewhat open. They died saving the city in order to destroy the disease from becoming a bio-weapon yet again but their bodies weren't found. Thombstones exist with their names on it, romantically placed next to each other, but did they actually die? Did they manage to escape the explosion somehow and live happily ever after? Who knows and honestly, I didn't care as much as I thought I would.
Their chemistry in the first book was electric and the enemies to lovers trope worked because they were equals and actually had valid reasons to hate each other but in the second book it all felt flat in my opinion. Juliette saved Mars and staged his murder in front of Roma to make him hate her again and protect him this way but at what cost? They both still pine for each other but in an infuriating way. I kept hearing Ne-Yo's -I hate that I love you in my head. Why wouldn't they just communicate with each other??
Mars and Ben on the other hand though were done so well and I was extremely invested in them. How Mars kept in the shadows and watched over Ben while he mourned the loss of his 'friend'. In turn he wondered why he couldn't get over his death and why he wanted to kill everyone in his sight in the name of Mars. When Juliette was held at gun point by Ben she was forced to confess that Mars was still alive and their reunion blew me away. The way he was angry at him at first for not contacting him and how he had to fight back the urge to confess his love not knowing if it'd be reciprocated by Mars. It felt real and vulnerable and their first kiss made me feel like i was intruding due to how intimate it was.
Meanwhile Roma and Juliette's dyi wedding felt cheesy and rushed. Granted, the political intrigue, Katherine's side plot and the gang's slowly being rot out while the Nationalists and Communists rioted didn't give them much space to be emotional. Speaking of which, I thought the political intrigue was done well and I really hated Mars' father and what he stood for. It's always a good sign when a story makes you feel many emotions, albeit bad ones.
Overall I liked this duology and would love to read a short story about Mars and Ben's live after the events in Shanghai. It made me turn the pages, there were unexpected plots and when going into this retelling not mainly for the romance it's a fun read!
It's been a few days since I've finished the book and I still can't wrap my head around the ending. I knew going into this that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920 Shanghai and that the main characters, Roma and Juliette, were heirs of their gangs who happen to be rivals. The outcome would of course result in them having to kill each other because their love wouldn't be acknowledged by their families and violence filled city. Still, it was kept somewhat open. They died saving the city in order to destroy the disease from becoming a bio-weapon yet again but their bodies weren't found. Thombstones exist with their names on it, romantically placed next to each other, but did they actually die? Did they manage to escape the explosion somehow and live happily ever after? Who knows and honestly, I didn't care as much as I thought I would.
Their chemistry in the first book was electric and the enemies to lovers trope worked because they were equals and actually had valid reasons to hate each other but in the second book it all felt flat in my opinion. Juliette saved Mars and staged his murder in front of Roma to make him hate her again and protect him this way but at what cost? They both still pine for each other but in an infuriating way. I kept hearing Ne-Yo's -I hate that I love you in my head. Why wouldn't they just communicate with each other??
Mars and Ben on the other hand though were done so well and I was extremely invested in them. How Mars kept in the shadows and watched over Ben while he mourned the loss of his 'friend'. In turn he wondered why he couldn't get over his death and why he wanted to kill everyone in his sight in the name of Mars. When Juliette was held at gun point by Ben she was forced to confess that Mars was still alive and their reunion blew me away. The way he was angry at him at first for not contacting him and how he had to fight back the urge to confess his love not knowing if it'd be reciprocated by Mars. It felt real and vulnerable and their first kiss made me feel like i was intruding due to how intimate it was.
Meanwhile Roma and Juliette's dyi wedding felt cheesy and rushed. Granted, the political intrigue, Katherine's side plot and the gang's slowly being rot out while the Nationalists and Communists rioted didn't give them much space to be emotional. Speaking of which, I thought the political intrigue was done well and I really hated Mars' father and what he stood for. It's always a good sign when a story makes you feel many emotions, albeit bad ones.
Overall I liked this duology and would love to read a short story about Mars and Ben's live after the events in Shanghai. It made me turn the pages, there were unexpected plots and when going into this retelling not mainly for the romance it's a fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, War, Classism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Murder