Scan barcode
A review by yourwordsmyink
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
3.0
Read my full CAWPILE Review at http://www.yourwordsmyink.com/these-violent-delights-book-review/
I don't entirely know how to feel about this book. Feeling mild as milk about a book is no fun, especially since I really wanted to like this book. I have heard high praise for this book though, so I'll link some five-star reviews for you to read. Enjoy my These Violent Delights Book Review!
Characters - 8/10
Roma Montagov is absolutely precious and I will not allow anything to happen to him. As you may know, this is a Romeo & Juliet retelling. I'm going to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Romeo & Juliet. In fact, it might be one of my most hated books. I tried not to carry those feelings into this book. Thankfully, this is only a loose retelling, and I enjoyed it much more than Romeo & Juliet.
Roma and Juliette are our main characters, and I am in love with both of them. Especially Roma. He's so soft and sweet, but at the same time he doesn't back down from a fight.
Juliette is just as badass, and I love a strong woman. She has carved out her place in a male-dominated world and continues to work hard for what she wants. I greatly admire that about how.
Not only did I enjoy Roma and Juliette, but I also loved (most of) the secondary characters as well. Rosalind was my least favourite. Benedikt, Marshall and Kathleen are the best, and I hope we get some more snippets of their stories in the sequel. The inclusion of more LGBTQ characters is definitely what the original R&J needed.
Atmosphere - 8/10
I truly loved the setting of this story. Shanghai in the 1920s as a melting pot for the world is such an amazing backdrop for this story. You almost feel like the city is a character itself. It makes every character, every decision and the entire story just that much more striking.
Gong is also a master of tension and suspense. I felt all the right emotions, especially in scenes with Kathleen's POV. These Violent Delights has a fantastic atmosphere and I highly recommend it because of that.
Writing - 6/10
Here's where I go back to being mild. While the characters and the atmosphere was amazing, I had some issues with the writing. Not big issues, Gong still writes incredibly, but tiny issues.
I do not like Shakespear, and some part of the book felt a little too flowery and Shakespear-like. Yes I know, it's like a cardinal sin to hate Shakespear. I'm going to book hell anyway. Some of the things the characters say or some of the descriptions also pulled me out of the book. They felt too modern for the time period and the rest of the writing.
It just felt disjointed in places and my eyes would skim over those parts. It's by no means bad writing, it just wasn't my preferred style of writing.
You can read my full CAWPILE review on my blog!
I don't entirely know how to feel about this book. Feeling mild as milk about a book is no fun, especially since I really wanted to like this book. I have heard high praise for this book though, so I'll link some five-star reviews for you to read. Enjoy my These Violent Delights Book Review!
Characters - 8/10
Roma Montagov is absolutely precious and I will not allow anything to happen to him. As you may know, this is a Romeo & Juliet retelling. I'm going to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Romeo & Juliet. In fact, it might be one of my most hated books. I tried not to carry those feelings into this book. Thankfully, this is only a loose retelling, and I enjoyed it much more than Romeo & Juliet.
Roma and Juliette are our main characters, and I am in love with both of them. Especially Roma. He's so soft and sweet, but at the same time he doesn't back down from a fight.
Juliette is just as badass, and I love a strong woman. She has carved out her place in a male-dominated world and continues to work hard for what she wants. I greatly admire that about how.
Not only did I enjoy Roma and Juliette, but I also loved (most of) the secondary characters as well. Rosalind was my least favourite. Benedikt, Marshall and Kathleen are the best, and I hope we get some more snippets of their stories in the sequel. The inclusion of more LGBTQ characters is definitely what the original R&J needed.
Atmosphere - 8/10
I truly loved the setting of this story. Shanghai in the 1920s as a melting pot for the world is such an amazing backdrop for this story. You almost feel like the city is a character itself. It makes every character, every decision and the entire story just that much more striking.
Gong is also a master of tension and suspense. I felt all the right emotions, especially in scenes with Kathleen's POV. These Violent Delights has a fantastic atmosphere and I highly recommend it because of that.
Writing - 6/10
Here's where I go back to being mild. While the characters and the atmosphere was amazing, I had some issues with the writing. Not big issues, Gong still writes incredibly, but tiny issues.
I do not like Shakespear, and some part of the book felt a little too flowery and Shakespear-like. Yes I know, it's like a cardinal sin to hate Shakespear. I'm going to book hell anyway. Some of the things the characters say or some of the descriptions also pulled me out of the book. They felt too modern for the time period and the rest of the writing.
It just felt disjointed in places and my eyes would skim over those parts. It's by no means bad writing, it just wasn't my preferred style of writing.
You can read my full CAWPILE review on my blog!