A review by readerette
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm not sure I'm a Romeo and Juliet fan, so undoubtedly that impacts my enjoyment of any retellings. I like the world building and all the factions represented and the energy of the city. The two main characters were mostly enjoyable but ultimately tiring for me to keep caring about, with all their gangster antics and anguish. The story was predictable (even having only a rudimentary understanding of R&J) and the fantasy element completely unnecessary and not really believable as part of a world and a history based heavily on our own reality (but I do prefer an element of believability in my fantasy stories). The descriptions were overwrought in many places, which made the book feel less polished and overly long.
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