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Our Violent Ends
by Chloe Gong
The conclusion to this duology finally really leans into the Romeo & Juliet plot beats, but twists them just enough that the blend into the story, taking the reader by surprise each time those resonances occur. This is a much bigger story than just the two titular lovers; the cast from book 1 is here and the secondary characters all get at least one or two POV chapters which allow the reader to access their feelings as well as delve more into the politics at play in 1927 Shanghai. I was really glad to get more Benedikt/Marshall as well as Kathleen & a little Rosalind.
This book shines in bringing to life the atmosphere of a tumultuous and dangerous moment for Shanghai. The author's note admits to shuffling some events of history, but for a work with magic and literal monsters, it still gives a great deal of insight into the time period. I would say the magic and monsters ended up really being a secondary plot problem in comparison with the shifting alliances of the political and mob factions. This is a much more historical fiction book and the first is much more fantasy mystery. If the first book was bloody, this one is just as violent, but the death toll starts to feel more personal this time around.
The romance aspect re-treads some of the same ground in this book since Juliet has engineered their animosity to be re-kindled, and once again they are forced to work together. It had been long enough since I read the first one that I didn't mind this too much, though the reckless teenager decisions don't really let up either, and that can still be frustrating. Once again, the tension is kept pretty high throughout this book, and it moves quickly despite its length.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the Rosalind duology; I found Kathleen (and hertransformation into Celia ) to be more compelling than Rosalind's side story, and I'm hesitant on the "accidentally became immortal" premise. I am, though, interested in the picking up the novellas since the Benedikt/Marshall train murder mystery sounds fun, and I love their dynamic.
This book shines in bringing to life the atmosphere of a tumultuous and dangerous moment for Shanghai. The author's note admits to shuffling some events of history, but for a work with magic and literal monsters, it still gives a great deal of insight into the time period. I would say the magic and monsters ended up really being a secondary plot problem in comparison with the shifting alliances of the political and mob factions. This is a much more historical fiction book and the first is much more fantasy mystery. If the first book was bloody, this one is just as violent, but the death toll starts to feel more personal this time around.
The romance aspect re-treads some of the same ground in this book since Juliet has engineered their animosity to be re-kindled, and once again they are forced to work together. It had been long enough since I read the first one that I didn't mind this too much, though the reckless teenager decisions don't really let up either, and that can still be frustrating. Once again, the tension is kept pretty high throughout this book, and it moves quickly despite its length.
I'm not sure if I'm interested in picking up the Rosalind duology; I found Kathleen (and her