A review by starkov
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It took me a little while to get into this but when I did I was hooked! The book is a retelling of Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet and I think Chloe Gong did a wonderful job.

Our Romeo and Juliet, Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai, were fantastic main characters. They each have depth as separate characters and the dynamic between the two is SO GOOD. I'm weak for the enemies/rivals to lovers trope and the love and betrayal they already had in their past really made this trope work even better.

"You're not even afraid," Roma breathed, his voice hitching, "and do you know why? Because you know I cannot push this knife in - you have always known"

I know very little of the setting of the book (1920s Shanghai) but it felt very well researched, or at least it gave the illusion of it (I clearly can't judge). The writing was also very good in general. Sometimes I wished Gong would've explained some of the sayings in other languages more, but it didn't affect my understanding of the plot as a whole so I suppose it doesn't matter that much. 

I'm very excited to read the sequel!!