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A review by btrz7
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Not sure exactly how I feel about this duology, but I guess I'll try to summarize how I feel in parts.
Firstly, this is one of those books where an author chooses a setting (location/time period) and instead of letting it just work as a background, they fully brought it to life and let it be relevant to the story. I think Chloe Gong painted a very vivid picture of Shangai and the gang's lives and this certainly elevates the story in my eyes.
As for plot, I understand intertwining politics with gang business (not that the two leads seemed to care that much about politics), but at some point I felt like the fantasy element was too much. Like, specially in this book, it felt like it was sidetracked for a long portion of the book, and I feel like the same effect on the story could have been achieved by a non supernatural element. This is already a retelling, which has its own elements and beats to hit, and while I thought the rival gangs with a blood feud fit it well, the book felt too long for me. As in, I felt like some sections of the plot were neglected for too long, and specially towards the second half of the book, I kept waiting for things to wrap up, and even when it felt like it was time to conclude it, there were tons of things still left.
Lastly, I didn't care much for the two main characters and their relationship (when it felt to me like it was time to end the book, I kept thinking "isn't it time for you to die now?") but I did like their respective sidekicks (Ben and Marshall, Rosalind and Kathleen), and it was their endings I was looking forward to since the end of book 1.
Firstly, this is one of those books where an author chooses a setting (location/time period) and instead of letting it just work as a background, they fully brought it to life and let it be relevant to the story. I think Chloe Gong painted a very vivid picture of Shangai and the gang's lives and this certainly elevates the story in my eyes.
As for plot, I understand intertwining politics with gang business (not that the two leads seemed to care that much about politics), but at some point I felt like the fantasy element was too much. Like, specially in this book, it felt like it was sidetracked for a long portion of the book, and I feel like the same effect on the story could have been achieved by a non supernatural element. This is already a retelling, which has its own elements and beats to hit, and while I thought the rival gangs with a blood feud fit it well, the book felt too long for me. As in, I felt like some sections of the plot were neglected for too long, and specially towards the second half of the book, I kept waiting for things to wrap up, and even when it felt like it was time to conclude it, there were tons of things still left.
Lastly, I didn't care much for the two main characters and their relationship (when it felt to me like it was time to end the book, I kept thinking "isn't it time for you to die now?") but I did like their respective sidekicks (Ben and Marshall, Rosalind and Kathleen), and it was their endings I was looking forward to since the end of book 1.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence