Scan barcode
A review by an_aesthetic
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
2.0
This book was promising, but ended up being just meh. It’s set in 1920s Shanghai where the city is divided between two warring families. From each of these rival gangs we have our two main characters Juliette and Roma. It’s a spin on Romeo and Juliet, obviously, but there wasn’t very much romance. The main focus was a mysterious madness that starts ravaging a city that is already on the brink of catastrophe as warring political factions, including the two gangs, and Communists, and Nationalists, are in upheaval trying to gain control and power.
The story was okay. There was a lot of telling, but not showing. As a result, I didn’t feel any real connections to the characters. Also, there were many plot lines that were introduced and went nowhere and the pacing could have been vastly improved. The first two-thirds of the book dragged and then so much happened at the end. It left off on a cliffhanger and apparently it’s only a duet so I’m still interested in checking out the sequel
The story was okay. There was a lot of telling, but not showing. As a result, I didn’t feel any real connections to the characters. Also, there were many plot lines that were introduced and went nowhere and the pacing could have been vastly improved. The first two-thirds of the book dragged and then so much happened at the end. It left off on a cliffhanger and apparently it’s only a duet so I’m still interested in checking out the sequel