Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

My mind is officially blown. I went into this book with extremely high expectations and Chloe Gong exceeded all of them. I can not believe how good this book is. It took me over a month to read but it was incredibly worth it and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Series: These Violent Delights #1
Page Count: 449

Synopsis: “The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.“

Content Warnings

gun and knife violence, murder, blood and gore, loss of loved ones, self-harm and suicide (not of own violation)

There are no spoilers in this review.

I don’t even know how to start this review. I mean, seriously, there is so much to say about this book. Part of what drew me to this book was the hype, but the other part was the cover. The sword with the dragon and roses intertwined is so dramatic and it’s just overall designed really well.

“The stars incline us, they do not bind us.”

What immediately pulled me into These Violent Delights was the writing. Chloe Gong knows how to describe things beautifully and all of Shanghai came to life through her words. The descriptions of the monster were vivid and real and I love the worldbuilding that she did. The Scarlet Gang and White Flowers were created so well; mysterious and dangerous, with the blood feud between them producing tension anywhere they went.

This book had a wonderful cast of characters. There’s Juliette Cai, our headstrong, takes-no-crap-from-no-one heir to the Scarlet Gang, who can kill you in an instant with no hesitation. She’s cold and fierce and arrogant. I felt like she was a little too brutal in some places and could’ve been a little. . . less harsh?

Juliette was born in China, but spent much of her childhood in the US, and as a result, she often felt disconnected from the culture in Shanghai. I feel like that aspect was represented well, from the way she dressed to her name to the way she spoke the language, with her American accent.

“She…hoped. And hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in Pandora’s box among misery, and disease, and sadness—and what could endure alongside others with such teeth if it didn’t have ghastly claws of its own?”

On the other hand, there’s Roma Montagov, the surprisingly tender heir to the White Flowers who doesn’t like violence very much. He’s much softer than he looks and though he doesn’t like bloodshed, he’s willing to protect the ones he loves even it means having to kill someone. I thought he lacked a little in characterization, though. We go more in depth with Juliette’s character, but Roma’s not so much.

The enemies-to-lovers trope was executed perfectly. With the history that Juliette and Roma have and the longing they’ve felt for each for so long, there were so many moments where there was so much tension and I was just waiting for them to do something.

“You destroy me and then you kiss me. You give me a reason to hate you and then you give me a reason to love you. Is this a lie or the truth? Is this a ploy or your heart reaching for me?”

I loved all the side characters as well: Kathleen and Rosalind in the Scarlet Gang and Benedikt and Marshall in the White Flowers. They were each distinctly their own character and I especially loved Benedikt and Marshall’s relationship. (Who else totally ships them?)

I feel like the book did drag a little bit at some spots, but I still love the mystery and how it all unfolded. And that ending, oh my gosh. Between the monster and the balance of the blood feud, it left on a huge cliffhanger and I can’t believe I have to wait until November to find out what happens.

“This was her life, this was her city, these were her people, and because she loved them, she had sworn to herself a long time ago that would do a damn good job being who she was because she could be no one else.”

These Violent Delights was a thrilling and fantastic retelling of Romeo and Juliet and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fantasy book with enemies-to-lovers!

My Rating: 4.5/5 dragons

Have you read These Violent Delights? Is it on your TBR? Who else is excited for the sequel?
Chat with me in the comments below!