One of my favourite YA books I read last year. Throughly enjoyable and so much fun to read. I can't wait to read more.

This book was such a letdown and a massive disappointment. I felt nothing for the characters and the plot was overly predictable (yes I know it's a retelling but still...). I look forward to seeing what else Chloe Gong writes, especially with the hype around all her books.

I feel like this has recently become a hugely popular series, so I was excited to try it, especially as it is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and it's set in 1920s Shanghai, which I just think sounds so fun! I really liked when this was set, with the homecoming of Juliette, and how her return to Shanghai affects everyone around her, at the same time as these mysterious murders keep happening. I appreciated the spin on the classic Romeo and Juliet tale with the addition of this monster as I think it provided the story with some more depth, but I wasn't a massive fan of the writing itself or the worldbuilding. Maybe if I were to continue with the series, and its spin-off, that may become stronger, but I don't think I will be.

The writing style in this book is very dense but very beautiful
The romance isn’t the main plot which was good as I am not a huge romance reader
It is very dark and interesting.
A good read

Unfortunately this is not the book for me, I've tried it 4 or 5 times and can't get past the 50 page mark as the writing style is too lyrical for me.

I think this is my fourth attempt of trying this book and unfortunately I have DNF’d every time. Although this book is not for me, a beautiful retelling of Romeo and Juliet is here for everybody who will love them.

Romeo and Juliet with a unique, asian twist!! I loved the concept, the characters, the unique world and system. I think this is one a lotof younger and older readers alike would enjoy!!

A lyrical and impressive debut that fully immersed me in this glittering and ruthless world. The characters were strong and nuanced and I flew through this book and cannot wait for the sequel.

This retelling was such an amazing concept, and I loved it a lot, but I do wish the stakes were a little higher.

This book follows Roma and Juliette who are part of rival gangs who have to work together to get rid of a monster roaming the city streets.

Going in, all I knew about this was that it was a Romeo and Juliette retelling and nothing else. I was surprised that it had a fantasy element to it. I loved the atmosphere of the book and it was very compelling.

The mystery was very interesting and I was so invested in knowing more. The pacing was done well. I liked that we got to see many different perspectives and not just Roma and Juliette. It was enough to give the bigger picture and brought the story together.

I loved that the two main characters had a past and it was a very interesting dynamic to read about. It was great to see them remembering the past and trying to forget all the feelings that they had. The romance element was done so well and I loved it.

I loved the setting of this. It’s set in the 1920s so I loved reading abouhe dresses and how the world was at that time with a mix of fantasy thrown in.

The ending of the book makes me want the next book now. If you haven’t read this, please do!

All in all, I loved this book. I recommend this book to everyone, even those who don’t typically read fantasy as the fantasy element is so easy to understand and is not complicated.

These Violent Delights is cinematic, layered, and in many ways deserves the hype it has gotten. And yet, it fell short for me. I was certain this would be a 5-star read for me, after having read the opening chapter and falling in love with Chloe Gong's immersive writing. But then I never read any further. I started reading this book multiple times and never made it further than two or three chapters and I didn't know why.

To be honest, I'm still not quite sure why this book fell short for me, but I guess it boils down to the fact that I wasn't emotionally invested at all. And while I enjoyed the writing and the structural and craft elements of the plot, I never truly got into the story on an emotional level. The characters felt strangely flat to me and the glittering and vivid lure of the setting simply wasn't enough to draw me in.

Overall, I definitely see why so many people loved this book, I can see that it's a good book! It just didn't work for me in the way I hoped. I'm still excited to read the sequel though, maybe my feelings will change!

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me, however I did enjoy the setting (1920s Shanghai). Would still consider Chloe Gong's books in the future!

I wanted to like this book SO much. As a school librarian any update of Shakespeare is always welcome but I struggled to get into this book and that feeling continued right to the end. That being said I can see it appealing to certain fantasy readers and it was not un-enjoyable so I give it a solid 3 stars.

I was so excited to read this. I love Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and was looking forward to a fresh retelling with a twist.

In Gong's retelling, Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are heirs to their respective gangs. Julliette is part of the Scarlet Gang, meanwhile Roma is heir to the White Flowers. In 1920s Shanghai, there is a blood feud with each gang respectively holding an area. However, unrest is breaking out with the West and the Communists wanting their own slice of the city.

'A plague on both your houses' is interpreted rather literally in this story. The descriptions are quite graphic at times with a gruesome form of madness infiltrating the city with devastating consequences.

Roma and Juliette covertly join forces to try and investigate the cause of the madness and reports of a monster sweeping the city. There are so many twists and turns along the way that made this an thrilling mystery (even a bit stressful at times) to read!

I love Juliette's character particularly, she is badass and ruthless. However, I also enjoyed that the side characters also added to the story and were so well written and unique. Honourable mentions to Benedikt and Marshall who had fantastic banter and their personalities added depth to the story.

My only niggle with the story was that I wasn't enjoying the romance between the main characters as much as I was hoping to, especially given that they're Romeo and Juliet! The ending has me well and truly excited for the next book!!

Overall, this is a fantastic Romeo and Juliet retelling and so much more. With a fantastic setting that adds to the story and adds darkness and depth to the story. If you enjoy Shakespearean retellings with a twist, a good fantasy hand in hand with a tense mystery then this is one you don't want to miss.

I was happy that it was seeming like a standalone, leaving the sequel to be about something else, but it seems not 😑 I liked how it was planned, but I didn't like how the whole next book is probably going to be about miscommunication. I wish they were all in on the plot and were still going to be working together

I really wanted to love this book since I love Romeo and Juliet retellings. And the premise of this one was so different. Unfortunately I just didn’t like it. I found every character horrible and the story was bogged down with too much boring political stuff to maintain my interest. The supernatural element was unique and I spotted the parallels and a few quotes cleverly put in from the original play that made me smile. But it was a bit disappointing. I did get the sequel for Christmas so despite not liking it I will be interested to see how it concludes.

I am so torn about how to rate this book! On the one hand, I loved the setting and thought that Chloe Gong did an amazing job at bringing the Shanghai of 1926 to vibrant life. I enjoyed the fantastical elements of the novel very much, to the point where they were really quite horrific and skin crawling, which I wasn't expecting but really appreciated. I also enjoyed the side characters an awful lot, particularly Kathleen and Marshall and am intrigued by Rosalind. On the other hand, I didn't like our protagonists very much, which is a shame. I also found a lot of the dialogue very clunky and much of the plot was very predictable. Overall, I would say that I enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up the second book, in the hope that some of these issues are ironed out.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

On the face of it, I thought this book would be everything I loved but I found it quite difficult to get into and throughout reading I would put it down and take weeks to pick it back up. Maybe that's because of the mindset I was in at the time or maybe this book just wasn't great at holding my attention.

Nevertheless, if you liked Jade War, you will probably like this.

This own voices novel sees many cultures come together in a classic tale of rivalry, with a difference. Set in Shangai we also see British, American, French and Russian cultures involved in the politics of this plot. The main storyline follows two rival gangs, the Scarlets and the White Flowers, headed up by the two leading families, Cais and the Montagov. Sound familiar? I love the adaptations from Shakespeare’s original play to fit a 20’s Shanghai setting, whilst being set in the past, Gong has modernised this story with her political plot lines and inclusion of a range of diversity.

There are two threats within this book; a monster trying to take over the city and kill it’s residence and the theme of communism and foreign occupants on Shanghai land. I’ve referred to this as having politics within the plot, but this isn’t done in a ‘heavy’ way, nor is it daunting to read. I don’t consider myself to be very politically minded beyond keeping up with current affairs, but I was still able to understand the plot progression of this book and cared about the issues it was putting forward. I don’t want to go into more detail as the build up fo this storyline is one that is best experienced through reading the book.

A plague on both your houses is a famous quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and one that I think must have been an inspiration for the plot of this book. The drama of this story centres around a monster unleashing a plague across the city and both Juliette and Roma trying to get to the bottom of it. I love how this one line has set the theme for this entire retelling, and it’s so clever how Gong has adapted this story. Touching on very real times at the moment with our own pandemic, this book looks at the spread of a virus and how helpless the characters are to stop it. I don’t know when Gong started/finished writing this but it certainly felt poignant to the times we are currently living in.

One of the things I love about retellings is the subtle changes, such ad character names and relationships. In this we see the familiar families of the Capulets and the Montagues, but named the Cai and Montagov. Gong has taken a story we all know, even if just a little, and given it a new spin to engage new readers. I’m intruiged to see how this turns into a series, but I’m excited to read more from this world. I really loved the characters, especially both Benedikt and Marshall who offered a real comical side to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot, it was not only fun and exciting, but I also feel it was insightful too. Would highly recommend!