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ARC Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong
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Series: These Violent Delights #1
Author: Chloe Gong
Published November 17th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads Synopsis
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.
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.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Romeo and Juliet has had a fantastical twist in this 1920's inspired retelling. As the heir to the Scarlet Gang, Juliette Cai is relearning her city all over again. Her parents sent her to America from an early age, and she's embraced the Western culture, all the time remembering her people, and the city she left. However, when she was back in Shanghai four years ago, she let her guard down, and was betrayed in the worst way possible. Now, she's out for blood, and will do anything to ensure she comes out on the top, and that the White Flowers are destroyed - especially their heir, Roma Montagov, her first love. But, Shanghai isn't how she remembers it. The Russians, French, British, and Americans have their claws in the city, and when a new madness or contagion starts spreading, killing Scarlet and White gang members indiscriminately, Juliette and Roma have to put aside their differences, and work together to save those they care about - before it's too late.
I'm going to admit it straight out, this time reading These Violent Delights was my third attempt. When I was approved for the eARC prior to publication, I was so excited to read it, but on two separate occasions, I couldn't get more than 4 chapters in, and put it to one side each time. I thought I was reading a different book to everyone else who were gushing over it. Come lockdown 3, and I was working from home, had my birthday, and decided to order some new books, I bought a hardcover copy of TVD, because part of my issue with the eARC was the formatting. Well, it's the end of the Easter holidays, and I thought 'how about giving it another go?', and by god, and I glad I did. I devoured the entire book in less than a day, and can safely say I'm desperate for Our Violent Ends.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the main characters. Juliette was fiesty, and strong, and she knew what she wanted - and was willing to do just about anything to get it. She was a bad ass, and though she might look small, and demure, especially in her flapper outfits compare to the rest of the city, she was strength indeed, and I just loved her. Roma, on the other hand, was a softy at heart, who didn't relish the darker side of being heir to the White Flowers, and hated hurting or killing anyone. He fell for Juliette four years ago, and fell hard, but the betrayal that happened before she was sent away again, destroyed their relationship, and it became a fully fledged 'enemies-to-lovers' situation. The yearning and want on both sides was plain to see - to the reader at least - but they'd both been hurt and suffered in the past, and were so reluctant to let their guards down, it was both a joy and a pain to read it all. The ending, too, destroyed me, and I'm actually glad I don't have too long to wait until book 2 is released.
For the plot, I adored the history of the city, being woven with the fantasy aspect of the monster and the contagion. Living through a pandemic and reading this was strange, to say the least, but I loved the mix of traditional and fantasy, modern and science. Chloe managed to create a world and story that was so engaging, and magically created, that once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. Honestly, if I hadn't finished it at a decent time, I would've stayed up to read it all. The secondary characters were just as good as Juliette and Roma, too, with the book being full of diversity, in gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and more. If I hadn't known this was a debut, by a young author, I would've thought it was written by a seasoned writer, with numerous awards and accolades under their belt. If this is how Chloe's debut is, I can not wait to see more.
Dates Read:
April 17, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
