I wanted desperately to like this one but it wasn't for me. I couldn't connect to the characters and felt the story was overlong despite what promised to be a fast-paced concept.

DNFd @ 60% because I was honestly just bored. The pacing was not great and no character was likeable OR compelling and if I can't understand the character enough to care about their motives why bother?

I’m so incredibly impressed that Chloe Gong wrote and published this book in her early 20’s. To create a full world and characters, then have the confidence to reach out to publishers… I don’t think I would have done that at that age. I really liked the way she blended a retelling of Romeo & Juliet with Chinese history. I love books like this where you learn about something new through fiction, and it can inspire you to research more into it.

I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the exploration of these gangs and how they divide the community. I was very much not expecting the storyline to involve a spreading disease involving bugs. It was a little gross for me, reminding me of body horror, but I was able to look over it. There were so many other things to love about it, so I could handle it. In any case, I’m glad to have finally read These Violent Delights and I look forward to reading her other works (including the sequel and her upcoming Immortal Longings).

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. The whole concept of Romeo and Juliet from two rival gangs in Shanghai in the roaring 20s and even the title all drew me in immediately, but it just did work for me.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book, I’m seriously kicking myself. I loved this world and these characters so much.

This was a clever Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, China. Even though this is considered urban fantasy, I struggled with all of the historical background building and infodumping of the communists, Chinese, and Russians, etc. I enjoyed the fantasy part of the story—the monster lurking in the Huangpu River. The story ends on a cliffhanger, so be prepared!

Oh man. I LOVED this story. Such a wild ride. Juliette is a tough as nails character that I could really get behind. And that beginning? Oh man that set the tone for the entire book which was amazing.

Very well written and imaginative story based on Romeo and Juliet. I enjoyed the reimagining and found the details to be very well done. The characters and overall story were interesting. I will happily move into the second book!

i was actually gonna give this three stars because the middle of the novel left me bored, but the ending was so epic and explosive that i had to bump my rating up. i wouldn't say that tvd's cast of characters rank among my favorite characters of all time, but i do understand why this book has seen so much success and has a sizable fandom surrounding its characters. juliette, marshall, and kathleen were undoubtedly my favorites. juliette is ruthless and loyal to her family, determined to claim her rightful place as heir of the scarlet gang. marshall is a sarcastic flirt and his dialogue added some much needed levity to the dark events of the story, and kathleen is a trans girl who comes across as a pacifist but is unafraid to get her hands dirty if the time calls for it.

but just because i have clear favorites doesn't mean i dislike the other three main characters (though i sense rosalind being a bit of a problem in our violent ends). benedikt is a quiet artist, and i think it is hinted at that he has ocd. there is most definitely a friends to lovers romance developing between him and mars, and i can't wait to see how it pans out in the sequel.

roma montagov, juliette's love interest, is an interesting character in his own right. whereas juliette is terrifying and prone to letting her anger get the best of her, roma is quieter and wishes for peace amid the cai-montagov blood feud. if i'm being honest, i found him a bit boring (please don't kill me roma stans). i think he was meant to be a schemer to juxtapose juliette being the type to resort to brute force first, but i can't think of a single moment where i thought of him as smart or scheming. he was kinda just there being a simp, and i know this is perfectly fine for others but i want more from a character.

i'm also not that invested in roma and juliette's romance. i am not dying for them to be end game or to reread my favorite scenes of them. however, i appreciate what their romance represents. i haven't read the original romeo and juliet, but i do know that it centers around love fighting to survive in an environment filled with hate. roma and juliette fell in love despite the years of hate and spilled blood between their families. because of that they constantly have to choose between their love for each other and their love for their families. choosing one is betraying the other. i just love the beautiful tragedy of that.

in conclusion, i can definitely see why this book is so hyped now, and i recommend it. i'm sure you're gonna find yourself interested in at least one character out of the six mcs. if you find the beginning/middle, where the characters are simply interviewing people about the madness, slow like i did, i think the ending has a good chance of making up for it. gong's writing is atmospheric, perfectly capturing the turmoil of 1920s shanghai. there are some truly beautiful quotes that i can see being plastered on a thousand edits.

omfg that ending, I CAN'T. also adored this book on a whole! Roma and Juliette were killing me, and I need to read the sequel asap

I neglected to provide Netgalley feedback back when I read this--oops! I loved These Violent Delights. I was expecting a more straightforward Romeo and Juliet adaptation, so the fantasy elements surprised me, but I loved the way they heightened the drama of the original story.

Really loved this creative spin on Romeo and Juliet. Immersive world and vivid characters. Bought this and its sequel for the school library and recommend them all the time.

Belatedly, this was fantastic. (I read it a long, long time ago but didn't leave a review here.) It's no secret at this point how amazing Chloe Gong's writing is.

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the plot. It was a great beach read that I brought on vacation!

Though parts of this premise are truly intriguing, I find that I am likely not the target audience for this because while I may enjoy some takes of enemies to lovers - it is not something that sells a story for me.

This is a brilliant and compulsive read, I have had more than one teen raving about it in my branch. Would recommend.

This is a gorgeous retelling of an absolute classic! Romeo and Juliet reimagined in the style of 1920’s rival gangs. Gong’s style of writing is so descriptive, almost lyrical, and the slow burn of this enemies-to-lovers romance is delicious. Definitely worth the hype, and highly recommend!

Before I get into my post, I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You may not know this about me, but I’m a huge Shakespeare nerd. I don’t every play by heart or anything, but I’ve always been fascinated by his work and love reading a good Shakespeare play. So, when I found out that These Violent Delights was a retelling of Romeo & Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai, I knew I was going to want to read it!

This story follows two heirs of rival gangs that rule the city of Shanghai. Juliette Cai is the heir to the Scarlet Gang throne, while Roma Montagov is the set to rule the White Flowers. Juliette and Roma are fire and water, not meant to mix, but they have a complicated past that makes their present interactions even more volatile. When a mysterious madness starts threatening both Scarlet Gang and White Flower members, however, they must join forces to get to the bottom of this devastating destruction.

When I started writing this review, I was having a real “no thoughts, head empty” moment because all I wanted to write is…

“THIS BOOK IS AN ABSOLUTE GEM AND YOU MUST READ IT NOW.”

But that does not a good review make! So let me attempt to be a little more coherent.

This dark and captivating tale is one that will pull you in from the very first page and keep you in a chokehold the entire time! The action starts pretty much immediately and, from then on, your imagination is racing right along with Juliette and Roma to try and figure out what is going down in Shanghai. The writing is incredible! There were several passages that had me setting the book aside to just say, “Wow…” The imagery in this is evocative and makes you feel as though you are standing in dingy clubs right next to our main characters!

And can we talk about the characters? Juliette is dangerous and frightening and I LOVE HER. She’s got this tough exterior that hides a slightly less tough interior (but still pretty hard, ngl) and she would do whatever it takes to save the people she loves. She has plans for her city and is willing to put in the work to make it happen. She is a magician when it comes to hiding weapons and, honestly, one of my favorite characters from recent memory. And Roma! Though Roma and I didn’t connect as much, I still found him to be an incredibly well-written and compelling person. The secrets and twists between these two is some of the best stuff in this story. The tension, y’all. I absolutely loved them and can’t wait to see more of them in the next book.

Final thoughts: This YA fantasy debut was a fast-paced, intricate tale that keep my attention from page one until the very end! I loved the imagery, the writing, and the world-building that was woven throughout the story. It really invoked 1920s Shanghai in a beautifully vivid way. The character work is fantastic, with two main characters that practically leap off the page. Overall, this combines into a thrill ride in book form and I cannot wait to see how it ends in the sequel!

Alright y’all were right about this one is that what you wanna hear

It was really slow going at first, almost DNF levels, but I was really curious and I did like the characters. I don’t know, maybe part of it was that a book about a sweeping illness sort of hit too close to home? Even tho theirs is spread by insects and whatnot

Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are the heirs of rival gangs in 1920s Shanghai. Juliette is heir to the Scarlet Gang, the local Chinese gang, and Roma is heir to the White Flowers, a Russian gang. The gangs rule the city separately, with a huge turf war being a daily ~thing~

But, they used to have a fling, a fling that ended horribly and resulted in Juliette living in America for 4 years. Right around the time she returns is the time that the illness crops up, killing Scarlets and White Flowers alike. She and her now-despised ex-lover Roma decide to work together to save not only their respective gangs but their city.

There’s a rich historical backdrop of foreign immigration to Shanghai and worker unrest with the rise of Communism. The world-building is so rich that you feel you can reach out and touch it, and this is Gong’s debut, so I’m very excited about where her writing will go from here.

There’s 4 main side characters, 2 for Juliette and 2 for Roma, and they’re all really developed in their own rights as well. Kathleen is transgender and the representation is so casual!! She’s loyal to a fault, and is a great friend and cousin to Juliette. Benedikt and Marshall - there’s definitely some romantic tension between them lolol. And Rosaline has her own set of struggles with being close to the heir but not close enough by blood to really matter to the Cai family.

The angst between Juliette and Roma… it’s so good, trust me. They have a lot of bloody baggage, but they’re just kids, so it really tugs at your heartstrings to see them try to work things out as they work together

Basically I’m ready to read book two very soon after that ending which was really fucking good and true to the characters so yeah bring on 2022 and book 2

This is one of those times where I was prepared to be unimpressed because a billion people have done the whole star crossed lovers thing and this one literally came right out and said this is Romeo and Juliet. I mean, the characters names are Roma and Juliette.... Anyway, little by little the book won be over by being to extra. Ok it's Romeo and Juliet (meh, it's one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays). Set in 1920s (getting warmer). Shanghai (ooh). Rival gangs (pretty cool). Political intrigue (sure, sure). Giant magical sea monsters that spawn little bugs that burrow into your brains and cause you to tear your own throat out (wait what?!?!). Anyway! Some outcomes are predictable even if you somehow do not yet know the plot of Romeo and Juliet (really how though?) but overall very atmospheric and fun.