Not a lot happens in the first half of the book, and I think my students will lose interest..I think knowing a bit of the backstory between the 2 gangs would give more reasoning for the hate between the the characters.

Entirely the book for me, and yet not at all. I had many issues with the world-building, plot, romance...and nearly everything else. Hoping for some improvement from this author in the future because her publisher's cover design is great! :)

Juliette Cai, heir of the Scarlet Gang, finally returns to Shanghai after four years. The Scarlet Gang's rival, the White Flowers have been fighting them for generations and are continuing to do so even with Juliette away. Behind all the scheming is the White Flower's heir, Roma Montagov, none other than Juliette's first love and heartbreak.

When they were younger, both knew of each other and their identities but it's always been ignored. After four years, they meet again but this time, both teens are different people from when they've left off from.

But when an unknown monster strikes their city, the two must make the difficult decision to put their past and everything else aside to fight for their beloved city.

I know I'm a little late to read it but it did not disappoint. I love Juliette; she's ruthless and a queen but not too surprising considering the fact that she's the head of the Scarlet Gang.

It was so exciting to see where they would pick off from four years ago and watch them grow as young adults. I loved the chemistry between the characters and the ending OMG I can't wait for book two!

Overall, These Violent Delights did not disappoint as one of my top books for 2020. I'm so excited to have read it and I can't wait for more books by the author!

After seeing so many rave reviews for the These Violent Delights series, I don't know why I waited so long to pick up a copy! I am so glad that I was chosen for this tour, because it gave me an excuse to finally read my next two five-star reads of the year! I loved the tension between Roma and Juliette. Their chemistry was palpable in every scene, and propelled the story forward at a breakneck pace. After the way that These Violent Delights ended, I could not wait to start reading Our Violent Ends, and Chloe Gong did not disappoint. The stakes were even higher in this sequel, as the blood feud rises to a peak and the madness continues to spread. These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends are two of my all-time favorite retellings, and I am so excited to see what Chloe Gong will write next!

My Recommendation-
If you love dark, harrowing retellings, you absolutely need to pick up copies of both These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends! I would especially recommend this series to anyone who likes books full of twists, betrayals, and forbidden love!

This book really has it all. There is a mystery at its core, romance (enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and forbidden romance), a betrayal, a potential uprising, a blood feud and so much more. Then there is the writing, if I hadn’t known that this was a debut novel I never would have believed it and she wasn’t even out of college yet!! To be honest I went into this book with average expectations due to me being on the fence about it being a Romeo and Juliet retelling. But let's be honest this book is so much more than that.

This story was so engrossing, there are two rival gangs, the Scarlet Gang and the White Flower, vying for control of Shanghai, and if that isn’t enough tension these gangs have a blood feud that has them constantly at each other's throats. If that isn’t enough to keep you hooked there is an epidemic that is causing people to tear out their own throats, and no one knows what is causing it. It is up to Roma and Juilet to put aside their rivalry and work together or there won’t be a Shanghai left to control.

You have a core group of characters from both gangs that are featured in this book, and I can not remember a book that had all of the characters balanced so well. For each character, there seemed to be a character on the other side that was their balance. I really enjoyed that none of the characters seemed to completely overpower the others. It really made for a more enjoyable reading experience.

This book does end in a cliffhanger and we all know that I am not a fan of them, but there was just something about the way she ended it that has me waiting for the next one and I am not mad about it.

Below is a content warning from the author.

CONTENT WARNINGS: This book contains mentions and descriptions of blood, violence, gore, character deaths, explicit description of gouging self (not of their own volition), murder, weapon use, insects, alcohol consumption, parental abuse.

An Asian inspired Romeo and Juliet that does not shy away from the gore. Splendid debut. Students will devour this action packed retelling of a classic they're sure to have read in English class.

These Violent Delights has been so hyped, and sounded so promising, that it's hard to admit being disappointed with it. Unfortunately, it's a clear case of a decent premise let down by its execution. The writing feels rough, to say the least, with overblown metaphors, awkward dialogue, inconsistent tone/style, and way too many times when a word was just flat out used incorrectly. It felt desperately in need of another revision - or more - or a stronger editorial hand. That made it hard to get invested in what could have been a really fun riff on Romeo and Juliet, because every few words it felt like my brain would snag on the word choice and get thrown out of the story. I couldn't bring myself to care about the plot (which was, admittedly, rather weak; they spend an awful lot of pages figuring out a relatively simplistic situation) or characters, and despite the melodramatically intense level of cliffhanger in that "To be continued..." final page, I just don't care what happens next and won't be bothering to read the second book.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved Juliette and Roma. While they were nothing like their characters in Romeo and Juliet, I loved how compassionate Roma was and how headstrong Juliette was. Their personalities clashed, but both being the heirs of their respective gangs, I can only imagine much of that is colored by the ruthless blood feud between their families.

Of course, the other characters surrounding Juliette and Roma had similar names to the characters in Romeo and Juliet, so you get an idea that maybe certain things will happen to certain people, but if you're looking for a straightforward retelling you'll be sorely disappointed. It's also not a fantasy story. In fact, I would put this as a genre-bending book with historical fiction (the rise of the communist party in China is a major component to this book) with a tiny bit of mystery, science fiction, and very little romance.

But I loved it. I loved that Chloe Gong was able to take this story and make it her own. In all honestly, this is one of the best retellings up there with Legendborn by Tracy Deonn where you're not getting an iteration of the story, but something completely different and so well imagined that you're just blown away when it does reference the other book. It was action packed filled with suspenseful moments, skillful surprises, and just really made me excited to keep reading.<

I loved that the romance between Roma and Juliette wasn't that obvious. It was actually after their romance that the story takes place, so all that was left is the bitter rivalry of their families that seems to affect Juliette more than it did Roma. Both of them have something to prove as well. In the wings, Juliette's cousin, Tyler, is waiting for her to make a mistake so that he can take over the business. Meanwhile, Juliette is constantly trying to prove herself worthy enough to be called a Scarlet.

Roma doesn't feel like he's as dedicated to his gang, The White Flowers, as much as Juliette is. In fact, he gets queasy with murdering people and doesn't sit well with violence. But his father doesn't really respect him as heir either and relies mostly on another person to do the dirty work. But both Roma and Juliette definitely have the best in mind for their people and want to do their best to keep the peace and also solve what's happening.

Because there's a weird madness going around where people are literally ripping their own throats out and it looks to mostly affect both the gangs. This was the weird science fiction part, which really blew my mind at the end. I was so grossed out by the madness the entire time and Chloe Gong has the writing chops to make things just so vivid. It was definitely the central plot of the book, but I also absolutely loved learning more about Juliette and Roma. In many ways this is how the book reminded me of Jade City. There's a big plot happening in the city they both run, but in the meantime there's so much to divulge about the characters and their worlds.

I absolutely loved that Chloe Gong kept a lot of details close to the chest and as you read the book, it just unfolded and really showed you what she's capable of. I will admit it does drag a little. There were parts where I thought it would be obvious to the characters who did it and having them come to realizations and truths much faster than they did in the book, but the slow burn is very much worth it. However, I would just trust Chloe Gong and her writing ability to explain everything, show you why she wrote the book she did, and just capture you in this weird little world.

I cannot wait for book two. There's enough at the end to make you reach for the second book for answers and I definitely want to know what happens.

Overall I see why so many people found this to be a stunning read. I think that Gong executed a lot of the tropes included the best I've seen them done; even tropes that weren't for me. The reason I can't bring myself to rate this higher is more a series of little things and one major thing.

The major thing is simple. I don't think that this book needed to be a duology. I felt that a lot of this first book, while enjoyable to read and massively entertaining, didn't do much. Either for setting up the events of this book, or laying the ground work for something in a book to come. Juliet especially seemed to lack things to do. Her only aim the whole book is to investigate the illness, and while she makes some attempts to do so, a lot of it doesn't really read like an investigation and instead read like a person talking about needing to investigate and annoyed about it.

Roma, while a little better, felt bland. I didn't understand how an action he'd taken that was major in terms of scope seemed to leave no real impression on his character. Especially when that action was as big as it was and ran as counter to his belief as it did. It also just felt grossly self serving and played as though it was really in service of another character. Outside of that though, I never really felt like I had a grasp on him the way I did Juliet; a character who did seem to have been changed by the decisions she made over the course of the novel.

I will continue on with the sequel to see what comes of things, so on some level I'm definitely invested. And I would keep an eye out for what Gong does next, it really does come down to how the execution of the story was handled for me.

I got 82% done, but I can't take any more. I was excited about the setting and the idea of using Romeo and Juliet as a framework, but the execution left a lot to be desired, IMO. The characters are annoying, the romance is not believable, the characters' past is confusing. Why not have flashback scenes or chapters to help us actually see how the characters supposedly loved each other? Without seeing their past, it just doesn't work. Beyond that, the mystery and the plot are boring, messy and repetitive. I was holding on because I thought I wanted to see how things get resolved, but, you know what? I decided I really don't care.

What a beautiful and unique story! Going into this I was a bit worried because I haven't even thought of Romeo and Juliette since high school, but I quickly realized that wasn't necessary to enjoy this story. Gong wrote a masterpiece that is loosely based on the familiar tale, but it also looks at the history of Shanghai in the 1920's with so much political unrest. Although the beginning was a bit slow, I was drawn into the world created and the tension between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. The time put in to building the tension definitely paid off in the end!

Chloe Gong, I love ya! Can't wait to read book two immediately after those freakin cliff hangers.

Cool Shakespeare retelling with major twists. I really enjoyed the nods to the original while being such a fresh take. Juliet was such a great, complex character and I enjoyed the different cultural aspects a ton.

Also, what an insane ending! Excited to read the next one.

There's a lot happening in this Romeo and Juliet retelling against the backdrop of 1920's Shanghai. Gangsters, Communists, flappers, star-crossed lovers who have turned into exes... oh! And a mysterious river monster that is making people crazy and tearing their throats out. Buckle in, because you won't get bored, but you will need to focus so you keep track of what's going on.

3000% will update my school's options for Romeo and Juliet re-tellings with this gripping, immersive, fast-paced, and completely atmospheric reimagining with These Violent Delights.

Gong has struck literary gold with this first installment and will not only open doors for readers to explore the complexities of Shakespeare's R&J, but also the riveting and imperative socio-political context of the 1920s in Hong Kong.

Highly recommend it to educators and teens alike---this book is just amazing.

I was very excited to read These Violent Delights, but it just didn't deliver. It felt overly complicated. And while it's billed as "R&J in 1920's China with magic," I felt like the R&J comparison wasn't very accurate. Yes, there are two rival gang, but I think just leaving it at "star-crossed lovers" would be a better fit. My (former-English-teacher) brain got caught on the R&J bit and it never let it go.

In the ensuing months since this came out, though, I've recommended this to multiple teens, and they loved it. So good job, Chloe Gong!

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this one.. After months of going back and forth, I could never get into the story. There isn't any one thing that I disliked, I just found it boring overall. The premise of 1920"s Shanghai and a Romeo and Juliet retelling were so promising but it was all just "meh." I finally decided to give it up and move on.

As a high school English teacher, I was skeptical when I first heard about the premise of this book--a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920's Shanghai? I thought it might be a case of too many differences spoiling a classic story.

I WAS WRONG. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING IN EVERY WAY. I read it in one sitting and have no regrets at losing sleep to reach the end.

Character development? Emotional investment? Gorgeous prose? Unique, distinct voices for each character? CHLOE GONG CAN DO IT ALL.

I read about 70% of the book and then DNF’d it. I started it as the eARC and then switched to the audiobook. But I just couldn’t get through it. I liked the setting and the politics. The mystery was intriguing. But I just didn’t care? I honestly think it was a me thing, and not something about the book. But I’ve been trying to read this for like six months and I’m just done, so I’m giving up. So many people love this, so check out their reviews.

This is a beautifully written novel and a pretty amazing first novel at that. I didn't know I needed a 1920's Shanghai retelling of Romeo and Juliette but here I am. It's filled with a lot of politics, gangs at war, and some pretty angsty romance and I lovwd it all. I am so excited to read to These Violent Ends to see where this story goes and also to see the growth from a new author in her 2nd novel.

This was such an intense book. I know that I had a hard time physically reading it ahead of time, and I resorted to listening to it so I could get through it, but that wasn’t because of the content. If anything, I really enjoyed this story; like REALLY enjoyed this story, and I wanted to make sure I could enjoy it in the format that worked best for me. This was one of the best Romeo and Juliet retellings that I’ve ever come across, and quite frankly I prefer this a whole lot more to the original. Sorry Shakespeare. You can also tell that Gong ensured that we knew about the history about Shanghai during this time even if it was mixed up with the fantastical aspect of a monster in the river. The writing was pretty lyrical in a way that transported me into this world, and I just felt so immersed in this story. I personally don’t know who I liked better – Juliette or Roma – but I could understand where both of them were coming from. This war basically tore their family apart and honestly I don’t know if they will be able to break the cycle. I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out! It’s definitely going to have a pretty cray ending. Especially with what happened at the end of this one? Talk about a plot twist, and twist, and twist.