Our Violent Ends once again sees Juliette and Roma teaming up to track down information. The monsters from the first book are still a threat, and this time the two are hunting down a blackmailer that will provide them with answers and hopefully help them stop the threat of the monsters once again. However, tensions run high between Juliette and Roma, and they are forced to work together by their families this time despite the bad blood between them.

I have to say I loved this take on Romeo and Juliet. The fact that it takes place in Shanghai AND involves two feuding gangs had me sold on reading these books immediately. From the first book I loved how strong Juliette is. She can take care of herself and frankly, she can be quite ruthless, which is actually something I really love in her character. This second book continued to prove what a strong person she is and I was not disappointed seeing how far she has come. And I can’t forget about Roma. Of the two of them, he is the one that tends to be more hesitant as far as the violent nature of their lives requires from them, but we also see him take on more of a ruthless role as he deals with the betrayal he was faced with from Juliette in the previous book. I also loved that this made him take a bit of a harsher turn because it made the dynamic between the two characters more tense and it keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wanting to know how things will turn out between the two.

There were moment that I found moved a little slower but the end of the book made up for it with the sheer intensity. I also thought the ending was perfectly bittersweet and a very fitting ending for these books.

If you thought book one was good, you are in for the best news ever: BOOK TWO IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! I'm obviously going to keep this spoiler free because this book isn't out yet, but ooooh if you haven't read These Violent Delights yet, read it right away, or closer to the release of Our Violent Ends so you don't have to wait.

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

CW: violence, death, murder

To start on characters, let's chat about our Scarlet queen, Juliette. Juliette's character trajectory is stunning. Every action she takes is one that makes sense with what we know of her. She's such a strong, badass character, and I truly loved reading from her perspective, and watching how her mind works. She's a very well rounded character, violent and ready to stab at any given second, but cares for her family and those around her fiercely. Seeing her growth from the start of book one, through the end of book two was incredible. I would lay my life on the life for Juliette Cai, not that she would ask me to.

Roma is such a good take on Romeo, its really so fun to see a well known character remixed, and my god do I love Roma Montagov. Much like Juliette, his character just makes sense. His motivations make sense, and it was really compelling to see him grow as a character. Roma is also a badass, but much like Juliette we also see his caring side with his love for his family. His re

Roma and Juliette's relationship had me on edge this entire book, heck this entire duoLOGY. Enemies to lovers to enemies to LOVERS AGAIN? Has that been done before? Who even cares, because Chloe Gong did that here. Knowing that this series is inspired by Romeo and Juliet had me worried about our main characters dying throughout this entire duology, and that tension was there in this book. 10/10 would die for Roma and Juliette.

The plot of this one picks up stunningly from the rude cliffhanger at the end of book one, and just takes off from there. With Shanghai on the edge of a revolution, the political tension in this book is unparalleled. We already knew and loved the tension between the gangs, and watching that grow and eventually reach its peak in this book was incredible. Everything in this book is absolutely on point, it was also so well done.

The writing of this book was so good. Chloe Gong recently tweeted about feeling herself improve with every book, and you can so see that in this book. These Violent Delights was an impeccable read in my opinion, really and truly an iconic debut. But Our Violent Ends? Somehow better, equally iconic, and we're all just out here watching Chloe Gong becoming more and more impressive with each book.

This book will keep you on your toes, and the ending was absolutely everything. I don't want to spoil it but it is a very well done ending. This is such a strong duology, and one I totally think everyone should read. The Romeo and Juliet vibes and references within were so beautifully done, and the story itself was unique and lovely. If you haven't read These Violent Delights yet, do so instantly, this series is one you do not want to miss!

I recommend this for fans of retellings with strong female leads like Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh, and Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. For fantasy lovers who've enjoyed Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, and Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa.

chloe gong has truly outdone herself with “our violent ends,” which was not just a stunning sequel but an excellent exploration of “romeo and juliet” set against the backdrop of shanghai in political turmoil. i throughly enjoyed “these violent delights,” but i absolutely loved “our violent ends.” the pacing and plotting were much tighter than its predecessor, and i think that the characters drove the story forward even more in this installment.

gong’s writing is incredibly atmospheric—at times i felt like i was in the alleys of shanghai along with the leading cast of characters. i loved that we were able to see more of the side characters, including benedikt, marshall, alisa and kathleen. each character had their own moment to shine, which just further enriched the already packed storyline.

of course, i can’t write a review for a romeo and juliet retelling without mentioning the main couple themselves. i am such a sucker for the star-crossed lovers trope, and “our violent ends” certainly delivered. my heart ached for roma and juliette—every moment between them was electric and it was devastating every time i remembered what “our violent ends” is a retelling of.

as i made my way through the book, i was impressed by the way that gong weaved the classic elements of “romeo and juliet” together with the rising tension between the communists and the nationalists in 1920s shanghai. i think that both halves of the plot were interesting enough to be fully fleshed out, but never overshadow each other. as well, i think that the foreshadowing and references to the original text were so well done. even as someone who hasn’t actually sat down and read through “romeo and juliet,” i was able to recognize the iconic scenes and lines that were perfectly integrated within the story.

i also just have to add that chloe gong managed to make me gasp (out loud!) at a reveal that has been public domain for over 500 years… that’s talent folks!

thank you to simon and schuster canada for providing me with an ARC for an honest review!

…Don’t really know what to say but this was very underwhelming. The first half was pretty good but I lost interest so fast from there on. I just wanted to feel/care more while reading this but I didn’t even blink at that ending, I just felt very disconnected from the story and the characters. The plot also felt all over the place, the added political intrigue felt unnecessary. I wish the feud between the two gangs was more flushed out and explained, the fact that we never actually find out what started the feud felt lousy

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Our Violent Ends in exchange for an honest review.

Since Our Violent Ends is able to skip right past world building and into the action, a lot of the pacing issues in These Violent Delights are quickly resolved resulting in a gripping, fast-paced story. I loved the way all the characters and side characters developed and it definitely made sense in their arcs and I think Chloe Gong dealt with the R&J retelling ending thing in the best way possible (do with that what you will).

This book!!!! I tried not to get my hopes up too much because I often find sequels disappointing, no matter how much I loved the first one (and I absolutely adored These Violent Delights) - but there is no way I could have anticipated how much I was going to love this book. It was the perfect conclusion to the duology, with just the right balance of angst, action, suspense, and heartbreak. I'm honestly still in awe that I was even allowed to read it early. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Chloe Gong, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an eARC!

I was in love with the first book and am even more in love with the second. It did hurt a little but it was worth it because Chloe Gong's writing is to die for.

Initially I was a bit skeptical of this retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, but I gotta say that Chloe Gong easily won me over. I had read These Violent Delights from my local library to see if I would like it before buying it and I loved it so when the opportunity came to read its sequel Our Violent Ends as an ARC I nearly nearly cried when it got accepted. My sincerest thank you to NetGalley, Chloe Gong and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy of this book, you all made my heart super happy!

As previously mentioned, I loved These Violent Delights and I can honestly say that I love Our Violent Ends equally as much if not slightly more. As this is a sequel, it does take place a few months after These Violent Delights. Shanghai is on the brink of revolution and you feel the escalating tensions in every chapter. There was certain parts where I'm pretty sure I was holding my breath and where the plot twists left me absolutely shook. I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing for the last 20 or so chapters and was just on the edge of my seat the entire time because I was so enraptured and I wanted to know how it ended.

Chloe is an excellent writer, she really knows how to tug on your heartstrings and keep you captivated. I also love all the Romeo and Juliet easter eggs she placed in both stories and I loved all the nods to Shakespeare but I also really love how she made it so original and unique. The plot twists were amazing, the pacing was excellent and the character development between both books and especially this one was just spot on. The secondary characters really evolved in this book and it was really beautiful to see what their motivations were and how a blood feud also affects them. I also really enjoy and love a book that features some LGBTQ representation and tackles racism and colonialism really honestly and this has all of that without being preachy but honest and it's all just tackled so well. I feel like I'm gushing over it a lot but I honestly loved the entire thing from start to finish. I want to hug the hardcovers and brag about it to everyone I know.

Shakespeare is clapping and bowing from the grave, I can honestly say. I may have been given ARCs and free versions of these books but I fully intend to buy the entire thing at my earliest convenience because it was just that great. I

I received an e-arc of Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
These Violent Delights was one of my most anticipated reads of last year, and its sequel did not disappoint. The atmosphere of Shanghai in the 1920s, the politics of the times, the beautiful writing and characters, all come together to create a perfect Romeo and Juliet retelling.
This series is one of my favourites, and Chloe Gong is definitely an auto-buy/auto-read author for me. I need more Roma + Juliette content <3, I anticipate many rereads.
How could I not give my most anticipated 2021 release 5 stars, even if it broke me? (I'm still in shock that I even got approved for this one, wowie)

I genuinely cannot believe Chloe was able to make the second book better than the first purely based on how much I loved the first book. This book does not allow you to stop reading and keep you hooked from the very first page. I usually don't love re-tellings but I have never been happier to take a chance on a book. Chloe is able to make this book so funny, interesting, sad, happy, and fun.

Wow, I quite literally just finished this book so I am still feeling many, MANY emotions but I just have to say that I am so impressed by Chloe Gong. I very much enjoyed her debut "These Violent Delights," however "Our Violent Ends" was truly phenomenal. The beginning of the novel was enticing and I was able to get into it very quickly. Although the tale of Romeo and Juliet is not foreign to many people (including myself) I found myself genuinely surprised by many of the twists that were added to the plot. Throughout the book, I felt that I was able to grow more attached to characters than I was in the first book and I was genuinely able to despise others (I have many scenes in my notes tagged under my "big ouchie to the heart T.T" category. I'm sure you've heard this before but this is genuinely a unique re-telling of Romeo and Juliet that most certainly does not disappoint. I cannot wait to see what else Chloe comes up with and Our Violent Ends made me even more excited to see what is to come next.

I will be reading every book Chloe Gong writes from here to eternity! This book was everything I wanted from the sequel of one of my favourite books from last year. It's so beautifully written and I don't think I'll get over that ending any time soon.

Ouch. But also. Wow? Chloe gong is an amazing writer. Her talent is unmatched, in my opinion. She's lyrical, she's poetic, she's concise and organized and she keeps her readers on the edge of their seat the whole time.

Our violent ends is the sequel novel to These violent delights, and it was definitely true to its name. So thanks for that extra dose of heartbreak.
The writing in this novel is consistent and not at all confusing, which is something I find really significant. The novel had representation of more than one kind, which is absolutely important.
The characters are funny and relatable but they're also these strong inspiring figureheads that hold so much power in their words.
This book was absolutely gorgeous and if you choose not to read it (and These Violent Delights) I simply cannot understand that.

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong: 5/5*

“These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder
Which, as they kiss, consume.”

The year is 1927 and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are heirs to rival gangs, both scorned by the love that they have for one another. But when their city is yet again in need of their partnership, they must put aside their differences to defend against the chaos descending on Shanghai.

NB:This is the sequel to These Violent Delights (a book I rated 4 stars).

I am in FULL BODY pain. Saying that, it’s the kind of pain that I’m grateful for, because I have been knocked off my feet by this duology. This was the PERFECT sequel in my opinion and it delivered everything I wanted.

I think that this book did a beautiful job of transporting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to a place that is accessible to modern audiences. People generally have several chief complaints about R&J. (1) They are young, stupid, teenagers in love, (2) there is a power imbalance in the relationship and (3) I don’t understand it. The ‘These Violent Delights’ duology adresses all of these complaints by (1) ageing up the characters and making it enemies-to-lovers (2) making both characters equally vicious and powerful and (3) writing a story in modern language. This will appeal to lovers of the original and those who are unfamiliar/uninterested.

Here is a selection from my These Violent Delights playlist :)
- Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) // Nancy Sinatra
- Bitter // Fletcher
- Shut Up Kiss Me // Angel Olsen
- Romeo & Juliet // Peter McPoland

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

I thank Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Rating system for reviews is as follows:
5/5 - I would recommend this book to anyone and I plan to read it again (likely a book I would call my favourite)
4/5 - I would recommend this book to anyone
3/5 - I would recommend this book if it fit the specific genre/trope/style you were looking for
2/5 - I would not recommend this book, but I will not discourage others from trying it
1/5 - I would discourage you from reading this book

I am officially a Chloe Gong fangirl and will read anything she writes. This was an excellent conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology. It was just as good as the first book, if not better, though there is certainly so much more going on than there was in the first. Romance, politics, gang fights, monster mystery, shifting allegiances, friendship, family, civil war. Excellent writing that weaves multiple storylines together seamlessly, and strong character development, seem to be Chloe Gong's writing trademarks.

This book starts off a few months after the conclusion of These Violent Delights, and if it's been a while since you read book one, this one does a pretty good job of rehashing the most important events of book one in a way that isn't info-dumpy but does help jog the memory. Our characters from the first book are back for more: Roma (who, for a gangster, is a total cinnamon roll), Juliette and her cousins Kathleen and Rosalind, and Marshall and Benedikt (Roma's BFF and cousin, respectively). Like I said, there is so much happening in this novel, but Chloe Gong meshes everything together in a way that fits and flows so smoothly. The pacing was excellent, the characters are all relatable in their own ways, and the story keeps you reading until the very end.

Highly recommend this series. These Violent Delights was one of my favourite reads of 2021, and I'm thrilled to add Our Violent Ends to that list too. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I LOVED THIS! I was already a fan of These Violent Delights but Our Violent Ends hooked me so quickly and I literally read the whole thing in one day (technically it says two but that's because I wake up at 12 pm so my days are all shifted by like 12 hours okay it's literally like 4:23 am as I write this so). I am so happy with this book and it met every expectation I had!

The Roma X Juliette content that we got is 10/10 angst, amazing, enemies to lovers done well enough that I -- a self-declared friends to lovers stan -- love.

The writing in this book was also so well done! I loved how well everything flowed together. I also really like how while there are multiple perspectives (It's close 3rd person that shifts just like how it was in the first book) it isn't difficult to figure out which character is being focused on.

I have already declared my favourite pages as 16, 124, 234?? (I can't remember exactly LOL but they are in my updates section), just because of the vibes. I've also already recommended this to all of my friends by telling them to pre-order it. I'm literally gonna pre-order it I need a copy to keep on my shelf.

10/10 would read again. Lowkey might actually read it again.

ARC REVIEW

Our Violent Ends is the sequel to Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights, which was one of the best books that came out last year. And after reading this book, I can confidently say that Our Violent Ends is one of the best books of 2021, easily. Picking up where These Violent Delights ended, Our Violent Ends dives further into the blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers as tensions rise and relationships become strained. Our Violent Ends was beautifully written and highlighted both Juliette and Roma wonderfully. The supporting ensemble were a delight as always and their subplots in this book did not distract from the main plot, but rather, enhanced it. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I loved every single second of it. Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC!

Our Violent Ends continues the story of Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, our tragic star crossed lovers of 1930's Shanghai.

Much like it's precedent book, stakes are higher, the violence increased, and the lies even more deep rooted now that Marshall Seo is presumed dead.

What I really enjoyed about Chloe Gong's writing is the way she sets up the ambiance to explore deeper themes such as colonization and political wars, all while keeping the slightest touch of magic. Each character has a unique voice and we know what they stand for... and if we don't, then the journey to get to the reveal is equally as satisfying.

I can't say I'm entirely surprised by the way the story ended. It is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet after all. However, Our Violent Ends does a fantastic job at spinning the story to feel fresh in a way that you are at the edge of your seat wondering if what you expect will happen will happen, or if you're still a few pages off of what you actually know from its source.

At the end, this story is tragic yet beautiful in showing how powerful love can be. Whether it is familial, non blood related, or even in a way that's tied to culture and the moral dilemma of responsibility.

I can’t say much, but wow. This was even better than the first- 5 ⭐️!!
I literally could not put it down, hence how I finished already after finishing the first book only yesterday afternoon!
The story, the setting, the characters… it’s all amazing. The writing is phenomenal and had me so invested the entire time.
I recommend 1000%, please read this duology!!

First of all, the hugest thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an early review copy of this book.

The plot (spoiler free):

The monsters are back and bad as ever, and Roma and Juliette are forced together again to try and solve the root of the evil goings on. With even more baggage between them than before, it’s a struggle to see past their differences towards their common goal, especially when outside rivals have come into play.

TW: murder, insects, light gore

I don’t even know where to start, I could shed a tear. When I got this book in my inbox I actually SHRIEKED. I absolutely adored the first book and I’ve been desperately waiting for the second and I was not disappointed! The first book was the own voices Romeo and Juliet retelling we all needed but didn’t know it, and this conclusion to the story keeps the ball rolling at such a break neck pace. The book takes off right out the gate and doesn’t lose momentum at all all the way through. I felt the dynamic between Roma and Juliet was even more sizzling in this one than in the first, but I’m always a sucker for an enemies to lovers story and this delivers in spades. If you enjoyed the first book, don’t hesitate to pick this one up! If you haven’t read the first yet, read it!!! It’s so good!