This was my first Chloe Gong booked, and let me just say, I'm a fan! I was drawn in quickly and couldn't put the book down. The characters were amazing and I was fully invested.

I liked the world building and setting. I don't think it needed to be an Anthony and Cleopatra retelling but I get that that's the author's signature move now. I also don't particularly love that play or point in history. (History books are still pretty misogynistic about this historical event). I absolutely despise love triangles with the burning, fiery passion of 1000 suns.

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars--

Immortal Longings was fine. The setting, the overcrowded city of San-Er, had a grungy cyberpunk vibe that I sort of dug. But the rest was pretty trite. Calla is a former princess intent on murdering her usurping uncle--King Kasa--and believes the only way to get close enough for her revenge is to win a yearly Hunger Games-style fight to the death. Her motivations didn't authentically extend beyond the personal, even though she occasionally criticized the monarch's neglect of poor San-Er citizens. The plot and love story (sort-of triangle) were run-of-the-mill levels of entertaining, but I wasn't sold enough on anything to convince me I want to read the second book.

Many thanks to Saga Press, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Immortal Longings was gripping. I enjoyed almost every second of it. These Violent Delights was well-written, but I felt that Gong was limited by the YA genre. IL proved me right. Hope she sticks to writing adult books.

Immortal Longings was a terrific adult debut from Chloe Gong. Gong creates a vicious and brutal world that is compulsively readable.

The cover of this book is amazing and draws the reader in.
The Shakespeare theme is unexpected and the characters are very well written.
I will recommend to both YA and New Adult readers who enjoy fantasy

Beginning was a little slow so it was hard to get into at first but then it got very interesting! Love the games aspect and can’t wait for the sequel.

Chloe Gong delivers violence, betrayal, and non-stop action in this adult debut. Needed the sequel immediately after that cliffhanger ending.

This book started off super slow until it wasn't. Even though things were happening, this book wasn't un-put-downable until after halfway. I liked the three main characters but I'm not sure if I'd call it "Antony and Cleopatra' retelling. The ending hooked me for the next book and I'm exciting for more complex world building.

I really liked this re-interpretation. I'm definitely going to pick up others in the series and follow the story. I think the Blade Runner + magic + Hunger Games mix was really appealing and added to what might have otherwise been a kind of flat premise. Really easy to recommend to a range of different interests for readers. Well-balanced throughtout.

A great book in my favorite genre. I was worried since this is the adult debut of a YA author, but I think this was beautifully done and missed the typical things I am wary of (YA tone, the characters acting super young/immature, or just being YA with more spice). This book hit the mark perfectly.

I was pulled into the world on the first page and I loved all the twists and turns that we go on from there. I think the worldbuilding and setting really made this book for me, and was a fun read that while reminding me of why I love these type of books was still unique and engrossing for me. The characters were all complex and compelling and have so much more potential.

I can't wait to read more!

dnf. might return to this one day but i make no promises. just wasn’t vibing with it and it didn’t seem like it was going to get better.

This was such a unique story and I really can't wait to see what happens next. Admittedly, I read it quite a while ago and I am very late to reviewing- but while so many books I read and forget details about immediately (even if I loved them!), I can still quite clearly envision in my brain several scenes from this book- so it's really stuck with me!

Again- very unique world-building and magic system, very gritty and propulsive. I enjoyed this a lot.

"Immortal Longings" is an electrifying epic fantasy that seamlessly blends Shakespearean inspiration with gripping intrigue and romance. Chloe Gong crafts a vivid world of deadly games and political machinations, where every move is fraught with tension and betrayal. With its smart narrative twists and rich character dynamics, this adult debut is a thrilling rollercoaster of power, passion, and peril that will leave readers spellbound until the very last page.

Immortal Longings is not quite the same level of fandom-inducing love as These Violent Delights for me, though there will be some who love the games and world. The suspense and ending will capture the attention of many readers, who will hunger for book two. It does still read as more YA than adult, though.

I can't wait for the second one, this was so good and so well written that I could not stop reading!!

The characters, the plots and subplots, everything that happened made feel glad that I can read, and when we got to the romance OH MY MY MY MY, I'm really waiting for the fight and love scenes that are coming in the second book.

I would really recommend this book to the lovers of dystopia, fantasy with good scenes of action, well-built worlds and of course romance with the right type of drama.

I went into this story blind. It was also my first Chloe Gong book. I loved it so much, I purchase my own hardcover copy and a special edition copy for my bookshelf.

Thank you to Chloe Gong, S&S, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was ready to love this book based off the synopsis, but I’ll be honest it fell a little short for me. The pacing was way off and the first half to three quarters of the book moved pretty slow. While the twist at the end did catch me by surprise, so did the romance. For me personally it seemed like romance was kind of thrown in for the sake of having it I’m interested in seeing what happens in the next book and I’m hoping that it was just the world gilding that caused this first book to be so slow paced and that the plot picks up faster in the next book.

Rating: 3.5 rounding up to 4.

I was so so very into this book!!! I loved the characters, their chemistry, and I loved all the action. It was a shit ton of action and I was totally there for it!!! Calla was great!! She was interesting and I couldn’t quite figure out her angle until that was revealed to us… but then… the ending. It just about did me in because I hated it so much.

Don’t get me wrong, usually I won’t rate a book solely on the ending, but this one really ticked me off. And I still can’t get over it. The book was going along so smoothly and I was more into it than I thought I’d be. So when the ending happened, I kinda felt like my brain got hit by a metaphorical bus. Like sheesh. It was rough.

I won’t ruin it for you though! If you are dying to know what happened, go for it. I think most people will end up loving this one. I just can’t. But I’ll still probably read the next one. I just have to know if the series will redeem itself. Between the fantastic writing and how interesting this was until the end, I’m sure it will!

I wanted to like this, I really did. I think after reading her These Violent Delights series my expectations were a little high. The bones of a good story is there, the world building is there, but this could have used another pass through the editing department. The story was interesting enough to get me through to the end and maybe to pick up the second book when it comes out. But this one just didn't hit for me.