Man I was so excited for this one. But unfortunately the execution of this one just didn't work for me at all. I then sat down and tried her YA books and I think that Chloe Gong is just not for me at all. Although I am sure others will fall for this writing style and story telling. It was not for me.

<i>”Calla Tuoleimi, princess of Er. She could do nothing on a throne, but she can do everything with a sword in her hand.”</i>

<i>”Anton Makusa is hiding a lifetime’s worth of deceit under his skin, and she wants to pick him apart, see what lies beneath.”</I>

Calla, (former) Princess of Er, enters into a city-wide contest to the death. Anton Makusa, an exiled noble, does the same. Only one person can win, however, and they both have their own reasons to win this gruesome, twisted game. Neither of them are willing to lose. Also, all the contestants can switch bodies.

This story is fast-paced. I had a difficult time even putting it down to go to bed. It’s multi-POV, but all them are equally fascinating. Then just when I was getting comfortable, she threw in a twist I did not see coming.

<i>“She stains his mind in vivid color, bright and burning and dangerous.”</i>

We have enemies to lovers, forced proximity/alliance, and court intrigue. These are some of my favorite tropes. Our main characters agree to an alliance, but they also don’t entirely trust one another. There are a lot of side plots and things happening in the background that keep you on edge, waiting to see who is going to betray who.

<i> “Either you’re fooling yourself, or you’re trying to fool everybody else. No king is selfless. No throne is built on bloodless ground. There can be no freedom until the crown is broken.”</i>

Beyond the romance, we also have a struggle for freedom and equity within the broken system of this kingdom that is really an empire. August is the heir to the throne and truly believes he can better the kingdom, but whether his intentions can hold up to reality is questionable. The kingdom is massive and full of inequities. What the cities need and what the outside provinces need are different. It’s not as simple as it seems, even if August wants to think it is.

<i>”a past like that requires vengeance, carves a hole too deep to fill with anything less than rivers of blood.”</i>

This isn’t a happily ever after kind of story, and I am loving it. I can’t wait to see what happens next after THAT ending.

This was my first book by Chloe Gong, and I was not disappointed. I’ll definitely be reading her other books while I wait for the next book in this series.

Thank-you so much to netgalley, Chloe Gong, and Gallery/Saga Press for this free arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this, I really did. But it screamed Hunger Games and was just too similar in plot.
I found the descriptions to be very long-winded and lots of information that felt repetitive.
I found myself doing a lot of skimming.

I was looking forward to this as it seemed to be one of the bigger fantasy releases this year. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this author’s adult debut fantasy. I had previously read one of her YA books and although I had some issues with it I had hoped there would be improvement with her writing. Unfortunately that was not the case for me.

The book is told from multiple point-of-views. Usually this is something that works for my quite well, especially when it comes to the fantasy genre. I want to be able to get inside their heads. It’s especially important when there is a lot going on. It’s not like the characters were boring in any way. They had a lot going for them with plot twists and the hunger games, but I just never felt a connection to any of them. It’s really hard to get into a story when the connection is lacking.

The romance for me was also a miss. It was very much a slow-burn, something that I do enjoy, but it just took forever to get to it and then when it all started falling into place it move so quickly I felt like I was getting whiplash. The spark between them wasn’t there for me.

I think my favorite part of the book was the plot twists. They were very surprising. It did take awhile to get there though as the beginning of the book is slower paced. A lot of info-dumping happens but I still felt like I was missing details. King Kasa could have been a better villain but there was just nothing to him besides existing.

Overall, this wasn’t for me but that’s how life goes sometimes. If you are a fan of her writing and want to try out this new adult debut then I say go for it! My opinion is just that and I am sure there will be many readers out there who enjoy this one.

Chloe Gong's newest adult fantasy debut, Immortal Longings, was quite the ride!

Each year the kingdom of Talin hosts a set of games where competitors fight to the death for riches, with the skills to jump between bodies. Our main character and fierce competitor is hidden in the games -- Princess Calla Tuoleimi, who plans on using the opportunity of winning to kill the king. Anton Makusa, exiled aristocrat, joins the games as well, and Calla & Anton create an unlikely duo, hoping to win while they both criticize the kingdom and those in power.

Although a bit slow starting, Gong's novel had been fully immersed by the last 100 pages, where I was completely invested in the story and world. The characters, Calla and Anton, very much grow on you and I loved the way their relationship/partnership progressed. I particularly enjoyed the themes of classism, revenge, justice, and power and got more YA Game of Thrones/Hunger Games-ish vibes from this book. I look forward to the next installment!

I consider myself to be a pretty big fan of Chloe Gong’s, having read all of her books except the short stories (which I own and will get to). So, I was really excited when I heard that she would be coming out with an adult fantasy, my genre of choice. Unfortunately, my feelings for Immortal Longings are a little more complicated than a rave review.

This book took me over a month to read, which is HIGHLY unusual, and I probably would have DNF’d it if doing so wouldn’t have tanked my Netgalley response rate. That being said, I’m so glad that I finished it because the last quarter of the book flewwww by.

Backing up a little bit, this book is about a weeks-long fight to the death in a fantastically DENSE city (think NYC x 1 million). There is ton of world-building revolving around this city and it’s immense poverty. You might be reminded of The Hunger Games based off this description, but it’s actually a retelling of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, which is like Romeo and Juliet but for/about grown-ups.

I think the primary reason that I read the first 75% at a snail’s pace is the awkward world-building. There were soooo many explanations of things that we could have garnered ourselves, through even a little amount of critical thinking. Paragraphs of explanations really weighed this book down, and the central relationship between two doomed lovers suffered as a result. Gong didn’t deliver any kind of romance or sexual tension until much too late.

However, her writing is as eloquent as ever. Her YA series shine because the sentences are so beautiful (a rarity in the genre), and this one is no different. There’s a couple of overdone moments, but nothing so large as to bother. And when the romance does hit full force, I was sucked in like a fly in a venus trap! (It was actually kind of annoying - I started reading late at night assuming that I’d go to sleep soon after, and instead I stayed up for hours.)

All in all, I’d recommend if you can handle lots of world-building. My rating is 3.75 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Immortal Longings is a slick, smart, and sharp adult debut that pulls you into its dark and tangled web. Whether you escape or not, it will stay with you.

Something I have always loved about Chloe Gong’s work is how she draws inspiration from classic Shakespearean tales. You can identify the fingerprints of Shakespeare in the characters and overarching plotlines, but these are definitely Gong’s creations. There is always a twist, subversion, or challenge to these well-known narratives. Immortal Longings takes some inspiration from Antony and Cleopatra and for me, this was most evident in the sizzling passion and changing dynamics between Calla and Anton. These two could set the world on fire and would probably happily watch everything around them burn. This is a dynamic that you can never really pin down. Everything is a manipulation, a power play but there are also some feelings in there that catch sparks.

Juliette Cai officially has competition for my favourite Gong characters here in the complex Calla Tuoleimi. She is often cruel, but there are shimemrs of vulnerability and Gong ensures there is depth and layers to her character. She is driven by rage and revenge, going to any means necessary to achieve her goals. However, she is also driven by a deep desire to survive and some of the moments around that are genuinely heart-wrenching. Gong never lets you forget that this is a character whose hands are stained by blood though. She is a badass fighter, branded by her reputation. I also have to shout out Mr Mao Mao for being the only pure character in the entire book (as far as we currently know).

Gong has taken the beating heart of her YA series, tore it out and ramped everything up to eleven. This is a violent book, drenched in blood and death. The stakes are always rising higher, with new and intriguing players stepping onto the board at unexpected moments. She unleashes her trademark, cut-throat twists with some moments that made me want to throw the book across the room. If you thought her previous twists were awful, we have reached new levels of evil genius.

The entire concept of body switching is fascinating and connects to deeper ethical questions around identity and personhood. In this world, it is easy to lose sight of who you truly are and to keep running from the heinous actions you have taken. Also, as a literary device, it works as an excellent way to keep your readers on their toes and creates such a tense and paranoid atmosphere. When literally everyone around you could be an enemy in disguise, who can you truly trust?

As always, Gong’s writing is incredibly evocative. Her worldbuilding is incredibly vivid and rich. San-Er springs to life around you, until you can practically see the smoke and smell the scent of blood in the air. The balance of narrative perspectives is excellent, bringing together a variety of intriguing characters and giving us new insights into both past and present. As with Calla, Anton is given so much depth and complexity in his character. His perspective is one that I adored, filled with devious manipulation and desires. He almost callously ‘jumps’ from body to body with very little regard for those he has invaded.

Immortal Longings is a twisty, intense and vicious stab to the heart that you will absolutely adore.

Immortal Longings is a cool mashup of Antony and Cleopatra, The Hunger Games, and Squid Game. Having never read Antony and Cleopatra, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the plot, but I had no issues! I like Chloe Gong’s style of taking classics and putting her own twist on them.
That being said, I liked the melding of the classic story with sci-fi. It felt a little slow at the beginning but picked up pretty quickly once the “game” started. Can’t wait for the next books!

Right from the first page, it becomes clear that this story is a sweeping epic clash between powerful forces. The tense struggle for power between the main characters kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book. I also enjoyed being immersed in a new, intricate world and the “magic” system of swapping bodies is so interesting and unique. The gritty world that Gong has built with this story is so full of life and vibrancy. I often found myself imagining scenes playing out in my head, fueled by Gong’s descriptive writing.

As with Gong’s other series, this book is full of morally complex characters. Calla is violent, vengeful, and full of meanness, but even still she is colored by moments of kindness, of her struggles to bring justice to the people in her kingdom, and her care for the people she is close to.

Likewise, Anton is not straightforward, either. He, too has his own complicated past, his desire to win a bloody competition in order to pay off the medical debts he has accrued trying to keep a loved one alive. Both he and Calla butt heads throughout the book, and yet Gong fills each scene between them with such tension and electricity.

Even the side characters are interesting. August seems so sly – you want to trust him but don’t know if you would. There are plenty of smaller characters that poop up, but they remain memorable, either in their actions or in the way they change the main characters.

This book is so gripping, I felt like I couldn’t put it down. I was drawn to the characters and their struggles, but also to the world itself. It’s so full of color and intrigue. I’m fond of the mix between historical feels and futuristic tech. I am highly anticipating the next book in this series.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s full of action, tense fight scenes, and character drama. If you’re a fan of sci-if/fantasy and high-stakes competitions, this book will capture your attention from the start.

3.5 ⭐️.

This book felt like a setup for a larger series than anything else. It has quite a slow beginning, partially understandable due to world building and the need to know the conditions that surround this nation. However I found myself losing interest off and on until the last 40%. With that being said, the plot twists were crazy! I did not expect any of them. The ending has me shocked, and I am excited and heavily anticipating the next book in this series.

3/5 stars

I've never read one of Chloe Gong's books before, so I was unfamiliar with her writing style. That said, I found this book difficult to get into initially. The worldbuilding was complex enough that I found myself having to remind myself of the rules, while vague enough that I found it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world of the games. Additionally, as a fan of the original Shakespeare play upon which this book is inspired, I found myself constantly comparing this book to the original Shakespeare. Shakespeare adaptations are always a tall order, and I'm afraid this didn't live up when compared to the source text.

However - once I began to ignore the influence of the original play, I found myself liking this book much more. The characters are strong, and the world building and plot are much stronger in the later sections of the book. Again, having not read Chloe Gong's other works, I can't speak to the influence of Shakespeare on her writing, but I found myself wondering if this was a marketing gimmick rather than a fully integrated part of the book. Additionally, I am a bit confused why this is marketed as adult - aside from the characters' ages and a few instances of adult themes, it read like any other YA fantasy to me. I'm not sure whether adult fantasy fans will be the target audience, especially given Chloe Gong's popularity on TikTok.

I have to dnf this for my own sanity, and I am SO disappointed. I have tried for over 2 weeks to get into this an it just isn't happening. The plot is just not gripping and the way my eyes glaze over almost immediately each time I pick this up is so def not motivating. Bummed about this one.

**Review will be published on my site and socials release day!**

3.5 stars

A LITTLE LET DOWN.

I am OBSESSED, obsessed, with Gong’s YA series (go read it now please). And when I had the chance to get my hands on this I jumped so fast. And now I’m writing a review I don’t want to because I’m a little let down by the whole thing.

The idea of an epic fantasy was there, but the execution was not. Bogged down by heavy, complicated world building in the initial chapters had my mind clouded and it took way too long to figure things out. The magic system is unique, jumping bodies and qi and how that all flows together. Loved that, and I loved it more when it finally made sense against the back drop of the world building.

Romance wise, also a super mixed bag. It was tossed haphazardly in and all of a sudden I was getting I love you‘s without having that connection. I didn’t mind the characters or the fact there was a romance (of course, y’all know me), buuut once again, lacking in general execution. I liked the multiple points of view and seeing different angles of the competitors and pro/antagonists. It did allow for a wider view of the story at large.

I’ll read the second book because the ending was intriguing enough to give it a go. And now that I feel like I have a hold on everything I think the plot will flow better too.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy
Language: some strong
Romance: 1 open; low explicit
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: moderate blood/gore depiction, loss of life, physical and weapons altercations

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, rounded up.

I was really looking forward to this book: Chloe Gong's adult debut, inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, set in a world where people can switch bodies and there's a Hunger Games-esque contest? Checked all my boxes. However, I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for it, or what it was, but I was slow to get into this book. It did pick up for me somewhere towards the end, but there were parts where it was a bit of a slog. A lot of complex political intrigue (which makes sense, because of the Antony and Cleopatra roots), and complicated worldbuilding, and murky motivations.

The ending, however, intrigued me, and I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series. I do so hate leaving a cliffhanger unresolved.

Every time I read a book by Chloe Gong, I need to remember to breathe.

Immortal Longings, Chloe Gong's debut epic fantasy adult novel, is a fast-paced, thrilling story inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. We are thrown into the distorted twin cities of San-Er (two kingdoms that merged into one) right before their annual games. 88 competitors are chosen to fight to the death until one remains to win an unimaginable amount of wealth, but one of these competitors is playing for revenge. The presumed dead Princess Calla Tuoleimi enters the games with the singular goal to win the games and kill King Kasa. Her cousin, Prince August, who presides over the games, helps tear down her competitors. Along the way, Calla meets Anton Makusa, former friend of August and fellow competitor. In enemies-to-lovers fashion, Anton and Calla team up to ensure they're the last two remaining competitors so they both get what they want - money and revenge. But how do the citizens of San-Er differ from any other competition novel? They have the special gift of being able to jump between bodies. How and who uses this ability to their advantage makes this book so much more interesting to read and will have you second-guessing yourself until the end.

Besides the plot being a masterpiece, Gong's ability to create vivid and immersive worlds is my favorite part of reading her novels. Having read The Secret Shanghai series, I initially did not favor her writing style for this book; I actually hated it. There were some information dumps that were telling and not showing, but I think they worked well. It wasn't until towards the end that I understood her choice for her clipped sentences and explanations: it was perfectly San-Er. Although the games are long, the patience and lifestyle of the citizens running through the city are short and clipped. They could be there one minute and gone the next, whether through jumping or being killed. Gong's cliffhangers and resolutions throughout all her books, especially for this debut, are wildly unfair and completely gasp-worthy. Without spoiling the book, although I did anticipate and guess the ending correctly, I was still shocked. I did not cry like I did for Our Violent Ends, but the range and intensity of emotions I went through were about the same. While this is her adult debut, there is romance, but this is not a romance book. I think Chloe set this debut up perfectly for the continuation of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Chloe Gong for letting me read this epic masterpiece in exchange for an honest review. I am excited to read and support the Flesh and False Gods series!

Chloe Gong once again proving she’s THAT girl. She’s one of my favorite authors so I was ecstatic when I got approved for this arc. This is her debut adult fantasy and I loved it! The characters were as always wonderful and the pacing was perfect. I love Chloe Gong's writing style. Overall I enjoyed this book immensely and I would definitely recommend it to fantasy readers and fans of Chloe Gong!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wanted to like this but could not get into the writing. There was something about the pacing and tone that was stunted, cold, clinical? There was so much world building and not a lot of character development. Since this is a trilogy, that may be intentional.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Immortal Longings is Chloe Gong’s adult fantasy debut, and while it’s not perfect, there’s a lot of potential here for a new series. For returning readers, there are many familiar hallmarks of Gong’s style, like star-crossed romance and inspiration from Shakespeare, but it also stands out well in its own right. There are some elements across the board that could be developed and further fleshed out, but overall this is a promising transitional novel from YA to adult.
The most well-realized aspect here is the world building. Geographically and historically, it pulls from Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City in the 1990s, and I love that Gong continues to pull from distinct periods of Chinese history for inspiration. The resulting lore does sometimes overwhelm the narrative, but Gong’s enthusiasm radiates through the pages, so I’m not too upset.
That’s not to say that there isn’t room for plot and “stuff” going on, as the atmosphere is also thick with intrigue that keeps me engaged.
As for the characters, some stood out more than others, but each POV character felt like they had a purpose for being so. Given the inspiration is Antony and Cleopatra, the leads of Calla and Anton are well-drawn, subtly evoking their historical/literary counterparts in intriguing ways. Calla is very much the standout, being strong and savvy and Anton matches her perfectly, both of them being hot messes who find the other irresistible. The chemistry between them is absolutely electrifying.
I enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. I’d recommend it to both Chloe Gong’s established reader base, YA readers looking to try an adult fantasy, and to readers of romantic fantasy.

Super enjoyed getting swept away in this world by Chloe Gong. I’m eager for a Special Edition of this one because I know it’s going to be gorgeous and fun just like this book :)

Stunning adult debut from Chloe Gong - I loved everything about this, from the fully fleshed out characters of Calla and Anton, to the unique magic system and high octane plot. Definite read.