Okay wow. Chloe’s adult debut really shines. You can feel the improvement in her writing with each book and this one takes the cake. One thing I enjoyed about this book vs TVD/OVE is the writing is less flowery and more straightforward descriptive (this is a personal preference though).

The story itself had me hooked from the start, i did NOT see the twists coming either. I typically don’t like “games/trials” books very much but this one I couldn’t put down. I’ve only seen the movies but any Hunger Games fans will love this book.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Flesh & False Gods series. I got an eBook for this from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I set this aside at 40% of the way through. To be fair I think I have decided I am just not a fan of Gong's writing style at this point. I loved "These Violent Delights" but thought the follow-up to that, "Our Violent Ends", was good but not great. I did not like "Foul Lady Fortune" at all.

I had a lot of issues with this book. Initially it seemed okay but as I got a bit deeper into it, I struggled with a lot of things. I had trouble picturing the world; was it cyberpunkish, was it fantasy? I couldn't really tell you. There seem to be some futuristic elements, but the layout and political structure seems very historical fantasy like. The descriptions weren't good enough for me to figure out what kind of world I was reading about. The politics are incredibly complex and I am not a fan of politically heavy fiction, so I found my mind wandering off and kept having to re-read portions to follow all these countries and politics that I really wasn't given a reason to care about.

The characters were hard for me to engage with as well. Honestly they are all pretty much selfish jerks. I just didn't like August, Anton, or Callie at all. Their motives were selfish and their characters lacked depth. They seemed to be going through the motions without a lot of emotion or reason for doing so.

The idea of people body-jumping was poorly explained and had so many logistical conflicts that weren't being addressed well. How do you even function in a society where people can be other people at their whim? Even the bracelets they have during the tournament are logistically problematic; how do they take them with them from body to body? Sometimes this was explained and sometimes it wasn't.

The plot was also very ho-hum. This is completely a rip off on The Hunger Games. A fight to the death for general citizens to win a prize from corrupt leadership. There is even a cornucopia-like scene at the beginning of the games start. There is a plot within that to take down a corrupt king. I felt like I had read this type of a plot thousands of times before. Take Hunger Games and merge it with a typical fantasy where people are trying to overthrow a corrupt king and you have this.

Add to the above that the pace on this is soooo slow. I was nearly half of the way through the book and, aside from contestants killing each other in brief and fairly poorly described fight scenes, nothing of great interest was happening. In face Anton and Callie just finally bump into each other at this point in the book. Yep, there is a lot of action and death but it all felt fairly meaningless.

I didn't like this, it wasn't for me. At this point I think I can say "These Violent Delights" must have been a fluke or I just don't like where Gong is taking her writing. I don't plan on reading any more by her. Gong's writing is very intricate and precise but it feels very clinical and not very engaging. The parts are there, but not in a way that provides engaging storytelling.

My Summary (2/5): Overall I wasn't a fan of this at all and stopped reading it 40% of the way through. The world-building and politics were complex and hard to follow, the characters lacked dimension, the pacing was strangely slow despite all the action scenes, and the plot was flat out boring. I think at this point I am done reading Gong as an author, her style just isn't something I personally enjoy.

immortal longings review

thank you to netgalley and saga press/gallery books for providing me a e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

i’m a huge fan of chloe gong and when she advertised her new adult book as a hunger games cleopatra and antony retelling, i knew i had to get my hands on it.

her writing blew me away in this book and i was simply entranced with it. i feel like her writing style grew in this compared to her ya novels (which i still hold dear to my heart always). and also, this book was fast paced that i had a hard time putting it down. so many different twists, some of which i expected, others that i did not. it was also gruesome, which was to be expected, so keep that in mind. definitely had me on my toes the whole time i read it and i need the next book asap.

the magic system was unique as well, one of which i had trouble wrapping my mind around, but i understood it better as i continued to read. i love learning more about magic systems and it was really intriguing to learn more about it.

what lacked for me was the character development. while i loved how the story progressed, i did not feel as connected to the characters as i thought i would. seeing as this is a trilogy, i’m hoping to connect more with these characters and see how their stories progress.

but beyond that i loved this book! i’m really excited to see what chloe has in store with the next few books. she continues to prove time and time again how good she is at story telling and creating such amazing worlds and characters.

4.5⭐️

I am screaming!!! No way has this book just caught me up so much and nothing I expected!!!

Calla is the princess who killed her parents, king and queen, and then completely disappeared. The king of the neighboring city has been ruling and ruling badly. So when she is admitted as one of the 88 players in a fight to the death city-wide game, she plans to not only win but to commit regicide again.

So, I have no idea what to say, besides, this book had me in a chokehold while I was reading it and still does. Nothing I expected happened. I am literally sitting here in shock and in great need of the next book.

I recommend this to anyone. It doesn't matter what your favorite genre is. This has fantasy elements, the idea of a person's qi (their essence) jumping into a new body. It's absolutely thrilling. This was a great ride for me, and I can't recommend it enough!

Out July 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I went in knowing this book was a retelling of the story of Antony & Cleopatra but I wish more people had talked about how it is heavily inspired by the Hunger Games because that is what pulled me in. The beginning is a little slow paced so you have been warned of that. This book does end on a cliffhanger (but if you’ve read Chloe Gong’s other works that should not be a surprise.) All in all it is an action packed book that you must read!

Chloe Gong is an amazing writer. This book was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed These Violent Delights and Foul Lady Fortune but Immortal Longings still has classic Chloe Gong writing style that I adore as well as the twist a turns that had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the unique magic system, and I was so intrigued by the concept of body jumping. Some characters have the ability to jump into other people's bodies. This was so fascinating, and alarming, especially as you learn all the ways people and the government use and manipulate this power. I adored the characters and of course the romance. The romance is peak enemies to lovers with a slow burn in there and a massive helping of betrayal. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me this amazing opportunity. I purchased a physical copy and I can’t wait for it to be released because the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

Immortal Longings Review

4 stars.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong exists in a space where Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra meets The Hunger Games. This action-packed urban fantasy takes place in the twin cities of San-Er, inside the kingdom of Talin, which is inspired by the city of Hong Kong, China. The twin cities host an annual event, in which 88 volunteering citizens compete to be the last individual standing in pursuit of promised riches for the victor. In a kingdom where wealth is otherwise unattainable and citizens live in extreme poverty and filth, the spectacle has no shortage of volunteers in pursuit of King Kasa’s “generosity.” The story follows three main characters: August, the ever impatient adopted heir to the throne, Calla, an exiled princess who committed patricide and wants to see the king’s head roll, and Anton, another exiled royal, who is in pursuit of the riches to save his childhood love who lays in a coma. Unlikely alliances are formed, romance blooms in the most inconvenient places, and loyalties are tested.

I quickly fell in love with the story’s setting and the author’s writing style. This book was an incredibly immersive experience with unique writing that left me feeling as though I was really there next to the characters as they moved through their experiences.

The use of language here was phenomenal. Chloe Gong does well to make vivid points in clever ways, such as expressing that citizens of San-Er are undervalued by their monarchy, only to be seen as numbers. This fact is expertly expressed by the use of numbers rather than names, when referring to the 88 citizens in the games.

I enjoyed the authors fresh approach to writing in multiple points of view as well; I felt the reader gets so much more of the story, with little added snippets from minor characters’ POVs sprinkled strategically throughout the book.

The progression of Anton and Calla’s alliance and relationship was paced very well, in my opinion. Their progression as a duo tied with the series of events in a way that felt natural. I’m sorry if that’s vague but I’m trying to keep this review as spoiler free as I can.

I enjoyed August’s character in the way one enjoys watching an absolute wreck that they can’t tear their eyes from. I loved to loathe him and I loved that there were no heroes here. Well done.

The one major point that kept this book from being a 5 star read for me, was the pacing for the first 20% of the book. There was a lot of info dumping in the beginning of the story, which I’m afraid will turn some readers off from pushing through to the goods. It’s worth it. Once I hit 50% I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in a sitting. By the end I was squealing, fist punching the air, and probably woke my neighbors with my reactions.

Overall, Immortal Longings is a refreshingly unique urban fantasy. With an immersive setting, strong characters, political intrigue, unlikely alliances, heart wrenching romance, and tested loyalties, this read will keep you on your toes and wanting more. I’m already looking forward to the next installment in the series.

A stunning adult debit from a beloved author!

Well paced, interesting magic system, a delight to deep dive into!

Bestselling YA author Gong (Foul Lady Fortune) probes her characters' sense of identity in her wonderfully high-. Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst

Finally we're getting some nontraditional Shakespeare retellings! I was a bit reticent about listening to it on audio, since I tend to get a bit confused with fantasy audios but I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity of it. There are a variety of point of views as we explore San-Er, fitting well with the body-switching theme. It's definitely gory for those faint of heart, but more in the dystopian vein than a horror one. These definitely are some morally gray people, but I couldn't help but root for Calla and Anton in their quests. I'm excited to see where this trilogy goes, especially given the final cliffhanger of this book.

*Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for an eARC, Simon Audio for an ALC, and Book Club Favorites for a gifted physical copy*

Chloe Gong is an incredible author. Her skills have grown immensely from the These Violent Delights duology and even from Foul Lady Fortune. This is her Adult Fantasy debut and it surpassed my expectations. Gong has built an imaginative, intense, deadly world. If I could meet Calla and Anton, I would. Immortal Longings is the most unique science fiction/fantasy I have read in a while, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

In a world where many people can send their consciousness into other's bodies, the walled twin cities of San-Er is a dangerous place, made even more so by the annual battle royale that the Emperor runs every year, gifting the winner a gift of their choosing. Two special players have snuck their way onto the ballot - Anton, former best friend of the Emperor's son, and Calla, the former princess of Er, thought dead after she killed her family to topple Er's monarchy.

Couple things that you might want to know going in: 1) the setting is based on the Walled City of Kowloon, very cool. 2) This is the only book that I read published post-THG that actually has THG vibes in terms of plot. 3) The characters are really the only inspiration drawn from the play Antony and Cleopatra, not the plot, unlike These Violent Delights.

I think this book had a good basis. I started following this author based on her pitch for this book years ago! I'm going to give several critiques but they're mostly because everything felt middle of the road instead of fantastic, rather than complaining that they're awful. I just did not feel the depth to this book that I needed from it. The characters - interesting enough on paper (Calla gives Mai from ATLA vibes), but I can't feel that they are fully formed, that they had a life before this book started. While the knife-to-the-throat steamy scene was great, I don't feel invested in these two being together because I don't feel like I have a grasp on who these people are beyond a surface level. I feel like the setting of fantasy Kowloon was super unique in the genre, but I feel like I have no grounding in nation as a whole, the people in power, the politics, etc., despite the many info dumps. Plus, these characters are powerful and should have insider knowledge about how this whole country works and I feel like I know nothing! I did really like the action - there's a lot of heavy violence as characters fight to the death that I feel like was written very well. While that does feel very Hunger Games, the emotional depth of vying for survival wasn't there as much. The magic system is honestly fascinating, and sometimes is handled interestingly but sometimes predictably. I have a feeling the magic will grow as the series continues, however.

Overall, while this had a lot of good things going for it on the surface, I failed to find a lot of depth in many of the elements of this book. It didn't live up to my high expectations from the premise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing the ARC.

At this point, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that will stop me from buying up everything that Chloe Gong has written.

This book had me entranced with the fantastical world building, the dynamic characters and their multiple POVs, the intrigue and all the twists and turns. I am still reeling from the ending.

The characters though...I love love love how Gong crafts these characters. They're fun, intriguging, arrogant, sarcastic, and most importantly, flawed. They sometimes have questionable morals or make questionable decisions, but the way that Gong writes them gets you invested in their story. I absolutely cannot wait to read more in this series.

If you like fantasy, this book is for you. If you like Chloe Gong, this book is for you. And if you like the worlds that she has already created and want a more adult experience with a fantastic author, then this book comes out in a few weeks and you won't want to miss it.

This is my first Chloe Gong book and I absolutely fell in love with it. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about how the worldbuilding was presented and it felt almost awkward with the overload of information. I also didn't really understand how the "laws" work because they declared jumping illegal but pretty much everyone does it and it's also mentioned that innocent bystanders get roped in all the time due to the jumping during the Daqun (though the rules state that people not partaking in the games are not to be messed with). This was really the only issue I had with the story; it seems almost pointless to make jumping illegal and there are just some things about these laws that don't make sense. The rules to the games are definitely a bit fuzzy and confusing. Despite this, I think the author did an amazing job with the development of each character and I particularly loved how devious/untrustworthy everyone is. I really liked the way Calla and Anton worked together and though the declarations of love might have seemed quick, I thought it worked out well considering the circumstances. Calla is such a strong and witty character, but I also appreciated the scenes where we can see the more emotional/humane side of her, like with Eno. Anton, though he appears to be a tough character, was surprisingly funny at times. August was definitely an interesting character. I couldn't really tell if he has good or bad motives and he seems like such a morally ambiguous character, which I LOVED. The complexity of his character was one of my favorite things about this book. The author's use of multiple perspectives also added such an interesting layer to the book; I never really knew which direction things were headed in and the twists in this story were absolutely thrilling. There were many clever reveals in this book (I gasped out loud SO many times) and I'm super excited to continue with this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars. Forever screaming about getting another Chloe Gong ARC.

Oh. My. GODDDDDD. Oh my god. Literally the end of the book hit (and what a CLIFF) and I went, out loud, oh SH*T. Yes, this is inspired by Antony and Cleopatra...but it is LOOSELY inspired as in the names are inspired, some of the tragic love story, and some quotes...otherwise...yeah. It's LOOSELY.

Calla is the supposedly dead princess who killed her parents and basically a whole bunch of people and has been living in secret for 5 years plotting her revenge to kill the king. August, her cousin, is the prince and also has some motives. Anton, a former palace kid, has been jumping from body to body. Worlds collide when the games start back up and 87 players from the city are tasked with killing each other to be the final victor (yes, it's a little hunger games-ish).

This is science fiction but also dystopian but also fantasy? San-er is modern, but people communicate with pagers because cellphones are reserved for bankers and financial people. People with the jumping gene can use their Qi to jump between bodies and literally just like...body snatch.

It did take a while to get into, especially as Gong develops the world and learning about it. It took me a good 45% of the book to finally not be like ?!?!?!?! with things going on between the jumping, murders, cults, etc.

Also, the romance? Honestly, it kind of came on really fast between Anton and Calla with forced proximity and a need to work together but WHEW DID I LOVE IT.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book because, once again, OH MY GOD THE CLIFF.

This. Book. Wow. That’s all I can process right now. I went into this book knowing I love Chloe Gong’s writing and I never read the Shakespeare play this was based on. But, I do know a bit of the history of that time period and the inspiration.

Ok, first of all, this is basically the Hunger Games meets Shakespeare meets a little bit of Squid Game. And I loved every second of it. The third person omniscient narration only enriched the secrets and lies between characters and I am absolutely desperate to read book two because that ending 😱!

Chloe Gong’s adult debut was everything I wanted it to be and more and I hope she continues to write this genre!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ 2.5 Stars ~

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF’d this book at 42% and I am reviewing only on what I’ve read.

Multiple POV’s. I was excited for the loosely inspired Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra retelling, which was why I picked this book up!

This is my first book by this author, and I’ve heard so many good things. Unfortunately, this book, this world, was overly complicated. At first I was intrigued, but then the information dumps every few pages for the entire 42% of this book was really discouraging. The amount of detail and fine print is impossible to remember. I was having to highlight pieces of information to go back and review. While the world was interesting, it just needed some simplification. It felt very dense and overthought, over-processed, like adding the nitty gritty minutia was going to make it all more interesting. The fact was, is that if this is still occurring at 42%, it was likely going to keep happening throughout the rest of the book.

In reflection, this story felt like a duplicate of The Hunger Games, but instead of a Republic, you have a Monarchy, and instead of specialized arenas, the entirety of 2 cities with the civilians present and sometimes as casualties is the arena here. Besides those aspects, the stories didn’t feel too different.

I will absolutely be reading some of her other books as I’ve heard that they’re good and very different than this particular one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery / Saga Press.

This is June 24th and I just wanted to say on the suggestion of a fellow Gong obsessor I reread this one again and I'm wondering if I missed chunks of it when I first read it because it made so much more sense to me and I really did like Calla. She's my favorite!


I really loved the Secret Shanghai books so when I got a chance to read Immortal Longings I was thrilled. Unfortunately, I don't think this book was for me.

First, the good. I love Chloe Gong's writing and it really shines here in her first adult offering.

The problem is I didn't like any of the characters, and yes, Dear Reader, I know Gong excels at morally grey characters. I didn't care for anything about Calla, Anton or August throughout the book.

Until the end.

Look, I'll be honest. I could not explain how the body swapping or how the rules of the game are supposed to work. What I do know is when the sequel comes out? I'm there waiting to read it.

Oof, Chloe Gong is so good at writing cliffhangers that leave my heart pounding and my jaw dropped and this was no exception. What a stunning adult debut with a fascinating story and interesting characters.

As my first Chloe Gong book, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Too often I've found overhyped authors to be a little disappointing and ... meh.
Well... happy to report I was very wrong here!
Immortal Longing was a lot of fun!
In a poverty ridden world, ruled over by a selfish king, were citizens can body jump from one person to another there are not a lot of options for people.
Calla, murderous princess, hiding her existence from the palace, has determined to enter the kingdoms games, a fight to the death for a cash prize, and meeting with the king.
Anton has also entered the games, solely to earn the prize in hopes of saving his friend/old girlfriend who has been hospitalized for several years and needs increasingly expensive medical care.
So we have ... an brutal game that pits players to fights to the death in a body swapping melee across the city, an assassination plot, loyal friends (of Calla's supporting her), intrigue in the palace, and a growing "possible" love between Calla and Anton....
Could be a disaster with all these moving parts, but Gong has written some delightfully complex charecters and thrown in some great twists and I am all in for book two!