I went into this book with a love for Chloe Gong retellings and a lack of knowledge about Cleopatra/Antony. I left this book with an even bigger love and still not a lot of knowledge but my gosh do I need the sequel.

Immortal Longings is like a futuristic-historical Hunger Games set loose within the city (unlike in the bubble boundary of Hunger Games). The depth given to the characters and the various intricacies surrounding them was phenomenal. The magic/jumping is so unique and was probably my favorite aspect of this book. You never know who is gonna jump into who and what’s gonna happen. It’s such a fantastic first book in an adult series. It might even be better than These Violent Delights.

My goal in life to become Immortal Longings's, and Chloe Gong's in general, Bigolas Dickolas, because everyone needs to read this book! I don't care if you don't know anything about it, READ IT. In the era of The Hunger Games resurgence, we need a book that embodies the dystopian literature not only as literature entertainment but as the raw unfiltered lens to the greed of humanity, cocooned in the sci-fi fantasy retelling of Anthony and Cleopatra.

This book will feel familiar in many places, and refreshing take in other places. Fans of Chloe Gong will feel the familiar verses as they flow through the pages, turning a static city of San-Er into a moving, breathing entity. Yet set in the raw streets inspired by Hong Kong, Wong Kar-wai, and ancient Rome, it feels a refreshing take from most of dystopias in recent past.

This book is fantastic.

One of my favorite things about this story, though, is that the author pulls from so many sources of inspiration. Greek & Roman? Check. Asian? Check. Arab? Check. Shakespeare? Check. Lots of SFF references? Check check!

And yet, despite the seasoning of lots of flavors, this book is uniquely its own. Of course, fans of scifi and fantasy will gravitate to this story. And my steampunk heart found it oddly satisfying. But I also would suggest it to historical fiction fans, and fans of adventure, thriller, espionage, and dark academia will find something to love here as well.

"Do be careful. High treason in the throne room tends to be frowned upon."

"Calla knows that she should feel something more in this moment. Some sense of victory; everything that she has been working toward for years, fulfilled. But she only feels empty."

4/5⭐️ First off, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!! I am a huge fan of Chloe’s books and I loved them all. I’ve been excited for this book, and honestly I was a bit disappointed. The first third or so was pretty slow and I didn’t feel engaged with the story very much. However, it did pick up, and the rest was pretty good! The plot is sort of hunger games-like in a way, which as a fan of that series I enjoyed seeing a twist on it. This has true enemies to lovers core as well and I really liked Calla and Anton together. Overall, I did enjoy it and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens!

Many thanks to Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends: ☆☆☆☆☆
Foul Lady Fortune: ☆☆☆
Immortal Longings: ☆

To be frank, had my expectations not been through the roofs, my disdain for this work would have been less strong. The profound affection I hold for the These Violent Delights duology led me to eagerly anticipate another Shakespearean retelling by Chloe Gong, particularly within the realm of adult urban fantasy. As I now conclude this book, a bitter sense of disappointment lingers, and I am left regretful for having wasted my time.

At the outset of the book, I was captivated by the setting of San-Er, a place inspired by a historical area of Hong Kong. The vivid portrayal of the city authentically captured the essence of a bustling metropolis in East Asia, evoking nostalgic memories of the sounds and the dense urban landscape of my hometown. However, it seemed that Chloe Gong believed readers required an extensive amount of city description throughout the entire book. Frankly, I've read French classics with less information dumping than this. Gong's paragraphs seemed to repeat the same information, just phrased slightly differently. While I understand that this may not be the final version of the book, it felt more like an unedited draft, despite its considerable potential.

The worldbuilding was disappointingly average. If you're attempting to create a game similar to THG (a game that serves as a catalyst for the downfall of a system), it should possess a unique and exhilarating quality, with grandeur worthy of the players' efforts. In this book, the game itself was the least memorable aspect. The stakes were supposedly high, yet the lack of tension leading up to pivotal moments, due to the short and infrequent action scenes, was infuriating. Gong did make a point to repeatedly describe the games in paragraphs, though.

The political system presented in the book was one of the most poorly constructed I've encountered recently. If you're going to contrast the prosperous urban center with the desolate and rudimentary countryside or the business hub of Er with the slums of San, it's crucial to explain the mechanics underlying these differences. How is wealth generated? How does the monarchy afford lavish feasts, jewels, and gold? How are the armed forces organized? What about the management of the country's borders? Are there distinct institutions? How are various social classes treated by the legal system? Is there even a functioning court? One cannot write a semi-dystopian story without addressing these fundamental questions about establishing a government that won't crumble like a paper castle. Perhaps, a crash course "Politics & institutions 101." could have been a good thing for this book, because while it's convenient to appropriate historical events and politics for a historical fiction, a fantasy world must be at least believable in its construction, particularly when incorporating the concept of a game like in THG.

Lastly, for the love of god, I wish authors in general would refrain from labeling every single character as morally gray. There is nothing ambiguous about it. The intentions of each character are explicitly spelled out, leaving no room for our own moral reflections. Every character adheres to a specific archetype, playing a predetermined role, which renders the book agonizingly predictable and, consequently, exasperating to read. (I guessed the plot twist at 30% and the ending at 50%. Quite amusing, really.)"

And don't me get me started on the romantic relationship: there is more chemistry between me and my pile of Spanish homework. (But really, I don't understand how Chloe Gong, the same author who penned Roma and Juliette, could have written a relationship this flat.)

To concldue, I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book. In my personal opinion, but Chloe Gong seems to lack the finesse of a seasoned fantasy writer, resulting in a rather poor attempt of the incredibly complex genre, despite the obvious potential. I don't see myself continuing with this series or checking out any future releases from Gong, except for the remaining books in the Foul Lady Fortune series, which still hold some appeal to me.

You can also find me on my Bookstagram @shardsofdeadlove 💜

I have mostly enjoyed this author’s other books and requested this because I was curious about her writing an adult novel (still Shakespearean based).

I have to say this book was kind of meh. I honestly think there were too many things happening and it was really messy plot wise and with the world building that I spent the book mostly confused and honestly I don’t think any of the characters are likable.

Essentially we have another book told from different POVs (some of which don’t matter so that was also annoying) in a fantastical world that is both futuristic but also not, which makes things more confusing when you’re talking about technology. The people who live in this huge arid city some have the ability to swap bodies (really weird) and a group of citizens volunteers themselves for the games (kind of like the hunger games) and murder each other. We have an escaped princess Calla, a treasonous Anton, a Prince desperate for the throne and some side characters. The body swapping thing is super weird and kind of distracting because the characters don’t really ever look like “themselves” and when they have intimate scenes it’s just a little cringe that they’re doing stuff with strange people’s bodies and I couldn’t get over it.

Major spoilers follow

Calla doesn’t expect to fall in love with Anton but she does and is forced to “kill” him at the end of the games but he jumps into the Prince’s body (not sure how that happened given the distance and the fact the Prince is a strong jumper too) and so we can tell book two will be him trying to get revenge on Calla. Also Calla isn’t really Calla somehow some 8 year old orphan girl jumped into the princesses body and has been staying there for 15 years which means the princess is probably dead and also explains why she killed her parents and wanted to take down all of the monarchy. Not certain how the orphan survived some tragic fire but here we are. Also people aren’t supposed to develop those powers until they’re like 14 so the fact an 8 year old could do it was never explained and doesn’t make sense.

August (the prince) wants to take down his adoptive father so he enlists Calla’s help
And promises to help her win the games if she will kill the King, which she does. The crown isn’t supposed to accept anyone who isn’t from certain bloodlines and we know that August and Anton have the same eyes so that might be interesting to explore in book two—are these people really who they say they are? And with Anton’s “birth” parents getting mysteriously murdered I can’t help but to wonder if some of this is connected.

Anyway, this book just doesn’t make a lot of sense and as mentioned the plot is all over the place.

Chloe Gong truly did it again. I loved this story and her foray into the adult fiction realm. The characters were unique and memorable. I loved the urban Hunger Games-esque contest, but the with the sci-fi body jumping twist. The ending left me a little speechless! Truly, Chloe can do no wrong.

I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Chloe Gong's "adult" debut, after success in the YA space. It definitely makes a lot of sense for Gong to grow into the genre, as she herself grows as a person and author. Unfortunately, the first installment of Flesh and False Gods trilogy just fell a bit short for me...

What I struggled with the most was the world building and magic system- the complexities and bounds of the"jumping" gene I could not get a good grip on. While great in concept, the initial premise of a Hunger games-like contest (80 something contestants run free in the city killing each other for unimaginable riches), I didn't really feel that oomph to set it apart from that tried and true prototype. Just a few of my qualms: the entire city was the arena, civilians could be casualties, you could essentially bow out of the contest anytime simply by deactivating a chip in your wristband, etc.

Despite all of this, the twist(s) were very well done and the last 5-10% was surprisingly enough for me to give the next books a fighting chance. That cliffhanger ... 🤯

Thank you to Saga press, Netgalley, and Chloe Gong for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Chloe Gong is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is a modern and insanely creative retelling of Antony and Cleopatra. I thoroughly enjoyed and it was a great set up for the series. There were some parts in the middle that dragged a bit but for the first in a trilogy it set up the world perfectly. San Er was a perfectly dystopian setting and the power play happening behind the scenes of the city is tense and left me with more questions than answers. The characters were very well developed and the plot was engrossing and drove the story forward. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and anything else Chloe writes.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Chloe Gong has quickly became one of my favorite authors this year. This book is action packed from the beginning. It hooks you and doesn’t let go. Also, that ending?! It will leave your jaw on the floor.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong was a great book, really interesting adult debut and I thought it was really well done

This was quite honestly impeccable. I hadn't picked up Gong's YA before, but its been bumped up from the backburner stack. A great recommendation for Adult readers of Sarah J. Maas

This is a brilliant adult debut for Chloe Gong. As with her YA novels, Chloe Gong is an artist with creating magic worlds and histories associated with them. If VE Schwab's Vicious got together with The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Hugh Howey's Silo series, you'd get something similar to this novel. The world is loosely based on the Kowloon Walled City.

The blurb hails this book as an Antony and Cleopatra retelling, but it is only vaguely so. It does not at all read like a retelling, more like a brand new story in a never before seen world. There is lots of action, political intrigue, magical realism, and even a little spice. The idea of gladiator style games being played right out among the general population is alarming, but the citizens treat it as a sport to be excited about. I would be paranoid all the time living in San-Er. And it seems that Calla and Anton are as well. August is a confusing character for me, because he just seems to muddle everything, but I'm sure we'll get more in the next books?

The ending was THE most satisfying cliffhanger I've ever encountered.

I stopped reading this book 37% of the way through. While I think there was interesting world building, the pace of the book was quite slow and the characters did not feel distinct or interesting enough to draw me in.

A bloody brilliant adult debut by Chloe Gong.
I love her writing style and ability to crush your heart and soul.....she did not disappoint with this story. An inspired retelling of Antony and Cleopatra set in a fantasy world with cyberpunk vibes, complex characters, ability to jump from one body to another....magic? romance/enemies to lovers, a game to the death and plot twists that you don't see coming.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an eARC of Immortal Longings in exchange for my honest review.

If you love Chloe Gong's writing, you're going to love this book. I enjoyed the world building and issue at hand in the book. My biggest gripe with the story is that I feel like I just read the same characters over again in all of her works. You could insert any of her characters into the other's story and they would fit perfectly. And that's not to say she's a bad writer, she is great at writing a morally grey, thirsting for revenge character (especially when it comes to the women in her stories).

But if you enjoy These Violent Delights and the books that follow after, this is definitely going to be another Chloe Gong book you'll enjoy. It has murder, revenge and enough messed up politics to keep you engaged with the book. And while I definitely will be picking up the next book in the series, I just wish Chloe Gong would step out of her comfort box a little bit more and bring us something different.

Chloe Gong sure knows how to shatter my soul into a million pieces and I would let her do it a million times over and thank her every time if it means we get book as phenomenal as the ones she has consistently been putting out with not one bad track yet.. She is also the queen of the betrayal trope which is one of my favorites. This book had me hooked from the beginning and was very much giving adult hunger games vibes but then that ending took me out. I was losing my absolute mind throughout the entire book only for her to tear my heart out at the end and then leave me on a cliff hanger to end all cliffhangers. This will without a doubt end up on my favorite reads of the year and I truly cannot praise Chloe enough for this and all the other books she has written.

Immortal Longings is an absolute ambitious story to write, but sadly, CG failed to
deliver it. Disclaimer, l enjoyed her Secret Shanghai Series--not my fav series ever but enough to make anticipate her upcoming works. I really tried to enjoy IL but it’s just not appealing whatsoever.

This is CG’s adult debut about Antony & Cleopatra retelling in a setting inspired by Kowloon Walled City. It also mainly involving a deadly game inspired by The Hunger Games. Up to this point, it sounds amazing, right? But the thing is, the execution was terrible and made zero sense.

Let's talk about one thing at a time. Calla, the female main character, is the more feral & violent version of Juliette Cai. Anton, on the other hand, doesn't even have a solid personality. It’s giving “Barbie is everything, he’s just Ken”🙃 There's a LOT of side characters that instead of adding more layers to the story, they simply just make it more confusing. Also their names were so unmemorable, which is annoying for a complicated fantasy like this.

The concept of the magic system was actually cool but has a lot of flaws. There’s a “jumping” gene that allows the owner to invade and possess other person's body. The abandoned body would become "empty vessel" until someone inhabitate it again. And the possessed person would have no recollections of when their body was possessed. AND THE PALACE HAS NO STRICT RULE ABOUT THIS. I MEAN, ITS CLEARLY DANGEROUS. IMAGINE IF BAD GUYS HAS THIS GENE AND EXPLOIT IT???

Next, the "deadly game". It's straight The Hunger Games ripoff in a badly organized way. There's no rule, without specific arena (the arena is the whole city), the participants could still interact with non-participants, allowed to go anywhere, doing whatever they want. They could take a break from the game or quit if they don’t want to continue anymore. The only thing that important is that there will be only 1 victor who will instantly showered with wealth and that’s it. The whole concept is SO flimsy and messy😭

The info & descriptions were overwhelming, the plot was all over the place. The romance was bland and lacking in chemistry. On top of that, the ending wasn’t satisfying. You probably know that CG loves to write cliffhangers. But instead of giving me suspense and anticipation, it just annoyed me. A lot of things remain unclear. I guess thats for the next book’s problem to solve but at this point IDC about this series anymore😭

I wish I could give this more stars but I just didn’t find even a single thing that felt enjoyable. I practically dragged myself throughout the book bc of my stubbornness that prevented me to DNF. If you like complex and mysterious story like in the The Atlas Six but make it dystopian and bloody, you’d probably like this book!

Chloe Gong does it again! Every scene is beautifully crafted and her way of words doesn't fail to tug at your emotions. Well, if her previous works tugged at your emotions then this crushes them and doesn't let you rest. Calla is a whirlwind of a protagonist and endlessly fascinating to follow around San-Er. The end leaves you wanting more of these characters and learning about the larger world of Talin.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with this ARC.

I do not know where to start with this book so let me start with the cover. I ADORE this cover, the minimal line drawing and the gold on black is the perfection. Also, I have not read the early works of Ms. Gong, and let me say after this book I'm going to read them all!

The story is a retelling of Anthony and Cleopatra's story with a hint of inspiration from Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong which was torn down in the 1990s. while I do not want to give away anything, I very much enjoyed the elements of fantasy in this book. I found it very refreshing to see such use of fantasy and world-building to retell such a classic story.

While I started this book a bit slowly, after the halfway point I was invested to the point that I was looking for any opportunity to read the next chapter and after 2/3 I was not able to put it down until it was done.

And now, even though I'm beyond grateful that I got to read this book in advance I have no idea how I'm going to wait for the next installment?