Immortal Longings is Chloe Gong’s adult fantasy debut; however, she is no novice. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, and this is her first work in her new Flesh and False Gods trilogy.

Immortal Longings is set in the twin cities of San-Er, which immediately draws you in with its complexities, seduction, and darkness. The magic system involved in body jumping and qi was flawless and intriguing. I still have some questions about the system but I’m sure they’ll be explored in later books.
Calla, Anton, and August are the protagonists, and each brings a different view of San-Er and the surrounding politics to the story. Each of these characters feels real and distinct as they explore their humanity and live in the grey area of what we would consider black and white today. I found Calla to be the most interesting and unforgettable protagonist of Gong’s I’ve ever read. Everything she does is for what she believes to be for the greater good, and she will do anything for these beliefs no matter the cost.
Immortal Longings is inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, so prepare yourself for some Shakespearean tragedy.

This novel was very easy to get lost in and certainly lived up to (and somehow surpassed) my very high expectations. I can’t wait to continue the series when the next instalment is released.

CW: This is intended for an adult audience and contains dark themes, including graphic violence, childhood trauma and poverty. This novel also contains NSFW spice, although it is not the focus of the plot.

Thank you to Chloe Gong, Gallery Books, Saga Press, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Immortal Longings in exchange for an honest review.

This story surround three main characters: Calla, August, and Anton. A murderer princess, a crown prince, and a royal exile. All three reside in the twin cities of San-Er once ruled by two kings now ruled by one king, King Kasa. Their society is ruled by qi and those who have the strongest qi are gifted with the ability to jump into other bodies. Sometimes they can take them over forever depending on the strength of that person qi, but one must be careful not to jump to fast to many time in and out of their body or else their qi will burn them from the inside out. There are certain people within in their society who cannot be inhabited by someone else's qi, these people protect the royals and are highly coveted.
San-Er hosts a competition every year that rewards the victor with the kingdoms riches. These games are voluntary and if you desire to put your name in, it is a lottery system to see who is picked. Calla and Anton find themselves unlikely ally's in a game to the death. Calla is battling to win so that she can separate King Kasa's head from his shoulders and Anton is battling to pay off his debt and pay his old love's hospital bills. Calla begins the games allying with her cousin, Crown Prince August. August will help her win and she will murder his adopted father so that August may take the throne. Calla finds herself having to decide whether she loves Anton or her kingdom more?

When I tell you I spent every free moment reading this book I am not lying. One moment I was at 40% the next I looked I was at 86%. F**cking Gong does it again, her writing never fails to be nothing less than magnificent. The plot and characters do not fail to get you hooked, no one is the good guy and your favorite character (cough cough probs Calla) is probably a murder. The pacing of this book was the best I've seen in a long time and I never felt bored especially because the characters were so messy I loved it. The enemies to reluctant partners to lovers was laid out perfectly, my only critique was that felt that they said “I love you” too soon but the timeline in the games is kind of messy so it felt fast to me when in reality it could've been at the proper time. Nonetheless I loved the romance in this especially with too closed off rough around the edges characters. Recently, the endings of the books I have been reading have been really getting me but this one blew me away and I'm thoroughly speechless and giddy at this ending. I will reread once I get my B&N copy just to relive it. This is the kind of book that will live through the ages and will be loved for more than the next decade. It exceeded my expectations from the first teaser TikTok of Chloe's that I saw. I do not think I can wait years for the next book and will have reread this at least 3 times before the sequel is released. I think this will be the best book in 2023.
Thank you NetGalley, Chloe Gong, and Saga Press for the honor to be given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I really liked this Antony and Cleopatra retelling by Chloe Gong. It felt more real than These Violent Delights. It takes place in San-are, a country similar to Egypt. It has a dystopian feel to it (internet cafe’s and cameras). Some people are born with the ability to jump their energy or qi into new bodies, essentially stealing the bodies from original owners. Calla is a princess in exile. When she turned 18 she killed her mother and father, but never had the chance to kill her uncle, Kasa. And Anton is King Kasa’s bastard, exiled when he tried to run from the palace. Both decide to enter into a fight to the death, where the last man standing gets riches they could only dream about…but when Anton and Callahan team up, they also fall in love, complicating the game and their plans.

There were a lot of things I loved about the novels (the characters, the twists, the shocking turns that I didn’t see coming), but there were also a few things that made it difficult for me. The novel felt unnecessarily long and the beginning spent way too long complicating the qi jumping line. Those things made a pretty big dent in my star rating! Ultimately, I did like the novel!

2.5/5 - I’m so disappointed that I didn’t love this book because I loooved Chloe Gong’s other books and was so excited to read this one! It took me much longer than I would’ve liked to get into the story and understand the world. I liked the characters fine but didn’t find myself invested in anyone in particular and I wasn’t really sold on the main romance. I definitely didn’t see the huge plot twist coming but I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It felt a bit random to me and some aspects of it just didn’t make sense.
I’m sad to say that this one won’t stick with me the way her other books did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for giving me access to this book!

Thank you for the ARC!

On the whole, I really liked Immortal Longings and was excited to pick up my kindle to read it everytime I had the chance. The plot was really intriguing : a battle royale in an impressive city, palace intrigues, morally grey characters. The descriptions were well written: the way the smells, sounds and lights were described conveyed the gloomy but still lively atmosphere of the cities. I had a good experience reading this book, it was addictive and I couldn't put it down.

It will seem that I'm contradicting myself but there is a but. I found the story very repetitive, we keep reading about the stakes of the characters being victors of the game, about how the government is a failure, about something the MC did but never really knowing why exactly. There was a lack of twist and turns, it was as if the story was following a straight line without deviating from it. Ok I'm lying, there was two plot twist and I half guessed the first one (which was a bit boring, what I had in my head was better). Some elements were added to complexify the plot development, but it would have been the same if they weren't included in the story, except adding a fight scene or two.


The characters are the usual cliches of recent fantasy books : the cunning prince, the badass woman with a sword, the angry man with a soft heart (my favourite).

I wish the "love story" was more fleshed out but I don't know how you feel when you're falling in love while killing people.

All in all, it's a perfect booktok book.

I am so happy to see Chloe Gong branching into adult fantasy! This book was so interesting and entirely unique. One thing about Chloe Gong is she's going to write characters who love to scheme and Immortal Longings is no exception. It adds so much intrigue to the plot, I had a hard time putting this book down. I am looking forward to the other books, I am so curious where she will take these characters and the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for providing an eARC for me to review.

4.5/5 stars

Summary:
- I first read Choe Gong's work with her YA Romeo/Juliet retelling in the "These Violent Delights" duology and really enjoyed it. So I had high expectations for her first adult fantasy/sci-fi book in a new world of a retelling I don't know anything about, and I was not disappointed. This book had exactly what I would want for the first book in a trilogy.

It started slow for the first 30% but sped up as the games started. The book established a very exciting and interesting magic system that was a joy to read during the action scenes and able to be used for some clever manipulations and plot twists. It also introduces you to different and complex characters that have me excited to see how they will develop in future books.

Plot: 4/5 stars
- Slow-paced at first, but speeds up
- Motivations were a bit messy at first, but some of the revelations helped clear them up.
- Plenty of plot twists and action sequences, with some mystery
- Cliffhanger ending that sets up the next book nicely

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4.5/5 stars
- The setting concept of a sort of futuristic twin city kingdom becoming one was cool, could have used more background info about the world past the city.
- Overcrowded and cramped space of the city for a Hunger Games-like tournament was entertaining
- Very cool magic system with room for further growth

Characters/Development: 4.5/5 stars
- Anton and Calla had a very intriguing romance that was well-developed and wasn't too fast for me.
- Motivations were a bit messy at first, but some of the revelations helped clear them up.
- Liked all the POVs for the characters and helped me to understand clearly what their goals were.
- Would have liked a little more info on side characters, but I'm expecting it will come in future books.

As always, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. My ongoing appreciation for sharing such beautiful work with readers and connecting us to new and fresh voices.

I’m intrigued by everything this book offers: clear plot, strong and twisty characters, dark and angst-sy world building, fast pace, clear voice, and a delicious enemy-to-lover tropes. I’m dying for more, that ending is holding my mind hostage. What a page turner.

The Great Stuff:
- I love the clarity with which the author writes. She commands all the pieces and development so well. Even when the perspectives switch between characters, there’s no confusion where we are and what we’re doing in that moment.
- I’m obsessed with the characters. They have subtleties that are weaves into small details of their speech and action e.g. , how they touch each other, what they’re agonizing over in their minds, sometimes I’m still lost in thought with them then “bam” a plot twist. Agh I love this style of engagement.
- all the major twists feel, well, MAJOR. No spoilers here so I won’t write more but wow.
- Calla-Anton and the tension in their romance blending into their violent acts and surrounding. My heart kept throbbing for these two.

The So-so:
- I want to know more about jumping and how it came about. I’m essentially ready for Book 2.
- the royal story and bloodline is not deep enough. But I think with the book focusing on the game, it’s a great start for the trilogy.

Will be collecting books from Chloe Gong from now.

When Chloe Gong first announced Immortal Longings as her debut adult fantasy and a reimagining of Antony and Cleopatra's story, I was super intrigued, especially as a fan of her previous Secret Shanghai series. The only thing I know about Antony and Cleopatra is that the couple's tragic story is what inspired Romeo and Juliet, and since These Violent Delights is also inspired by Romeo and Juliet, I have to say that Immortal Longings reminded me a lot of These Violent Delights as I was reading the ARC. The vibes of both books are essentially the same, just with different settings. Both stories have knife-to-throat, "I can kill you any second" enemies to lovers and twisty, backstabbing betrayals. The main characters in both universes are also quite similar. Calla reminds me of Rosalind and Juliette rolled into one, Anton reminds me of Orion, and August reminds me of Roma. Because of this, I think die-hard fans of the Secret Shanghai books will definitely love Immortal Longings, but at the same time, readers who did not like those books will most likely not enjoy Immortal Longings.

My favorite aspect of this novel is probably the magic system, specifically, the concept of "jumping" in this universe. Seeing Anton and August master their skills of jumping and use it to their advantage while on their respective missions to win the deadly competition hosted by the monarchy in the kingdom of Talin was really thrilling. Additionally, because several characters (no spoilers who) have used this ability to jump from their birth body to a different body, we never really know what their true appearances are like, which I thought was a cool aspect of these characters. Like Calla, I was always second guessing the true host of a character she encountered, and it also led to some pretty neat plot twists, including the one at the very end of the novel. Without spoiling anything, I'm super curious to see where Calla and Anton's relationship lies in the remaining two books in the trilogy (although I will say that their romantic arc did not feel as natural as the romantic arcs of Chloe Gong's previous characters).

Immortal Longings definitely sets readers up for an action-packed epic fantasy trilogy, and I look forward to reading the next two books in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for this Advanced Copy. All opinions are my own.

Okay... this book probably wasn't for me, but I know a lot of people will go FERAL for it.

Calla is a princess in hiding after murdering the royal family. Anton, a former aristocrat raised in the palace, is jumping from body to body trying to pay his bills. August is the heir apparent looking to speed up his crowning. All three will get involved in the annual games, a fight to the death televised for the masses in this dystopian sci-fi urban universe.

The good: I loved how morally grey the characters were and how they frequently interacted throughout the book. The games had serious Hunger Games vibes that many people will enjoy. Eno was a delight and my favorite. The ending? Big twist, really nice, and made me want to read the next book (despite not really loving this one). The ending alone added an a few points for me when the first part of the book was hovering around a 2 for me.

The bad:
I had four serious issues with this book:
<spoiler>
1. Romance. It felt super shoehorned in to me, I didn't catch any natural build-up of feelings or tension and suddenly they'd be all over each other and never think about it again until the end of the book. We're in love! Without any real emotional intimacy or discussion, which felt weird to me.
2. Pacing. This book felt sooooo slow. So many things were happening yet it really dragged. I kept going on my phone and not getting really invested in the story until the last 15% of the book.
3. Lack of worldbuilding. Hear me out, because we do get a lot of world-building, but I also feel like there was very little discussion about this body jumping and its impacts. For something that seems SO violating and chaotic, body jumping isn't really addressed in terms of how a. people deal with their bodies being hijacked regularly, b. how society still functions.
4. Forced plot twists/unexplained motives. Why was Pampi doing all that? Why did Leida really do what she did and where did it come from? Idk, I didn't get it and wanted more.
</spoiler>

Overall, I think people will really like this book especially if they like Chloe Gong's style.

You will like this if you like: dystopia, sci-fi, royalty/palace politics, fight-to-the-death tournaments, enemies to lovers (to?), special abilities, Shakespeare retellings, and the Hunger Games.

Instagram post will be made the week of publication and a Storygraph review is being posted shortly. Thank you again for this ARC!

I don't usually enjoy retellings, but this one was awesome. Placing the tale of Anthony and Cleopatra in a 'Hunger Games'esque environment really brought the tale into a modern era. As a teacher, I feel that retellings like this are very useful for getting students or reluctant readers to really engage with a book. The beginning was a little slow and this would be considered 'too graphic' to fully adapt into curriculumn, but I definitely think it would benefit teachers to show contrast between scenes in this book and Shakespeare's play.

I was super hopeful about this book, but I ended up thinking it was just average, similar to how I felt about Gong's young adult books. I was expecting something along the lines of "The Stars Undying" by Emery Robin, since it's also based on Antony and Cleopatra. But Immortal Longings just fell a little short for me. I didn't dislike it, necessarily, but I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters.

Chloe Gong, who is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, has a new bestseller we are not ready for! “Immortal Longings” is for fans of the Hunger Games series and “The Elite Trials” by Becky Moynihan. This story is inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and the historic Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong.

Gong’s newest story is the first in the Flesh and False God series. We open with Princess Calla Tuoleimi, who has murdered her own parents and is now in hiding with the intent to commit her next heinous crime, killing her uncle, the reining King. To do so, she must enter the Games. Her cousin August, and rival Anton, all have a role to play, and their own high stakes with their own parts in competing to “win”. Excellent multiple POV’s drew me in with rich character development and strong vivid world building of horrid world conditions. Calla and Anton’s entanglement as lovers served to heighten the already sky-high tension for the exciting climax of the book. I felt frantic and energized as I came to the shocking end. I highly, highly recommend this book to be on every school library shelf. Educators and students will find a fictional historic novel, comparable to Shakespeare’s literature, and relatable characters for today’s culture trends. Five out of five stars.

Much gratitude to Gallery Books/Saga Press via NetGalley for this arc. I voluntarily read and all opinions are my own. Review to be posted as publisher recommended.

this was amazing.

considering this novel was gong's debut into adult fantasy, this greatly surpassed my expectations. the characters were all brutal and complicated. i could never quite seem to tell if any of the characters were a "good guy" or a "bad guy" which only added to the intrigue of this story.

this book had the perfect combination of futuristic/sci-fi elements as well as some high-fantasy staples. having a polluted high-tech city run by a corrupt magical monarchy was a really cool dynamic. we get lots of different povs, although mostly it switches between calla and anton, who are the two mcs.

the love story was also immensely intriguing. at no point could i predict if the relationship was going stable or if it was about to veer in a deeply toxic direction, which certainly kept me on my toes. this was a great "enemies to hesitant allies to lovers" situation. both parties involved in the romance are deeply damaged characters and considering that they're literally supposed to kill each other, the relationship always seemed a moments notice away from self-imploding.

overall, i loved this. the ending had me on my hands and knees and i cannot wait for book two to come out so i can find out where this series is headed.

4.5 stars

This was the first Chloe Gong book I’ve ever read. And wow what a doozy. I loved everything about it. The world building is phenomenal and the characters are so well developed. It’s a slow burn but the best kind.

Chloe Gong is a must read for me and I was so excited when this book was approved for me. Her stories are just so detailed and interesting that I eat them right up. This one did not disappoint. What a ride I can’t wait for the next one in this series! I see Chloe’s name and I must have it!!

❞𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖,❞ 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒆. 𝑺𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓.

Immortal Longings was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it certainly lived up to all of my expectations. I honestly couldn’t believe it when I got an ARC but I have never been more excited than I was when I got the email. This book is the start of a trilogy and and so we had a lot of introductions to wade through and motivations to understand. This world is extremely interesting and complex. The main characters include an exiled royal, an adopted crown prince, and a murderer princess long thought dead. The twin cities San-Er are ruled by King Kasa, his reign has left the people desperate, sick, and ruined and he does nothing in his power to help. Then come the games, a chance for the best Jumpers, those who have mastered the ability to jump into other bodies, to get out of debt and poverty. But to Anton, August, and Calla the games mean something else. Calla is set on completing the mission she started 5 years ago and with the help of her cousin, Prince August, it’s only a matter of time. Anton just needs the money to help keep his former beloved alive from a sickness that keeps her in a coma-like state. The games make allies out of Anton and Calla but only one victor comes out alive and their growing feelings are only a distraction. If there is one thing I love about Chloe Gong is that she knows how to write exquisite banter. From the moment Anton and Calla meet each other to the very end of the game you feel captivated. Every action and reaction draws your attention and it becomes harder and harder to look away. For me I could barely let this book go from the moment I started it. This story is like a visceral cut that leaves you bleeding and wounded and only the next book can heal me! There is so much mystery, intrigue, betrayal, romance, and more. To trust or not to trust? Who is the enemy? What is real and what is a lie? There are so many questions left unanswered in this book and the ending only left me more curious and now I must wait anxiously until we hear more news.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. The official pub date of this novel, Immortal Longings, by Chloe Gong is on July 25, 2023.

Over the raucous sounds of vendors hawking their wares on the streets and the stench of the Rubi Waterway separating San and Er, Calla and Anton, both unbeknownst to the other, live in exile. Believed to be dead, Princess Calla Tuoleimi has spent the last five years biding her time to finally complete her goal of destroying the monarchy by killing her uncle, the current ruler of Talin, King Kasa. Anton Makusa, former best friend of the adopted heir to the throne, August, has been looking for a lucrative opportunity to pay off mounting bills. Luckily for Calla and Anton, they have both been selected to participate in the annual games held within the twin cities of San-Er.

Reminiscent of The Hunger Games, eighty-eight of Talin’s citizens are selected to participate, brutally fighting until the death, with the remaining victor rewarded with wealth and a personal congratulatory meeting with King Kasa. In a nation filled with discontent, food shortages, and poverty, it is no surprise that many long for a chance to receive a wristband and participate in the games no matter the risk. For those citizens lucky enough to be born with the genetic ability to transfer their qi and “body-jump”, their chances of success are far greater. With cameras on every corner ready to capture every kill, the citizens of Talin can cheer for their favored participants from the safety of television screens.

Immortal Longings is an action-packed story with grisly fight scenes, political unrest, betrayal, and desire. Gong fuses together a fantasy world that is both rural and modern with some technological advancements. Readers should expect some urban fantasy elements, such as cyber cafes, electricity, and beepers. For readers that prefer a more historical setting, the existence of technology may be off-putting. Additionally, the romance is more of a subplot, so readers should be forewarned that it will take some time for the two love interests’ paths to cross, but it is worth the wait. With all of that said, I flew through this plot-driven story, giving it a final rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Gong’s writing and character development was fantastic. The way she described every spatter of blood and the creaking sound of pipes in the walls was immersive. Her characters were well-flushed out and intriguing. The qi-focused body-jumping was creative, and Gong clearly put a lot of thought into this magic system and its limitations. Immortal Longings was the first novel I read by Chloe Gong, but she has succeeded in ensnaring my attention and left me impatiently awaiting the sequel.

Immortal longings is chloe gong's debut into the new adult fantasy genre, and while the main female character threatens to remind us of every other main female character in chloe's previous works, this debut aims to stun.

The story is wrapped in neatly hidden and unexpected twists that no one can see coming. All the characters shine, but the villain of the story,shines the brightest. He is the stand out character and i couldn't believe how much i cared about him until that cliff hanger ending 🤯

Objectively, Immortal longings is one of the best works of Chloe gong.

I wanted to love this so much, but I didn’t. The first 50% was VERY slow and almost impossible to get though, but I pushed through anyways. The second half was better, but only at 20% did this book really pick up and get interesting. I also didn’t really get a solid grip on the setting and the game until later in the story.

I really liked the characters of Anton and Calla, while the other side characters were more confusing and I still don’t fully understand who they are and their roles. But I almost feel like the romance aspect was lacking a little. It was very sudden, they went from reluctant allies to lovers with very little build up or warning. Their relationship was somewhat obsessive, but I think that’s the point.

In addition, a lot of things were made unclear. How much time passed within the book? How often does this game occur? Mostly just minor world building details that I can survive without but would prefer to have.

THAT ENDING THOUGH. It had me skimming the last few chapters so that I could see what happened faster. The way she ends this book is just so perfect. She gave the reader enough information to not be totally confused and keep them interested, but not enough for them to have a sense of resolution. I will be reading the next book! I love Chloe Gong and don’t know what I’ll do with myself for the next year until the sequel releases.