These Violent Delights

This book is sooo good! A spinoff of Romeo and Juliet with a mob and monster twist! Had to buy all her books after reading this

Aside from Gong’s love for the repeated word that could become eyebrow raising at times, the story is still compelling and pulse-pounding with fully fleshed out characters and well thought out and crafted plot. I recommend you check it out.

In this marvelous, ambitious reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, talented wordsmith Chloe Gong takes readers on a sweeping, sublime journey, where something sinister lurks just below the surface of the glitz, the glamour, and intrigue of 1920's Shanghai. Set in this dazzling "Paris of the East," the story begins with our main leads, Juliette Cai, the daughter of Chinese gangster royalty, and Roma Montagov, the son of Russian émigrés who fled during the Bolshevik Revolution, who remain at the epicenter of an ongoing blood feud between their respective families, the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. While the Cais have typically ruled Shanghai with an iron fist for generations, the Montagovs, with their gradual but steady climb to power, threaten to usurp the Cais' longtime stranglehold over the city. As this feud begins to rack up a higher body count in the streets day-by-day, the underworld faces its own threat against other emerging power players, such as the Foreign Concessions, the Communists, and the Kuomintang, with all these separate factions jockeying for control over Shanghai. From page one, I was immediately hooked with Gong's exquisite, spectacular prose, her cast of unforgettable characters, jaw-dropping plot twists, and an wholly immersive, beautifully-rendered world of 1920's Shanghai, which was intricately, wonderfully bought to life. The sizzling, slow-burn romance between Juliette and Roma, while they grapple against past mistakes, missed opportunities, and blazing hopes that could very well lead to a secure future or complete ruin, is sure to delight readers - since one can't help but root for them as these rival heirs attempt to defy their starcrossed fate. Though, Juliette and Roma are also supported by an equally standout, secondary cast of characters including: intense but sensitive Benedikt Montagov, hilarious, devil-without-a care, #sinammon roll Marshall Seo, and viciously loyal Kathleen Lang. I for one, am certainly looking forward to the next installment of THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, as Gong is simply an extraordinary YA talent to keep in mind, with this stunning, historical fantasy debut.

"And hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all." "The stars incline us, they do not bind us." The year is 1926 and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the street red with blood, leaving the city in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is 18 year old Juliette Cai, who has returned to Shanghai to assume her role as the heir of the Scarlet Gang. The only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlet Gang for generations, and whose heir apparent is Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love... and betrayal. When gangsters on both sides begin clawing their own throats out the people start to whisper. They whisper of a contagion, madness, and a monster. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set aside their grudges and work together, for if they can't stop this mayhem, there will be no city left for them to rule. I have mixed emotions about this book it started out really creepy and interesting with a hint at something diabolical in the works. Yet, that quickly shifted. Instead all we got were overwhelming descriptions of Shanghai and the shifts in times, people and power. It was a Romeo and Juliet retelling but I swear it wasn't until like the last 100 pages that we had any hints of romance. All the romance was just hinted at as something that happened four years before the book started. It was mostly just about the power struggles of each gang and even the power struggle that both heirs were facing in their own gangs. The book was very slow which was frustrating because it was beautifully written, but I honestly felt like half the chapters could have been taken out and the book would have worked just as well. We get a lot of tension between Roma and Juliette with little point. Honestly, most of their dynamic was frustrating because of some big betrayal that we don't find out until closer to the end of the novel. That being said Juliette was an amazing main character, she was ruthless and fierce. I hated that this talked about a monster, because it took forever to even get to the monster in the plot. It wasn't until the last 10 chapters that this book really took off and then had some surprise twists! However, will I read book 2... yes, because I don't feel like anything is resolved in this one.

Good enemies to loves story, but it wasn't my favorite. I would recommend it mainly because of the world building

the book cover at the bottom was alr crumpled when i took it out from the parcel pls include wrapping for the BOOK itself next time if possible!

This book is a great Romeo and Juliet retelling. Personally, I have never read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, however I did read this and I am SHOCKED!! The way that Chloe Gong built the world was beautiful, and now I truly want to visit Shanghai. Can't say this book didn't make me cry. That conclusion!! OMG the conclusion was everything. I love a good cliff-ganger in the end, and the fact that the author wrote "to be continued." I NEED THE SEQUEL!! I totally recommend to Romeo and Juliet and YA fantasy, and YA History. This book was absolutely amazing!! The hate and love relationship was. *chefs kiss* The characters were so intriguing and I am really excited for the sequel. Now you might be thinking, if she loves this book so much, why did she rate it a 4 stars and not a 5. Now I will tell you. I love how there were different languages, and sometimes the author translates them into English, but there are a few sentences where she didn't and it was so confusing that I had to go search the meaning xD THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES THAT I COULDNT KEEP UP!! What is the book about: The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal. But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule. Now!! I figured out that Chloe Gong (the author) has a tik Tok page and it is so funny and talks more about the book, so if you want to learn more go follow the actual author!

Titolo acquistato in sconto e pagato in flessibile solo 5€, ma lo ricomprerei anche se ne costasse 30! Ho adorato ogni pagina, ogni riga di questo romanzo: mi ha tenuto compagnia durante la mia vacanza estiva tanto da non riuscire a staccarmi per sapere come andasse avanti. Roma Montagov e Juliette Cai sono gli eredi di due gang antagoniste (Scarlet - White flower) che gravitano da sempre l'uno intorno all'altra: il loro rapporto subisce uno strappo profondo, che li porterà a cadere nel turbinio di vendette e scontri che da sempre affligge le strade di Shangai. Dopo 4 anni di lontananza, emotiva e geografica, nel 1926 Juliette torna in città e il suo percorso si intreccerà di nuovo a quello di Roma, portandoli a lavorare fianco a fianco per risolvere il mistero che avvolge la loro città. Riusciranno a superare ciò che lo ha divisi per arrivare insieme alla soluzione dell'enigma? Un romanzo storico-romantico con accenni fantasy utili al fine della trama, seppur non indispensabili perché non sono questi il fulcro. La storia prosegue scorrevole, il livello di inglese è un B1 e vorrei che Chloe Gong mi scrivesse la vita. CONSIGLIATISSIMO!

The quality of pages is amazing and it was well packaged too .