A review by dustilane
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

4.0

Juliette and Roma are heirs to their rival gangs that each control a large portion of Shanghai. The blood feud has no foreseeable end and nothing will cause these two gangs to work together, not even rumors of madness and monsters killing their own ranks. It’s up to the two heirs to try and get to the bottom of the chaos that has come over the city they call home.

I really did not like this book during the first half. I found it boring and stretched out and it just didn’t hook me. I also just wasn’t meshing well with the writing style. The only thing that kept me going was my love of Romeo and Juliet and a faint curiosity about what was going on. Then I reached the halfway point and the story picked up, leaving me hooked! By the end, I was on the edge of my seat and completely invested. And the ending, well I won’t spoil anything. But it was definitely something. It led me to immediately place a hold on the second book because I need to know what happens as soon as possible.

I really loved the characters and the parallels to Romeo and Juliet. I am really hoping that in the second book the secondary characters are fleshed out a little more. I’m really curious about their backstories and about their roles in the events at hand.

Overall, despite the shaky start, I really enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant surprise and I can’t wait to read the second book and other books from this author.