These Violent Delights is honestly the best Romeo and Juliet retelling I’ve ever seen! Anyone who loves reading thrilling adventures with Mystery, Angst, and Romance would probably love this debut by Chloe Gong. Before I talk about the reasons I loved These Violent Delights, Here’s the book symposis.

Symposis and These Violent Delights Cover courtesy of Goodreads

  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.

  Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

  Content Warnings: Blood, violence, gore, character deaths, explicit description of gouging self (not of their own volition), murder, weapon use, insects, alcohol consumption, parental abuse.

The Writing Style

  I love Gong’s writing style so much! Within just a few chapters, I was immersed in the story and knew I was in for a ride. The way Gong describes all the tension and emotion is so beautiful. And there are some sentences that were so good I had to re-read it multiple times and then say to myself “How can this writer be so good!”. There are so many quotes I love from this book that I can make a whole post just on that alone.

The Worldbuilding

  Chloe Gong masterfully wrote in a very cinematic way and I was immersed in the world of 1920’s Shanghai from the very beginning. She shows how well she knows her world by how visually detailed every scene was from the high society flapper bars and parties to the everyday busy streets of Shanghai. This book truly is Gong’s love letter to Shanghai and I love that. Plus, this book made me want to get a red flapper dress or any other outfit that Juliette wore in this book!

The Awesome Characters

  This books main characters were complex, morally grey, and deeply thought-out characters and I loved it. Usually, I prefer first-person narratives because with third person, a lot of times there’s a bit of distance from the characters. Making me not feel like I get to deeply understand them. But the way Gong wrote in third person made me feel no distance. Instead, I got to know the main characters very deeply and had fun getting to learn more about them and their past. 

  I loved how Gong took inspiration from the classic characters of Romeo and Juliet and then gave them more depth. Juliette is a tough driven girl who wants to protect her people She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty(or bloody) while trying to prove to her father and the rest of her family that she is good enough to be the heir of the Scarlet gang. Whereas Roma is a soft troubled boy who just wants to live in peace. But he has no choice because he surrounded by violence due to being the heir of the White Flowers gang.

  All the side characters are awesome too in many different ways but I think my favorite was Kathleen who was definitely the sweetest cinnamon roll character in the book. I am looking forward to getting to know the characters even more in the sequel.

The Plot Full of Twists and Turns

  This book had so much happening! Full of mystery, action, and dark themes. There were moments that were shocking and jaw-dropping. Then there was moments that were super tense. So much that I had a hard time breathing and could hear my heart pumping in my ears! The mystery kept my attention throughout and wasn’t predictable which I liked a lot.

The Angst and Yearning

  For a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, I was expecting more romantic moments. But what was lacking in romance, was replaced with tons of Angst and Yearning. The Yearning was so strong and so well done. Sometimes to the point that the sexual tension was overwhelming but in the best of ways.

  All the Angst made every moment between Roma and Juliette both beautiful and heartbreaking. Every time Roma and Juliette were in the same room, I got super excited. Because I knew more angst and yearning was coming and I loved every second of it even when it was painful. 

  In conclusion, this book is amazing and you should totally read it! But make sure to check the trigger warnings first cause this book may not be for people who can’t handle violence or gore. If the trigger warnings don’t bother you, then I think that These Violent Delights is totally worth the read! I really look forward to the sequel!

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About the Author of These Violent Delights:

Chloe Gong is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, double-majoring in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, she now lives at the top of a crumbling, ivory tower in Philadelphia (also known as student housing).

After devouring the entire YA section of her local library, she started writing her own novels at age 13 to keep herself entertained, and has been highly entertained ever since. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear by chanting “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” into a mirror three times. Her debut novel, THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, is being published by Margaret K. McElderry/S&S in 2020 with a sequel to follow in 2021. She is represented by the wonderful Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency.

Check out Gong’s Author Website | Twitter | Goodreads