Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights, #2)

by Chloe Gong

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

The heartstopping follow up to These Violent Delights, an imaginative, alluring retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step into usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang's heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall's death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it's his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he's determined to set things right - even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma's cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren't prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

*** PRAISE FOR CHLOE GONG ***

'Heady, smart, and vicious' Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear

'Deliciously dark' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire

'Dark and beautiful' Emiko Jean, author of Empress of all Seasons

'A terrific, deliciously unputdownable read' June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones

Reviewed by lessthelonely on

5 of 5 stars

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5/5 stars.

Maybe you were waiting for an incredibly articulate review of this book. I don't think you're getting one.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and let you know that I enjoyed These Violent Delights - thing is, I am going to admit that if I hadn't read that book so sparingly, I wouldn't ever have finished it. My experience with that book was reading it one chapter at a time to start, because Chloe Gong is masterful at writing to the point you need to get used to thinking about the way certain things are described, and Gong takes an incredibly entertaining approach to "show don't tell", in my opinion.

I am going to admit I was used to text being a lot less technically sound, or maybe the word I'm looking for is casual. But I did get through the book, slow start though it did have. My problem wasn't the romance because I was invested from the beginning, my problem was definitely the somewhat long setup - which I would say was worth it, but I also believe it could've been shortened a bit.

Book 2 was... insanely more packed. For the most part, very much plot-packed and way less slow in between action-filled moments, yet I would call this incredibly character driven. Motives felt compelling, inner-turmoil (that also fueled A TON OF ANGST) more than believable and then the amount of shoes that had to drop from book 1 just pumped tension to a T.

Plot twists definitely hit harder, schemes and plans felt like they risked way higher stakes... Coupled with romance I found INCREDIBLY compelling (both the main couple and the gay side couple that stole my heart even harder). I ate this shit up, truly, and truth is that the way the author managed to keep the feeling of young stupid love while also providing commentary for it was incredibly ironic, because I ate both parts and still ached at every character's ache.

I only felt sort of detached to Rosalind, whose page presence went down until a very hard chapter to read came - JAIL, MISS GONG, JAIL! - and Kathleen sort of suffered a bit too. I guess I just got swept into the main 2 and the side couple. Marshall and Benedikt? HOLY SHIT, THIS IS WHY I READ ROMANCE. Incredible. Show-stopping. Where is the LGBT Honorary Award?

Let's not talk about how I thought this would get a different ending. Let's not talk how I only didn't cry my eyes out because I made the wise decision to immediately go to sleep after staying up until 1am finishing this book.

This review in one sentence: Top 10 reasons I will now never blink twice before deciding to read any Chloe Gong book, and why you shouldn't either.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 December, 2022: Finished reading
  • 31 December, 2022: Reviewed