These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)

by Chloe Gong

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.

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.

'Heady, smart, and vicious, These Violent Delights strikes every note with precision, layering romance and politics into a roaring 20s Shanghai of both monsters and monstrous imperialism' Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear

Reviewed by Ashley on

5 of 5 stars

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Woooow this book was brilliant! And bloody! I loved the 1920s Shanghai setting; I loved the politics, talk of foreigners, gangs, etc. Juliette was completely ruthless! The romance between her and Roma was angsty with a great slow build up (or build back up, because there's a history there). Definitely eager for more!

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Reading updates

  • 27 November, 2020: Started reading
  • 27 November, 2020: on page 0 out of 464 0%
  • 27 November, 2020: on page 54 out of 464 12%
  • 27 November, 2020: on page 126 out of 464 27%
  • 28 November, 2020: on page 168 out of 464 36%
    "she [...] turned around, facing the human equivalent of stale bread." Lol
  • 28 November, 2020: on page 374 out of 464 81%
  • 29 November, 2020: Finished reading
  • 29 November, 2020: Reviewed