Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published Nov. 17th, 2020/Nov. 16th, 2021
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.
pain. suffering. a couple adjectives that come to mind when i think about this duology. it involves every perfect little nuanced trope that i look for to scratch my never-ending itchy craving for angst. These Violent Delights is a stellar debut novel by Chloe Gong. it is beautifully written and so easily enrapturing i had to physically pry these out of my hands in order to breathe a little bit before i further spiraled into despair. it is an obvious romeo and juliet retelling, but Chloe Gong delivers so much more to that classic tragedy.
i felt like i was running on hot coals the entire time i was reading this. These Violent Delights sets up the trajectory of the story really well. it starts off with an expected level of animosity between the two gangs, but as the story goes on, the bad blood between the Cais and Montagovs is poked at and ramped up. the one constant throughout it all is the gravity between juliette and roma— they simultaneously ground and alight one another. so many scenes with knives to the throat and guns aimed at each other; threatening to ruin each other one second, then patching each other up the next. trying to count on one hand how many times they went from enemies to lovers and back again is impossible but those little moments of violence and unavoidable trickery just added to their ✨chemistry✨. it also drove the plot in a very logical direction for majority of the story. they had to make very complex decisions that considered the fate of their city, the relationships with their friends and family, and each other's well-being. we were led through chaotic climaxes in both books, with even more earth-shattering, universe-quaking endings that leave you speechless and wondering "what if?" ... and that's what makes this duology so freaking good.
the theme of hope that is littered throughout this duology is explored so delicately, both in how the characters refuse to accept the possibility of a different fate and then finally clutch on to that little shred of hope they had all along. it’s a story that sets an emphasis on determining your own future, no matter how many forces are placed against you. as said in this quote: “they could choose. love or blood. hope or hate.” juliette and roma are constantly tested, time and again, and their love for each other does not falter; if anything it burns brighter through it all. they change the course of their city by trusting each other and learning to have faith in the goodness of one another. watching that unfold was so cathartic. Chloe Gong leaves you to wonder and hope and yearn for more than what's presented to you. she wrote the ending so well and so purposeful to provide us with an opportunity to hope. i have pondered the possibilities that could come of such an open yet closed ending and that alone has kept me so enthralled and obsessed with this story.
i love this cast of characters so much. the white flowers trio (roma, marshall, benedikt) made this story so fun. they were equally ruthless and sweet, witty and rambunctious. overall, such a great trio of boys! i would take a bullet for benmars. the scarlet trio (juliette, kathleen, and rosalind) served us 3 strong female leads, each with different motivations, but all bonded by similar dreams and hopes. juliette's character is one i think can be so relatable for asian american youth who struggle to find a connection between their asian heritage and the expectations of being american. in having similar insecurities and struggles as a chinese american, i found comfort in sharing these sentiments with juliette. in more recent years i've been able to see pieces of my own story depicted in fiction and i'll never stop being grateful to have these characters and stories.
"The qipao. The scarlet gangsters had become accustomed to shortcutting their associations of her to glittery, beaded dresses and pomade in her finger-curled hair. As soon as she dressed in Chinese clothing instead, they saw right past her.Juliette breathed in and found her lungs to be horribly tight. Could she never be both? Was she doomed to choose one country or the other? Be an American girl or nothing?"
this series is so beautiful. the writing, the character development, the overall progression of the story ... it is so well crafted. you can tell how much care was put into the research of Shanghai during the roaring 20s and how dedicated Chloe Gong was to creating a romeo & juliet retelling that was fresh, relatable, and exciting. i am so pleased by everything about this duology, even if i cried for an hour after finishing and have spent the last couple weeks brooding. i am content and there is no better feeling than that acceptance. Chloe Gong, you are a genius, and i cannot wait to watch your writing evolve. not to mention that her next project, Foul Lady Fortune, is dubbed as "a speculative historical noir surrounding the events of Imperial Japan's expansion into China in the 1930s. A familiar character is recruited as a national spy, maintaining her false identity by posing as a young married couple with someone who might be the very enemy." ... are you joking. [weeping] nothing like the appearance of your favorite characters [wink wink sobbing]. im so glad to have books like These Violent Delights/Our Violent Ends that explore themes of hope, self-identity, acceptance, and morality alongside a can of ass kicking + stabbing. the duality of a series! you must check them out expeditiously.
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