These Violent Delights Book Review & Sequel

Before I start reviewing, I would just like to say if anyone is a big fan of Shakespeare and thinks that the beauty of Romeo and Juliet is hidden from the constantly criticizing eyes of modern society - READ THIS BOOK BY CHLOE GONG NOW! This book is powerful because the main character Juliette Cai (Juliet Capulet's reincarnation) is a femme fatale and isn't afraid to get what she wants and Roma Montagov (Romeo Montague's reincarnation) is a homme fatale who likes to pick at those who aren't afraid to get what they want. And the entire beautiful tale is set in 1920s Shanghai, so need I say more? I need to say more - there's a sequel (Our Violent Ends)!!

These Violent Delights Book Summary

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.

These Violent Delights Book Review

Words cannot express my adoration for this book and its sequel because both books are packed with violent gangster mayhem, a mysterious monster, romance, and a plague-like madness. Everything is so delightful and so violent, I loved it.

You will see this as more people read and review this, but I feel like something we will all agree on is that Chloe’s writing is riveting. The story begins in the Huangpu River and it begins with three things that intrigued me immediately: death, a monster, and a mystery. And I’m going to be honest with you: what follows thereafter is even more death (and the deaths are brutal, bloody, and terrifying), more of the monster that plagues the city and will pique your curiosity (and we are fed small spoonfuls of this monster that aren’t enough to satisfy our curiosity but are enough for us to want to read more), and a mystery that is so good and compelling that you will be guessing and questioning everything while enjoying the story.

Thereafter is a story that you will not easily forget. These Violent Delights is filled with so much foreboding and intensity that your heart will pound while reading. Readers who have already read the original Romeo and Juliet will delight in the nods and references in These Violent Delights and will also feel that delicious dread of knowing what might happen. I felt so stressed reading this book – though, it was a good kind of stress! It was the kind of reading-stress where you feel engaged and can’t look away because the stakes are high, the tension is palpable, and you come to care deeply for the characters. From the very first death, you’ll know that Chloe did not come to play with this story – and that should scare and excite you.

If this book – her first published book – is any indication of the books that Chloe will write, then I will follow her and her books to the ends of the earth. These Violent Delights is a stunning debut. Yes, you may feel shattered by the end and maybe a little itchy (yes, itchy!), but it is truly a thoroughly fantastic and incredible book.

Keep an eye out for my review to her sequel book OUR VIOLENT ENDS