Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
(Simon & Schuster)
Date published: November 17, 2020

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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.

⤖ My Review ⬻

The world of These Violent Delights took me a few chapters to get accustomed to, but once I did, I was so so so hooked! Chloe Gong’s writing is so effective at describing Shanghai in the 20s, setting the mood of a particular scene, and making the characters feel fleshed out and real, that These Violent Delights played out like a movie in my mind…and it was in iMax too!

Everything felt so real, so crips! Even with the fantasy elements added in, Gong made it all feel so believable, that I never felt any doubt over an actual monster plaguing the streets and people of Shanghai in her story.

Can I also talk about how much I loved Juliet and Roma (as well as the supporting characters) and how I wish that I could have spent more time with them? I think that the part I look forward to the most for when the sequel, Our Violent Ends, comes out will be getting to know the characters better and seeing their stories and relationships develop!

The plot as a whole was, of course, also very interesting and held my attention throughout. Gong was very successful at keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout the majority of my reading These Violent Delights. This book was definitely not short, but it was still not enough! I need more and I’m not sure how I’ll survive until November when the sequel is set to be released.

Gong is an incredible writer and I cannot get over the fact that she wrote this masterpiece while also going to university! I barely remembered to eat, much less wrote a New York Times bestseller. Chloe Gong is definitely an author to watch!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Chloe Gong is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and International Relations. During her breaks, she’s either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. 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. You can find her on Twitter @thechloegong, check out her website at thechloegong.com or email her at chloegongwrites@gmail.com.

⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it, do you want to? How come? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!