Book Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights#1) by Chloe Gong
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.
REVIEW:
Despite being a retelling, I appreciated how the author was able to put her own original elements and how put her cultural background. Her writing is very descriptive and I can imagine myself walking in 1920s Shanghai. I actually went to China last January 2020 and reading this book transported me back to the Shanghai French Concession and the Bund. Honestly, I am not fan of the pacing of the book. The first half was slow while the ending was rushed. It also took a while to get in to the book because of the pacing but I was able to pull through because of the characters.
Character
The characters were entertaining to read. I liked how the author was able to challenge gender stereotypes. Juliette Cai is portrayed as masculine. She is cunning and ruthless. But despite her fierceness, she also had times where she showed vulnerability and doubt
While Roma Montagov is tender and caring of the people around him. Despite this he can also be reckless with his action, which risked a lot of people. The side characters also stood out to me: Juliette's cousins, Kathleen and Rosalind, and Roma's righthand men, Benedikt and Marshall. I love their interaction with each other and their witty conversations.
I also liked how Juliette and Roma were their own "standing" character. Unlike, the original play by Shakespeare that you cannot have Romeo without Juliet and vice versa.
Politics and Fantasy
The politics was also a factor that I liked with this book. The author did her research on 1920s Shanghai and integrated it to the book. Factors such as gangs (Green Gang Triad), rise of communism, and colonialism (Russian, British, and French occupation) were featured in the book. Specifically, the author touched on the the distribution of opium and heroin by gangs, and the tension between the British and French occupants. It is also a plus that the author included a political environment because it somehow explains the behavior and actions of the character and how they were influenced by the colonials.
Meanwhile, the fantasy part fell flat for me. I think that it was unnecessary and the gang rivalry with the conflict with the colonials would have suffice. But hopefully, the next book we get to explore more of the fantasy aspect.
Overall, I recommend this book if you are a fan of Romeo and Juliet or an angsty romance book. This book is a brilliant read filled with drama, emotion, humor, and action.
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.
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