The book is a retelling of the original Shakespeare play, therefore, there is a sense of familiarity when reading because you know the base story. “Gong takes the story of Romeo and Juliet to a completely new level” These violent themes include a lot of trigger warnings, such as violence, blood, gore, death, weapon use, alcohol consumption and parental abuse. There is a dark atmosphere and many violent themes explored throughout the book. It defines the overall fast pace of the book and the tone. The very first line, “In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens”, expresses this chaos, compelling you to keep reading. You know that you’re in for a rollercoaster ride. You can easily picture 1920s Shanghai and the complete chaos that is happening in the city from the first page. However, Chloe Gong throws you into this setting and does it in such a fascinating way.

Previous to this book, I had no knowledge of Shanghai and have never been there myself. “You can easily picture 1920s Shanghai and the complete chaos that is happening in the city” Now, they are forced to work together in order for the survival of their gangs. These heirs Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov have a deep history with each other but were ripped apart by a betrayal years ago. The story focuses on the heirs of two rival gangs, The Scarlett Gang and The White Flowers. Before I had even finished reading, I had to search if there was a sequel.

The book definitely didn’t let me down one bit. I was intrigued about the spin on the original Romeo and Juliet, and I have always been interested in the 1920s. Imagine Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet but set in 1920s Shanghai, with a fantasy element, and you’ve got debut novel These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong.īefore I start, I want to say that I knew that I’d love this book from just reading what it was about.

These violent delights book review