An Instant New York Times Bestseller! A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, 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.The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs … 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.
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It is a well written book with almost any genre you can think of packed into the book.
While falling along the rim of a Romeo and Juliet retelling, this dive into Shanghai during the 1920’s allows for so much more than an intriguing tale.
Juliette has spent the last four years studying in the U.S. and returns to take her place as future heir to the Scarlet Gang, who rules Shanghai and is at constant odds with a Russian gang, White Flowers. While she’s no stranger to the ruthlessness involved, she’s soon faced with more than the already difficult task of gaining respect. Add an ended but once intense relationship with a potential heir to the White Flower gang, and she’s got her hands full. But things aren’t done there. She needs to fight to keep her status in a very violent and unforgiving world…and that as a monster has crept up into Shanghai and started to kill people with random reason. But monsters aren’t Juliette’s greatest concern.
The writing in this book is very well done. It is beautifully worded…and sometimes, with a touch of structure which almost reminds that Juliette doesn’t have English as her own mother tongue. She’s from Shanghai, through and through, but broader and more world-minded thanks to her studies abroad. And she’s tough. She knows what being the heir to the gang means, and she has no qualms about taking on this role. So, yes, it’s a violent book, and she’s not a gentle woman. And yet, she’s hard not to like.
Roma, on the other hand, is the softer of the two.
The parallels to the original tale are clear, but there is definitely enough originality to this retelling to keep it more than interesting. Juliette and Roma might have a true-love romance…if the bloodshed, family politics, territory wars, and monsters would allow a sweet romance to occur. But then again, Juliette isn’t a sweet romance kind a girl. There’s simply too much gore in this book to every qualify as sweet.
The world building is very well done, and this was probably my favorite aspect of the book. It’s rich enough to make every scene vivid and draws in enough history to make it feel realistic to the time. I especially appreciated the building up around colonialism…not just for setting purposes, but the author incorporates many of the feelings involved. The mix of various backgrounds and fights to find foothold…or keep foreigners from gaining too much…creates an intriguing historical glimpse alongside the main plot.
It’s an interesting read and not just for Romeo and Juliet fans (which….if I’m allowed to admit it…I’m definitely not) Still, I enjoyed this read quite a bit.
I could not put this debut down! The push-pull in this enemies to lovers romance was great and the story kept me reading. If you like dark and slightly creepy Romeo and Juliet retellings, pick this one up.
Sometimes historical fiction with a splash of fantasy can be tricky to pull off. However, Chloe Gong does a splendid job of submerging readers in 1920s Shanghai in These Violent Delights.
World-Building
World-building is crucial when doing a novel that falls into the historical fiction genre because, as readers, we are already somewhat familiar with periods. So, the structure has to be sound; it has to be believable and ground the reader in the story. When anyone thinks of the 1920s, they think of gangsters, prohibition, speakeasies, and flapper dresses, and Gong gives that to readers.
Gong builds up this retelling of Romeo and Juliet with incredible detail and a believable plot of warring gangsters. There probably were many Romeo and Juliet romances in real life. The point is that it is believable. The reader does not have to suspend their belief when reading the story because it is grounded and plays on the era’s romanticization to grip the reader.
There is such excellent detail that went into creating this world and it has this sharp edge to it to highlight the danger around every corner. This is, after all, a story about mobsters and monsters. Nevertheless, that detail, the color that Gong paints into her storytelling creates a beautiful painting, with shadows in all the delicate and places to add to the romanticization and mystery of the 1920s.
Characterization & Diversity
What also makes this a good retelling is how different it is. Gong took liberties to the romance of Romeo and Juliet by having the lovers be enemies. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are so different from their parent story in the best way.
It is always great to see the story retold cleverly and uniquely, and that is what Chloe Gong has done with her story. Gong gives readers something new and unique. Juliette is rougher around the edges, more brutal, but she was always a bit cleverer than Romeo and it is great to see her intelligence elevated to new heights here.
Juliette is not the only character to shine here. Gong brings new life to this cast of characters. Everyone from the original play is here, but there is diversity and tension in their voices and characterization. Gong gives the LGBTQ community some strong representation. It is subtle in the context of the story, once again, this goes towards bringing out the realism, but it is evident to the reader which is great.
Final Thoughts
There is so much about this fantastic novel. From the brilliant characterization to the vivid world-building, These Violent Delights is a unique and standout retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a marvelous fantastical twist highlighting the tension throughout the novel, giving the story an exceptional edge.
A retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but more darkly and mysteriously.
I was captivated by this story from the beginning to the end. The heroine is nothing like Juliet, she’s more strong, smart and opinionated, she’s a fighter and knows what exactly she wants and how to get it.
Overall, the story seems quite a dark historical rivalry between two gangs of powerful characters and it reminded me about Gangs of New York especially since it’s set in 1920 but in Shanghai and this adds even more to the story as I haven’t read or know much about their culture.
I enjoyed it, the suspenseful moments and interaction are great and the writing is very good and easy to follow. I’m looking forward to reading more by the author and I recommend this book to anyone.