Mar 30, 2022
These Violent Delights is the first novel in Chloe Gong's historical fiction series of the same name. Set in 1926 Shanghai, a blood feud between two rival gangs tears the city apart until they lose control. When a contagious sickness runs rampant through Shanghai and turns the population mad, the teenage heirs of the two gangs must work together to save their city. Gong's retelling of Romeo and Juliet is unique and well-done. The plot was fast-paced, the romance was intoxicating, and Gong's vivid writing transports the reader to the setting. I absolutely loved the tension between Juliette and Roma; nothing was predictable.