Our Violent Ends

Our Violent Ends

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  • Create Date:2021-11-17 07:19:37
  • Update Date:2025-09-07
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Chloe Gong
  • ISBN:B08W5G9L9T
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark。”

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution。

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath。 One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir。 The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood。 If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less。

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him。 Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure。

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all。 Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation。 Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other。

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Reviews

Karen Hsu

screaming crying time to go listen to red and really feel these emotions i am fragile

yara。

i'm violently sobbing 😻 i'm violently sobbing 😻 。。。more

angel

will i ever recover

kayen ☁️

not one to write reviews, but this book wrecked me so … perhaps?

elma

just。。。 no。

Eileen

This was excellent! Chloe Gong may be a debut author (okay, this is the second book, but this is her first series), but it was clear to me that this was a labor of love。 This was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but it was set in Shanghai in 1927, during the time of Chiang Kai Shek and the struggle between the Communists and the Nationalists。 Roma and Juliette are from two rival gang families who basically control Shanghai in territories, many of which flip back and forth between the two familie This was excellent! Chloe Gong may be a debut author (okay, this is the second book, but this is her first series), but it was clear to me that this was a labor of love。 This was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but it was set in Shanghai in 1927, during the time of Chiang Kai Shek and the struggle between the Communists and the Nationalists。 Roma and Juliette are from two rival gang families who basically control Shanghai in territories, many of which flip back and forth between the two families。 I KNOW the original play, so I KNOW how this has to end, but still, I felt my heart absolutely breaking by the end。 Chloe Gong made me care about these characters and she did an incredible job weaving real history into her tale。 This was such a rich story and while there were moments where things felt a bit slow, every time I put the story down, I couldn't wait to dive back in again。 If anything, I thought this second book was better than the first, but perhaps that was partly due to the author getting into a groove with practice。 But I really felt the characters come alive in this book, and not just Roma and Juliette, but also Benedikt and Marshall, and Katherine and Alisa。 Even the thread with the monsters, which initially felt unnecessary to me, ended up being used well by the author。 If it hadn't been for the monsters, this book could have been historical and realistic fiction。 And yet, it felt both like a nod to our own struggles with the pandemic, as well as a metaphor for what made Juliette and Roma such star-crossed lovers。 As heartbreaking as the ending was, it was so perfect。 I am so grateful I was able to read this before the publication date! I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 Happy Publication Date! 。。。more

naya sophia

*thank you to the wonderful team at Simon & Schuster for my ARC, i appreciate you so much*okay here we go because i finished this book about 40mins before it is officially released。 i have thoughts。 i really like the premise of the book, i'm a huge fan of story retellings and i think there's so much to be explored。i also love chloe gong。 she's a young POC author and she's writing stories that feel authentic and true to her。 this duology is really serving the enemies to lovers we all want。 the st *thank you to the wonderful team at Simon & Schuster for my ARC, i appreciate you so much*okay here we go because i finished this book about 40mins before it is officially released。 i have thoughts。 i really like the premise of the book, i'm a huge fan of story retellings and i think there's so much to be explored。i also love chloe gong。 she's a young POC author and she's writing stories that feel authentic and true to her。 this duology is really serving the enemies to lovers we all want。 the story is rich and diverse and i would recommend it。 also i think i enjoyed the second half of this book more than the entire first book。 HOWEVER。i found this duology SO CONFUSING。 there is so much plot and sub-plot and so many characters and so many languages and everything is interspersed and personally, i found it extremely overwhelming (full disclosure my ARC is not the final printing so that might also have contributed)。 i also felt like some aspects of the book were playing into tropes to 'sensationalize' them and make them into tiktok buzzwords。 in conclusion, although i really enjoyed this duology, i felt it was lacking in some areas。 the world-building is so massive and honestly confusing, i think the story could have been pared down slightly and would have been a 4 maybe even 5 star read。 that being said, this was a smash debut and i can't wait to read the rest of chloe gong's work。 。。。more

caro | sanjariti

top 5 favorite books of the yearchloe gong i hate you and i love you and i hate you but most of all i hate youthat ending absolutely destroyed me and i will never know peace again 😭

Mae (readingwithmae)

I’m gonna need some time to recover//rtc

isabella

MAÑANA HERMANASSSWKTKQKRNQJE llamando a mi psicologa para agendar turno

lauren

pain is the only thing i knowromajuliette have wrecked me, there's nothing else to sayi thought the beginning was a bit slow but i really enjoyed the book overall。 i even liked the politics and gang-politics behind the book, it helped establish the tension and plotALSO I LOVE CELIA and her journey in this book, one of the best charactersalso juliette and marshall’s friendship >>> pain is the only thing i knowromajuliette have wrecked me, there's nothing else to sayi thought the beginning was a bit slow but i really enjoyed the book overall。 i even liked the politics and gang-politics behind the book, it helped establish the tension and plotALSO I LOVE CELIA and her journey in this book, one of the best charactersalso juliette and marshall’s friendship >>> 。。。more

naila

i have absolutely no words。 this book is perfect, chloe gong will be the death of me。 i need 5 years of therapy to get over this。 not even joking。

Roxane Kelly

Thanks Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC!This book was amazing! I remember reading the first book and being truly impressed by the story, the characters and also by the way the author write which is beautiful。 English is not my first language so I can only imagine reading it for all the native speakers。 I'm also super proud that the author, Chloe Gong is my age, 22 and she did this masterpiece of duology。 I cried and I also screamed a lot (ANGST)。 Finally, what a beautiful ending for Thanks Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC!This book was amazing! I remember reading the first book and being truly impressed by the story, the characters and also by the way the author write which is beautiful。 English is not my first language so I can only imagine reading it for all the native speakers。 I'm also super proud that the author, Chloe Gong is my age, 22 and she did this masterpiece of duology。 I cried and I also screamed a lot (ANGST)。 Finally, what a beautiful ending for the classical Romeo and Juliette, what more could you ask for? Go read it ! It is a wonderful sequel and ending to this duology! 。。。more

saskia

This was a great sequel and conclusion to the our violent delights duet。 The historical setting, the fact that it is based on true history, gives the story of vibrancy and authenticity and makes the plot more compelling。 Although I care more for the characters, I love Roma and Juliette and Alisa and Kathleen, there was some relationships I just wasn’t invested in。 And like with the first book, this one definitely could’ve been shorter as there was a lot of tautology which I understand because we This was a great sequel and conclusion to the our violent delights duet。 The historical setting, the fact that it is based on true history, gives the story of vibrancy and authenticity and makes the plot more compelling。 Although I care more for the characters, I love Roma and Juliette and Alisa and Kathleen, there was some relationships I just wasn’t invested in。 And like with the first book, this one definitely could’ve been shorter as there was a lot of tautology which I understand because we’re in a world of gangsters and violence, and blood and politics, and wicked imperialist intentions and actions, but we don’t need to be told every page that Juliette is the heir of the Scarlet Gang and everyone should fear her。 Although, I guess at the end of the day that really is the point of the story, daring to fight for love in a situation that demands you hate and revenge despite no clear point of the why。 Being destroyed by a city that has taken from you relentlessly。 。。。more

Melanie

It is hard to take a story as well known as Romeo and Juliet and make it your own。 It's even harder to do that and not seem unsatisfying in comparison。 Our Violet Ends manages to distinguish itself and remain entertaining。 The addition of new issues and conflicts, epidemics, colonialism, and economic inequality, help keep it fresh, rather than just another retelling in a new setting。 Our Violent Ends, and the duology has a whole, was excellent。 I highly recommend。 I received an advanced copy of It is hard to take a story as well known as Romeo and Juliet and make it your own。 It's even harder to do that and not seem unsatisfying in comparison。 Our Violet Ends manages to distinguish itself and remain entertaining。 The addition of new issues and conflicts, epidemics, colonialism, and economic inequality, help keep it fresh, rather than just another retelling in a new setting。 Our Violent Ends, and the duology has a whole, was excellent。 I highly recommend。 I received an advanced copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Annette Jordan

Our Violent Ends is the second volume in Chloe Gong's duology that cleverly blends fantasy and history into a richly layered story with more than a hint of Romeo and Juliet。 The book picks up where These Violent Delights ends, taking us back to a vividly described 1920's Shanghai where the feud between rival gangs the Scarlets and the White Flowers, is still in full force。 The city is on a political precipice with tensions between the Communists and the Nationalists bubbling ever closer to boili Our Violent Ends is the second volume in Chloe Gong's duology that cleverly blends fantasy and history into a richly layered story with more than a hint of Romeo and Juliet。 The book picks up where These Violent Delights ends, taking us back to a vividly described 1920's Shanghai where the feud between rival gangs the Scarlets and the White Flowers, is still in full force。 The city is on a political precipice with tensions between the Communists and the Nationalists bubbling ever closer to boiling point and violence on a scale that would make the gang warfare seem pale in comparison。 As if that is not enough, a supernatural threat that could destroy the city is also making its presence felt。 It is no wonder that Juliette Cai feels like a thread ready to snap, she has destroyed her relationship with rival gangster Roma in an attempt to keep him safe, but fate seems to conspire to keep drawing them back together and it seems like their only hope of saving the city they both love will be to work together, something that is not going to go down well with either of their families。 Full of action and intrigue, this book definitely moved at a much faster pace than its predecessor, which is understandable since much of the world building and exposition was by necessity in These Violent Delights, and I certainly enjoyed it even more than the first book。 There was a greater focus on the relationships between characters, and not just the romantic ones, which drew me into the book more and made me more invested in the outcome of the story。 I applaud the author for her skill in setting a scene, the ambiance throughout the book is incredible, she brings the era and setting to life with mastery。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Zainab

4。5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ “𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤。”I really liked These Violent Delights because it was so well written and beautiful but OUR VIOLENT ENDS? Guys it was even BETTER! I cannot even begin to express how wonderful this book was, but I shall try my best anyway。 As you all know, I struggled with these violent delights because it took me awhile to get into the story, but with this one? I WAS HOOKED FROM START TO END, I simply couldn’t stop reading。 Juli 4。5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ “𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤。”I really liked These Violent Delights because it was so well written and beautiful but OUR VIOLENT ENDS? Guys it was even BETTER! I cannot even begin to express how wonderful this book was, but I shall try my best anyway。 As you all know, I struggled with these violent delights because it took me awhile to get into the story, but with this one? I WAS HOOKED FROM START TO END, I simply couldn’t stop reading。 Juliette and Roma are as iconic as ever, but like 10x more, the tension, the drama, THE PAIN。 Omg, guys I’m lowkey very numb but in the best way possible, I highly HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS, RUN TO THE STORE and go buy it and then talk to me when you’ve finished because I’m Screaming! Chloe you did it again! You broke me, congratulations and if you see this please let me know where to send you my therapy bills! 😭❤️❤️ 。。。more

alexas。bookshelf

This book is a masterpiece。 It will make you cry and it will make you smile。 I read it in one day, I couldn’t stop reading it。 It was a perfect conclusion to this duology。 The writing was beautiful。 This series is now one of my favourites。 I definitely recommend it。5/5

Lovely Loveday

Our Violent Ends is the second book in These Violent Delights series by Chloe Gong。 A historical young adult fantasy that is full of mystery and intrigue with an unexpected ending that is sure to take you by surprise。 

Kait (kaitread。s)

“These violent delights have violent ends, you have always known this。” Chloe Gong has ripped my heart from my chest with no remorse。 Logically, I knew how it was going to end, but akin to the moral of the story, I had hope。 Hope that it would end differently。 Like These Violent Delights, I thought Our Violent Ends was a little slow to start, especially because of the cliffhanger that we were left with in book 1。 It took me about a week to get through the first half, and then I spent all day one “These violent delights have violent ends, you have always known this。” Chloe Gong has ripped my heart from my chest with no remorse。 Logically, I knew how it was going to end, but akin to the moral of the story, I had hope。 Hope that it would end differently。 Like These Violent Delights, I thought Our Violent Ends was a little slow to start, especially because of the cliffhanger that we were left with in book 1。 It took me about a week to get through the first half, and then I spent all day one Sunday reading the entire last half of the book because I couldn't put it down!Most of the story is set between Roma & Juliette's POV, although Gong occasionally switches between some side characters and an outside perspective as well。 This doesn't always work, but Gong makes is seamless and it helps give more suspense to the story when we know what is going on while many of the characters are in the dark。 There were a few times that I literally gasped or yelled as I was reading this book。 The high stakes in this book are insane, made even more so that it is set in 1927 Shanghai。The characters in this story are written so well that I was completely emotionally invested in them, and I feel like I could be talking about my friends when raving about the book to someone。 Juliette, heir of the Chinese Scarlet Gang, and Roma Montagov, heir of the Russian White Flowers, are the perfect star-crossed lovers set up for a tragedy。 Their secret friendship turned romance has been put through the test since they met 5 years ago。 At the end of book one, Juliette made a choice that would save Roma's life, but it also made him hate her (mirroring an act that Roma has done to her in the past)。 Now in Our Violent Ends, Juliette has to tread carefully around Roma - he's out for revenge。 Fellow White Flowers Benedikt (Roma's cousin) and their best friend Marshall are my favorite side characters! I love their banter and genuine love for each other and their friends。 Benedikt was pretty laid back in the first book, but an event at the end caused him to really have some character development in book two。 Marshall is a Korean badass。 That is all。 Roma's little sister Alisa is such a great character and brings a great dynamic to the story。 The setting of 1920s Shanghai is incredible。 It really felt as though I was walking the people-filled streets along with the gangsters in the midst of the power struggle。 There was too much politics in my opinion, and somewhat hard to keep track of。 While I know it is integral to the story, especially during this time period, I think losing some detail on the politics would improve the flow of the story, rather than making the war an entire subplot in itself。 This is the only Romeo and Juliet retelling I've read, but it has certainly set the bar high! While there are definite parallels to the original play, it's a unique story with characters all her own。 Chloe Gong's writing visibly improved from her debut to this novel, and let's just say she is a brave writer for what she did to our hearts and emotional well-being at the end of this book。Please check trigger warnings before reading this book! 。。。more

Angela Staudt

Obviously I knew in my head how this was going to end。。。 BUT WAS I READY? NO。 LISTEN UP: This is how you end a duology beautifully。 I couldn’t have asked for a better end and even though it shattered my heart, I did kind of know how this was going to end。 This is a Romeo and Juliet retelling so I think we should all know how it’s going to end。 I really enjoyed how we got the same feel from the first book with the characters and plot, but we also got so much more in Our Violent Ends。 I loved how Obviously I knew in my head how this was going to end。。。 BUT WAS I READY? NO。 LISTEN UP: This is how you end a duology beautifully。 I couldn’t have asked for a better end and even though it shattered my heart, I did kind of know how this was going to end。 This is a Romeo and Juliet retelling so I think we should all know how it’s going to end。 I really enjoyed how we got the same feel from the first book with the characters and plot, but we also got so much more in Our Violent Ends。 I loved how we really learned more about the side characters and got so much more of their perspective throughout the entire book。 I am a huge fan for the plot of this book and how it is historical fiction。 I was so intrigued with the history of 1920’s Shanghai and with the added fantasy dealing with the monsters, AND having this be a Romeo and Juliet retelling made this phenomenal。I laughed, I cried, I smiled, and I wanted to throw the book more than once。 Chloe Gong actually created such a beautifully written duology that will always hold a special place in my heart。 It was just absolutely amazing and I don’t really have any other words。 I am honestly just at a loss of what to say besides it’s incredible and I love it。 。。。more

ayşe

i will never emotionally recover from this book

Leonie

This book and Treacherous [Taylor‘s Version] releasing within one week… much to think about 🧐 The positives:↣ Chloe Gong certainly knows how to create a vivid setting and background。 No matter where the characters were, you felt like you were there, too。 The dark, mysterious and glimmering aura of 1920s Shanghai truly jumped off the page。↣ The commentary on colionalism and foreigners thinking they can take whatever they want was subtle but so impactful, too。 The author wove in the true histor This book and Treacherous [Taylor‘s Version] releasing within one week… much to think about 🧐 The positives:↣ Chloe Gong certainly knows how to create a vivid setting and background。 No matter where the characters were, you felt like you were there, too。 The dark, mysterious and glimmering aura of 1920s Shanghai truly jumped off the page。↣ The commentary on colionalism and foreigners thinking they can take whatever they want was subtle but so impactful, too。 The author wove in the true history of the city so well with her Romeo and Juliet retelling。↣ If you want heartbreaking and tormenting romances, this book will serve them all to you。 Roma and Juliette as well as Marshall and Benedikt really pulled out all the angst in this sequel, it tore me apart。↣ I came to care for all the characters, not only the two protagonists but also the side characters。 Juliette was probably the most fleshed-out, but I liked Roma, Benedikt, Marshall and Kathleen, too。 They were all so different and special in their own way。 The negatives:↣ The plot in this sequel was not very well crafted and balanced。 There was too much happening at once and I never knew what to focus on。 There were the monster, the Nationalists, the Communists, the blood feud… They all tried taking the spotlight, but it only resulted in none of them getting enough attention。↣ The solution to the mystery was very predictable。 I saw all the revelations coming from a mile away。 That didn‘t take away from my enjoyment, but it might for others who expect a more thrilling mystery。↣ While I did enjoy the romances in this book, I did not particularly love the fact that most of the time was spent with a misunderstanding keeping them apart。 It was angsty, as I said, but angst can go too far。 After a while the constant back-and-forth and lying just got a little tiring。 I wanted them to clear the air sooner。 Their dialogue was also a little cheesy and over-the-top at times, for my liking。Seeing as this is the author‘s debut, this was a very solid first duology and I cannot wait to see what she will come up with next。Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book。 。。。more

Kathryn Speckels (Metaphors and Miscellanea)

Crackling with tension and filled with (surprise, surprise) violence, Our Violent Ends is a deliciously dark* conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology。 The first book in the series smashed onto the YA scene with much fanfare, a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in Shanghai in the 1920’s, substituting rival gangs for feuding houses and adding a mysterious, monstrous illness。 (Also, the author was literally still in undergrad when she published it, so uh…what am I doing with my life? Crackling with tension and filled with (surprise, surprise) violence, Our Violent Ends is a deliciously dark* conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology。 The first book in the series smashed onto the YA scene with much fanfare, a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in Shanghai in the 1920’s, substituting rival gangs for feuding houses and adding a mysterious, monstrous illness。 (Also, the author was literally still in undergrad when she published it, so uh…what am I doing with my life???) In this second installment, the stakes–both personal and political–are higher than ever, and the result is an action-packed, emotional whirlwind。This book is blood-soaked and brutal, in the best possible way。 The constant clashes of rival gangs, plus demonstrations by the Communist and Nationalist parties, leave the pages of this book filled with gunfights, fistfights, thrown knives, fires, and explosions, a constant stream of violent uprisings punctuated by plenty of scheming, gossip, and emotions that burn just as hot as the literal flames。It’s true, this book does follow a wide range of characters–primarily Roma and Juliette, but with snippets from Benedikt, Marshall, Kathleen, Alisa, and Tyler as well–but you can tell that Juliette is the one the author is most attached to, and her narrative arc takes precedence over anyone else’s。 Frankly, I’m okay with this*: Juliette is the antihero of our dreams, whose two default reactions to feelings are “stuff it down and ignore it” or “inflict physical damage or injury on something on someone” (or, sometimes, both)。 She is ruthless but impulsive, a short-tempered sharpshooter, a trigger-happy gang heiress with conflicting emotions about her loyalties being torn between her family, her city, and the boy she loves。 Chloe Gong does not shy away from the more jagged edges of Juliette’s character; this girl really is prepared to kill men in cold blood whenever needed, and the character’s comfort with weapons of all sorts is moderately alarming。 I also appreciate the self-awareness that the author takes toward Juliette’s physical prowess–a casual comment from Lord Cai mentioning how he is surprised she can move so quickly given that she never exercises made me grin。* That said, I would not have minded if we got a bit more of Marshall and Benedikt; their relationship is one of my favorite things。 There are also rumors swirling about spinoff books based on Celia and/or Alisa, and if that’s the case, I’m totally down for it。 Celia is a badass, but a smart one, who actually thinks and properly plans her schemes, and Alisa is just the right amount of feisty。Some people have cast this book as a romance, largely because of its Romeo and Juliet influences (though, I will note that they are not quite as prominent in this book as they were in the first one)。 I’m not saying that it doesn’t have romance–indeed, the amount of romantic tension between Roma and Juliette is practically palpable (a certain scene on a train comes to mind)–but it really doesn’t feel like the focus of the story。 As much as their romantic entanglements drive some emotions, the real focus of the story feels more political, with frequent commentary on ideas of colonialism, imperialism, and nationalism, as well as general questions of morality: Is there a point in saving a city that is full of relatively horrible people? What is an acceptable price to pay for some semblance of peace? Which is better–stability with forced division or precarious unity? At some points, the musings on these topics got a little heavy-handed。 They caused the plot to drag in a handful of places, and once or twice I felt like I was being beaten over the head with them too much, but they’re still important things to discuss, so I’m not too angry about that。On a related note, as with the first book, I really appreciated the depictions of clashing cultures that Gong included in this work。 You have clubs that go by multiple names, depending on which faction is describing them (Russian, Chinese, American)。 You have Juliette in her American flapper dresses alongside her cousins in their traditional qipao。 You have characters who are fluent in at least four languages who regularly switch up which one they are speaking in, depending on context。 And of course, certain expressions from the characters are cast in their native languages inside of otherwise-English narration。 As someone who’s studied Chinese, I won’t translate them all for you, but I can say that the phrase “tā mā de,” which Juliette uses multiple times, is the Chinese equivalent of a four-letter F-word。 (Not going to type it here, because I don’t know how publishers feel about profanity in these reviews? But yeah, it’s there。)As an aside, folks who aren’t familiar with French may benefit from a digital version of this book so you can easily look up the random French sentences interspersed。 The surrounding text gives sufficient clues to get the gist of it, but it’s nice to have a clear translation。 Alas, such translations will not be useful for Chinese or Russian, as the text shows the pinyin and Romanized versions, respectively, so Google Translate doesn’t really know what to do。Anyway, returning to the review proper: This is overall a riveting read。 The pacing is much better than the first book, even if it still does have some unnecessary lulls。 The characters feel better-developed, with the possible exception of Tyler, who is still a rather two-dimensional villain。 The moral gray area is just as intense, if not more so。 The emotions are higher, the plot feels simultaneously easier to follow and more intricate, and in general, the entire tone is darker。 And it is willing to lean into difficult questions about race, class, and colonization, which is always a plus。 This may not be an ideal read for those who like clean and happy books (or endings), but if you want something gritty and full of both fights and feelings, this is a great choice。Trigger/content warnings: insects, blood/gore/violence, kidnapping, drugging (rag with presumably chloroform?), mentions of death of children*Note: a post on my Bookstagram for this book is forthcoming, after publication date, when I have a physical copy to take a picture with 。。。more

Marie

A great ending to this story! If you enjoyed the first book then this one will not disappoint。I really enjoyed following Juliet and Romas story together。 The blood feud between their families, gangs and each other was written so well, I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next。 I loved all the characters in this book, especially Marshall! I wish Roma had more of his POV though, I loved his character even more。 It was quiet slow and a tad repetitive but it really did pick A great ending to this story! If you enjoyed the first book then this one will not disappoint。I really enjoyed following Juliet and Romas story together。 The blood feud between their families, gangs and each other was written so well, I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next。 I loved all the characters in this book, especially Marshall! I wish Roma had more of his POV though, I loved his character even more。 It was quiet slow and a tad repetitive but it really did pick up and the action and drama was great。 As much as I knew how the ending would inevitably end I didn’t like how it actually ended。 It seemed rushed and it wasn’t the epic and emotional finale I was expecting, none the less it was still a very good conclusion to this duology。 I will definitely read more of Chloe Gongs work in the future。 Thankyou Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Chloe aging for the EARC。 。。。more

Angel

YOU GUYS。 THIS。 BOOK。Chloe Gong is my favourite author and Our Violent Ends reminded me why。 I’ll come back and make this more detailed once it’s been officially released, but to make sure this review is spoiler-free, I’ll keep it short and sweet for now。 This book made me smile and cry and laugh and scream internally and stop reading just to stare at the page in shock。 It warmed my heart and absolutely shattered it all at once。 Our Violent Ends is a masterpiece, but it’s Chloe, so what else cou YOU GUYS。 THIS。 BOOK。Chloe Gong is my favourite author and Our Violent Ends reminded me why。 I’ll come back and make this more detailed once it’s been officially released, but to make sure this review is spoiler-free, I’ll keep it short and sweet for now。 This book made me smile and cry and laugh and scream internally and stop reading just to stare at the page in shock。 It warmed my heart and absolutely shattered it all at once。 Our Violent Ends is a masterpiece, but it’s Chloe, so what else could I have expected? You guys aren’t ready。 Before I end this off, I just want to say thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! 。。。more

Ketelen Lefkovich

RTC but yeah I expected more from it。

Marie Aitchison

The blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers from These Violent Delights continues on in the sequel, Our Violent Ends。 🔥 I loved that this Romeo and Juliet fantasy retelling continues on in the streets of Shanghai during the 1920s。 - Roma and Juliet are star crossed lovers and heirs of powerful rival Russian and Chinese gangs。 Their relationship is less obsessed love and more along the lines of will they shoot one another, or kiss, or both at the same time? Fun stuff! Much like the The blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers from These Violent Delights continues on in the sequel, Our Violent Ends。 🔥 I loved that this Romeo and Juliet fantasy retelling continues on in the streets of Shanghai during the 1920s。 - Roma and Juliet are star crossed lovers and heirs of powerful rival Russian and Chinese gangs。 Their relationship is less obsessed love and more along the lines of will they shoot one another, or kiss, or both at the same time? Fun stuff! Much like the first book, there is plenty of action, tension, and mystery to keep the reader enthralled。 Also, the killer monster creature with it’s bug posse is back。This was an awesome conclusion to the duology。 I loved the blend of fantasy and historical fiction that Gong seamlessly blends。 If you are a fan of enemies to lover tropes, YOU NEED THIS。 。。。more

Jade Chu

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc。 The first book left off with quite a cliff hanger so I was intrigued to see what would happen in the second book。 Whilst I enjoyed the writing style I found this book to be quite slow and so it took me a while to get through it。 I really loved Marshall's character and so enjoyed reading his parts。 Overall it was an ok book and a nice end to the series。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc。 The first book left off with quite a cliff hanger so I was intrigued to see what would happen in the second book。 Whilst I enjoyed the writing style I found this book to be quite slow and so it took me a while to get through it。 I really loved Marshall's character and so enjoyed reading his parts。 Overall it was an ok book and a nice end to the series。 。。。more

Lola Kovel

I am physically incapable of describing how amazing this book is。 I read it in under three hours。 I do not honestly know if I will ever recover from this book。 I made the mistake of wearing mascara and now look like a raccoon。 Read this book。