These Violent Delights
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- Create Date：2021-04-27 11:56:58
- Update Date：2025-09-09
- Status：finish
- Author：Chloe Gong
- ISBN：1534482776
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Summary
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。
The year is 1926， 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。
The year is 1926， 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。
Reviews
Archi
，
There aren't enough words to express how I feel about These Violent Delights。 There really isn't。 I actually finished an hour ago but I had no ability to formulate my thoughts; so I took the time to scream at a wall before coming back to write a comprehensive review。These Violent Delights is amazing。 Also， insert that one Lady Gaga gif of her reiterating every vocabulary relating to the word "amazing"。 image: There。 That。The writing is effortlessly flawless。 It's hard to believe Chloe Gong There aren't enough words to express how I feel about These Violent Delights。 There really isn't。 I actually finished an hour ago but I had no ability to formulate my thoughts; so I took the time to scream at a wall before coming back to write a comprehensive review。These Violent Delights is amazing。 Also， insert that one Lady Gaga gif of her reiterating every vocabulary relating to the word "amazing"。 image: There。 That。The writing is effortlessly flawless。 It's hard to believe Chloe Gong is so young because the way she writes is extravagant。 The flashbacks and the events happening in real-time were weaved so intricately， each memory and event linking with each other in perfect harmony。 There are so many moments in the book where I had to stop reading because of how the author managed to deliver so much information and emotion by saying barely anything。 Good writing always has hidden nooks between the lines; things the reader can interpret for themselves。 And that's exactly what this book has。 I could go on and on about just how mesmerized I was by it; but I'll save you （and me！） the time。Secondly， the characters。 They're introspective despite each playing roles of varying importance。 The main characters， Roma and Juliette， were so complicated and had such an interesting past that it was a delight to read about them。 （get it。。。i'm sorry） Juliette is so headstrong and badass if she wanted to step on me she is allowed to I love her！！ And Roma <3 angel king <3 Ben and Mars， Kath and Rose。。。。I should stop this could go on all-day-TO THE MAIN COUPLE。 I adore Romeo-Juliet retellings a lot。 Like。 A lot-a lot。 Something about enemies being lovers， the pining， clandestine meetings。。。just hits so Well™。 So I was already bound to fall in love。 What I wasn't expecting was a twist to an already classical tale; Roma and Juliette were （view spoiler）[lovers， then enemies （who still harboured feelings for each other。。。chefs kiss）， then reluctant acquaintances， lovers again but oh wait not really - not after Juliette drops that bomb！！ （hide spoiler）]。 Or， in the non-spoiler aspect， the perfect embodiment of lovers to enemies。 I'm not kidding when I say perfect embodiment。 This is how you pull this trope off。 I've never yearned harder in my life。 Never I swear。（view spoiler）[ As for other couples， I also liked the teasing of Benedikt and Marshall。 Everyone knows there's nothing more I love than grumpy shy and loud， happy extrovert together。 Our Violent Ends benmars ending PLEASE （hide spoiler）]。Next: worldbuilding and settings。 Wow。 I would write more but just。 Wow。 Chloe's love for Shanghai shined in the books。 Literally。 I think my pages were glowing。 Safe to say， I can't wait to go do research on my own about Shanghai; the love letter to such a beautiful city sparked my full interest。 It's a great location and time period to write。 The way she incorporates bits of the city's real history along with the fictitious worldbuilding is so beautiful 🥺。 Wish I could talk more about it， but I'm seriously at a loss for words at how amazing the choices she made for this book were。Finally; the mystery/bug/monster mystery plot。 Monsters and bugs aren't really my forte。 But mysteries？ I love mysteries。 The key is to have the answer right under the readers' noses that when it's finally revealed， they realize how everything starts to make more sense。 And that's what Chloe Gong delivered。 How she managed to incorporate ALL the things I just mentioned and still make it a good book？ That's something to ask herself。 But trust me when I say it for the billionth time: These Violent Delights is an absolute treasure。 This book made me cry， scream， want to break something， hit a wall， scream at a wall， cry with a wall。。。you get the idea。 It's incredible; I'm so glad I picked it up to read。 If you haven't read this book yet: here's your message to read it RIGHT。 NOW。 ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more
Kaetlyn
，
This was a splendid YA urban fantasy and something I never would have normally picked up except that I heard the author is 22！ This book starts off slow and in a way that leads you to believe it’ll be a boring/confusing niche historical fiction novel。 About a third of the way in， though， I was hooked。 I can’t say enough good things about this book。 My only （minor） qualm is the multiple PoVs which can be confusing and often seems unnecessary。 It requires a decent amount of concentration and makes This was a splendid YA urban fantasy and something I never would have normally picked up except that I heard the author is 22！ This book starts off slow and in a way that leads you to believe it’ll be a boring/confusing niche historical fiction novel。 About a third of the way in， though， I was hooked。 I can’t say enough good things about this book。 My only （minor） qualm is the multiple PoVs which can be confusing and often seems unnecessary。 It requires a decent amount of concentration and makes it nearly impossible to stop in the middle of a chapter。 But I mean the story makes it hard to stop period so maybe it’s not a qualm after all。 But honestly， I cannot wait for the second book to come out。 I’ll read anything Chloe Gong writes。 。。。more
Becky Boudreau
，
Okay， but that ending？！
Eva Young
，
This book was interesting to say the least。 I enjoyed the retelling of one of Shakespeare's most classic stories。 However， I wished there was more building in regards to the romance。 Because they had a past already together it kind of seemed like their romance came out of nowhere。 I didn't exactly see what they saw in each other so would love to see more of that in the next book！ This book was interesting to say the least。 I enjoyed the retelling of one of Shakespeare's most classic stories。 However， I wished there was more building in regards to the romance。 Because they had a past already together it kind of seemed like their romance came out of nowhere。 I didn't exactly see what they saw in each other so would love to see more of that in the next book！ 。。。more
Olivia Williford （LivTheBookNerd）
，
DNF'd @ 33% （150 pages）I'm so sad that I didn't enjoy this book。 It was getting to the point where my brain wanted to read， but I couldn't stay focused on the book because of my lack of connection to the story。 I really wanted to like this book。 I love Chloe Gong's presence online and I think she's a delight， but her writing style just wasn't for me。 I'm the kind of reader that adores character-driven novels。 I love the emotions and depth that different characters from different upbringings and DNF'd @ 33% （150 pages）I'm so sad that I didn't enjoy this book。 It was getting to the point where my brain wanted to read， but I couldn't stay focused on the book because of my lack of connection to the story。 I really wanted to like this book。 I love Chloe Gong's presence online and I think she's a delight， but her writing style just wasn't for me。 I'm the kind of reader that adores character-driven novels。 I love the emotions and depth that different characters from different upbringings and backgrounds can bring to a story。 However， this book just didn't do it for me。I liked the ideas of the characters。 I just didn't like the execution of their personalities。 - It just felt like Juliette was constantly painted as this badass character， but it was just telling。 The showing aspect just didn't happen。 It just felt forced and lackluster。 She kept doing things that were pretty badass， but then she'd turn around and do something really dumb and oblivious that a trained person wouldn't have done。 -Roma was just boring to me。 Maybe it was just because I hadn't gotten to the meat of his character， but I really just didn't care about him at all。 I really liked the atmosphere of this story。 The overall themes were shaping up to be done quite well， but it's really the characters that keep me reading their story。 I just didn't care about what was happening to them。 I really wanted to though。 Within the first 150 pages， I could tell that colonialization would play a massive part of the story。 That's probably what kept me pushing forward。 I loved those aspects of the story。 However， I'm probably just going to watch or read a spoilery review to see what happens。 In the book， Juliette felt like a foreigner in her own country。 That speaks VOLUMES。 The fact that her own people made her to feel more Americanized and different just because she was sent away for an American education and to keep her safe from the violence in her country is just so heartbreaking。 I know that so many readers have absolutely adored this book。 Please give it a try if it's been peaking your interest。 My brain has been in a weird place lately and my mental health has honestly caused me to dislike books that I /thought/ I would adore。 tw/cw: blood depiction， gore， violence， death， murder， loss of a loved one， disease/contagious contagions， discussions surrounding communism， transphobia， drug use and addiction， suicide， colonization， & racism （and microaggressions） EDIT: tw/cw cont'd: discussion/mention of human trafficking and kidnapping， loss of a pet， and there are creepy insects！（Thank you Melanie （meltotheany） for the complete list！）This book also is #ownvoices for the Chinese representation。 It also has a wonderful side character that is a trans girl and there is a budding m/m relationship between men who are Chinese and Korean。 The setting， the gangster vibes， and the themes in this book were everything， but I couldn't connect with the slow pacing and the characters。 。。。more
Elisette
，
Juliettes blase attitude and badassery makes me happy。 She is not troubled by much and when she is， she does not show it to others， except Roma。 I like the star-croossed lovers storyline， and the fact that it had previously ended in diasaster。 The relationships between Juliettes cousins and her are well written and I loved Roma's interactions with his sister plus his best bros。 This is a supernatural murder mystery romance， which sounds like a lot to put in one book， which is why there is a seq Juliettes blase attitude and badassery makes me happy。 She is not troubled by much and when she is， she does not show it to others， except Roma。 I like the star-croossed lovers storyline， and the fact that it had previously ended in diasaster。 The relationships between Juliettes cousins and her are well written and I loved Roma's interactions with his sister plus his best bros。 This is a supernatural murder mystery romance， which sounds like a lot to put in one book， which is why there is a sequel！ I have ideas about one of Juliette's cousins that needs to be confirmed。。。。 。。。more
Katie
，
this was SO good。 I loved the Romeo and Juliet retelling， Juliettes moral greyness & toughness， the tension between Marshall and Benedikt， Kathleens whole existence & the complexity of Rosalinds relationships with Kathleen and Juliette。 Also the exploration of all the politics of the city & the main plot mystery were intriguing and though I had a few suspicions about the plot twist I didn’t guess it outright。 i literally need the sequel right now！！！！
Lourdes Montes
，
It was hard to get into this book at first because of the main plot but I ended up liking it enough to definitely read the sequel。 The Romeo and Juliet feels are there， and the romance is uncertain at first but it comes through。
Morgan R
，
4。5 stars-1920s Shanghai retelling of Romeo and Juliette？ Sign。 Me。 Up。 This review will probably be a mess because my brain is still processing this book！ I absolutely loved the setting and time period of this book; we get the glitzy jazz clubs， a peek into the fashion and architecture， the lives of the gangs and gangsters who ruled the city， all among a political backdrop that pulls you in， even if you aren't "into politics"。 Untouchable Juliette Cai is the badass heir of the Scarlett gang rec 4。5 stars-1920s Shanghai retelling of Romeo and Juliette？ Sign。 Me。 Up。 This review will probably be a mess because my brain is still processing this book！ I absolutely loved the setting and time period of this book; we get the glitzy jazz clubs， a peek into the fashion and architecture， the lives of the gangs and gangsters who ruled the city， all among a political backdrop that pulls you in， even if you aren't "into politics"。 Untouchable Juliette Cai is the badass heir of the Scarlett gang recently back from a few years in New York， who must put past differences aside and work with Roma Montagov of the rival Russian gang the White Flowers to beat the river monster who is wreaking havoc on the city and causing those infected to tear out their own throats。 This sophisticated YA book covers topics ranging from colonialism/Western imperialism， political warfare， immigration， social and familial expectations。 While it is set up as a romance， I really didn't get a whole lot of that here- yes， there's tension between Juliette and Roma and they obviously were past lovers but that's not the focus of the story。 Beautifully written with just the right amount of suspense and action， and a well-balanced cast of characters。 There were times when the suspension of disbelief of how well the teens handled situations was a little too much for me- their victories seemed to come very easily for Juliette and Roma （getting exact shots， sliding down a pipe out of a window without a scratch， etc。） but just go with it。 It's worth it！With the sequel coming out in Nov。 2021 and a new series coming out in 2022， Chloe Gong is a talented author to watch。 。。。more
Eva
，
La verdad que es exactamente lo que promete。 Romeo y Julieta en Shangái de los años 20。 Es verdad que la mezcla de la época， el rollo de bandas y los toque sobrenaturales le dan una esencia muy original。 Muchas ganas de la siguiente。
angela🦇🌙
，
IM FINALLY DONEafter 3 months i finally finished the damn thing。 anyways this book suck ass but imma still read the sequel 😗🤞🏼
GavShire
，
The story is powerful; I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Haya
，
I have absolutely no words to describe how amazing this book is。 I was hooked instantly， and I felt as though I was really there， feeling and experiencing with the characters。 I feel as though other books have been ruined for me， as this slow-burn lovers to enemies to strangers to friends to lovers to enemies has absolutely DOMINATED the trope for me。 I love the empowering and powerful female characters， and I really appreciate the representation in this book！ Not only that， but there are so man I have absolutely no words to describe how amazing this book is。 I was hooked instantly， and I felt as though I was really there， feeling and experiencing with the characters。 I feel as though other books have been ruined for me， as this slow-burn lovers to enemies to strangers to friends to lovers to enemies has absolutely DOMINATED the trope for me。 I love the empowering and powerful female characters， and I really appreciate the representation in this book！ Not only that， but there are so many different plot twists。 I feel like it is oftentimes common for readers to be able to anticipate what happens next in a book， but I was thoroughly unable to play detective without feeling like a fool。 Oh， and the CLIFF HANGER？！ That was so infuriating but well thought- out。 Chloe Gong is an absolute genius， and she has me anxiously waiting for "These Violent Ends"。 。。。more
Tori she her
，
5 stars。I’m gonna have to reread this physically because I loved it so much。
Daniel
，
Recommended by my erudite freshman daughter！ It's a strange remake of Romeo and Juliet， set in the early 1900's in Shanghai。 An mysterious affliction is taking over the gangsters of one side of the Romeo vs Juliet rivalry。 No one can figure it out， and perhaps it's the communists who are taking over China！ At the end of the story， we think the mystery is solved， a bit like in the Hobbit - there's a soft underbelly to the Queen-Bee-like monster， who controls all the worker-bee-like vermin who are Recommended by my erudite freshman daughter！ It's a strange remake of Romeo and Juliet， set in the early 1900's in Shanghai。 An mysterious affliction is taking over the gangsters of one side of the Romeo vs Juliet rivalry。 No one can figure it out， and perhaps it's the communists who are taking over China！ At the end of the story， we think the mystery is solved， a bit like in the Hobbit - there's a soft underbelly to the Queen-Bee-like monster， who controls all the worker-bee-like vermin who are eating into people。 But a big twist awaits the reader in the epilogue; get ready for the sequel！ Thanks for the recommendation， sweet daughet！ 。。。more
Nacha SR
，
sabia que tenía que esperar que estuvieran los dos publicados， pero no， lo tuve que leer dejandome con el medio final abierto esperando hasta noviembre por el segundo libro
dandee
，
INEEDTHESEQUELNOWWWWW！I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did！ I remember reading abt Romeo and Juliet in high school and feeling ok about it BUT I'm so happy this did not take the route the original story takes！ Love how the story takes from other character's perspectives and adds in twists/turns up until the very very end！ I was on a whirlwind of a ride the whole time！！ There's chaos in every chapter and I'm HERE。FOR。IT！ LITERALLY HAVING WITHDRAWALS FROM FINISHING THE BOOK Y'ALL PLS INEEDTHESEQUELNOWWWWW！I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did！ I remember reading abt Romeo and Juliet in high school and feeling ok about it BUT I'm so happy this did not take the route the original story takes！ Love how the story takes from other character's perspectives and adds in twists/turns up until the very very end！ I was on a whirlwind of a ride the whole time！！ There's chaos in every chapter and I'm HERE。FOR。IT！ LITERALLY HAVING WITHDRAWALS FROM FINISHING THE BOOK Y'ALL PLS GO COP （: 。。。more
Maggie
，
Well this was entertaining！ Nice mix of science fiction and realistic action and suspense。 I’m looking forward to book 2 when it comes out。
Sarah
，
This was disappointing， but I was a 100 pages in and not feeling this。。。 so sadly I must dnf it
Alyssa
，
It's so important to have YA novels that will address topics like colonialism so directly， but the trope combo of the actual fantasy-romance here didn't totally capture me。 Maybe if I liked Romeo and Juliet more。 It's so important to have YA novels that will address topics like colonialism so directly， but the trope combo of the actual fantasy-romance here didn't totally capture me。 Maybe if I liked Romeo and Juliet more。 。。。more
Radhia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 5 stars because it was good and now I only need Juliette to get rid of the white people in the next book to be truly satisfied。 I must admit that I was absolutely delighted by the ending and the show of power by Juliette when she shattered Roma's heart。 Brillant， delicious， genius， amazing， never been done before。 It's what he deserved 😌。Violence is sexy**when Juliette does itI lowkey wish this was a stand alone because boy， that was stressful。 5 stars because it was good and now I only need Juliette to get rid of the white people in the next book to be truly satisfied。 I must admit that I was absolutely delighted by the ending and the show of power by Juliette when she shattered Roma's heart。 Brillant， delicious， genius， amazing， never been done before。 It's what he deserved 😌。Violence is sexy**when Juliette does itI lowkey wish this was a stand alone because boy， that was stressful。 。。。more
Samantha Ludewig
，
This book wasn’t my cup of tea， but I can definitely acknowledge the work that Miss Gong put into this。 The setting clearly took a lot of research in regards to historical details about the time period and culture of China from dialects to customs。 I have a lot of respect for that。 For most of the story I didn’t really care about Juliette。 Like at all。 Actually， I was pretty much indifferent to what happened to any of the characters。 The last chapter gave me a little “oh that’s nice I guess” but This book wasn’t my cup of tea， but I can definitely acknowledge the work that Miss Gong put into this。 The setting clearly took a lot of research in regards to historical details about the time period and culture of China from dialects to customs。 I have a lot of respect for that。 For most of the story I didn’t really care about Juliette。 Like at all。 Actually， I was pretty much indifferent to what happened to any of the characters。 The last chapter gave me a little “oh that’s nice I guess” but that was the extent of my feelings。 Personally it wasn’t my favorite but I think Chloe Gong did a great job with it being her first novel， and I can’t wait to see what she does next。 。。。more
Alisha
，
This book had a bit of a slow start for me but holy cow that ending！！ Eagerly anticipating the sequel because that cliffhanger was just cruel
Jellygiraffe
，
Honestly it gets another star because the author is my age and wrote it while at university which is something I was too stressed to even think about doing lolThis was pretty good， I enjoyed the entire Shanghai setting and the tensions between the two gangs and Juliette and Roma and I felt super smart when I was able to recognise the allusions to the original Shakespeare。 Loved the historical aspects and especially Juliette's dresses magically hiding a million knives。 Plus that 'shoot through th Honestly it gets another star because the author is my age and wrote it while at university which is something I was too stressed to even think about doing lolThis was pretty good， I enjoyed the entire Shanghai setting and the tensions between the two gangs and Juliette and Roma and I felt super smart when I was able to recognise the allusions to the original Shakespeare。 Loved the historical aspects and especially Juliette's dresses magically hiding a million knives。 Plus that 'shoot through the coat' scene was superb！I do agree with other reviews who said that the monster aspect was a bit up and down–sometimes it felt a bit under developed despite it being a huge part of the plot。 。。。more
christina
，
rating: 4。5 // dramatic， timeless， & a little quirky: this book had a really fun concept aND delivered it well！！！ whether you are reading it because you love the romance of romeo and juliet， because you heard it was a mystery with a monster， or because you just have a thing for shanghai in the 1920's， you will enjoy These Violent Delights。 The tone is young adult but it doesnt mean it skimps on the politics of the 20's: you get communists， nationalists， gangsters， foreigners。。。 and it's all done rating: 4。5 // dramatic， timeless， & a little quirky: this book had a really fun concept aND delivered it well！！！ whether you are reading it because you love the romance of romeo and juliet， because you heard it was a mystery with a monster， or because you just have a thing for shanghai in the 1920's， you will enjoy These Violent Delights。 The tone is young adult but it doesnt mean it skimps on the politics of the 20's: you get communists， nationalists， gangsters， foreigners。。。 and it's all done very seamless。 you do not have to have read the original romeo and juliet， but if you have then there are some fun little easter eggs for you to discover。 it's a very smart （yet fun） book and it will have you itching for the sequel。 。。。more
Emilie
，
I almost DNFed this book; I was a little mislead by the summary， thinking it would be an action-packed romance story。 For the first 250-300 pages， it had more the feel of a political intrigue/historical story （which I'm really not a fan of personally）， and I really didn't like Juliette's character for a while。 But the last portion of it was really good; I couldn't put the book down after the action finally， FINALLY kicked off。 If you're like me， if you make it through the bigger half of the book I almost DNFed this book; I was a little mislead by the summary， thinking it would be an action-packed romance story。 For the first 250-300 pages， it had more the feel of a political intrigue/historical story （which I'm really not a fan of personally）， and I really didn't like Juliette's character for a while。 But the last portion of it was really good; I couldn't put the book down after the action finally， FINALLY kicked off。 If you're like me， if you make it through the bigger half of the book， it's worth it。 Kinda annoyed I have to wait a whole year for the sequel， though。 。。。more
Christin James
，
I really REALLY wanted to like this book。 It was raved about all over Bookstagram but it missed the mark for me。 The writing is beautiful however it moved SO incredibly slow。 If I was a reader who could DNF a book， this one would have been it。 200 pages in and I was asking myself why I couldn't just put it down for good。 I didn't feel invested in Juliette and Roma。 In fact I felt more invested in Marshall and Benedickt and wish there was more development of their characters and relationship。 I'm I really REALLY wanted to like this book。 It was raved about all over Bookstagram but it missed the mark for me。 The writing is beautiful however it moved SO incredibly slow。 If I was a reader who could DNF a book， this one would have been it。 200 pages in and I was asking myself why I couldn't just put it down for good。 I didn't feel invested in Juliette and Roma。 In fact I felt more invested in Marshall and Benedickt and wish there was more development of their characters and relationship。 I'm a sucker for series so I'll probably read the sequel anyway but I'll pick it up from the library instead of purchasing it。 。。。more
Emily
，
Everything about this book was perfect—the characters， the setting， the plot—I loved it。 It was fast paced and the plot was complex without being to confusing。 I fell in love with Roma and Juliette， you could feel the tension between them from the first chapter。 They complimented each other so well， from when they were younger to when they had changed as they grew up。 I also loved that we saw the pov of a couple of the minor characters， but it didn’t happen too often to take away from Roma and J Everything about this book was perfect—the characters， the setting， the plot—I loved it。 It was fast paced and the plot was complex without being to confusing。 I fell in love with Roma and Juliette， you could feel the tension between them from the first chapter。 They complimented each other so well， from when they were younger to when they had changed as they grew up。 I also loved that we saw the pov of a couple of the minor characters， but it didn’t happen too often to take away from Roma and Juliette。 。。。more
delisa
，
I gotta give this a 4 because the plot and romance wasn’t as captivating as I had hoped。 The Marshall x Benedict romance was more interesting than the main characters and the plot often felt dragged on。 I loved the diversity， representation， and the ending though which is what brought it up to 4 stars。 The historical context and descriptive writing also made the story v unique which I liked 👍🏽
Emelie
，
I really wanted to like this because I've heard so much good about it and Chloe Gong seems cool。 Unfortunately， I didn't really care for most of this story。。。 It might have been the fault of the audiobook， but I had a hard time focusing and following the story with the mid-chapter POV switches。 I didn't really care about the characters， even though I appreciate some of Kathleen and Juliette's inner monologues。 I get the big inner conflicts of the MCs， Roma and Julliette， and I get their motivati I really wanted to like this because I've heard so much good about it and Chloe Gong seems cool。 Unfortunately， I didn't really care for most of this story。。。 It might have been the fault of the audiobook， but I had a hard time focusing and following the story with the mid-chapter POV switches。 I didn't really care about the characters， even though I appreciate some of Kathleen and Juliette's inner monologues。 I get the big inner conflicts of the MCs， Roma and Julliette， and I get their motivations for doing what they did。。。 But I didn't really care。 I thought the characters fell a bit flat for me。 Cool concept， but I didn't love it unfortunately。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=These Violent Delights
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=These Violent Delights&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft