These Violent Delights is a brilliant and fabolous duology, once I ended this book I would have liked to start reading again to read the first book as I was sure I was going to love it againg and notice new details.
Great storytelling and world building, charming and complex characters, a plot full of twists that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Chloe Gong does it again! This is such a beautiful sequel to These Violent Delights - once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. The characters are developed beautifully and you really feel like you get to know everyone from the first book that much more. The scene is set so well that I could picture all the locations without any hesitation. And the writing is so lyrical and fluid that parts of it sing like a song that you don’t want to end. So good!! Please read!!

A brilliant end to this amazing duology. Chloe Gong has done it again!

We pick up from the events of These Violent Delights with Juliette sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the fallout of the blood feud between their two families. Juliette knew if she 'killed' Marshall that Roma would never forgive her and thus would not pursue a relationship with her. Of course, this then leads to the dangerous conclusion that he may use the blood feud as an excuse to kill her for revenge.

Shanghai is a powderkeg. The monsters we thought that ended with Paul have resurfaced and there are more. Threatening blackmail letters are being sent to both the Cai and Montagov family to extort money in exchange for not releasing the monsters. The White Flowers and Scarlet gang are at each other's throats and the Nationalists are rallying to take over everything.

I did find it a little slow to read in parts. The book from Netgalley wasn't formatted in the best way for an easy read but I got through it and the story still shone despite this. This is no usual retelling of Romeo and Juliet. You know the names and the rough story but this is where Chloe turns it on its head.

Rosalind and Kathleen are more prominent in this story and it's great to see. Rosalind is an interesting character and her naivety can be costly. Juliette I adore, she sacrifices her own heart for the sake of her family but more so for protecting Roma. She would rather him be safe and hate her than live in a world without him. Roma, struggling to be the heir his father wants, now has a boost with his newfound hatred and starts acting accordingly. Benedikt and Marshall are just beautiful, that's all!

Tyler is another interesting character, a little unlikeable as he is doing all he can to undermine Juliette and take her place as heir and is often thoughtless and one-minded about his actions.

I'm glad that this book focused more on the characters and the turning tide of power within Shanghai. I think it would have been easy to roll with the monsters again and make this more of a horror story but the true horrors here are the people.

Roma and Juliette must be a team to bring Shanghai to heel and save its people from the Nationalists that are coming to take it all away. They both want to save the world and neither of them wants to lose each other.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The ending is perfect. It's heartbreaking but offers that glimmer of hope and harks back to the classic tale, that if these two lovers from warring families can make amends, get married and sacrifice themselves for love, then why is Shanghai at war? They brought about peace through their actions and that little end scene with Kathleen and Alissa was lovely.

A beautiful end to a wonderful duology. I really look forward to reading more from Chloe in the future. She has a beautiful way of writing that completely immerses you within the story.

This book broke me and I loved every single second, I will read anything Chloe Gong writes and I’m thankful this series exists

I read These Violent Delights bad in feb and found it only ‘okay’ so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue or not but considering it’s a duopoly I thought I might as well…

From the back cover, Our Violent Ends sounded exactly like a repeat of TVD which did put me off but once I started reading I did find that that wasn’t the case however it was definitely a continuation which to be honest I’m not sure was needed really. I struggled with new elements that weren’t introduced fully, there were a lot of sub plots, a little bit of a twist, lots of lying and sneaking around and more characters and factions than I neither wanted nor cared about.

I actually found that I couldn’t decide if I wanted Roma and Juliette to even be together. I had little investment in them as a couple so I must admit I skim read the majority of the book, only really slowing down for the saving grace of Marshall and Benedikt who I rooted for whole heartedly and wanted to see together. I was also really disappointed that Alisa had a very small role in this book yet the epilogue centred around her … in the bulk of the novel she only existed to move the story along rather than bringing anything to the story - that was a real shame as I enjoyed her in book one.

I think for me, considering I loved the turbulent Shanghai setting and the retelling feature, I would have been happy with these books condensed into one or thickened into a trilogy to allow the characters to fully embed themselves in the narrative because I craved more background and more development. The dirty city setting gave off gangs of New York, prohibition vibes which for me didn’t mesh well with river lizard monsters.

Thank you so much for the early review copy, even though it wasn’t for me I enjoyed being able to read the rest of the intended story!

This was such a good conclusion to the duology. I loved every second of it. I loved Roma and Juliet's development as well as their relationship. I loved the angst, I loved Marshal and Benedikt and I lo-loved the ending.

I truly don't have that much to say except that I love Gong's writing and I can't wait for her future projects.

Whilst my heart is broken, this was an incredibly well done conclusion to this duology. I can’t wait to see what Gong does next.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

IT HURTS SO MUUUCH.... THAT ENDING HURT SO BAD, I'M STILL CRYINGGG!!!
I still can't believe Chloe Gong did it again, she ruined my heart with this book. I know now that I'll never have a relationship like Roma and Juliette.
I literally have no words to describe how much I loved reading this book. Everything about it was just perfect. The plot - PERFECT! The character development - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The plot twists - OMG, I couldn't even predict a single one.
Please, please, pleeeease if you still haven't read this series please do, I just can't stop recommend this because it literally became one of my favorite series ever!

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2021, and it certainly did not disappoint. Honestly, I loved it more than the first book (which was also very brilliant), and it's now one of my favourite books ever.

As in the first book, Chloe Gong's characterisation and plot lines are masterfully drawn, the characters so layered and lovable, the romance so satisfying and the descriptions of Shanghai incredibly vivid. I also really loved how much the book delved into China's cultural and political history-- which I find is an aspect that makes it so much more unique.

This is one of those rare books that is completely all-consuming, and throughout the whole book, I always felt like I was living among the characters themselves, rather than simply reading a book. I would have read this book even if it was double the length because I honestly didn't want it to end.

I can't wait for all of the upcoming book projects Chloe Gong has announced, and she's definitely an auto-buy/favourite author for me. I couldn't recommend this book enough- it's one of my standout reads of the year and one I'll be recommending to everyone I know!

I blasted through this sequel with all the fire of an ongoing blood feud! Despite knowing the inevitable ending, I just couldn't stop reading Roma and Juliette's story and couldn't stop HOPING. Which ultimately, is the point! Dare to love and don't give up hope.

Ave, booklings!
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R E V I E W
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Our Violent Ends, by Chloe Gong
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Time to give some love to Our Violent Ends, the second part of the These Violent Delights duology. Hot damn, do I love these books, and to say I was equal parts hyped and hesitant about the finale is putting it mildly. You know when you love a book and then you're there like, "well crap, so much could go wrong from here" and "what if I don't like the endddddd?" 😅 If you're like me and generally avoid sad books or books that don't end with h o p e, then you feel me. And since this is a reimagined R&J? Yeeeep, there was s t r e s s.
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There needn't have been, because this finale was perfect. It was explosive and vicious and necessary and it was r e a l. It was everything I wanted it to be, and more.
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After the chaos and madness of the monster terrorising Shanghai, after Roma and Juliette crash together and tear apart and, again, treat with the ultimate betrayal, they're forced to work together. Tensions mount between the Nationalists and Communists, and the gangsters' rule is put to the test. Then, there's Paul Dexter's last message: "in the event of my death, release them all."😬
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As with These Violent Delights, Our Violent Ends just blew me away. Incredible, violent, but exciting and filled with the most excellent banter and, most of all, h o p e and h e a r t, Our Violent Ends brings the duology to a close with a bang. Perfection!
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Also peek the gorgeous White Flowers and Scarlet Gang inspired pin from @illumicrate, featured in the September box!
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This was a big anticipated read for me and it did not disappoint. I was so excited to be back in this world and I wish it was more than a duology! Hopefully we’ll hear from this world in the future, even if it’s from a different storyline

I adored this series!!! I got approved for this book and went straight out and bought the first book. Read them both in the same day!!! What a gorgeous retelling but with Gong's own vision shining through. Can't wait to see what's next for this author

Our Violent Ends delivers an electrifying finale to this reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920’s Shanghai. Do be aware there may be spoilers for the events of These Violent Delights in this review.

It’s 1927, and the political tension between the Nationalists and the Communists is ready to burst as the gangs realise the limits to their power. Deadly monsters remain a looming threat as both the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers are extorted into submission. Once again, Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai must work together to uncover the identity of this blackmailer. Their relationship is even more fraught than before after the apparent death of Marshall Seo. Roma understands he must enact vengeance for his friend by taking her life, but his complicated feelings for Juliette continue to get in the way.

Readers who loved These Violent Delights will have no problem falling in love with its successor. Our Violent Ends delivers more sizzling and bittersweet tension between the two main characters, compelling plot twists and betrayals, and a fully-developed minor cast. Occasionally plot points required more depth, but the fast-pacing built tension in a way that had my heart racing. Be prepared to have your heart broken, and love every minute of it. Overall, this was a fantastic end to a series that people will adore for a long time to come. I can’t wait to see what Chloe Gong will be doing next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I enjoyed this final part of the duology more than I did the first part, perhaps because there was less setup needed and so more narrative structure. Shifting the focus to be more political was also a good move by Gong. I thought the ending was fitting and stayed true to the original source, though the epilogue was welcome.

This was a satisfying conclusion to a pretty epic duology.

The plotting is clever, how Gong uses her source material but keeps us guessing works. I wonder if she used Rosalind and Kathleen to their best effect in this as first but they both come home strong. The other supporting characters are developed enough for us to delight in them. However, I do think the villains might be a tad flat - almost charicatures.

It felt slightly too long, but comes together well in the end.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
I loved These Violent Delights but Our Violent Ends surpassed it entirely! The "Romeo and Juliet" comparison is still misleading as other than a few minor details as well as the names and the blood feud this is not really like Romeo and Juliet. I am not a fan of Romeo and Juliet usually but in this story I did like the subtle hints at the story whilst very much creating a new story.

The premise builds on the first book and the writing has definitely improved from the first novel, sounding less juvenile which I liked. The mystery in this book is just as intriguing as the first and the other threats that come into play make the world more real and intense. The action scenes were heart pounding and the quieter moments were sweet which shows what an amazing author Chloe Gong is. The writing style is still very much YA but it is the genre and lends itself to the age of the characters. The "reveals" were a bit obvious I think but the process of finding the information was fun and I really enjoyed the progress of the story. However, the characters other than Roma and Juliette did feel a bit left behind unless they were needed at points and I was hoping they would be fleshed out a bit more in this book, especially Kathleen Lang.

Overall this was a great YA fantasy book which I loved reading and will definitely be picking up more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.


Our Violent Ends is the explosive finale to These Violent Delights, and oh boy, Chloe Gong has done another fantastic job at ripping out my heart and stomping on it. I AM DEVASTATED. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I AM RUINED.
I was so excited to return to Roma and Julliette's blood-stained city, and see how our lover's story would play out. Chloe Gong has created such a masterpiece retelling of Romeo and Juliet with some absolutely stunning worldbuilding of 1920's Shanghai, and some plot twists that kept me on my toes. I also actually cared for our cast of characters which is something Shakespeare failed to do.
Even though I know the Romeo and Juliet story quite well, I was still absolutely devastated at the end of Our Violent Ends, because its true; these violent delights have violent ends.

Okay, I will be honest: I don't think this book was necessary. I think the story could've been told in one book (because honestly that cliffhanger was just to create something for the second book but it didn't need to happen). I also found the pacing of this book to be completely off, it was SO SLOW and nothing happened through a lot of it.

This book was just a huge meh, I didn't care about the revolution or how it played out and I think that took too much space instead of actual plot and interesting stuff happening. I missed the action, the monsters, the fights, the betrayals of the first book. This book read so much like a second-book-in-a-trilogy and that is such a boring thing. This book is over 500 pages and that is A LOT, I mean I read this because I was curious about the ending (this is a romeo and juliet retelling after all) and not even that was satisfactory to me.

I wish I had a more emotional connection to this book like I did to the first one, but unfortunately, that didn't happen here. Chloe's prose is just gorgeous as ever, Roma and Juliette are just the same in being perfectly good enemies, but it all felt more of the same.

I know a lot of people will love this ending, but I personally did not care that much.

dnfed


the pacing oh god, I just couldn't do it
also the characters felt like strangers and I knew barely anything about them. they were supposed to be Romeo and Juliette and I just projected Shakespeare's characters onto them but where are Chloe gong's characters??? I didn't know them. it was just the romance and the betrayal and without caring for the characters themselves how was I supposed to care for what they felt??