I was so delighted to have my request for this ERC accepted! I was so excited to see Gong's Adult debut and this is such a rich, original concept for a retelling.

The book was so pacey and full of twists that kept me reading and reading - always desperate to pick it up again once I had put it down.

I had a few nitpicky bits with the world building and magic system but overall the vibes were immaculate and the characters were extremely strong and kept me going throughout.
.
Can't wait for the next instalment.

Thank you Netgalley, Hodder & Stroughton & Hodderscape for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Immortal Longings is a Marc Anthony and Cleopatra retelling that takes place in two walled cities much like Kowloon in Hong Kong and is heavily influenced by books like The Hunger Games. The main plot is about a game where only one can win and needs kill everyone else. If you, you’ll get a lot of money and a handshake with the tyrant King Kasa. Anton Makusa needs the money to save his childhood love. Calla Tuoleimi is a long-lost princess ready to kill the king.

I went into this book pretty blind and didn’t know what to expect. I ended up really enjoying this story. The beginning was a bit slowpaced, but as soon as the game started and Calla and Anton met, the pace picked up and the book was very action packed. The magic system of this story was one of a kind and very complex. The romance between Calla and Anton felt a bit forced though, which is the only thing that’s holding me from giving this book 5 stars. The book ends in a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read book two.

In short, I can definitely recommend this story if you like dystopian stories much like The Hunger Games or fantasy like The Jasad Heir. I can’t wait to read other books from this author.

Favorite character: Anton
Three words: complex / captivating / cruel
Favorite quote: There are no gods in this world. Only kings and tyrants.

Five years ago, princess Calla killed her parents, the ruling monarchs of the city Er, in a bloody massacre and has been hiding in the depths of the twin cities San-Er ever since. She's waiting for her chance to kill her uncle, king of San who now rules over both cities, to save the starving and impoverished people from their indifferent leader.
Every year, the king hosts a game for the desperate people of San-Er with a grand prize for the winner, to keep up the illusion that there is the possibility of a better life for ordinary people. Even though the contestants fight to the death for a chance to win, hundreds apply for a place in the game, and this year Calla managed to be one of the lucky 78. The winner will be greeted by the king, and this gives her the ultimate opportunity to kill him.
Early into the game, Calla finds two unexpected alliances. August, the king's adopted son and the next heir to the throne. He too wants to get rid of the monarch and plans to become a better king for San-Er. He needs Calla to murder the king to avoid being suspected of treason, and he can help Calla succeed by giving her inside information about the game and the contestants.
Calla's other alliance is Anton, an exiled aristocrat. He is also player and next to Calla one of the best. They plan to team up to bring the other players down faster and will fight for the win if they're the only ones left. Anton has a special ability Calla also has, but never uses; He's a jumper and able of flitting into other people's bodies at will. That gives him a huge advantage and makes him even more dangerous.
While both alliances help Calla enormously, and it even turns into something more with Anton, the game comes to an end and all three, Calla, Anton and August, have very different idea about how it should end.

If you like Sci-Fi, dystopian vibes, a deathly game where the contestants killing each other and a raging, fierce female main character, this book is for you.
Immortal Longings is a story of betrayal, mistrust, risky alliances, love, obsession and deadly goals. The three points of view of the main characters with their different motives makes everything even more interesting, and the possibility to switch bodies makes all the actions super unpredictable. I absolutely loved it!
Diving into a new fantasy world with a complex world building is often overwhelming and even after reading the book I can't say I understand every aspect of it, but I enjoyed in nonetheless! I could picture the crowded and run down city with its desperate and poor people perfectly.
What annoyed me after a while was Calla's constant thinking about how bad the king is and how difficult life is for most people in the city is. I got it after the first few times and wished we witnessed more of the cruelty and hopelessness instead of just being told about it by Calla.
All three main characters are interesting, but I feel like August is the most unpredictable character of all three and while I wasn't super intrigued by Anton's character development for most of the time, I can't wait to see what he is up to after the cliffhanger at the end!
I absolutely enjoyed this book and I'll definitely read the next one!

3.5 ⭐️

I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - all opinions are my own :)

I think I'm incredibly late to the party, but this is actually the first book of Chloe's that I have read! Her other series have been on my TBR for WAY too long, but I think I'll be moving them up after this.

Going into this book pretty blind, I wasn't sure what to expect. My knowledge of it was limited to the inspiration it took from the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong and that it was <i>some sort of retelling</i> (but honestly I feel like most fantasy books are a retelling of something or another these days, so what's new?)

This is kind of like The Hunger Games x The Host, with body hopping trials to the death in a world where the people are starving while nobles and royalty do nothing to help. I found the first half of the book kinda sluggish, and the various POVs meant it took me a little bit longer to really connect to any of the characters, but I quite enjoyed the world building which is something I know other readers struggled with.

Things picked up from the 50/55% mark and I found myself getting sucked in from that point on, as we saw less from August's POV and more of Anton & Calla. I am confused why it's marketed as an adult book, because it reads pretty YA both in relation to the romance and the violence, but maybe things will mature as the series progresses? I kinda saw the twist and the ending coming, but I also loved it and will most definitely be keeping an eye out for any news on book two!

Thank you netgalley and hodderscape for the e-arc! 4,5 !

Wew this was amazing! I absolutely adore all of Chloe’s YA books and her adult debut did not disappoint at all.
In this Antony and Cleopatra retelling, Calla Tuollemi is the strength of the book!!! An amazing characterization.
It took a while to truly grasp the worldbuilding during the slower first part of the book, but as soon as the games started and Calla and Anton met at the 30% mark the book picked up and was so action packed! Anton is so interesting and the magic system so unique, the fact that he changed body so often was so clever in the way him and Calla build trust ugh!!!
The plot twists were sensational, i cannot wait to reread to pick up at all the hints. I literally feel sick at the ending!!!!! WHAT WAS THAT !!!!! Book 2 can’t come soon enough and this is definitely the start of a trilogy that can only get better!

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong was such a fun, action-packed read. 88 civilians enter a city-wide fight to the death, the winner receiving riches and a face-to-face with the king.

Games, rivals to lovers, fights to the death - it delivered everything I was expecting.

If you love the fight-to-the-death aspect of The Hunger Games, definitely give this one a try. I loved the 'magic' elements and the history of the characters and location. It’s dripping in atmosphere and I never found myself feeling annoyed at any Cato/Clove parallels - which was one of my worries before going into this.

I struggled with the third-person present tense. It's not something I normally read and sometimes found myself thrown out of the story trying to make sense of it. Apart from that I loved my reading experience.

This is totally different from Chloe’s other books so please go in with an open mind. Based on a Cleopatra and Anthony retelling. It has a heavy based action plot as well as some romance but overall it was a really enjoyable read.

While the first few chapters were a little slow to begin with, by a certain point it picked up and I absolutely devoured the rest of this book and it didn’t disappoint. The plot was so well done with so many different twists and three characters you weren’t sure who to trust and a really brilliant ending that makes me excited for book two.

Calla was a superb fmc and you found yourself questioning some of the actions she was doing and while being strong there was only one person you saw her have a softer side with which I loved.
I highly recommend this if you love adult fantasy with a brilliant plot line as well as all the hunger games vibes, with an ending that you would never expect. A perfect debut adult fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded to 5 for goodreads

I won’t lie, most of this book I felt very torn on how I felt. I was never one to read very action packed fantasy, and preferred romance filled fantasy novels, but Chloe Gong did not disappoint. I read the first 60% quite slowly, but once I hit the last 40%, I couldn’t put it down. So much was going on, so many plot lines to keep up with, so many TWISTS? THAT ENDING? IM SORRY? ILLEGAL! Wishing I could qi jump into miss Chloe’s brain and find out what happens next.

I need the next book tomorrow and yet, I know I will have to wait another year or more for book two. This is a brilliant novel, it gave me extreme hunger games vibes (which i adored) and Calla was an extremely strong and fierce fmc, though many of her actions were very questionable. I really enjoyed Anton’s character also, I though both characters were amazing together and I just need MORE! I don’t think there was much to dislike about this book, the writing is fantastic and the characters are so intricate and you can’t help but connect to them all in one way or another (apart from King Kasa ofc, ew). The ending really threw me for a loop and now I can’t stop thinking about this book.

Highly, highly recommend this book if you love action packed adult fantasy, well thought out plot lines, slow burn romances, and the hunger games. This book is for you.

An incredible thank you to the publisher and NetGallery for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Immortal longings is the perfect adult debut.
Chloe did such an amazing job.
Augustus, Calla and Anton are all morally grey character and during the entirely of the book you don’t know who to trust or believe.

Until the very end, and even after I don’t know what the heck happened and why!
I loved Calla and how strong she is. The way she’s so murderous but she starts to be soft with only one person.

All characters decides to take part in the games in their different way for different reasons.
At the end you think they reached their end goal, but you are not sure they did tbh.
I did question all 3 of them for 360 pages tbh.

I was surprised that I loved the one who’s not a prince more than the prince. That’s a first for me for sure.

Chloe gong is easily one of my favourite authors and I have been lucky to be approved for all her books through netgalley and I have not been disappointed. At first I was sceptical about this book as it is so different than her others but somehow she did it again

4.5/5
I am ABSOLUTELY REELING over the ending.

There are two assumptions I got right about this book:
1. As an enjoyer of the hunger games series when I was in junior high school, I would have a great time reading this, and
2. That by the 86% of the book I just knew that the final part of the book will leave my brain in shambles. Because that's exactly what Chloe Gong has done to me since Our Violent Ends and Foul Lady Fortune. And I was right. But please, for the sake of my sanity, don't end a book like that with no book 2 release date on sight.

With rich detail of the lands, buildings and the systems that govern, Immortal Longings immediately sets the scene and throws you into the story. There's action, adventure, mystery, a secret society, friendships, romance, multiple viewpoints with multiple threats, and alot of fight scenes. The story definitely keeps you on your toes wondering what will happen next and how it all connects. I couldn't put it down and read the whole book in 1 night.

The body jumping was an interesting concept and something I hadn't read before, It worked really well within the story creating an added layer of mystery and risk for each character.

It's a 3.5/5 for me as I'm not super into violent action scenes and Immortal Longings has a lot, but I was still excited to read it as there is alot of hype around the book. I can definitely see it being a favourite for a lot of readers, especially if you liked The Hunger Games, Kill Bill, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer (There's no vampires, but it has character vibes somewhat similar to Spike and Buffy together).

Even though I'm a huge fan of Chloe Gong's books (specially the These Violent Delights duology), Immortal Longings was a huge disappointment.

The story is set during a mortal game similar to Hunger Games, where many people fight to kill each other and the last one who survives wins a prize. It follows three main characters: Princess Calla, Prince August and Anton. Calla wants to kill the king and end up the monarchy, Anton wants to save his lover who's been in a coma for the past 7 years, and August wants to kill the king in order for him to take the throne for himself.

Now, let's talk about what I didn't like. First, the plot.

The plot is the most cliché possible. I've read hundreds of fantasy books about a princess (in this case, Calla) wanting to destroy the monarchy, or a prince wanting to take the throne to do "a better government and help the people" (Angust, I'm looking at you). It's boring, it's old and it doesn't deliver anything interesting or new to the genre itself.

All the plot decisions are extremely convenient to the characters, going as far as the protagonists hacking the system of the mortal game (even though there are MANY people working on surveillance and tech to prevent such a thing to happen) to cheat many times and give advantage to themselves. And it doesn't stop there. Many times the author says there's something almost impossible to do ("jumping" into kids, prevent someone to jump into you, etc) but the protagonists do it easily, with no struggle at all. If you tell me something is impossible or hard to achieve but the characters do it all the time, I'll start not believing it.

The writing style is tiresome. While These Violent Delights was a real page-turner (I couldn't put the book down), with Immortal longings I had to struggle to keep reading it. The descriptions of places are boring, the explanations of different provinces and countries are confusing and hard to follow and the worldbuilding is messy.

About the worldbuilding: it didn't sit well with me the fact that Chloe Gong used Kowloon Walled City, a slum that existed in real life in Hong Kong, as inspiration to create the city of San-Er. Specially considering how many times she describes the place as dirty, disgusting and full of criminals, prostitutes and people using drugs. Only people who have lived in or near slums know how much prejudice there is against people who live in those places, and to create a fictional city based on that and describe both the place and its population in the way she did... Sorry, but this is a huge NO for me.

As for the characters: I didn't like Calla. She has no personality trait at all besides being "badass" (and I LOVE badass protagonists, so for me not to like her is because the character development was really poor). She felt underdeveloped and flat, more like an idea of a character than a fully fleshed one. I did like Anton and August though, since they're better developed, but it wasn't enough to hold me to this book.

Overall, unlike other Chloe Gong's books, this one is full of flaws and desperately needs a good revision. I didn't like it and don't plan to read the next installments of this trilogy.

“Calla Tuoleimi, princess of Er. She could do nothing on a throne, but she can do everything with a sword in her hand.”

this book was amazing! 88 participants battling to the death for money and fame, this year including a princess who killed her own family (with help from the new prince) and a man who was exiled from the palace, both of whom want their revenge.

Calla Tuoleimi was one of my favourite characters ever. she was a princess who killed here parents to try to make their city better, and is in the games to finish her goal by killing the new king.

August Shenzhi was interesting. the kings adopted son, who offers Calla a deal; he helps her win the game, and she’ll kill the king, letting him take over. he claims this is to help the city, but is it really because he craves the power?

and the last main character, Anton Makusa. he was banished from the palace when him and Augusts half sister-Antons girlfriend-Otta, where caught trying to escape the cities. she ended up in a coma, and he is constantly jumping between bodies, determined to win these games to keep paying her medical bills.

Anton and Calla eventually team up, and together they are brilliant. they also have amazing romantic tension, and there’s the question of whether their relationship is based on love or obsession.

August and his main bodyguard, Galipei, where also an intriguing pair. I hope for more of them in the next book

I loved this book a lot, it was so well written, I was obsessed with the characters, and I could not put it down. the ending made me need book 2 immediately!!

overall, I highly recommend!

Another thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read from Chloe Gong!

I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to read Immortal Longings before it's release, and in true Gong fashion: it did not disappoint.

As usual her writing style is sophisticated enough to draw you in without giving away too much, there are multiple instances within the book where you think you know what is right only to be hit by a twist showing you how wrong you were.

The three main characters were each written with various undertones, it made it hard to feel who you could trust. I liked the build up of the relationships between all of them. I liked the slow burn build up with Anton and Calla, each chapter could see the slight build in their relationship, making you crave more and more of them together.

I was unsure at first if there was going to be a sequel, throughout you get the impression that everything will be wrapped up nicely at the end, until you get to those last few pages and find yourself hit by a plot twist which keeps you wanting more.

I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to read this one and fingers crossed i'll be considered for an ARC of book 2!

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

first off the plot twist is insane!!!!!!!!!!!!
wdym tht's not who she thinks it is!!!! the set up is incredible tho! from when he says he could probs go into the body to the codeword!!!!! omg!!!!!

the set up is incredible and so is the characters - the motivations especially. the ending felt very in line what the characters would think and their motivations because calla was like anything for her goal and it makes sense that she would sacrifice who she loved for her goal but it did make me confused becuase then hwy did she go rescue her attendants if she wanted to do everything for her goal. wouldn't that more appropiate thing to be leave them for the dead

i wish we fully could read what was going to happen in regards to the plot twist (but i guess the auhtour just wants to like put in the second boook and like make ppl wait for that) so it could make it feel like more developed and not rushed.

however i do feel like while the relationhsips between the characters were interesting to read about, it did feel kinda rushed so i hope there'll be more focus onto it in the next books. especially, the sub plot o f the crescent temple did feel rushed in like how it was discovered because like it was so quick as well. i felt like i didn't really see what happened and like i was rlly confused and it was kinda glossed over

in the next book, i can't wait to see what otta's character sil bring and like how the tiwst is done because i feel like there are so many questions that like the reader is left wobdering about

It's disappointing to be let down by a book with such a promising premise, but alas, this simply was not for me. Gong is a fantastic writer, but this simply did not live up to expectations. I appreciate the opportunity to check this book out in advance!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Immortal Longings
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of Flesh and False Gods
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Chloe Gong
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Sci-fi/Dystopian
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 18th July 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 23rd June 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

”Take the cuts. Take the burns. You will heal, and you will be braver.
Braver? I want to be stronger.
Strength is a conscious effort. First, you will be braver, and then you will be stronger.
They trained her for war. And she rose up to wage it on them.”

This book picked up a sword and impaled me with it. I gasped so loud when I finished it that the walls shook and my water bottle fell over.

Emotional, brutal, and tantalizing, the plot is a sweet torture, almost reading like a citified hunger games, but one that includes a princess turned outlaw that wants her revenge.

In true Chloe Gong style, this book is a retelling. She reinterprets the story of Antony and Cleopatra, puts a dystopian and contemporary spin on it with Chinese elements, and delivers it to the reader in a prose that is defiant and bloodthirsty.

The main character, Calla, is built with complexity. She wants to be honourable but where’s the honour in slaughter? The romance she finds herself wrapped up in develops unbidden but fierce.

One of my favourite parts of the story is the world building. It depicts a filthy urban setting stricken with poverty and desperation. I loved it. It was so raw and real.

I cannot recommend this enough.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨

This was SUPER disappointing. After loving Chloe Gong's other work I was hoping that this would have been no different. But, alas, I was sorely mistaken.

P.s. apologies for the essay but I have a lot to say

Immortal Longings is a multiple pov Antony and Cleopatra retelling that is heavily influenced by the hunger games. Every year there is a competition in which you want to be the last one standing. So when Calla, the princess assumed to be dead, enters in an attempt to take down the king she has to form an unlikely alliance with an exiled aristocrat.

Boy oh boy, where do I even start...
First off Immortal Longings is very ya. Gong's writing and storytelling are similar in complexity to that of her previous books. This is by no means a bad thing because I absolutely love her other work. However, with Immortal Longings being marketed as an adult book there is a certain step up that is expected and I do not feel it lived up to that mark. The only thing that makes immortal longings adult is the sex scene. And it didn't even add anything to the story. It felt almost robotic. This book would have been so much better if this one scene was removed and it was marketed as ya.

From the very beginning we were dealt pages upon pages of world building in the form of info dumping. How this passed editing I have no idea. I could feel my will to live leaving me with each page that passed by. On top of the plot being complete muddled with the world building, it just wasn't exciting. The 'plot twist' at the end could have been spotted from a mile away. This paired with the fact that there's a huge plot hole really took me out of the book, especially closer to the end (but more on this later).

Now onto the romance between Calla and Anton. The way it went from teasing to Anton monologuing about how Calla "stains his mind in vivid colour" felt sooooo unnatural and incredibly forced. Like we went from 0 to 100 in the space of literally a few pages. It wasn't convincing. They were saying "I love you" and I was rolling my eyes. The build up was non existent so I simply didn't care. The only thing I wanted was for August (the crown prince) and Galipei (his friend and bodyguard) to get together. I was denied even that. It's like they were trying to make me dislike this book.

Although I do like the characters (somewhat), I haven't been able to fall in love with them. They lack the depth required to make me feel connected to them. About 25% of the world building should have been replaced with time spent with just the characters. Giving the reader a chance to get to know the intricacies and mannerisms of the characters, instead of being dragged from plot point to plot point without having a second to enjoy character interactions and relationships. I think this is also partly why the relationship between Calla and Anton felt so clunky. It is void of that domestic side where they are simply being themselves.

Honestly, the more I write, the more I dislike this book. Everything piled together does not make me interested enough to care about what happens next.
Anyway... read it if you want but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT

The dreaded plot hole:
Two huge parts of the book that are constantly being drilled into the reader is the fact that Calla has this one of a kind eye colour that only belongs to the royal bloodline. And that when someone jumps into the body of another, the eye colour changes. So tell me why when the princess's body was jumped into by who is now known as Calla, no one blinked an eye. Surely they would have noticed when such a recognizable eye colour had changed. It just doesn't make sense. There was hardly any explanation to a pretty big reveal in the story which just leaves you with more questions than answers.

I also feel like the whole ending could have been avoided. Calla and Anton didn't want to have to fight against each other when they were the last two players in the competition so Calla came up with the idea to disqualify herself to avoid this. Then she'd kill the king when he was distracted. So why didn't she. She could have done this at any time and still helped Anton defeat the rest of the players. But of course not because then we wouldn't get the oh so heartbreaking killing of her lover. Can you tell that I do not care.