DNFed at 40%

There were lots of aspects that I enjoyed about this book. I was intrigued at an Antony and Cleopatra retelling, I loved the worldbuilding with the twin cities under a brutal dictatorship, the qi based identity magic I love, every conceptual aspect of this book, I liked. But there's something about Gong's writing style that I struggle to engage with (and I had a similar issue with These Violent Delights where I enjoyed everything about it except the actual writing). There's murder! Body heist magic! Revenge plots! It should be pacy and un-put-down-able! Why is the writing so boring to me??

☆☆☆¾
(Rounded up to 4 for Netgalley)

Inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, Immortal Longings is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Intrigued by the premise and the fact that it was adult I decided to give Immortal Longings a chance (I also knew this would be a certain book boxes monthly pick and wanted to see whether or not it was worth the money). Overall I'd say it was worth it, I enjoyed the book and I'll definitely be buying that special edition!

So what did I like and dislike about the book and why? Lets get into it!

The plot:
The plot was obviously focused on the games but that wasn't the only focus of the book which I was surprised by as the books synopsis only really focuses on the Games aspect of the book. The focus was mainly split between the characters (their motivations and personal conflicts), the games and politics (or rather general things related to the royals / the King (like rebellion)). I thought that the book had a good balance of everything though I wanted to see more of the Games especially as going in I thought that they would be like the main focus of the book which wasn't the case. All that said I still enjoyed the other plots.

The writing:
I thought the writing was okay, nothing special but not awful either though I did have one major issue with it that almost put me off the book completely; the info-dumping. The first few chapters were just filled with constant info-dumps and because of it I didn't really start to enjoy the book until the 30% mark. Like we were just thrown straight into the world and had all this important information thrust upon us, it made me feel like the whole book would be a struggle (which it fortunately was not). A guide to the world, like the Jumpers, how it worked and those who had special abilities and what they were would've been beyond useful and made the book a little easier as I kept forgetting what the powers were and whatnot.
What I also enjoyed was that the writing didn't feel too YA-ish as I feel Adult debut books by authors who normally write YA tend too. Quite a few Adult (and New Adult) debuts I've read in the past have felt like that and this didn't which was a pro for me. (Though it did sort of have a YA vibe to it, it was obvious that this is adult and not just because of the gore and smut - that said I felt this felt a little New Adult to me or at least what New Adult should be more like).

The characters:
I thought the main three characters were interesting and I liked seeing them all work towards their goals and I liked how we got all their point of views, one of my only issues with that was that the way PoV changes were presented (or not presented) in the book was very confusing as their was no extra large paragraph break or flourish or symbol to show that the PoV had changed it just changed with nothing more than a normal paragraph break leaving me confused when I'd go from one PoV to the next without realising though I'd assume that was more to do with it was an E-ARC like I assume it will be fixed or different in finished copies. I also wanted to see more of August (and Galipei) because despite being a main character he sort of took a backseat to Calla and Anton. One of the things about the characters I did enjoy was how they felt their age and not just like 17y/os aged up to thier 20s (like I find happens in most debut Adult / New Adult books from YA authors).
I didn't really care too much for the side characters (other than Galipei), like I didn't really get the point of Calla's old maids, sure she needed their identity or whatever but other than that they didn't really serve much of a purpose in the book and there was a (minor) side character death which felt like it was meant to be more impactful than it ended up being, like maybe if it had been saved til a little later in the books or we'd gotten a little more conflict around it, it would've been more impactful, but who knows? Maybe the death wasn't meant to be impactful because it was just another death in the twin cities of San'Er.
I also found it interesting how despite having a large impact on the characters in the book the King was hardly in the book, like it wasn't necessarily a bad thing but like he had maybe 3 scenes in the whole book set in the present like it was just a little odd I guess.

The relationships:
Let's start with the obvious relationship to start with: Calla and Antons. I wanted to enjoy their relationship more than I did, like don't get me wrong, I was sold on them by the end but I felt the getting there wasn't the most enjoyable. I found a lot of their dialogue felt either cringe-y or like it was made to be like screamed about online or put in edits or whatever. It made me not care too much for them and their relationship especially as their relationship felt a little rushed / Insta-lovey, like they could've done with a lot more development, like one minute they were enemies / rivals and the next they were confessing their love, like dudes I don't even think you've known each other for 3 months, slow it down maybe?
Now onto a relationship I enjoyed and wanted to see more of: August and Galipei, I felt the way their relationship was presented was very interesting and it left me wanting to read more though unfortunately we didn't get it.
I also wanted to see more of Anton and August, they used to be close and then everything happened so now they are where they are and Anton's in the games like I felt they could've at least been given one or two more scenes together.
I was also interested in the relationship / bond that Anton had with Otta like I definitely feel it could lead to some interesting things.

The ending:
Wow I absolutely loved that ending, it's the sort of ending I look for and want from book and Immortal Longings gave it to me. It sold me on reading the next book too!

Misc. / Other:
I don't know if it was just me but I felt the descriptions of clothes (like in general and like what everyone else outside the main characters wore) were a little lacking which made it a little hard for me to imagine what side characters -and even what August - wore.
There was this one betrayal that happened and it came out of like nowhere, like we didn't even see hints of it then BAM, there's this betrayal, like the scene left me a little confused. It definitely would've been better saved for book 2 or at least given more substance in 1.
Like I said earlier, I finished the book with the feeling that I wanted to see more of the Games, like it was said that San'Er was a big place so there could've been nothing happen for ages or the Games went on for a while yet it felt like it was just an excuse so it could focus on the other things in the book too.
Sort of related to the last point, I expected the Games would be a little more, not dramatic but like exciting I guess? Like I thought we'd see more drama and tension from the event, especially with there being 86 other players.
San'Er had all this amazing technology, they had cameras and trackers and wristbands and computers yet you're telling me they didn't have any audio whatsoever, that the palace didn't have some sort of top secret, expensive devices to listen in on people? It made no sense and felt like a bit like an easy way out of dealing with if people could hear what they were saying.
As you know I really enjoyed the reveal / twist at the end of the book but there was also one a little earlier in the book which took me off guard, like I wasn't expecting it but it was so good and added to the story like bravo to chloe Gong for that.
I'm excited for the next book, to see the story further unfold, to see more of the characters and how they act and how they handle all these new things. I am also excited to see the use of Qi and Jumping will carry on from this book and how we'll see it develop and grow (at least in our Main Characters eyes).

Anyway that was long and this is the end of my review!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5! Tahnk you Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton for this e-arc!

I WAS UTTERLY SHOCKED (in amazing way) CHLOE GONG DID THAT AGAIN!
All the plot, the settings, and characters set in the most purrrfect way I can’t get enough of it? But the ending!? When will it RELEASED PLEASEEEEE.

Review to be continue

If there's one thing Chloe Gong is gonna do is give me an exciting fun read. The beginning chapters were pretty slow, it was a bit of a struggle to get through, but it picks up pretty quickly and then it's just action after action!

With how much I liked the These Violent Delights duology but sorely disappointed with its successor series Foul Lady Fortune, I was hoping Gong's adult debut would re-spark what initially drew me to her.

Unfortunately, this was not the case.

I was curious of how different Gong's writing would be in adult fiction than her YA works, but that curiosity was for naught because it's barely any different. The only real difference I pinged was that there were a couple more 'fuck's thrown in the prose than in her other books. There's gore and violence, sure, but I've read much more brutal stuff, especially in YA books. Besides that, there are so many descriptions, so many minuet details about Talin and San-Er that were just expositions dumps rather than concise world-building. My eyes started glazing over those paragraphs by the half-way point because I felt they weren't important for me to digest, whatsoever.

As for our leads, Calla is practically Juilette-lite and Anton is just an asshole. They were more the bones of characters rather than fully fleshed out ones. Much about them was kept away to keep the air of mystery, which normally is fine, but the time that should of been used to build up their characters was dedicated to the aforementioned Talin-world dumps. So, when our leads finally met and team up after the forty-percent mark and declare themselves in love around the eighty-percent mark, it feels so robotic and unnatural. It made the one sex scene feel really weird, too.

Also, I just have to talk about the magic system. It's called "jumping". Basically, it's a person psychically invading another person's body completely. It's supposedly outlawed in San-Er, but people do it, anyway? I understand it's a likely a commentary about the double standards of the up-holding of the law, of how the rich can get away with it more than the poor, but these abilities made me question a lot of things. For example, Anton frequently jumps because his birth body (the one he was born in) was taken from him when he was exiled. In order to live, he has to bounce body-to-body. He's never the same person twice, but it is noted that he tends to choose bodies closest to what he originally looked like, and his eye color remains the same no matter the body, as with all jumpers. But my main problem with this is he uses all these people only to leave them in confusing places; consent is not a factor, whatsoever, especially when he jumps before he's killed along with the body or having sex with Calla. It's just so weird. Despite describing in-depth how jumping works, we barely see the social ramifications of using another body and the constant violation of bodily autonomy. I just don't get how this flew over Gong's head while she was writing this. Maybe this will be explored in the sequels, but I don't plan on continuing the series to find out.

Overall, this was a disappointment. Since finishing These Violent Delights, Gong's work has been gradually losing my interest. I don't know if I will continue following her. Maybe I'll read Foul Heart Huntsman just for the sake of finishing the series, but probably not.

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.

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!