4.5

As I sit to write this review all that’s running through my brain is a incomprehensible screeching. Once again Chloe Gong has left me speechless and desperate for more.

To preface this review I want to say that i’ve never read Anthony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare (although I have just googled it to make sure I was getting the name right and it says tragedy so I fear once again Chloe Gong is going to be tearing my heart out and ripping it to shreds (please can we have a comedy retelling next time, my heart can’t take anymore tragedies)) so I was truly going into this blind.

The cast of characters in this book are fantastic. I loved every single one; even the ones who were minor and only appeared in a chapter or two. I think that that is one of the things that Gong does best. The variety within her books when it comes to characters is beautiful and her ability to write multiple POVs whilst still maintaining a depth to all of her characters is truly stellar. Also big love to Calla, I can see her becoming a new favourite character for me. I love her, and she can do no wrong.

The setting and “world-building” in this book are also fantastic, especially as someone with aphantasia, the way that the descriptions are written in this book really help. Also the atmosphere of the book is great. It did take me a while to wrap my head around the fact that this was set in the 90s but once I grasped that everything else just fell into place.

For me, the beginning of the book was a bit slow and I think that was because there was obviously a bit of world-building to be done, but once you’re past the 20% mark the pacing really falls into place and it’s not difficult to turn page after page. Also all the plot twists! I was trying to get ahead and work them out but alas, I failed and was left shocked and reeling every time something happened.

Once again, Gong has written a wonderful book (and transitioned seamlessly from YA to adult) and it is definitely on its way to being an incredible trilogy filled with twists and turns. It has once again left me cursing myself, for now I have to wait to find out what happens next.

A big, big, big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!

If I had to compare Immortal Longings to other books it would be something like Mistborn meets Battle Royale meets The Selection but it's actually mostly like none of those things.

Set in a fantasy world with many ques taken from Chinese culture, Immortal Longings follows three different young adults as they try to change the future of their cities for the greater good (although their ideas about how this will happen are wildly differing).

One of these young adults is crown prince August who has been scheming for years about how to make his country better; another is an exiled royal, Anton whose past plans have not worked out and whose childhood sweetheart is deathly ill; and one is Calla - a fugitive on the run for killing one royal family in the past and a huge secret.

Working sometimes in tandem, the three are involved in a fight to the death competition which gains the winner immense riches and an audience with the King, where their real goals will be revealed.

This was so exciting! I loved all the characters although many of them were hugely flawed and genuinely rooted for them all. The pacing was really good and though I did find the last plot twist somewhat predictable there were lots of plotpoints that surprised me and I didn't see coming. The slighly romance plotline was relatively realistic so I enjoyed that aspect since it worked well with the rest of the plot.

My favourite aspect of this novel however was the world-building and magic system. The idea that a person with the right gene can have their qi (or essentially, soul) jump into another person's body (essentially possessing them for a length of time) was really new and intriguing and I am excited to see how this expands in the next few books and there were many related plotlines I didn't feel were completely tied up by the end of Book 1. My favourite from Chloe Gong so far: I highly anticipate her future releases!

What a disappointment.
I was really excited to receive an ARC of Immortal Longings because of how Chloe Gong’s YA has been praised. I’m still interested in reading These Violent Delights but I don’t think I will be continuing with this series.
To begin with, I think that the writing style is just not for me, and that’s okay because it’s really just a preference thing but I had a huge problem with how the world was built. It didn’t feel like a world that existed and we happened to read a story set in that world. It felt like a story which needed a world and therefore this one was created around the need of the story. It was so info-dumpy and very unclear at the same time. It felt like I was given partial information and never full fleshed information that would help me understand what was actually going on. It was so frustrating.
The magic system does not make any sense. Jumping, the ability to transport your qi from a body to another, is illegal in this kingdom but wait, everybody does it. I understand that it would be extremely difficult to forbid this kind of magic but then just don’t make it illegal, just for the sake of consistency.
Now, the games. I always thought that a game implied rules, apparently in this one it does not. The whole city is the playground of this game, but wait there’s actually one rule, the citizens not partaking in the game shan’t be casualties. Oh but wait, jumping is allowed during the game, so everyone just jumps from body to body and players just kill everyone no matter what body they occupy. I’m sorry but it doesn’t make any sense. Players are supposed to kill other players yet they also kill the bodies (and therefore the people in said bodies) but not always the players that use these bodies. Maybe I did not understand this part, but it certainly feels like murder and somewhat against the rules, to me.
The romance was underwhelming. The characters only interact at the 40% mark and they say ily at 80%. Considering that they only interact for 40% before being all lovey covey, it feel really insta lovey (for me). I won’t lie though the steamy scene were steamy, “I’m want to kill you, no wait, I want you to fuck me” kind of steamy. However, it’s not really spicy, there’s only one sex scene, don’t get your hopes to high for that.
The end was kind of obvious because there just wasn’t any other way this could go, and I wanted to be surprised.
I still want to say that the second half of the book as better, partly due to the fact that it was way less info-dumpy. I also really liked the fact that the magic system was a mystery to the characters themselves.

My first Chloe Gong novel was Immortal Longings, and I have to say that I am absolutely blown away. Why I haven't read any of her other works sooner is beyond me. I'm at a loss for words when it comes to how much I adore this book. I simply can't wait for the next book after that finish, oh my god! The storyline and design of this reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games and Cyberpunk 2077. This was just so amazing to me. I was waiting impatiently to see what would happen next as a result of it. The plot took so many unexpected turns, almost all of which were absolutely unanticipated. They never failed to completely astound me. I'll admit that at first when attempting to make sense of the lore and geography, I was a little lost. However, I believe that when you first start a fantasy or science fiction book, it is the same. But once I finally understood it, the book just flowed and I couldn't put it down. Nothing I could ever say could possibly express how strongly I want you to hurry out as soon as this is released and grab it. It was a phenomenal book and well deserving of five stars.

“For five years, Calla Tuoleimi has been biding and biding her time, tending to the fury that burns beneath her ribs. There is but one task left in her vengeance: King Kasa’s head plucked from his spine and flung across the coliseum.”

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A really strong start to what promises to be a great series! I love the concept of being able to jump between bodies, despite how horrifying it is in places. The dynamic between Calla and Anton was very well done, and I loved the ruthlessness of the games. And that ending! Bring on book two!

Hoping the next one is out pretty soon this was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I loved Immortal Longings! It has everything that I enjoy in a fantasy novel

Rich world building, compelling characters, tension, back stabbing and plot twists!!! A fantastic book and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Immortal Longings' by Chloe Gong.

'Immortal Longings' is the newest Shakespeare retelling by Chloe Gong. In specific, this one is about Antony and Cleopatra. As always, Chloe Gong delivers a beautiful story with well fleshed out characters. Honestly, I knew I'd give this a 5 instantly and I'm glad Chloe held me to that. I am absolutely excited for the sequel to this because if book 1 was this perfect, who knows what book 2 will be like.

"they trained her for war. and she rose up to wage it against them"
"calla is a woman the same way the sky is blye. she understands it is the easiest identifier to slap on, but in actuality the sky is an incomprehensible void. before she is anything else, calla is just calla"

I WAS OBSESSED. I STILL AM OBSESSED. I WILL MOST LIKELY BE OBSESSED UNTIL I GET THE NEXT BOOK IN MY HANDS. thank you to netgalley for giving me this ARC for an honest review.

San-Er, two cities combined that is full of poverty, death, awful living circumstances and overpopulation. a kingdom that hosts a competition every year with the victor winning a life changing amount of money. the only catch? to be the last man standing, to kill every other competitor, whether they're young, old, your family or anyone else. oh also? people have the power of jumping, where individuals can essentially transfer their souls into another persons body- a very useful way to survive if your birth body gets severely injured.

we follow Calla and Anton. Calla is an exhiled princess, presumed to be dead after she staged a coup- killing her entire family, but failing to kill the other monarch- King Kasa. she wants to win the games to gain access to Kasa so she can finish what she started all those years ago. Anton, raised in the palace and also exhiled for attempting to run away and stage a coup wants to win so he can pay the medical bills of his first love, who is in a coma after failing to jump too many times in a row. but what happens when two unlikely allies join forces to rise to the top of the ranks, only to fall in love when one of them must die? ILL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS. 400+ PAGES OF OBESSSION, GASPING, PLOT TWISTS, CLIFF HANGERS AND THE URGE TO THROW THE BOOK ACCROSS THE ROOM.

I was obsessed with the world building in this book, even though it was quite simplistic it still ticked every box I needed to make the perfect fantasy read. the characters were super well developed and I found myself loving them (even though im pretty sure im suppose to hate them for being heartless killers.) I really enjoyed the structure of the games, it was so entertaining following the two main characters through their efforts to become the victor. the games did take a back seat as the main plot whils the romance developed, but i didn't mind this as I was in love with this aspect of the book and was happy to read even more about it.

if you're like me: a fantasy obsessed girl who wants to be on the edge of her seat, then pls do yourself a favour and read this book.

I was so excited to see what Chloe Gong would deliver in an adult space, expanding her finely crafted brand of action-packed, romantic urban fantasy Shakespeare retellings. Immortal Longings has all her trademarks: a stabby girl with a noble core & her star-crossed equally dangerous love (with a bit of spice this time) who are rapidly obsessed with each other, a messy city turning in on itself, a sprinkling of tropes ("kiss me for the mission"), a murder mystery, plots where love and duty come to violent heads. I flew through it - it's fast and snappy with a fascinating gritty setting inspired by the Walled City of Kowloon, and an ending that has me hooked for the next one.

That said, I found myself wishing it wasn't quite so brief. It started out as an incredibly promising neighbour to the Hunger Games, as marketed, with the same set-up of a televised spectacle distracting from huge inequality and two apparent lovers capturing people's attention. But the games also ended up feeling more like a convenient device to bring Anton and Calla together and then to produce attacks where necessary to inject some action; the otherwise momentum, motives, strategies, and the commentary on spectacle of the games isn't quite woven with the other political plot that ends up emerging, and the fact that the audience is hooked by their romance is never explored again. I wanted more depth to the characters, to the central romance, to the worldbuilding, and to themes and ideas in general - like what the premise of shifting, unstable bodies meant for the philosophies and physical desires in this world. As much as the ending paragraph was a stunner, and I enjoyed how punchy the reading experience was, I couldn't help but wish there was more build up and fleshing out in the process to truly suckerpunch me with the final act, because the potential in this world was incredible.

TW’s: Blood, violence, sex.

★★★★★ 5/5



Five years ago, Princess Calla Tuoleimi murdered both her royal parents, and she doesn’t regret it. Forced into hiding, Calla is back and intent on finishing the job she initially began, seeing her chance when the games begin. For her, winning is about finally ridding the twin cities of San-Er’s current king, deposing the cities of the monarchy that watches its people suffer, as the winner is greeted personally by the king. There’s no better chance at killing King Kasa than winning the games.

For Anton Makusa, winning means money. It means paying off the deep debts he’s gotten into in keeping his childhood love alive in the hospital. As a skilled jumper, no body is a challenge for Anton to jump into and take over, and for him and the games, this is his best asset, and his best chance at winning.

Oh Miss Gong, you have done it again and I didn’t for a single second doubt you. As a proven incredibly skilled writer in the YA genre, this adult debut is phenomenal. Gong had already solidified herself as one of my favourite authors with her These Violent Delights duology, and its spin-off sequel, but Immortal Longings completely blew me away. From the characters, to the setting, to the plot. I was hooked on every single page.

Told from multiple POV’s, but primarily Calla, Gong knows exactly how to write a character that is not only driven and intelligent, but sarcastic, even a little arrogant at times, and make people love them. Calla isn’t ashamed of what she’s done, she’s not afraid to kill, and despite the events leading up towards the ending, she knows what she must do no matter the cost. Anton, though, it was so unbelievably easy to love him. He was perfect for Calla, seeing her for who she really is and his charm won not only Calla, but me, too.

The setting was incredibly detailed, and I felt fully immersed in it. Getting lost amongst the market stalls with people hawking their wares, the neon lights, and the cafes, it was so easy to imagine the crowded cities and the people there. This, accompanied with the magic system – ‘jumping’ and qi, was explained in a way that wasn’t just shoving it down your throat on the first page/chapter, you learned more about it as the story progressed.

For me, this is another favourite read of 2023, and I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to the Hunger Games, which I can see why. Both have games in which the competitors are meant to kill one another until only one remains, the people organising the games are rich, in positions of power, and ignoring the people and their struggles. There’s themes of uprising and rebellion seen in both, but for me, this didn’t feel anything like the Hunger Games. Not even an older sort of version of it. To me they feel very different.

As a loosely based retelling of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, I haven’t read the original play to compare it, but Gong takes her retellings and makes them her own as seen in her previous works.

I’m beyond excited for the next book, and I already have a physical copy preordered for my shelf.



Did I like the book? Yes!

Did I love it? Yes! I don’t think there was ever a moment where I felt like the story or characters were lacking.

Would I recommend it? Without a doubt. If you’ve read Gong’s previous books, you know what you’re in for character and retelling-wise, and if you did enjoy it but wanted something adult instead of YA, this definitely ticks all the boxes. Or, if you didn’t enjoy it, but feel like trying again, this is definitely a good place to start.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“There are no gods in this world. Only kings and tyrants.”

Thank you soooo much to @netgalley for this arc it was one of my most anticipated books of the year!

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement, this book wasn’t terrible but it certainly wasn’t my favourite. I’ve really loved Gong’s other works but this one just didn’t do it for me.

It was kind of a hunger games meets Shakespeare plot. I’m not a massive fan of the hunger games anyway but the “game” plot in this book was… weird it wasn’t really explained in depth so I didn’t really get it and there wasn’t a lot of tension around the games for me. And to be honest I could fell myself getting in a slump with this one so I had to speed read the last 40%.

The characters were.. there. Can’t say I liked any of them or connected to them at all. I think if I knew the story of Antony and Cleopatra I’d appreciate it more but yeah it was meh.

One thing I did really like was the whole body swapping and qi plot that was super cool and she could have done (or will hopefully do in the next books) some really cool things with it.

Overall, really disappointing and also not sure why it’s marketed as an adult book rather than ya as other than the characters being in their early 20s it wasn’t any more graphic than her other novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really, really wanted to like this book. Up until recently, I proudly announced I would read anything Chloe Gong writes. After this book, not so much...

Warning: some mild spoilers ahead.

As always, Chloe Gong's writing is great - it has space to grow but it's enjoyable, has a good pace and flows nicely. However, I feel she used too much of her writing skill info-dumping and, to my agony, describing the weather (I understand it's relevant for a certain remark but I swear I read about the weather more than five times and that's never a good thing). I did enjoy some of the worldbuilding and the idea of "jumping" sounded like a good one.

The fantasy world in itself is a fine idea, but lacks some things such as an exact explanation for the country's history, better outlines for enemies and unlawful groups (I've finished the book and I still cannot tell you what exactly is the point of the Crescent Societies), and a better look into the characters' pasts and motives - all I got was that San-Er was crowded, people had no money and were starving but no one wanted to leave for the provinces because of taxes. Somehow, this was at the base of every characters' motive (except for one).

As for the characters, they felt a little hollow. I didn't find myself rooting for any one particular character. At one point I thought August could have some depth and be enjoyable but he fell flat about two chapters afterwards. Calla's story had potential but lacked depth; Anton lacked some personality traits; and their romance lacked chemistry. It had some good ideas but, overall, I wasn't really rooting for them.

Now, the games were the worst part of the plot. I can tell it was meant to be like the Hunger Games, except there were absolutely no stakes. Sure, the victor of the games is supposed to be rich but, other than that (and the obvious set up for an ending), the games and players don't really do much here. The arena is the whole city, there are no rules, they can jump bodies whenever they want and they can also quit the games whenever. What's the point then?

Overall, the book had some good ideas and some good tropes but that's really all they were. The execution was poorly done and the characters have no depth whatsoever. The idea of jumping bodies is also an interesting one, except I felt it wasn't well-explored and only served as proof that there were no stakes.

I also don't understand what qualified this book as adult? Sure there was some gore and one sex scene but I've read YA books with worse...

I have been a fan of Chloe Gong’s writing for a few years, since her first book came out, so reading something new and different from her other books has been so exciting and I am proud of seeing how far she has come.

Immortal Longings is a complex and thrilling book with an unique fantasy element that keeps you constantly guessing what is going to happen next. It is tense, twisting and addictive, I might have actually shouted as if Chloe Gong could hear me because I now I’ll have to wait for the sequel which I so desperately need.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong is a Shakespeare retelling of Antony and Cleopatra, targeting an adult audience this time. I have to admit I didn’t really like her YA retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but an adult retelling of a play I actually do like (I cannot emphasize how much I hate Romeo and Juliet), I have to say I was very interested in reading that.

The beginning was so strong, I loved the setting of a twin city, very grim and dark and reminiscent of Hong Kong. The fantasy element was there in the form of body jumping, like you can take over another person’s body. Enter Hunger Games like gladiator games and add some just as deadly politics to it and it gets very, very interesting. Until it didn’t. I have absolutely no idea how I can be bored with such a competition going on, high stakes for everyone, with so much happening, yet I didn’t care. The characters were all very morally grey, and I couldn’t care less for them. The body count was staggering, and I just felt sorry for all those civilians caught up into this.

The love story of Anton and Calla felt a bit weird to me, as it is a very destructive relationship and it is a bit sudden. It should’ve been epic and to be honest it was very much epic at the end – the end is really what makes this book shine! But the middle just fell flat for me and I wished I could skim a few pages but as this is an arc I didn’t. The world was not big enough for me I guess, we had very similar monologues about the inner workings of the city, but it didn’t go deep and they felt repetitive with no new information. The body jumping is still a bit of a mystery for me, it could’ve been explained better, and the action scenes were fast and gruesome but no more than that. We did get a lot of info on the palace and how the main characters and the crown prince grew up together, but we didn’t really get what was going on right now except the struggle between the king and his heir, only from the heir’s perspective. I have to admit there were a few plot twists that were AMAZING and I didn’t see coming at all, but for me it’s not enough to overpower the overall meh feeling this book gave me, nor did it make me care about the two main characters.

I received an e-arc through Netgalley but it hasn't influenced my opinions.

I've read some of Chloe Gong's previous books and really enjoyed those. But this adult book of hers I loved. I love a book with a competition element, but with the added body jumping magic some players had made it even better. Fast paced action all the way through. I hope Chloe Gong write more adult books in the future because I couldn't put this one down!

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong is a captivating adult epic fantasy. In Talin's perilous capital twin cities, lethal games draw thousands of players. Princess Calla Tuoleimi, hidden for years after killing her oppressive parents, views the games as her chance to slay her distant uncle, King Kasa. Anton Makusa, anxious to save his paralysed childhood sweetheart, enters the games to win. When Calla and Anton create an unexpected alliance, their relationship blossoms into an intense and devouring connection. Inspired by Antony and Cleopatra, Gong's debut novel combines power conflicts, bloodshed, and romance to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the finish.

Conclusion: Chloe Gong's adult epic fantasy Immortal Longings is superb. For genre aficionados, this work is a must-read. Shakespearean themes give complexity and mystery to Gong's debut, making it memorable. Immortal Longings is an addictive page-turner.

4/5 Stars from me.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***

The world-building was intense but still hard to get a grip on and the 'jumping' whilst clever didn't really make a lot of sense to me. I kept trying to imagine having a relationship with someone whose body changed day by day. I'm probably over-thinking the whole thing but these thoughts prevented me from getting completely immersed in the story. The twists were very good but not enough to lift the book out of the ordinary.

4.5/5 Stars

I haven't had this much fun reading a Romantasy in a WHILE. I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Immortal Longings is a story set in the crowded city San-Er, capital of the world Talin. In it, the king hosts a dangerous game in which players fight for their life for a chance to win riches. With most players capable of jumping between human bodies, chaos and danger alike is assured. Princess Calla Tuoleimi and Royal Exile Anton Makusa enter these games with different motives, but one thing is sure - they will clash, and one of them will win.

Look, I read this as someone who 1. has never read anything by Chloe Gong before and 2. does not know Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra, which this story is supposed to be inspired by. And let me tell you - I had so much fun. It felt a little overly complicated at times with the introduction of the concept of "body jumping", but I was glad that I could enjoy this as an oblivious peasant.

Both prose and romance were likely what stood out to me in this story. Gong caught me off-guard with her stunning prose and the way I was highlighting half of some of these chapters. I totally understand why fans of writers like V.E. Schwab or Naomi Novik would love her writing. And the romance? Look, I'm by no means a romance reader but there is something about obsessive, terrible "love" that I can't help but be intrigued by. Anton and Calla reminded me of Olivie Blake's Alone With You in the Ether in the best and most awful way possible - this for sure ain't a nice love story. Both them and the other characters were all morally gray in a formidable way and it made this so much more fun!

One last honorable mention about this book is that it talks about (gender) identity and representation in a way that I personally enjoyed and found refreshing to read. It was integrated into the theme of jumping between bodies and using them as "accessories" rather than permanent residences, and the writing around it sure was intriguing. The topic was very current in an unexpected way that left me almost wanting more.

All in all, I feel so lucky to have read this before the release date and I will sure be recommending it to fellow readers!

This book is dirty, dark and moody. It is ferral and gory and different to anything I have ever read before. Which is why I think I enjoyed reading it.