The story and world building evolves into something much bigger, the world expands and the plot moves into a direction I didn't see coming. Also the "jumping" part is more of a topic in this one.
Once again, you shouldn't go into this book expecting the most kicking-my-feet-feeling romance, cause it's really more focused on the story.
I liked the writing in this one more compared to book 1, it didn't feel as overly edited and unnecessarily complicated as it sometimes did in the first one.
Liked Calla as a main character again, I love how she just doesn't apologize for anything.
Chloe Gong just knows how to write the most quiet but intense twists - I'm so excited to see where the story will end up in book 3.

Stunning, spectacular give me 14 of them right now 😭😫🤭

Miss Chloe Gong really does know how to drop the most juiciest, jaw-dropping information after writing the most intense and heartbreaking moments.

I don't want to mention any spoilers, but all I will say is that this journey is a complete 360 to Immortal Longings but in an incredible way. I have never been so gripped as I had read this. The twists and turns were so incredibly well written and honestly left me guessing every single time.

I need book 3 immediately, I just know that it will be the most tense and jaw-dropping book I'll read.

Thank you, netgalley and hodderscape for the e-arc 🫶

After reading Immortal Longings, I wasn’t sure if the sequel was going to be quite as good but Chloe proved me wrong. Vilest Things was even better than I anticipated and I think it even surpasses the greatness of the first book. Chloe’s writing has always been so immersive and this story is no different. The development of all these characters was so refreshing to see and I’m excited to see everyone’s fates at the end of this series as a whole. The twists in this book were so good and very unexpected, in the best way possible. The introduction of a few new characters and more background on the same characters from Immortal Longings kept the pace of the book just right. The fast-paced moments with the best action scenes were perfectly balanced with the slower paced scenes in between.
I cannot wait for the final book to be released!

Much like Immortal Longings, Vilest Things is a litany of all things morally grey and murky. The second installment of this trilogy sees Calla and Anton unpicking the catastrophic mess they've made at the end of book 1, both in Talin and their personal lives.

There is a lot of context in plot progression with light call backs, so would suggest a reread of Immortal Longings ahead of reading this if it's been a while.

The crowning glory in this book is Calla and Anton's relationship and banter. And most notably Calla's unique ways of apologising. 😂

This book will make you audibly gasp. All hail Chloe Gong, master of emotional damage!

This book was an absolute whirlwind of passion, intrigue, and power plays. The blend of romance and political machinations kept me on the edge of my seat. The author’s writing style is both sharp and evocative, pulling me into the emotional turmoil and high-stakes drama with every page. The witty banter and deep romantic tension between Calla and Anton were portrayed with such nuance, I couldn’t help but get completely absorbed. The character dynamics were rich and complex, adding layers to an already gripping narrative. This isn’t just a fantasy romance; it’s a rollercoaster of emotions and a brilliant exploration of power and identity.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Actual rating: 4,5 ✨

I wasn’t expecting to be this shocked after reading Vilest Things by Chloe Gong. The first book in this new trilogy didn’t really reach my expectations, I felt so disappointed by it and I thought that its sequel couldn’t be any better. Well, I was wrong.

Vilest Things is the second novel in a trilogy inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra but with Hunger Games vibes and a TRUE enemies to lovers. Chloe Gong turned out to be one of my favourite authors and I finally recognised her talent while reading Vilest Things.

Since it’s a sequel, I don’t want to spoil anything about the plot, but I need to state that the ending of Immortal Longings left the reader with a lot of questions and in a state of utter astonishment. That ending was the perfect springboard for this new book. It had the right tension, the stakes were higher than I remembered and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.

Even though the romance featuring the series is well done (it’s probably the best enemies to lovers I’ve ever read), my favourite character was Calla. If you liked Juliette in These Violent Delights, you’ll worship Calla! She’s unpredictable, filled with vengeance and hatred, and extremely powerful. You’ll love reading her povs, especially if you’re fascinated by morally grey characters.

I also loved reading all these different povs. Not all the characters narrating the events are extremely relevant for the story, but their perspective gave more depth to the plot. Galipei and Anton have my heart, I really wanted to read more about their relationship and I hope they’ll be deepened in the next book.

The ending really took me off guard. I expected what was going to happen, but I really enjoyed reading it!

The magic system is the main focus in this novel and it’s uniqueness makes it even more interesting. How it develops and changes completely as new knowledge is discovered, how it’s portrayed in a different way from character to character, and how it’s a fundamental part of San-Er’s society.

All in all, Vilest Things proved to be a beautiful book, despite the disappointment of Immortal Longings. So, if you like Hunger Games and enemies to lovers than do not miss this trilogy!

I had thought this was the last book of a duology, so was at points confused when things weren’t coming to a conclusion towards the end (which is my own fault).
My Chloe Gong continues to be a fantastic and I’ve so far loved everything she writes, I love her morally grey characters, which are always so interesting. And imagery I got from her words was so fleshed out.
I look forward to the next instalment!

The start of this story lacked focus and direction for me. I would probably have benefited from a re-read of Immortal Longings, but even so, there felt like a lack of continuity, or at least, a lot of meandering from where the first book finished. At 30% in I was wondering where it was going.
Our two main characters, so magnetic and charismatic in the first story, felt like shadows of their former selves.
It wasn’t until around 70% that the mists began to clear, and glimpses of the relationship between Calla and Anton from the first book began to emerge. With a bit of exposition, the finer plot points were also revealed and it felt like the story had some direction.
The last 30% saved this for me. The ending was great. Had the rest of the book been the same, I’d have rated it 5 stars. However, overall this was a disappointment, so it’s 3 stars for this sequel, and I won’t be picking up the next one.
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a chance to read the ARC.

When in doubt about a sagging middle instalment, look to the characters to lead the drama stir-ups.

There were many things I enjoyed in this instalment. The heated back and forth between Calla and Anton. Anton chasing down dead leads. The heartbeats of anarchy palpating to life every now and then, a reminder of threats older and larger than our cast persisting and setting up the climax. The lovely twist with history. The qi experiments and the larger role of divinity within the story, throwing more weight behind the name of this trilogy.

I had the puzzle pieces but I wasn't able to make every last one click together...not until the final chapter. Oh, was it an itch satisfied. Patting myself on the back for noticing the clues (and the clues were nicely woven in!)

It certainly sets up what's going to be a truly bloody showdown. But will Anton, Calla, and San-Er survive?

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I was incredibly disappointed in this instalment, especially with how much I enjoyed the first book. I will preface this by saying that I had assumed that this was the last instalment of a duology so I spent a lot of this book confused as to why it didn't feel like any questions were being answered, in addition to finding the character development (or the lack thereof) and the actual plot quite confusing.

Something I loved about book one was the morally grey nature of all the characters. Our three main characters were all shrouded in mystery, with complex motivations that get hinted at throughout the book. Usually, some of that ambiguity would be cleared up by the second book but it wasn't this time which meant that I was just incredibly confused about what was driving these characters and their decisions the entire novel. They also didn't go anywhere the entire book - they didn't seem to grow or change as people at all.

The concept itself - both this idea moving your qi into different bodies and the politics of the world - should be engaging and fascinating but they just weren't. The rules about jumping into different bodies seem to change halfway through which I didn't love. Something I still really love is the fact that Calla and Anton's relationship develops whilst he isn't in his birth body and isn't reliant about how he looks at all. However, this general lack of clarity completely distracts from the cliffhanger at the end for me.

Overall, I don't think this book moved forward or developed enough. It felt stagnant and didn't seem to add much to the premise, world building or characters. I'm still interested in how the series ends but this instalment could've used an extra 100 pages to really expand and provide some extra clarity. 4 stars for Immortal Longings. 1.5 stars for Vilest Things.

EXCUSE ME, but you cannot leave me on that ending omg.

This book is full of twists, strategic moves and questionable intentions and I absolutely loved it. The magic, the developments regarding Qi and people from the past. This story grows and explores new angles with detail and it leaves you nothing but intrigued to find out more.

I will need 3-5 business days to wrap my head around the complexity of those twists and the dangerous path they have led the story down. I’m so excited for the next book!

Vilest Things was a fitting sequel to Immortal Longings, sharing the same strengths and weaknesses.

Keeping up with the story and its twists was captivating, and I breezed through the book in just a few days. Calla is a compelling and morally complex character; her choices felt authentic and raw. I appreciated that Chloe Gong didn't shy away from letting her characters make necessary decisions, even if they weren't always likeable.

Unfortunately, I struggled with the same issues as in book one. Some plot holes and inconsistencies in character behaviour pulled me out of the story at points. While Calla was incredible, the rest of the cast sometimes felt like tools to push the plot forward.

Overall, I enjoyed the first two instalments in this series and will definitely read the final book (that ending!), though I am a bit disappointed in the execution of its potential.

In Vilest Things, Chloe Gong continues her retelling of Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra (only better because it has magic and body-switching). After the numerous revelations at the end of Immortal Longings, I was desperate to find out what happened to Calla and Anton in the sequel, and I’m happy to say that this book didn’t disappoint. Moving on from San-Er’s death games, this book focuses more of the politics of the city, the connections and betrayals that tie the main characters together, and hints at the tragedies to come in the third and final book in the series. That’s right! There’s going to be a third book. So don’t expect everything to be resolved in Vilest Things, there’s still much more to the story.

First of all, I loved the continued focus on the magic system and the body-snatching powers of some characters . I feel like this, along with the setting, is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Whilst some of the rules about body jumping are still quite vague, I liked the new focus on the consequences of jumping. It isn’t simply that you might be lost or that your qi might be suppressed by someone stronger, there is also a wider societal effect. With an imposter on the throne, it begs the question- can a royal family or even a single royal be trusted to lead when they can be overcome anyone with enough power? What good is it having a figurehead when the body means so little to many people in San-Er? This type of usurpation (where the people aren’t even aware that there’s been a change of power) is completely unique and I loved seeing how it played out.

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the new dynamics between the main characters were explored. Personally, I thought that Calla and Anton grew very close and trusting a bit too quickly. I also love the enemies to lovers dynamic, so it was really interesting to see how Calla’s betrayal made them much more wary around one another. Her actions had huge consequences and I’m thankful that the author didn’t dismiss the betrayal straight away to focus on romance.

I also liked the inclusion of Otta in this novel. She seemed to drive the plot forward and her complicated history with other characters also led to a lot of conflict and development. Calla and Otta threatening each other was also entertaining (it’s always fun to see two powerful female characters finding themselves on opposite sides).

Overall, I think that Chloe Gong wrote an intriguing and political fantasy novel. Whilst some detail still need to be fleshed out (mainly the magic system and some of the world-building) she writes in a way that forces you to keep reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves strong female characters, unique magic systems and tense romantic relationships. I originally picked it up because I loved the body-swapping in the Alchemy of Souls TV show so I’d also read it if you’re a fan of that K-drama!

I did struggle to finish the first book, i had to give it a second chance to see if it was for me or not but i did ended up liking it especially with that cliffhanger i had to get my hands on the second one. I do love the main characters, their complexity, their development, the fact that they are morally grey (morally grey characters = best characters). Vilest Things started slow, although a lot of political stuff were thrown at us, new characters, new places, new things, they were brushed off without letting me grasp them to the point of leaving me confused and uninterested. Half way through the book felt like a lot was happening (because a lot of new info was thrown at us) but nothing was happening at the same time. This is a political based world, but i’d prefer if things were explained a little bit better. The pace was fast towards the end and i started getting more interested again, that cliffhanger got me hooked so i’ll definitely be looking forward to the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. ✨

Rating - 4.75⭐️

I loved this even MORE than the first book!! This was one of my highly anticipated sequels this year AND MISS CHLOE GONG DID NOT DISAPPOINT🙌🏻🙌🏻

THE CHAOS! THE DRAMA!🤌🏻 I especially had a fun time reading the drama unfold between Otta, Calla and Anton.

I LOVED the exploration of the obsessive relationship between Calla & Anton. They’re at each other’s throats one moment with accusations of betrayal and then the next they’re confessing their undying love for each other and the cycle repeats.

Chapter 36 and onwards gave me GOOSEBUMPS‼️ Calla Tuoleimi was such a girlboss in those last few chapters.

Overall I had a really fun time with this book and I’m so excited for the third instalment!!

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

Huge fan of Chloe Gong's books! I was super excited when I received the ARC for this title. I loved 'Immortal Longings" and I kind of wished that I had read the first book before I dived into this. The first book was fast-paced with a lot of action but 'Vilest Things' was slow-paced with a big action sequence towards the end of the book. The second book dealt with more worldbuilding and character development. It was very political compared to the game sequences, and I expected there to be a lot more of that. Again, this isn't really a complaint.

There were a lot of aspects that I loved. The romance!!! The tension, the chemistry, my goodness. It was incredible. There were moments of angst and yearning. I love the romance and devotion between Anton and Calla, but there is a bit of darkness between them.

I can't wait to see where this story goes in the third novel of the 'Flesh and False Gods' series.

𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 • 𝗖𝗵𝗹𝗼𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝗴
★★★.𝟳𝟱

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- Fantasy
- Inspired by Antony and Cleopatra
- Political court intrigue
- Unique magic system
- Morally grey characters

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I absolutely adored book one, Immortal Longings, it was easily one of my top books of 2023. So, why do I feel oddly disappointed with this second installment?

I remain deeply in love with Calla. She’s fierce, smart, quick to anger, slow to love, but when she’s on a characters side you simply know that that character will come out on top. In fact, I enjoyed all the characters except maybe Otta, simply because there’s too much mystery and uncertainty she is shrouded in.

I loved the cutthroat games of the first book. However, I found this installment confusing and overwhelmingly political. There were so many plot points that were brushed over and it’s left me half-satisfied. I’m hoping that the third installment will stamp out any lingering bafflement and this series will soar to a new favourite of mine, as all CG’s books seem wont to do.

What really shines in this book is the writing and the romance; both intense, both seductive, and both entirely enthralling.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

“𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴, “𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥.”

“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.”

“𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥.”

3,75

Before diving into ‘Vilest Things’, I did a reread of ‘Immortal Longings’, which turned out to be a really great idea on my part (well done me!), because I did forget some more or less important info.

‘Vilest Things’ starts off right where ‘Immortal longings’ left off.
I was super curious in what direction the story would go, since the plot of book one was quite clear.

One of the things and plot points I was most excited about was Otta. And let me tell you, while I do wish we would have seen more of her, Otta did not disappoint! Especially the ending. IYKYK.
There were also some new and different povs, which was interesting. For example, I really liked Galipei’s parts and chapters and, again, do wish there were a bit more of them in the book.

While I’m still not 100% convinced of the romance between Calla and Anton, I do think their relationship made more sense in this book. Or let’s say, as much sense as them and their relationship can actually make.

What I also liked was that we got to see more of the provinces around San-Er (the book has a map!!). Aaaaaand more backstory to the history of Talin!

The ending was absolutely cruel! I did had a slight suspicion about one of the plot twists, but not *the other one*.

I do have to say that the book fell a bit flat for me just about after the 50% mark for maybe the next 15%-ish and after that, my brain just kinda was not having it. Not the book’s fault, but purely a me-thing.
Hence why I bumped up the rating to a 3,75 in favour of the book.
I am excited for book three though!

(MaoMao has 100% main character energy and I support it)

3.5 ★

This is a very difficult book to rate, and I think I'll be thinking about my rating for a long time, because there are equally many things I loved and didn't love about this story. The first book received a lot of mixed reviews, but I adored it and was immediately enthralled by the new world that Chloe Gong created. I found it intriguing, the world-building compelling and the characters interesting and complex. My opinion of it remains the same, but the sequel to Immortal Longings didn't give me everything I expected.

All of me is a big question mark because I spent most of this reading confused. I understand the basics of the story, and honestly the ending shouldn't have been as surprising as it was, because it makes sense that it happened the way it did, but I struggled to stay invested in the plot. It's a good plot, it's interesting, and I love politically heavy fantasies, especially when they explore the disparities between rich and poor, the bloodthirsty lust for power and its consequences, and how sometimes, when fighting for the greater good, you can go down morally grey paths and easily lose yourself in them, becoming just as bad, if not worse, than the tyrants you're trying to destroy. But in my opinion, it all happened so fast. And I don't mean that it was a fast-paced book, the beginning was quite slow and it only picked up speed towards the end, but whenever something was revealed or a character learned something, it was quickly brushed over and the next scene came and that was it. Certain plot developments left me so confused that I had no idea what was going on - there are too many characters, too many places, too many different words being thrown around and I couldn't even begin to tell you what it was all about. The qi thing is fascinating, the way these characters can jump into other bodies is so cool, even if it's dangerous and kind of scary, but there's a lot of things about it that I still don't understand. And I don't think it's because I'm stupid, I think it's because it's not well explained.

When it comes to the characters, I'm a little disappointed that there wasn't more focus on their development. I understand that this is a plot-driven series, but the complexities and intricacies of these characters and what motivates them to make the choices they do is something I find captivating, as they are all morally grey, and I wanted to spend more time with them. I get why Chloe added a few different points of view throughout the story, but I only care about Calla, Anton, August and Galipei. We don't see much of the latter two, for reasons I can't say without spoiling the plot, but even though Calla and Anton get a lot of focus, I still feel like there's more to find out about them. Maybe it's just me, but as much as I love a good plot, it's usually the characters that keep me hooked. There's definitely depth to them, but I wish they were even more fleshed out.

As for the romance, I mostly want to scream when I think about it (because I love how angsty it is and I want more). Now, I have to say that this is not a romantasy, the romance is a tiny subplot. Nothing major, so I know I shouldn't expect it to be more than what it is. But Chloe excels at writing star-crossed lovers, she delivers angst, heartbreak and yearning all on the same plate. The love between Anton and Calla borders on devotion, especially for Anton, who sees Calla as a deity to be worshipped. And Calla sees him as her anchor, someone who can pull her back to herself when her hunger for revenge becomes too large. I wrote in my review of Immortal Longings that their romance is "all-consuming and obsessive, to the point where you wonder if it's really love at all", and I still stand by that. What are they seeking? Is it love or is it power? I think it's both, but I'm afraid they'll destroy each other in the process. And part of me LOVES this, absolutely loves it, but another part of me longs for more. I want to feel that when everything is taken away from them, they'll stay together because they love each other and would rather see the world burn down than lose each other again.

I hope this makes sense, I think I'm just word vomiting at this point lol I have complicated feelings about this series. I love it, but this book didn't give me what I wanted. I hope that in the next book the magic system is explained in more detail, that there is more focus on the characters and that the plot isn't so messy and confusing. I love Chloe Gong, she's one of my favourite authors and I think her writing is beautiful, so I'm not giving up hope that the third and final book will be great.

[thank you net galley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc]

First of all I want to thank netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an arc
I'm still not sure on my final rating but it's somewhere along the 3 to 4 star range
I think I liked the first book better because I was so in it but this time I was a bit confused by some aspects of the world and there are so many characters at first I was a bit overwhelmed
The first 40% were a bit slower but as it started to pick up I didn't want to put it down
Overall I really like this series because I love the premise and the ending just like last time went a bit crazy so I can't wait for the next book to come out