These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
TW: gun violence, bugs, pandemic, body horror/gore, xenophobia, su*cide, death, violence
It is 1926 in Shanghai, and two gangs rule the city: the White Flowers and the Scarlet Gang. The heir to the Scarlet Gang, Juliette Cai, is ruthless and smart. Her rival and heir to the White Flowers, Roma Montagov, wants to figure out the city's sickness. And to figure that out, he needs to enlist the one person forbidden by blood feud, Juliette. And to figure out the plague, the sickness in Shanghai, they will need to work together. But that will prove to be harder when they know nothing about the sickness and that they need to make sure they don’t fall into old habits. This Romeo and Juliet retelling is gory, violent, sad, funny, and complicated.
I enjoyed this story. To be honest, I thought this was going to be a 5-star read, but it wasn’t. That’s okay, though; I did truly enjoy my time with this story. I loved how fast-paced this one. I would read about 75 to 100 pages and not even realize it. I liked the characters, the plot, the worldbuilding, and the setting. A lot of people had trouble with this story because of the expectations the marketing team had. I don’t think it’s the author's fault; it is definitely the work of the marketing team. It is technically a Romeo and Juliet retelling, but this is a plot-based book. It’s not a romance; it is a historical fantasy that happens to have a romance.
I loved this plot. The setting and the worldbuilding just made so much sense with the story. I was so intrigued by the disease aspect of the novel. I couldn’t help myself from thinking up theories about what the plague was and why it was happening. I liked the romance. I am personally not a huge fan of romance-centered fantasy, so I was happy to have a little sprinkling of romance and not have it be the main focus of the story.
I know the characters won’t be for everyone, but I thought they were great. I think they will continue to develop as the series (or duology) continues. I actually loved the side characters in the White Flowers. I can see how their story may blossom, and I am so excited to see if my guesses are correct.
If you like fantasy, especially historical fantasy, I recommend this book. If you are looking for romance, this is probably not the book for you. But, if you are not super into the romance aspect like me, I think you will enjoy this book.