These Violent Delights

Title: These Violent Delights
Author: Chloe Gong

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: November 2020
Pages: 439
Series: These Violent Delights #1
Genre: YA Fantasy

Reading Time: 24 Jan - 13 Feb

Binding: Fairyloot Exclusive Hardback

ISBN: 9781529349184
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

 A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in chaos. At the heart of it is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behinds every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love . . . and first betrayal.

 But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns - and grudges - aside and work together, for if the can't stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Review:

 I started reading this straight after finishing The Poppy War series by R F Kuang which means I've spent a little while in Asian settings now and I. Am. Loving. It. The prologue really set me up for a whole lot of fantasy, but it's quite subtle. On reflection I'd hardly call it fantasy, more of a historical fiction with an element of fantasy. 

 The setting of Shanghai at this time allows for a really good range of diversity. Different nationalities, looks, political views, languages and the list goes on. It was really nice to see the range as well as have no feeling of it being forced. It fit the setting perfectly. We also have some fantastic other diverse characters as well. I love Kathleen and how much of a role she has in the book. There are hints of further LGTBQ+ romance to come as well (or so I hope.)

 I haven't read a Romeo and Juliet retelling in a while or perhaps ever. I enjoyed it but it brings about one of my main problems with the book and why I ended up holding back a star. Predictability. If you know the play then you are waiting for certain things to happen which brings another level of anticipation but also means that elements of the story have no real shock factor because you were expecting them. Some of these elements are slightly twisted which I enjoyed but sadly even those twists were also predictable. It's not just elements of the retelling that were predictable either. Everything that's introduced in the book is clearly for a purpose and so I found few real shocks.

 I'm. . . unsure about our main character in Juliette. She seems so constantly angry and violent and I just don't feel like we got an in depth reason as to why. Others in her family have had the same horrors but not turned out like her. The 'heiress' explanation only take you so far. I feel like Roma was far better explained even though we had far fewer chapters from his side. Other than Kathleen, the rest of the Cai family is annoying. Marshall and Benedikt are great fun but I feel like Dimitri was really side-lined given his supposed importance within the gang. I could have seen so much more from the Montagovs.

 It's a pretty solid debut, with a sequel lined up I'll just have to wait and see whether Owlcrate or Fairyloot will be following up on this first instalment!