These Violent Delights (1) (These Violent Delights Duet)
An Instant New York Times Bestseller!
A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
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 helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all 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 behind 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 they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
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 helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all 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 behind 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 they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
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Community Reviews
BookTok really hyped this book up and overall I think it was pretty decent. It's a Romeo and Juliet retelling with a new twist, which I thought was very interesting and well done. Juliette, in this version, was definitely a lot more of a strong and independent character than her predecessor (which is, in my opinion, a huge upgrade). It adds a lot more complexity to her. Her relationship with Roma (aka Romeo) was a tad underdone in this one though. I was expecting a little more romance, with how hyped up it was but found there was only a little bit. The build-up of their relationship was definitely there, with references to their previous relationship in years past. I wish there had been flashbacks (or something of the sort) so we could better see some of these moments between them instead of just being told about them. All in all, I think this was worth the read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent retelling.
This one wasn't really my jam.
It was fine. Not terrible. Just not for me.
I wasn't really too interested until like 2/3's of the way in.
It was fine. Not terrible. Just not for me.
I wasn't really too interested until like 2/3's of the way in.
It's a interesting Romeo and Juliet take but there was way too many things going on in the story. Every chapter seemed to have one more off the wall event.
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