Author: Chloe Gong
Publication Date: 16 November 2021
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Page Count: 512
Dates Read: November 15 – January 24
Reading Method: E-book (arc) & Audiobook
Review
The story of Roma and Juliet continues in Our Violent Ends. If you’ll recall, I read These Violent Delights last year (review can be found here) and I was curious to see how the story ended.
Unfortunately, I faced some of the same issues I had with These Violent Ends. If you haven’t read the first book, I would stop reading here because there are likely to be spoilers for the first book as we continue with the review.
We pick up pretty much right after the events of the first book and the mood between Roma and Juliet is ~tense~ at best. Unfortunately, there is a blackmailer who is claiming to release more of the monsters into the city unless they are paid handsomely. Roma and Juliet must work together to figure out who the blackmailer is in an attempt to save the city the love, all the while political tensions are high and the city is becoming more and more divided. The future of the gangs is looking more and more uncertain.
I absolutely love the story. It’s imaginative and unique – a fresh take on a very familiar story. We know going into this, what happens to the original Romeo and Juliet, but Gong takes that base story and twists it in a new, exciting way. The problem I have faced with both of these books now is the pacing. It will be engaging and fast paced, and then hit a slump. And the pattern continually repeats throughout the entire book. I was struggling so hard to get through the e-arc version of this story. I finally managed to get my hands on the audiobook version, which went a little faster. Sometimes, ya just need someone to read the book to you. I will say, trying it on audio made it easier to stay invested. I don’t even think it’s a writing style issue. Gong has moments where the writing is just so beautiful and has a way of making even the city feel like a character I care about.
There is so much happening in this book. Roma and Juliet are on a constant back and forth, trying to fight their emotions and fight for each other. I loved these two so much. But my favorite characters are still Marshall and Benedikt. I just want to give them both a hug and be their best friend. There is betrayal, monsters, epic fights, and tender moments sprinkled throughout. Nothing really ends the way you think it’s going to, but it was perfectly done. The ending had me a little nervous because I wasn’t sure how it was all going to play out. I was immensely satisfied with how it all wrapped up. The characters are perfectly loveable and their emotions jump off the page. I was sad to end the story because I wasn’t to hang out with all the characters for just a little bit longer.
About the Book
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on a mission. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
About the Author
Chloe Gong is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and its sequel Our Violent Ends. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York pretending to be a real adult.
After devouring the entire YA section of her local library, she started writing her own novels at age 13 to keep herself entertained, and has been highly entertained ever since. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear by chanting “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture”into a mirror three times.
[…] Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong […]