Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong | Book Review

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An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

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.

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong is the intense conclusion to the These Violent Delights duology. There is a whole lot of pain in store for Roma and Juliette, main characters of this retelling of Romeo And Juliet. I found myself SO excited to pick this book up — especially given how much of a feature it was during the Edelweiss BookFest. Also, I had attended one of the panels featuring Chloe Gong. I thought she came across as so awesome. I had also really liked These Violent Delights. As it turns out though, I may have a strong case of wrong book at the wrong time in my life.

Set after the events of These Violent Delights, Our Violent Ends shows what happens next for Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov. In this book, Roma genuinely hates Juliette. He’s very angry with Juliette over the death of a dear friend. No spoilers, no spoilers. So, when Juliette and Roma are thrown back together to find out what is up with the return of the Monsters that they thought had been defeated. Throw in gritty political factions and Shanghai will never be the same. We just might be seeing the end of the gangs and the rise of the Nationalists vs the Communists.

So, I started reading Our Violent Ends at the worst possible time. I kid you not. This is the kind of book that takes concentration. For me, I struggled through this book. It seemed like the pacing was so slow and getting through it was such a monumental task. Nothing against the book itself, the writing, or the author. However, I am a completely subjective reader and my experience shapes how I read and rate a book. I started this book on January 30th. On January 31, I got word one of my friends had passed away. A few days later, I got word my husband’s grandma was in the ICU. So, when I tell you that this was a bad time to read this book, I mean it. Ultimately, this book didn’t transport me or take me out of my mind — if that makes sense? I do think if I was ever to re-read it, I might rate it higher. I just could not feel fully invested with everything else going on in my life at the time of reading.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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