Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

During the height of terror in 1920s Shanghai, new drugs are being produced rapidly; dangerous strangers lurk around every corner; and gang violence is on a steady rise. The city is ruled by two of the most prominent gangs: the Scarlet Gang & the White Flowers, who are each other’s sworn enemies. If that wasn't enough, a sickness is sweeping Shanghai’s glistening streets and wiping out entire families. No one knows where it came from; no-one knows how it spreads. They only know is that it’s lethal. 

After her three-year exile in America, Juliette Cai is more than ready to return to Shanghai. She plans to assume her rightful place as the Scarlet Gang’s heiress and finally crush the White Flowers once and for all. The heir to the White Flowers took everything from her; why shouldn’t she do the same to him? Meanwhile, Roma Montagov has spent the last few years preparing to lead the White Flowers. It’s what he’s been training for his whole life, and it’s what he’s put before anything else. However, the tension between his father and sister cannot be ignored, and he’ll eventually have to choose one over the other. If Roma and Juliette want to survive the next months, they’ll have to work together. But the ghosts of past betrayals and heartbreaks still linger, and they aren’t the only things waiting in the shadows.

These Violent Delights is a book to remember. Gong’s characterization is absolutely beautiful, as is the way she weaves Roma and Juliette’s storylines back together. Her work puts a new, enticing spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope and will leave readers anxiously awaiting the sequel, Our Violent Ends. Fans might also enjoy Warcross by Marie Lu and We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. Be advised that These Violent Delights contain scenes of parental abuse, gang violence, and self-mutilation.