Book Review: These Violent Delights

Synopsis: 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.

Review:

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, 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.

After hearing a lot of good things about this one I thought I would dive into and see what all the fuss was about.

What I loved about this reimagining of Romeo and Juliet was that while the blood feud between the two families is still factored into the story, the other events taking place in the novel take centre stage a lot more than other plot points from the original story.

I absolutely loved Juliet's character in this story. She is someone who doesn't need a man in her life, speaks multiple languages and knows what she wants in life. Roma (aka Romeo) is a character who we first see as this man with an tough exterior, but as the story progresses we see that he is someone who is trying to do things differently rather than just be like everyone else in his family.

The only complaint I have is that the story did take a little while to get going but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Rating: 3.5/5

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

ISBN: 9781529344554