City News

These Violent Delights is a thrilling novel written by young author Chloe Gong. It is a retelling of the classic story, Romeo and Juliet, but instead of being set in the picturesque city of 16th century Verona, Italy, These Violent Delights are set on the dirty streets of 1920s Shanghai. The story follows Juliette Cai, and Roma Montagu heirs to the rival gangs that rule this city, the Scarlets, and the White Flowers. Their families have been at war with one another their entire lives, and because of that, Juliette was sent to America to grow up safely at a young age. However, she has returned to claim her legacy as the next head of the Scarlet gang. However Juliette is not the only new thing to roam the streets in the dark underbelly of the city. Reports of a monster have been coming in from those who live near the river, and as more reports crop up a deadly virus starts to spread around the city affecting Scarlets and White Flowers alike.  

When Juliette and Roma start investigating the disease they realize they can’t solve this mystery by themselves. But, how will working together go, when the two have a shared past that neither want to acknowledge but can’t stop thinking about. Tensions are running high within both gangs and the two of them realize that they can only trust their closest friends and allies. For Juliette that is her cousins, Kathleen and Rosalind, and for Roma it is his cousin Benedikt, and friend Marshall.  

The real question that you can’t help but wonder however, is can they trust each other. As the disease begins to get closer and closer to Roma and Juliette, they find their worlds spinning out of control. Will they be able to find the root of the disease and a way to cure it? Or will they be forced to watch as their lives crumble around them?  

This book is written in an extremely beautiful way that weaves it’s magic around you, drawing you into the world it portrays. One thing that is also done exceptionally well in this book is the pacing of the story. There aren’t really any moments where you’re bored because they aren’t throwing enough plot and action and revelation at you. But on the other hand, you’re never feeling overwhelmed from having too much plot and action and revelation thrown at you. The story keeps a nice balance where you’re interested but also have those calm moments where you get to truly see the characters and the world how it normally is. When there is a plot twist or big reveal to a secret that was unknown, whether that be to just the reader, or the characters as well, you can’t help but feel the importance and an undeniable sense of shock from the masterful way in which the author describes the story. Another enjoyable thing about These Violent Delights is that even though it does have a plot that is very important to the story, there is also a lot of focus and importance put on on the characterization and development of those who the story revolves around. Every main character has their own story, their own motivations, and their own secrets that you can’t help but want to discover. So when you pair all these amazing parts of the novel with a fascinating plot, you get a story you simply can’t help but love. 

Check out These Violent Delights from the Newport Beach Public Library.