These violent delights by Chloe Gong Trigger warning: violence, guns, knives, trauma, death, insects, gore, discrimination. Age rating: 14+ Overall rating: 5.6 out of 5. Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retelling. A spoiler free summary In 1920’s Shanghai the streets run red with blood between two gangs: the scarlet gang and the white flowers. A constant blood feud beginning generations ago is stronger than ever. Juliette Cai is at the heart of the scarlets, the eighteen-year-old, a former flapper returns to assume her role as the heir. The Scarlet gang’s only rival is the white flowers whose heir, Roma Montagov is Juliette’s first love and betrayal… But when people show signs of madness and start clawing at their own throats, death stacks up but when both gangs are affected, Juliette and Roma must put their weapons and resentments aside to stop this chaos or there will be no city left for either of them to rule… Review These violent delights was such an amazing read! It was written elegantly; the descriptions flowed and carried the story. The author’s writing style reminded me a little of the way classic authors write but take out the bad parts, modernise it to fit young adult and she added her own unique spin. I loved everything about this novel, the characters, the relationships, the chemistry, the setting, the atmosphere, and I was extremely excited to read the sequel. There was a time when this book was circulating the media and I would say it deserves the hype it got. This book really takes you on an emotional rollercoaster in a way you may not expect, the chemistry between every single character was spectacular. This novel was written in third person with dual perspectives of Roma and Juliette which really showcased their enemies to lover’s trope, as well as other occasional sections written from the semi-main/side characters contributing unexpectedly well to the overall story line. This book [and our violent ends] particularly stood out to me because of its Asian rep and the in-depth personalities of those characters showed me I was capable of being just as strong as them. This is one of the first books I read with Asian main characters\protagonists [especially in the historical, fantasy] which is extremely sad I wasn’t able to find novels with people who looked like me without it fitting into stereotypes. The unforgettable characters made it impossibly hard to leave their world behind [especially after the sequel]. The fact that it was a fantasy novel with a large Asian cast made me feel so happy to be seen represented. There were many lovely characters, even the smaller side ones made sense to the story and added impacted to the over arcing storylines and character development. The mix of cultures added something that is very real in today’s age, the fact where everywhere you go there is a diverse range of people. I really enjoyed the use of multiple languages, there were some moments where I had to reread over a bit but the author cleverly wove them in and when the characters spoke those languages in a loving way it made it such a large impact. The list of characters I loved were endless, so I won’t be naming them. There was lgbtqia+ rep found in the side characters, but it wasn’t the characters’ main personality, it was just a part of them which I loved and appreciated. Overall, I loved this book, and it gave me the best sense of emotions, Chloe gong’s writing style is something I wish to explore more and am very excited for Chloe’s future works. This novel also made me feel represented in the fantasy/historical fiction realm and it just makes you feel like anything is possible with the Asian representation I have lacked in literature. Quotes “We stay quiet about the injustice of all this simply because it hurts his feelings?” “Too many kind hearts turn cold every day.” “You destroy me, and you kiss me. You give me reason to hate you and then you give me reason to love you. Is this a lie or the truth? Is this a ploy or your heart reaching for me?” “Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in a pandora’s box among misery, and disease, and sadness – and what could endure alongside others with such teeth if it didn’t have ghastly claws of its own?” “It is a sound that exists incongruous with the rest of the anxiety seeping along this city’s arteries.” Recommendations An enemies to lovers duology in an intensity filled environment with rebellion, gangsters and a blood feud set in an imaginative world and ribboned in by the author’s incredible beautiful writing ready to take you on an emotional roller-coaster. Pros: Asian and lgbtqia+ (side characters) rep. How much the novel took me on an emotional rollercoaster, how uniquely well the novel/s were written and the Romeo and Juliet retelling. Cons Nothing, absolutely nothing, it is perfect as it is.
Tag: #retelling
Is there Queer Rep in These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong?
Yes, in the first couple chapters a character is introduced and hinted at being trans in a creative way, Kathleen is semi-main character and her queerness it is not mentioned much after that, it is just a part of her not her “only” personality trait which is unfortunately commonly done by numerous authors.
More lgbtqia+ characters are introduced as being queer in the thrilling sequel, “Our Violent Ends.”
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen Trigger warning: Provided by the author! Here’s a condensed down one: abuse, sexual assault, child neglect, trauma, abusive environment. Age rating: 14+ Overall rating: 5 out of 5. Gernes: Fantasy, mystery, retelling. A spoiler free summary Vanja Schmidt is the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth daughter; from a young age her mother abandons her and leaves her with fortune and death who adopt her. She knows gifts aren’t given freely especially after never receiving love from her mother and godmothers. Vanja trudges her way through life and was a devoted servant to Princess Gisele, well until just a year ago. When Vanja’s demanding godmothers claim a payment because they have taken care of her, she decides to take control of her own life by steal Gisele’s. With help from an enchanted pearl necklace Vanja transforms to look like Gisele, leaving the real princess to be a nobody. Now she lives a double life, one as Princess Gisele and the other as a jewel thief. Vanja charms the nobility and swipes riches from right under their noses to fund her escape, but when she’s one heist away from freedom, she crosses the wrong God who curses her to break out in jewels until she becomes them. Now Vanja races against the clock having just two weeks to fight free of the curse or she will not only lose her freedom but her life too. But Vanja also has an uncontrollable half-god guardian, Gisele’s evil fiancé and a persistently overenthusiastic junior detective on her tail. With all odds against her, Vanja must statically think, or she will lose her life… Review Little thieves is a fantasy retelling of the goose girl. As it was s fantasy it took about a hundred pages to truly immerse myself and understand the world it was set in. There is a lot of German influence and many of the words are German, fortunately the author provides a glossary at the end of the novel but only three quarters of the words are there. The novel is written in one point of view from Vanja, who is a “villain,” while the writing is smooth, easy to understand yet not too simple. I enjoyed the author exploring and displaying Vanja’s complicated past and how trauma still affects her. This aspect of the story makes it to relatable to many people if they have gone through exactly what Vanja has gone through. The trauma responses used in this novel was very realistic and the combination of serious subject matter with a lovable storyline and characters was a harmonious union. The personification of fortune, death, truth and justice were not only unique to the story but made it easy to understand since they were things everyone widely knows about. The characters and storyline had so much depth. Each of the main characters had incredible character development that not only made sense to the character but the over arcing storyline. Throughout the novel there was a perfect amount of predictable plot points and completely unexpected ones, from expected connections to guest appearances and untold history. The chemistry was executed immaculately and the romances in the tale was not the main plot line but added significantly to the overall storyline. There were characters who were introduced so you might dislike them, like Gisele, but then you realise they are just damaged and broken as everyone else. I found all the main/semi main characters extremely likeable by the end of the novel, the few I enjoyed included Ragne, Gisele, Emeric. I enjoyed the lgbtqia+ representation even if it wasn’t the central plotline, they played an important role in the story and in the characters. I thought the author did a delightful job in writing the personalities of the lgbtqia+ without making it their only trait, which is unfortunately done quite often. There may or may not be a queer relationship… Overall, I enjoyed the novel and the way the author ended makes me believe there could be a second book, but if there isn’t it ends fine as a standalone as well. [I really hope there is a sequel though. 😉] Quotes “You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy, if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick.” “Just because you can survive without someone doesn't mean they're unwanted.” “In the world I knew, there were three reasons a person would be wanted: for profit, pleasure, or power. If you could satisfy only one, they used you. Two, they saw you. Three, they served you.” Recommendations A fantasy novel written from the perspective of the “villain” with an incredibly intriguing back story and realistic character development set in a wonderful descriptive world and exciting characters with juxtaposing personalities that go unexpected well. Pros: explores trauma responses quite accurately, combines fantasy and mystery with the perfect selection of characters. Cons: I wished the author had put the author’s note/trigger warning on the left side of the book since I missed it when I first read, it was on the right side.
My favourite Books of 2021, part five. Malice by Heather Walter.
MALICE BY HEATHER WALTER
Malice is a retelling of sleeping beauty. It takes a spin on this well know tale and focuses on sleeping beauty and the dark fairy turning it into a sapphic romance if they were both the same age and in their teens. It follows the life of Alyce, imagined as the dark fairy living in a household of “graces” who are “good” magic wielders, and she is the only one who is a dark grace. One day Princess Aurora comes to Alyce in search for a cure for a curse that will kill her in exactly one year. From there sparks fly and everyone knows how the story is going to end right? I loved this novel, as it is a fantasy retelling, it did take some time to dive into its world, but I would say quicker than the usual fantasy and I read it in one sitting thinking it was a standalone, it was left on such a large cliff-hanger. Thankful the sequel is coming out May 2022! I really enjoyed see a LGBTQIA+ focused romance in fantasy and am very excited to see more of the romance in the sequel to coming out soon. I would recommend to those looking for a novel with the classic “good” and “evil,” but with the back story and from the point of view of the villain.
Trigger warning: Abuse, torture, death, violence, bullying, homophobia.
Enna Mari 