Chloe Gong has created a new favorite trope of mine, and it's called stealing your lover's weapons while fake kissing (has it been in every book of hers so far? I think so)

Immortal Longings has solidified my claim that Chloe Gong can't write a bad book. I loved both of her other series, so I was super excited to pick this up, and I was drawn in from the very first chapter. She also consistently makes me want to read Shakespeare, which is an accomplishment in itself.
Magical tournaments, magical body switching, secret royalty - this book had so many good tropes. Both Calla and Anton are competing in the annual magical tournament that basically acts as a Hunger Games, but bystanders can die, too, and they both have different motivations and some super complicated backstories. There are also POVs from a few other characters, namely August (the crown prince) and his bodyguard, Galipei. This book is full of action, intrigue, murder, tension, and so many plot twists (I called one of them and was so proud of myself that I missed clues for another). Also, that ending was emotionally damaging, and I want book two immediately.
And, as always, Chloe Gong has created a dozen characters that I absolutely adore. I was a bit iffy about Calla at first, but I think she's pretty cool and very, VERY morally gray. I liked Anton as well, although I wish we got a few more POVs from him. And then there's August and Galipei... Look, I'm not proud of it, but August is my favorite character, and no, I do not have a reason. I just think he's neat, and if he and Galipei don't end up together, then love isn't real.
Immortal Longings will now join my list of books that left me with more emotional damage than I ever needed, but I will buy book two as soon as it comes out.
4.75/5

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