Chloe Gong makes use of Romeo and Juliet as a basis for the beginning of this duology based in 1926, Shanghai. We have the Cai's from the scarlet gang Vs the Montagov (the white Flowers) feuding across a chaotic Shanghai, but they are forced to work together to investigate why people are starting to claw their own throats out....

"The years had worn on between them, had aged them into monsters with human faces, unrecognisable against old photos."

I enjoy Juliet's smart retorts, Roma's barbed comments. This is a fast paced story with quick plot development. The chapters were just the right length and told from both Juliet and Roma's POV. Both characters are morally grey and there is frequent tension between following their desire and balanxing this with the demands of the family firm. There are elements of fantasy, hierarchical power grabbing, testing family loyalty and scenes of violence, extortion, and descriptions of death. 

"You shouldnt get a say here... However flawed we are, however much we fight each other, this country is still not for people like you to dictate".

I really enjoyed the blend of Shanghai history and world building in the story; it really feels like I had a birds eye view of the story developing. Frequently the themes of colonialism eroding the beauty of Shanghai came up, this added to the motivations for both the MC to protect their way of life, thier found family and vulnerable community around them. 

"Will I be less if I sounded like my mother, my father, and all those in this city who were forced to learn more than one language, unlike you?"

I love the blending of dialects, language; the power to be gained when access is learnt. There is such beauty to be admired by code switching. 

I love the strong sentiments, bold feminist characters. 

This is my first Chloe Gong book; I will be looking at her backlist 💕💕💕