A review by olivialandryxo
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I understand now why sapphics love Juliette Cai. As a sapphic with a tendency to love fictional girls with weapons, I also love Juliette Cai. Woah. šŸ˜

Okay, got that out of my system. Let me just say that the hype for this book is absolutely deserved. The first 100 pages were kind of slow, but I loved the protagonists instantly and never stopped. I also grew to love most of the side characters, especially Kathleen, Benedikt, and Marshall. I do like Rosalind, but Iā€™m not sure I trust her. I know that I definitely donā€™t like Tyler. If anyone does, I seriously question their tastes. I want to steal his socks and shoes and leave him with a pair of slippers made entirely out of Legos, duct taped to his feet so he can never take them off. (Iā€™m not sure if duct tape existed in 1926, but whatever.)

Roma also really grew on me. I love that boy almost as much as I love Juliette, just in a different way. And the whole lovers to enemies to lovers thing he and Juliette had? Absolute GOLD. I loved the vibes between them from the start, and the more I read, the more I shipped them. Every chapter they didnā€™t kiss drove me a bit more up the wall, but itā€™s fine. Iā€™m fine.

The ending was so intense and left me with more feelings than I know what to do with. Iā€™m now part of the ā€œdesperate for but also terrified of the sequelā€ club. :))
I was so worried that Tyler was going to kill Alisa. I hate him so much. And I really thought Marshall was dead. I didnā€™t expect for Juliette to use that temporary death serum on him. I wonder if thatā€™s going to come back into play in the sequel, given that something similar was in the original story. I also wonder how Juliette is going to use Marshall being alive to her advantage. Lastly, the last interaction between Juliette and Roma was quite painful. I donā€™t even know how to describe my feelings. I just have so FREAKING many of them. šŸ˜©


Favorite parts:
  • Roma telling Juliette to hug him so that he could shoot the guy tailing her. Possibly one of the most iconic things Iā€™ve ever seen in a book.
  • Roma not being able to hold his alcohol and basically falling over when he stood up. And Juliette teasing him about it.
  • Juliette and Roma kissing!!! Of course this is on the list. Iā€™m a hopeless romantic, and these two are now in the list of couples that live in my heart rent free. :))

Representation
  • Chinese protagonist and side characters
  • Chinese trans girl side character
  • Korean queer side character
  • side character with OCD (possibly queer??)

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