shannon (books by the glass)'s Reviews > Our Violent Ends

wow wow wow!! just when I thought my expectations exploded with the first book, they got even bigger and better!!!

I said it many times & I will say it again and again: chloe gong’s writing style is one for the ages! she knows the perfect blend between fantasy, historical fiction, and mystery … aka all of the elements that are a key to my heart 🥹 and of course, her effortless blend between dialogue and text!

the turmoil of THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS played right into this plot and kept running until the very end! the stakes felt much higher than the first and turned way more political and historical rather than relying on the monster to add thriller elements.

and of course, the romance was so enhanced compared to the first novel! this was what I was expecting from the beginning, and I’m so glad it played out exactly how I wanted it to - sprinkling in key elements of romeo and juliet tropes while making the romance its own.

once again, I completely fell in love with the side characters!! I’m so glad we’re getting more stories from them because I never want this universe to come to an end… 😅😅

other than that ending (but also I mean, what did I really expect from a romeo and juliet retelling), this was key fantasy for me and I loved every second of it!!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: helan qingxue jiabeilan grand reserve