Our Violent Ends - Review

 

Book Review:
Title: Our Violent Ends
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

“These violent delights have violent ends, you have always known this.”

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step into usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
  Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right – even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
  Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

A sequel summary:
Me: I like angst
Chloe Gong: *writes OVE*
Me: welp… :’)

Finishing this duology was quite the journey. These Violent Delights was my first review and blog post of 2021, so its only fitting that Our Violent Ends is the first review on my blog in 2022.

Now, the first book was good, but this sequel really upped the ante! Roma and Juliette both have so much on their plate – the monsters are said to be back, the Scarlet Gang/White Flowers feud is still very much alive, political tension is on the rise, and of course, they’re both dealing with heartache and conflicting emotions. It was very much jam-packed and explosive! ;)

Whenever it actually comes to talking about the last book in a duology/series, I only ever want to talk about the ending because that’s usually the thing that sticks with me the most, and Our Violent Ends is no different... but obviously I can’t do that because *spoilers*.

What I can say however is that I’m finishing this duology feeling very much satisfied, yet also emotionally damaged. A brilliant combination if I do say so myself.

I said in my review for TVD that I really loved the vibes the first book gave off, and those immaculate vibes continued in the sequel. All because of the characters. They have so much heart and soul, and their emotions feel incredibly real. And I’m not just talking about Roma and Juliette, I’m including all the side characters too – Marshall, Benedikt, Rosalind, Kathleen, Alisa, and even Tyler – they're not the ‘shining stars’ of this duology, but boy did they still shine. The dynamic between them all, whether it was friend or foe, and the way they held themselves was so captivating and entertaining. Chloe Gong really did do an amazing job with her characterisation.

The more political and history side of this story was also great, especially when you consider that a lot of it (minus the monsters, of course) is based on Shanghai’s real history in the 1920s. So fascinating, and I really did feel like I learnt so much. Obviously, Miss Gong added her own little twists to it, which are always wonderful, so it was generally just a great balance of history, gangster feuds and characterisation.

However, because Roma and Juliette have me in a chokehold, like with the first book, I wanted just a little bit more of a focus on them and their relationship. There was still a very good amount of romance and yearning, but I’m just greedy. These two serve enemies-to-lovers galore, mixed with star-crossed lovers, and everything they give me I just want to gobble up. I love how to everyone else they’re these violent, dangerous gangsters, but when they’re together we see their softer, more vulnerable sides. Their scenes together in this book, especially as we got closer to the end were *chefs kiss* and gave me all the feels!

Overall, I think Our Violent Ends is a great conclusion to this duology and a fantastic retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Chloe Gong ticks off a lot of the core themes and elements seen in the original play, while adding her own unique twists. Have I also mentioned the delicious angst?
I can’t wait to read more from Chloe in the future!

4 Stars
Goodreads