Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
Blurb (on back of book): Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
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 in to 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.
MY OPINION: ****
This book took me forever to read. I think it was over a month before I finally finished it. I contemplated DNF-ing it so many times but the only thing keeping me going was that I'd already finished the first one and since this isn't a long series, I felt compelled to just finish it to see what happened. Also, my roommate kept telling me it was super good and that the ending will wreck me so I was more inclined to keep going.
I didn't hate it and clearly by my rating, I actually ended up enjoying it. I don't regret spending so much time trying to get through it but I don't think it was necessarily the amazing incredible book I was promised and was thus hoping for. It had a lot going for it but there were times when I felt like it just dragged on and I got bored.
I did love the side characters a lot more in this book. They were given much more fleshed-out personalities and I found myself rooting for them/pitying them/hating them way more than I did in the first book. Benedikt and Marshall were the loves of my life; I was rooting for them so much. I loved them with my whole soul. Kathleen was also a perfect friend to Juliette. They really balanced each other out.
I'm not the biggest fan of Juliette and Roma but I thought that this one definitely brought out the enemies-to-lovers trope a lot more (which we all know I'm obsessed with). I did see more chemistry between them in this one than the first book but I wouldn't put them on my list of book couples I'd die for. As separate characters, I liked them both a bit more. Roma wasn't my favorite book boy ever but I was starting to see a bit more of what everyone else is supposedly seeing in him in this book. I like Juliette and her independent Asian woman vibe a lot. I liked how she balanced Roma out and vice versa.
Poor Roma, though. This man deserved better in this book, especially the first half. He was a sweetheart and he didn't deserve to go through everything that he went through.
The ending was not the tragic devastating tear-wrenching thing I was expecting. I did not cry and I did not feel remotely like crying. I actually thought it was surprisingly satisfying and ended on a very concluding feeling. I didn't feel like it was open-ended or confusing or unsatisfying and was very pleased with how it ended. Yes, it's sad, but it's not like it was a surprise or devastating enough to the point where I was on the floor sobbing. I can think of many other ways where it would have been sadder but this one was perfect the way it was. I do wish we had gotten a bit more of what happened after everything but I guess we will never know.
Justice for Benedikt. That man went through way too much. I was constantly yelling at the pages asking for Juliette to just tell him the truth but it just kept getting more and more prolonged. Benedikt is also the only one who literally has any sense but okay.
The plot twist with the blackmailer and everything with the monsters was very interesting. I did guess the final plot twist way before it happened but the rest of it kept me on my toes. I definitely liked the monster plot and seeing how that all played out as a big conflict between Roma and Juliette.
Overall, I would say that this book did drag on a bit but it wasn't something that I regret reading. I would recommend it to readers looking for a beautifully-written fantasy novel with a historical fiction/Shakespeare-retelling feel to it.
Main Character: Roma, Juliette
Sidekick(s): Marshall, Benedikt, Kathleen, etc
Villain(s): Blackmail, monster, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on a fantasy world with fantasy characters, setting, and plot.
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