These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a twisty Romeo and Juliet retelling blending history and fantasy. It is set in a 1920s Shanghai caught in the snare of imperialism, political unrest, a gangster blood feud, and a series of violent deaths.

Shanghai is divided between the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers whose hatred for each other bathes the streets in blood. The story takes place at the heart of this feud from the perspectives of Juliette Cai, ruthless heir of the Scarlets, and Roma Montagov, heir to the White Flowers.

When gangsters from both sides begin ripping out their own throats as if infected by some strange mania, rumours of a monster begin to spread along with the deaths. Meanwhile, foreign powers are claiming parts of the city as their own and the rising Communist party is destabilizing gangster rule.

Juliette and Roma are forced to set aside their past and uncover the truth before Shanghai falls into ruin.

For a book with such an intricate plot, rich settings are essential and These Violent Delights delivers. Everything was told in extraordinary detail from the flashbacks down to the most minuscule features. Although Shanghai is a real place, the descriptions of fictitious hideouts combined with historical places will easily whisk you away from reality.

The nonstop action can be a lot to take in, especially if you've just gotten into reading, but the characters help keep you afloat. Their distinctive personalities are brought to life through their choices, dialogue, and emotions, another area in which Chloe Gong's descriptive prowess shines. Although Juliette and Roma go through the classic enemies-lovers arc, their actions are extremely well-rationalized and their history as violent rival heirs isn't pushed aside by Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers storyline. (Bonus points for strong side characters/romance!)

These Violent Delights explores Shanghai's history and is centered on Chinese characters, a direct contrast to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and white dominant YA. The characters' differences build them up as strong protagonists rather than only being there to challenge stereotypes, which is what you usually find with "token minorities" in YA. Gong does an amazing job with representation, intersectionality, and giving voice to characters people don't often get to hear.

I am not a fan of Shakespeare and retellings in general, but These Violent Delights was a five-star read for me. Gong's plot and settings are very different from Shakespeare's but key moments and nods to his original story are woven throughout. I would say that the first few chapters can be hard to get through but once the action begins, it doesn't stop. The unexpected twists and beautiful prose were definitely worth the time.