These Violent Delights

the fierce, heart-pounding and achingly romantic fantasy retelling of Romeo and Juliet

De: Chloe Gong

Narrado por: Cindy Kay

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping, New York Times bestselling debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens . . .

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in the grip of chaos. At its heart is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love . . . and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns - and grudges - aside and work together, for if they can't stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.


'Heady, smart, and vicious' Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear

'Deliciously dark' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire

'Dark and beautiful' Emiko Jean, author of Empress of all Seasons

'A terrific, deliciously unputdownable read' June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones

(P)2020 Tantor Media©2020 Chloe Gong

Reseñas de la Crítica

A deliciously dark twist on Romeo and Juliet that feels vibrant, modern, and wholly exciting. Gong's writing brims with energy. I was swept away to her dark Shanghai from the first page and never wanted to leave!

Heady, smart, and vicious, These Violent Delights strikes every note with precision, layering romance and politics into a roaring 20s Shanghai of both monsters and monstrous imperialism

Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights plants a Shakespearean classic in the rich soil of 1920s Shanghai, allowing her characters to grow, flourish, and steal your heart while warring against their own

Gong ensnares readers with a delicious tale of family rivalries and forbidden love all set against the glittering backdrop of 1920s Shanghai. Don't miss this dark and beautiful retelling of Romeo and Juliet!

Full of glitter, suspense and gore, These Violent Delights takes readers into the perilous world of 1926 Shanghai . . . Chloe Gong's debut is a terrific, deliciously unputdownable read!

These Violent Delights combines strong characterisation, skilfully interwoven political insight and an atmospheric portrayal of a Shanghai in the throes of change

A lush, wholly original debut that will satiate Shakespeare aficionados and draw those seeking an engrossing, multifaceted historical fantasy

A must-read with a conclusion that will leave readers craving more

The setting's brilliant, a city split by merchant colonies and divided into gang territories, in a country itself fractured politically and on the verge of revolution

Filled with Gong's lush prose, These Violent Delights brings 1920s Shanghai to life, along with a romance that is weighed with history

Stylish and engrossing

A rip-roaring, magic-tinged epic of cabarets and speakeasies, dens and divas . . . Gong's vivid Shanghai is a place to get enjoyably lost in

Gong's darkly seductive YA debut transplants Romeo and Juliet to 20s Shanghai for a gripping story of rival gangs, forbidden love and a plague that threatens to tear the city asunder

The Bard would surely approve

These Violent Delights is a phenomenal book and a wonder of a debut . . . Chloe has written star-crossed lovers/lovers-to-enemies like I've never read before, and if you love yearning, then trust me: you'll love These Violent Delights

This is the kind of book where I sort of just want to open my mouth and let the words expressing my love tumble out with abandon . . . I truly loved everything about this book

More than anything, These Violent Delights is a rich portrait of a seldom-depicted time and place

An unforgettable reimagining of Romeo and Juliet

Bad narrator

Whispering is NOT changing voices, sometimes I couldn’t hear a thing…

The story overall is engaging

The setting is my favourite part!

Setting the story in this time was so interesting! I love this a bit more modern version of Romeo and Juliet!

Pleasant story

I enjoyed this book. It injects something interesting to Romeo and Juliet without reverting to silliness. The reveals are paced well, as it toys with expectation. I do wish there was a little more variation between character accents by the narrator. Overall a pleasant listen.

Whispering isn’t change in voice

The storyteller is annoying & can’t change her voice nor can’t read like human being wtf

Very underwhelming

TLDR: inaccurate portrayals of character voices (emotions on text not matching with the emotion in the voice) and a predictable yet not very enjoyable plot (also almost no romance in a book that's supposed to be a retelling of R and J ??!!)

Long version: This applies to both the voice acting and the plot of the book. I liked the characters, liked the supporting cast but the plot didn't make much sense at one point (more below cuz spoiler). The voice acting is not bad, Cindy Kay reads well, however it made no sense that the voices for the characters 'whispered' at times when they should have been screaming

!!spoilers!!
Who the heck is Paul? Why was he even in love with Juliet?? He didn't really know her. We had like two interactions with him both exactly 2min long and then it was revealed that he was madly in love with her?? So in love he chose to save her but 10mim later tried to kill her SLOWLY. Like. Am I supposed to buy this? ALSO he is the main bad guy behind everything. Because I guess it was more convenient that way? No need to make up a new character...