Book Review: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Think Romeo and Juliet, but instead of taking place in Verona, it's 1920s Shanghai, and instead of the Capulets and Montagues, we have the White Flowers and Scarlet Gang. Oh and imagine there is a monster running around the city making people tear out their own throats!

 

In our next read, These Violent Delights, author Chloe Gong takes the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet and gives it a fantasy makeover complete with monsters, potions, and of course, forbidden love.

 

The romance and fantasy expert, Sierra Marshall, joins me today to talk all things Shakespeare. 

 

In this episode we cover: 

• Why this book should not be described as a Romeo and Juliet retelling.
• Why we may get kicked out of Goodreads and TikTok for our very unpopular opinion of this book.
• Why choking someone with a necklace and holding a knife to someone's throat is pretty sexy...at least in Juliet's case

Grab a drink, open the book, and press play on this fair podcast where we lay our opinions.   

Mentioned in the Pairings section of the podcast:

• Westside Story (Musical and Movie)
• Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Book)
• Romeo and Juliet (Play)
• William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (Movie Adaptation by Baz Luhrmann)

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Once you're done listening, hop onto our Instagram and TikTok @rwreadspodcast to give us your thoughts on the discussion and the book. We look forward to hearing from you!