These Violent Delights

  • Author Chloe Gong
  • Narrator Cindy Kay
  • Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
  • Run Time 14 hours and 15 minutes
  • Format Audio
  • Genre Historical fantasy.
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What to expect

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.

<font size="+1"> 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

Critics Review

  • 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!

    Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire
  • 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

    Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear
  • 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

    Joan He, author of Descendant of the Crane
  • 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!

    Emiko Jean, author of Empress of All Seasons
  • 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!

    June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones
  • These Violent Delights combines strong characterisation, skilfully interwoven political insight and an atmospheric portrayal of a Shanghai in the throes of change

    Guardian

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