YA Review: These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 464p., ages 13-up, 9781534457690)
Chloe Gong's debut novel, a vibrant, bloodcurdling retelling of Romeo and Juliet, is set in an alternate 1920s Shanghai divided for generations by the rival White Flowers and Scarlet gangs. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are ex-lovers, bitter enemies and heirs to the crime syndicates. When a madness causes members of both gangs to begin dying en masse, the pair find themselves secretly keeping company once again.
Juliette, recently returned from a four-year exile in New York, is eager to take her place as next in line to lead the Scarlet Gang. She needs to be a nefarious, "callous killer" at all times, but her cousin finds "every opportunity to upstage her." At the same time, her first love, Roma, is also trying to establish his right to be his father's successor. But when Scarlets, White Flowers and the innocent people of Shanghai all begin to "gouge their own throats out," Juliette and Roma grudgingly join forces and defy deeply entrenched gang tradition to unearth what's behind the madness. Tensions between political factions escalate and the two must reckon with each other, their families and new forces--perhaps even "the devil himself"--encroaching on their traditional territories and power.
Gong's lushly worded, thrilling historical fantasy (terrific for fans of Libba Bray's Diviners series) is a fresh take on one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. Her dynamic city throbs with life and lascivious behavior as downtrodden workers share space with decadent overlords. The gripping stakes, diverse and compelling characters and all-consuming mystery make this a particularly rich and rewarding debut. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.
Discover: A mysterious madness--and a monster--cause the people of Shanghai to rip out their own throats in this YA Romeo and Juliet retelling set in the 1920s.
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