These Violent Delights
- 470
- Pages
- about 9 h
- Reading time
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
Our view
“These Violent Delights” is a moody retelling of Romeo and Juliet among the rival gangs of 1920s Shanghai. Juliette and Roma, heirs to opposing sides, must work together against a sickness spreading through their city. Some readers praise the atmosphere, the premise and Juliette herself; the monster mystery strikes some as convoluted, and others find the book competent but unremarkable. First of two volumes, for readers who like rivalry with their romance.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
These Violent Delights is a historical and romantic fantasy novel by New Zealand author Chloe Gong. It is her debut novel. The opening installment of the duo-logy of the same name and overall first in the Secret Shanghai series, it reimagines Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Set in 1920s Shanghai, the novel depicts star-crossed lovers Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, heirs to rival gangs, and their efforts to create a cure for the disease that has plagued their city.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.6 across 251 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 63% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Young adult average of 7.8. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 11 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 7.6 | 240 | 96% |
Frequently asked
What age is These Violent Delights for?
These Violent Delights sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 470 pages — shorter than 61% of the ranked books in Young adult.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Young adult — with scores between 7.7 and 7.8, closest to this book.
