Hardcover, 494 pages

English language

Published Jan. 13, 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton.

ISBN:
9781529344578

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (1 review)

The heartstopping follow up to These Violent Ends, an imaginative, alluring retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai.

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang's heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall's death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it's his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he's …

1 edition

gosh darn it

5 stars

The first book in this duology, I thought, was a bit of a drag. It had an interesting premise, but it meandered for so long without actually doing anything decisive other than setting up the characters. The end felt like a big explosion scene in an action movie.

This book? I was this close to ugly crying in the subway when I finished the last chapter and turned to the epilogue. It improved so much from the first, and by the time the ending happened - which, by the way, puts a great twist on the whole Romeo and Juliet business that's also going on here - I was involved with all the characters. I cared about them. I dreaded what would happen to Roma and Juliette, but when it actually did happen, it felt right nonetheless.

Some minor qualms include the apparent "mentions of the blood feud" quota that …

Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Romance
  • Modern Shakespeare
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Shanghai
  • LGBT+
  • Supernatural
  • 1920s
  • Fantasy