Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Immortal Longings

I wanted to like this more than I do, as I had high hopes from previous works of Gong’s.

What it did well: rivals to lovers Roman, getting a good sense of place in the dual city of San-Er and its various streets, people’s, troubles.

It also has some great action scenes, and great descriptions of how the games worked.

What could be improved: the Jumping magic that allows people to jump from body to body via their Qi is… it’s lackluster. It’s interesting in concept but it is hard to envision a world that this is the norm. There are safeguards for keeping identities and such for bureaucracy purposes , and keeping the monarchy and its powers installed. But you’d think that the politics and systems of a world where qi could be transferred would be a much different one with different troubles.

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hannahs_library_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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literalhedgehog's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was an entertaining read. It was very fast pace as the main characters are competitors in a competition to the death that team up but also have some history and serious trust issues. It’s (loosely) based on Anthony and Cleopatra, character-wise but it DEFINITELY has Shakespearean levels of drama. It set up a lot of mystery I want to see resolved next book.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Writing: 5⭐️/5

I love Chloe Gong’s writing. I think she has immaculate control over her language. I love her descriptions, even when they’re dark or gory. In this novel, her writing really brought the world to life. I felt like I could see the city, see the participants running about, could smell the food and the stink in the alley. I enjoyed reading this novel thoroughly.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

Now again, I’m a big Chloe Gong fan, so maybe there’s a bit of bias here, but Gong writes characters incredibly well. Specifically, she writes morally grey characters with pure ease, crafting their motives, their situations, and their desires into the story with ease. I would’ve loved a touch more from our side characters – as well as to not have our background characters feel so background – but these are small gripes.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5

Alright, Antony and Cleopatra retelling. How does Chloe Gong just reimagine Shakespearean tales in the most interesting way possible? I don’t know, but I do love. The longing, the love, the competition, the forced trust, the game: all of it is so brilliantly written, you can’t help but love it. My only gripe is with the ending, with her twist which leaves us wondering how are two main characters will move forward in love (because they will, right?). I felt like it didn’t need to happen in the way that it happened, strictly for the sense that I knew exactly what had happened to Anton, and I don’t know why that wasn’t a plan Calla and him created, instead of it being a betrayal. I understand that it echoes the betrayal Antony goes through at Cleopatra’s hands, but it felt forced the way it happened – and a little obvious. All in all though, this is a small complaint for a brilliant plot.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of Chloe Gong
Fans of Shakespeare and fantasy novels
Fans of enemies to lovers
Fans of Hunger Games, but want it magic

Content Warnings?

Death, murder, blood, injury, injury detail, gore, child death, sexual content, death of parent, cursing, suicidal thoughts, toxic relationship

Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5

Hi, Chloe. Um, I need the next one pretty, pretty please.

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I received this as part of my FairyLoot subscription.
"Immortal Longings" is the first book in a new fantasy series from Chloe Gong. Princess Calla Tuoleimi has been hiding in plain sight for five years. Her entire family was murdered, and she was the one to do it. Now she has one last family member to bring down, and she has one shot to be able to do so. Every year, the kingdom of Talin hosts a competition in which people who can jump bodies are invited to come and compete to the death to win unimaginable riches. The winner also gets to meet the elusive king, Calla's uncle. Through unexpected alliances, Calla finds herself fighting to win this game, but she learns quickly that everyone has their own motivations, and they all might not align.
I had heard about this book, and was interested because it was another Shakespeare retelling, but I honestly was not going to pick it up because I did not enjoy Chloe Gong's previous duet, "These Violent Delights". However, since I did receive a copy of it, I figured I would give it a shot. Overall, I did enjoy this book more than "These Violent Delights", but I am still not a huge fan of Chloe Gong's writing style.
This novel felt very futuristic with its technologies and characters fighting in this game, which is typically not a setting I really enjoy; however, I think it was executed well. The characters seemed fleshed out, but I just did not connect with them. There is something about them that feels standoffish, and it makes it difficult for me to read and become invested in their story. I think it might be because of the jumping bodies plot point. Since characters can jump, their physical descriptions are always changing, and it felt kind of messy to me. I really had to pay attention to whose perspective I was reading from.
I likely will not continue with this series, but I will happily recommend this to people who ae interested in this type of fantasy.

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_andviolet's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If Squid Games was televised like the Hunger Games, set in a somewhat Neo-HongKong/ Ba Sing Se-esque city state with it's citizens having a special Sci-fi power thrown in; this was a wild story start to finish.

Immortal Longings reminded me why I loved Chloe Gong's writing. Her descriptive world building is perfect for those that like to really dig into the pseudohistorical/background information of the plot elements, and for those like that me that imagine what it would look like as a show or movie. It's an omnipresent POV, following the important characters like we're watching a play unravel, just as it's inspired source does.

Quite obsessed with the love between the leads Calla and Anton- they're a perfectly dangerous and hot pair that actually are on an even playing field, which only makes me more devastated that I'll have to wait an entire year for the sequel. Calling all serious angst lovers, the ending truly destroyed me.

Anyways, if you like badass couples that are at each others throats, but would also kill for each other, then you'll love this book!

Be warned, there's tons of injury detail/body horror/almost gory descriptions, so read with caution!

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