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sabrinz's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
After These Violent Delights I was intrigued by yet another Shakespear retelling.
The story and the mystery and lore of this neon-drenched world is more than fascinating, this book lost me a bit with how jumpy some of the story seemed to be. The tournamet Calla and Anton participate in is the main device to get them both closer to their respective goals and each other, but it seemed more like a story device to move things along rather than something that was really intigrated into the world.
Nevertheless, I was hooked by the world-building and glimpes of the characters we got along the way as well as some sneak peeks at things that may be relevant later on.
I am still not quite certain if I'm on board with how unhinged all the characters seem to be, but it was enjoyable to read and shake my head at them.
I will definitely read book 2 to see where this is going, esp. with that ending :)
The story and the mystery and lore of this neon-drenched world is more than fascinating, this book lost me a bit with how jumpy some of the story seemed to be. The tournamet Calla and Anton participate in is the main device to get them both closer to their respective goals and each other, but it seemed more like a story device to move things along rather than something that was really intigrated into the world.
Nevertheless, I was hooked by the world-building and glimpes of the characters we got along the way as well as some sneak peeks at things that may be relevant later on.
I am still not quite certain if I'm on board with how unhinged all the characters seem to be, but it was enjoyable to read and shake my head at them.
I will definitely read book 2 to see where this is going, esp. with that ending :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Trafficking and Death of parent
renewed_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Unfortunately, this book wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. There were entertaining parts but the pacing was quite off toward the end. I also think two key characters were underdeveloped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content and Police brutality
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and War
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
📖
This was quite the book. I don't really know how to explain my feelings. I think it was interesting. I liked the magic system. The worldbuilding and the lore were interest. I struggled to like the main characters -- Calla, Anton, and August -- and I'm wasn't the best fan of the romance between Calla and Anton.
This was quite the book. I don't really know how to explain my feelings. I think it was interesting. I liked the magic system. The worldbuilding and the lore were interest. I struggled to like the main characters -- Calla, Anton, and August -- and I'm wasn't the best fan of the romance between Calla and Anton.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail
teddy_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
hannahs_library_'s review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is my first read by Chloe Gong and I am impressed. The pace starts out slower, but gradually increases along with the tension throughout. The last 30% of the book was a whirlwind in a good way.
It's a story of love, obsession, and revenge. It will make you question whether anyone can have power and be uncorrupted.
There are almost no likeable characters in this book, but they do feel very real. The world that Gong has written them in shapes who they are very logically. And despite them not being likeable, Calla and Anton and even August are compelling to read about.
The worldbuilding is exceptional and I could clearly picture the atmosphere and streets of the city the characters are in. It was a character on its own which I appreciated.
There is a lot that happens in this bookincluding several reveals toward the end. The setup for the next story is absolutely exceptional and I wish I could pick it up right away!
It's a story of love, obsession, and revenge. It will make you question whether anyone can have power and be uncorrupted.
There are almost no likeable characters in this book, but they do feel very real. The world that Gong has written them in shapes who they are very logically. And despite them not being likeable, Calla and Anton and even August are compelling to read about.
The worldbuilding is exceptional and I could clearly picture the atmosphere and streets of the city the characters are in. It was a character on its own which I appreciated.
There is a lot that happens in this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: War
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
IMMORTAL LONGINGS builds a claustrophobic sense of place, with densely packed buildings and strangers everywhere. The mechanics of jumping are used excellently, and explained enough to allow for a pretty cool late-book reveal. It plays with the tension between this culture of literally disposable bodies and Calla's refusal to jump. Rather than one's physical form, Qi (a person's essence) is the durable part of who they are, and it's possible to jump one's Qi into another body, taking it over either temporarily or permanently. Some people's birth bodies are lost, and they continually jump between bodies, others jump temporarily and then return to their own body. Many citizens can't jump at all, and run the risk of having their bodies used by jumpers at random. I like the way the jumping is explained and used, and if I keep reading the series it will be to see how jumping is used once the games are over.
One of the things with showing relationship chemistry in a narrative on the basis of past events between characters is that it can leave some readers feeling like the characters aren't grounded enough or their relationships don't fully make sense. I, in particular, know that I have trouble with this as a reader. I don't have an imagination filling in the gaps and wondering what tension could have led to this moment. I read how it plays out in the book right now and I either have enough detail or it just falls flat for me. This didn't work as well for me as the similarly antagonistic/romantic relationship between Juliette and Roma in THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS because once IMMORTAL LONGINGS BEGINS, Anton and Calla don't really do much to harm each other's aims until very late in the book. They're set up so that at some point they will no longer both be able to get what they want, but since that point is when dozens of other people have been eliminated it can be far away for a long time. When combined with the reveal at the very end, it means I finished the book a bit confused and not sure whether it worked well for me personally. It leans even more into this narrative style which the Secret Shanghai books also have, but the way it's refined here took it out of my comfort zone.
I've seen a lot of comparisons between Immortal Longings and The Hunger Games. This is both slightly true and mostly unhelpful as a generalization, as what they have in common are either superficial genre features or not unique to The Hunger Games. I understand why the comparison occurs to people so I'd like to take it seriously, that will be covered at length in an upcoming essay.
If you like books where things are left more mysterious and many people have hidden plans, you'll probably like this. It wasn't quite my style, I prefer the Secret Shanghai books.
One of the things with showing relationship chemistry in a narrative on the basis of past events between characters is that it can leave some readers feeling like the characters aren't grounded enough or their relationships don't fully make sense. I, in particular, know that I have trouble with this as a reader. I don't have an imagination filling in the gaps and wondering what tension could have led to this moment. I read how it plays out in the book right now and I either have enough detail or it just falls flat for me. This didn't work as well for me as the similarly antagonistic/romantic relationship between Juliette and Roma in THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS because once IMMORTAL LONGINGS BEGINS, Anton and Calla don't really do much to harm each other's aims until very late in the book. They're set up so that at some point they will no longer both be able to get what they want, but since that point is when dozens of other people have been eliminated it can be far away for a long time. When combined with the reveal at the very end, it means I finished the book a bit confused and not sure whether it worked well for me personally. It leans even more into this narrative style which the Secret Shanghai books also have, but the way it's refined here took it out of my comfort zone.
I've seen a lot of comparisons between Immortal Longings and The Hunger Games. This is both slightly true and mostly unhelpful as a generalization, as what they have in common are either superficial genre features or not unique to The Hunger Games. I understand why the comparison occurs to people so I'd like to take it seriously, that will be covered at length in an upcoming essay.
If you like books where things are left more mysterious and many people have hidden plans, you'll probably like this. It wasn't quite my style, I prefer the Secret Shanghai books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
camiandkitread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“Immortal Longings” is very much “Hunger Games” meets “These Violent Delights,” which makes sense since Chloe Gong wrote one of those beloved YA series. Which one? I’ll never tell.
This is Gong’s first foray into the adult novel market and in some ways it shows. The pacing felt slower than in her previous books and the “spice” could have been better integrated, in my opinion.
However, the main characters stayed true to Gong’s signature “Knife Wife” and “Male Wife” pairing. Calla and Anton have tremendous potential and I’m thrilled to see what happens in the sequel!
In all, it was a little heavy on the world building and had long stretches between plot action—although there was plenty of battle action—but has definitely set the stage for a great book two!
This is Gong’s first foray into the adult novel market and in some ways it shows. The pacing felt slower than in her previous books and the “spice” could have been better integrated, in my opinion.
However, the main characters stayed true to Gong’s signature “Knife Wife” and “Male Wife” pairing. Calla and Anton have tremendous potential and I’m thrilled to see what happens in the sequel!
In all, it was a little heavy on the world building and had long stretches between plot action—although there was plenty of battle action—but has definitely set the stage for a great book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mattiedancer's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War