axel_p's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can't wait for the sequel. I couldn't keep up with all these plot twist.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, War, Sexual content, Trafficking, Death of parent, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Blood, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Xenophobia
azrah786's review against another edition
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, murder, death, child death, death of parent, genocide, war, colonisation, classism, kidnapping, suicidal ideation, medical content, terminal illness, grief, sexual content
--
Another Anthony and Cleopatra reimaging, another let down.. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy aspects of this book but this now happens to be the second time I’ve been disappointed at the outcome of a retelling around these figures despite the fact that the dynamic they evoke interest me SO MUCH.
Now I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra as I am with Romeo and Juliet so maybe that is what put me at a bit of a disadvantage. However, I do think that Chloe Gong may have been a bit too ambitious with how much was actually thrown into this first book more than anything else if we set aside the fact that I wasn’t able to appreciate all the nuances to the original play it was inspired by.
Down to the bare bones it is a story surrounding a handful of individuals wanting to overthrow a king, each for their own reasons and there is a tournament to the death involved in which two of the main protagonists are participants. I think where things got a bit flimsy surrounded this tournament as though all the action and tension was written quite well the games themselves sort of felt a little disconnected from the rest of the story for me.
The setting of San-Er gave glimpses of Ancient Rome but I believe it is inspired by the Kowloon Walled City (Hong Kong). However, I couldn’t help but compare it to the Shanghai of These Violent Delights and how the city there shone as its own character.
I felt in Immortal Longings the story didn’t really capture the feel of the setting maybe until halfway through and again I feel like this came down to how Gong was also trying to bring this dystopian Hunger Games vibe in for the games on top of everything else. Don’t get me wrong Gong’s writing and descriptions of the atmosphere were great I just feel like they didn’t link up to the narrative straight away so it all felt like a separate thing.
What I was most looking forward to in the book was the reluctant alliance dynamic. It is one trope that I really enjoy reading about and the one that formed between Calla and Anton was great, full of the right amount of banter and camaraderie (if it can be called that) that comes about when two opposing forces have to team up. Where their relationship fell short I believe is with the romance side of things or at least the fact that it came around too quickly.
In fact this can be said to be the case for a couple of things in the book for instance coming back to how much was going on, for an adult fantasy it was too short. Certain scenes and developments could have been given more room to breathe in the narrative with a couple more pages. I think why the romance didn’t immediately work for me was because Anton’s motive for winning the games was to save “his ex” but then romance rapidly ensued with Calla and we didn’t really get enough time showing them working together to justify it.
More than the games I was intrigued by the wider politics that were happening in the background and the mystery that it brought about. But the best part of the book was without a doubt the power/magic system. This whole idea of people having the means to jump out of their body and take over someone else’s was so compelling and made for some great twists in the book. I caught onto a few of them but they were honestly written in so well I was still impressed. Also the whole idea of autonomy and morality and identity that comes in was really interesting especially when you have characters constantly jumping around and others who refuse to do so.
So despite not loving this one as much as I had hoped, it has still left some fascinating questions behind which have me super keen to get my hands on book two as well as that killer ending! It was one twist I saw coming but am super excited to see develop.
I plan on trying to get my hands on Shakespeare’s work if I can before book 2 releases and then give this one a reread so I can catch all the call backs that I am sure are there because that was one big highlight I had with These Violent Delights!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, murder, death, child death, death of parent, genocide, war, colonisation, classism, kidnapping, suicidal ideation, medical content, terminal illness, grief, sexual content
--
Another Anthony and Cleopatra reimaging, another let down.. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy aspects of this book but this now happens to be the second time I’ve been disappointed at the outcome of a retelling around these figures despite the fact that the dynamic they evoke interest me SO MUCH.
Now I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra as I am with Romeo and Juliet so maybe that is what put me at a bit of a disadvantage. However, I do think that Chloe Gong may have been a bit too ambitious with how much was actually thrown into this first book more than anything else if we set aside the fact that I wasn’t able to appreciate all the nuances to the original play it was inspired by.
Down to the bare bones it is a story surrounding a handful of individuals wanting to overthrow a king, each for their own reasons and there is a tournament to the death involved in which two of the main protagonists are participants. I think where things got a bit flimsy surrounded this tournament as though all the action and tension was written quite well the games themselves sort of felt a little disconnected from the rest of the story for me.
The setting of San-Er gave glimpses of Ancient Rome but I believe it is inspired by the Kowloon Walled City (Hong Kong). However, I couldn’t help but compare it to the Shanghai of These Violent Delights and how the city there shone as its own character.
I felt in Immortal Longings the story didn’t really capture the feel of the setting maybe until halfway through and again I feel like this came down to how Gong was also trying to bring this dystopian Hunger Games vibe in for the games on top of everything else. Don’t get me wrong Gong’s writing and descriptions of the atmosphere were great I just feel like they didn’t link up to the narrative straight away so it all felt like a separate thing.
What I was most looking forward to in the book was the reluctant alliance dynamic. It is one trope that I really enjoy reading about and the one that formed between Calla and Anton was great, full of the right amount of banter and camaraderie (if it can be called that) that comes about when two opposing forces have to team up. Where their relationship fell short I believe is with the romance side of things or at least the fact that it came around too quickly.
In fact this can be said to be the case for a couple of things in the book for instance coming back to how much was going on, for an adult fantasy it was too short. Certain scenes and developments could have been given more room to breathe in the narrative with a couple more pages. I think why the romance didn’t immediately work for me was because Anton’s motive for winning the games was to save “his ex” but then romance rapidly ensued with Calla and we didn’t really get enough time showing them working together to justify it.
More than the games I was intrigued by the wider politics that were happening in the background and the mystery that it brought about. But the best part of the book was without a doubt the power/magic system. This whole idea of people having the means to jump out of their body and take over someone else’s was so compelling and made for some great twists in the book. I caught onto a few of them but they were honestly written in so well I was still impressed. Also the whole idea of autonomy and morality and identity that comes in was really interesting especially when you have characters constantly jumping around and others who refuse to do so.
So despite not loving this one as much as I had hoped, it has still left some fascinating questions behind which have me super keen to get my hands on book two as well as that killer ending! It was one twist I saw coming but am super excited to see develop.
I plan on trying to get my hands on Shakespeare’s work if I can before book 2 releases and then give this one a reread so I can catch all the call backs that I am sure are there because that was one big highlight I had with These Violent Delights!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Classism, Sexual content, Grief, Blood, Violence, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Genocide, War, and Terminal illness
justagrlandherdog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. The body jumping was very interesting to me. Calla and Anton weren't the most fleshed out characters written but I cared for them anyways. I can see where everyone pulls the hunger games comparisons but a few chapters in, I stopped seeing similarities. The twists! I did not see any one of them coming and tend to at least see a few. But nope not a single one. Maybe if you have better knowledge of the play maybe you will but I’ve only seen a movie version like once. I’m excited for the next one! Ready to see how that cliffhanger plays out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Classism, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
stagemanaginger's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
If not for the last page of the book, I probably wouldn’t read the sequel and would have rated it lower. But the last page got me. If you can even call this an Antony and Cleopatra retelling, it’s definitely very loose and takes a lot of liberties with the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, War, Colonisation, and Sexual content
aileron's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
laraveliants's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
“When morning comes, she’ll find Anton Makusa, and they’ll turn the games into a frenzy.”
It's disappointing and sad when an author whose previous works I loved makes one I don’t. Immortal Longings just wasn’t as engaging for me as the These Violent Delights duology and Foul Lady Fortune were.
The world building was pretty meh. The game itself was underwhelming for a battle royale. I didn't feel the romance between Calla and Anton; it felt forced and rushed. The whole jumping thing gave me an ick. Consent is basically nonexistent in this world and that does not sit well with me. Anyone who has the ability to jump can enter anyone’s body and do whatever they want while inhabiting it. I didn’t feel any attachment to any of the characters. I think the extra POVs were unnecessary and their stories should have just gotten incorporated into the main three characters’ POVs.
Despite my disappointment, I would still read the next one because of the ending but I’m coming in with low expectations. Hopefully, it gets better then.
<i>Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>
It's disappointing and sad when an author whose previous works I loved makes one I don’t. Immortal Longings just wasn’t as engaging for me as the These Violent Delights duology and Foul Lady Fortune were.
The world building was pretty meh. The game itself was underwhelming for a battle royale. I didn't feel the romance between Calla and Anton; it felt forced and rushed. The whole jumping thing gave me an ick. Consent is basically nonexistent in this world and that does not sit well with me. Anyone who has the ability to jump can enter anyone’s body and do whatever they want while inhabiting it. I didn’t feel any attachment to any of the characters. I think the extra POVs were unnecessary and their stories should have just gotten incorporated into the main three characters’ POVs.
Despite my disappointment, I would still read the next one because of the ending but I’m coming in with low expectations. Hopefully, it gets better then.
<i>Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Classism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
kittykatz96's review against another edition
To start off with I feel like this is a book best read in one sitting and then promptly forgetting about or just taking the book at face value and moving on, I did not read this book in one sitting, I found myself unable to just take it at face value, and I likely will not forget most of the baffling choices that where made. I would like to state that for my own sanity I'm not going to rate it because honestly this is a book I could see myself upon reflection going back and constantly changing the rating due to the fact that most of my issues with it don't come from the book as far as a craft stand point go, the writing was proficient, the book was well paced, most character motivations made sense and generally its not the worst written book in the world but that isn't to say that this book was something I left feeling particularly favorable about.
The magic system
A huge portion of my issues derive from the magic system. In the world of Immortal Longings the main magic allows individuals with a particular gene to hope from body to body at will as long is eye contact is made, with a few exceptions like a whole family who's bodies cant be taken over, and body that have already been taken over. Now while bodies in this world can be completely empty most of the people who are jumping are jumping to another occupied body, as in some could be doing their errands and some person with more magic than they can just invade their body and essentially subdue their consciousness. While it seems cool and interesting at first the slightest look beyond the shiny exterior shows a magic system that's implications as a whole are entirely horrific. In this book we see people Take over other peoples bodies to force them to commit suicide, take over bodies use them to the point of sheer exhaustion just to eave them passed out on the ground when they move on to their next victim, have sex, and
The Games
The main back drop and plot device of the story are a death game, Involving dozens of people where everyone is granted a wristband and set lose upon the city. You will likely see plenty of people compare this book to the hunger games due to these similarities like a mad dash at the beginning to collect weapons, and everything is being broadcast live for the entertainment of the masses. One may ask why would anyone sign up for this, what do people even get from this? The prize is a massive amount of money and in the impoverished city of San-er a lot of people are willing to throw themselves in for a massive amount of money, with medical care and every cost of living being so expensive in a small cramped city. Unlike the hunger games, and most every death game media I've seen, there is no area the city is the area. With the city serving as the area for this battle royale collateral damage is a common side effect of the games, when you add in the magic system and the fact that during the games body jumping, which is supposed to be illegal, is permitted meaning that most contestants are hoping from body to body implying that most causalities involve the body, and probably the consciousness of someone who has been thrown into the middle of this game against their will. The most shocking part of this is the fact that it seems that everyone is perfectly fine with this happening for weeks if not months every year, because if someone is injured their medical bills are paid. The death games plot device is one of the most effective ways to establish a dystopian setting in plenty of works and it doesn't even seem to have a real effect on this city, filled with thousands of people wholes lives are being risked daily when they are just trying to survive and the book expects me to believe the only attempted uprising came at the hands of an angry teenage princess?
Story choices
Along with these major issues that just proved to me the author didn't take the time to look at their own work and critically engage with what they where writing, or even take a scenario for an example like two individuals hooking up in strangers bodies and consider the consequences of that act on those people, there where story choices that where just nonsensical. Lets start with the fact the costs of living in the city are so high that people are willing to die just for a chance at money to survive the main character inexplicably can afford an apartment of her own by mooching off of two of her former servants, how is this even possible? Then there is the major reveal that
A Fundamental lack of understanding.
The most frustrating thing for me about this entire book is the fact that the concept is interesting, the writing is proficient, and the characters could be truly interesting, but due to the authors lack of critical engagement with her own work it becomes a unintentional nightmare world. While reading this book so many things reminded me of media that takes these ideas and concepts and actually critically examines the consequences of these things. This who book screamed one thing to me, The author has a fundamental lack of understanding that these actions and these elements would result in a world of consequences.
The magic system
A huge portion of my issues derive from the magic system. In the world of Immortal Longings the main magic allows individuals with a particular gene to hope from body to body at will as long is eye contact is made, with a few exceptions like a whole family who's bodies cant be taken over, and body that have already been taken over. Now while bodies in this world can be completely empty most of the people who are jumping are jumping to another occupied body, as in some could be doing their errands and some person with more magic than they can just invade their body and essentially subdue their consciousness. While it seems cool and interesting at first the slightest look beyond the shiny exterior shows a magic system that's implications as a whole are entirely horrific. In this book we see people Take over other peoples bodies to force them to commit suicide, take over bodies use them to the point of sheer exhaustion just to eave them passed out on the ground when they move on to their next victim, have sex, and
Spoiler
just decide to keep an 8 year old Child's body for 15 years essentially either erasing or keeping a child in a mind prison for more than half their lifeSpoiler
. While this whole process is supposed to be illegal the book states that people openly violate and do not care about these laws, along with jumping being legal during the games but I will discuss that later. the book tries to wave away the fact that body hoping is wrong by stating that for most a body is nothing more than an accessory but this doesn't address the horror of possibly having you consciousness trapped or erased by another or the fact that some people are show to care about their birth bodies. I'm not opposed to a book having horrific magic if it looked at and handled critically but here it just isn't the implications of the magic are hand waved away or completely ignored, which leaves the reader with a feeling that the author did not engage critically with this at any point while devising this magic system.The Games
The main back drop and plot device of the story are a death game, Involving dozens of people where everyone is granted a wristband and set lose upon the city. You will likely see plenty of people compare this book to the hunger games due to these similarities like a mad dash at the beginning to collect weapons, and everything is being broadcast live for the entertainment of the masses. One may ask why would anyone sign up for this, what do people even get from this? The prize is a massive amount of money and in the impoverished city of San-er a lot of people are willing to throw themselves in for a massive amount of money, with medical care and every cost of living being so expensive in a small cramped city. Unlike the hunger games, and most every death game media I've seen, there is no area the city is the area. With the city serving as the area for this battle royale collateral damage is a common side effect of the games, when you add in the magic system and the fact that during the games body jumping, which is supposed to be illegal, is permitted meaning that most contestants are hoping from body to body implying that most causalities involve the body, and probably the consciousness of someone who has been thrown into the middle of this game against their will. The most shocking part of this is the fact that it seems that everyone is perfectly fine with this happening for weeks if not months every year, because if someone is injured their medical bills are paid. The death games plot device is one of the most effective ways to establish a dystopian setting in plenty of works and it doesn't even seem to have a real effect on this city, filled with thousands of people wholes lives are being risked daily when they are just trying to survive and the book expects me to believe the only attempted uprising came at the hands of an angry teenage princess?
Story choices
Along with these major issues that just proved to me the author didn't take the time to look at their own work and critically engage with what they where writing, or even take a scenario for an example like two individuals hooking up in strangers bodies and consider the consequences of that act on those people, there where story choices that where just nonsensical. Lets start with the fact the costs of living in the city are so high that people are willing to die just for a chance at money to survive the main character inexplicably can afford an apartment of her own by mooching off of two of her former servants, how is this even possible? Then there is the major reveal that
Spoiler
Calla is actually a poor orphan who stole the "real" calla's body when they where 8 years oldSpoiler
which I guess was an attempt to make the family murderer more morally gray or to explain why she's opposed to jumping I don't know why it was there. The romance was meh and best summarized by this line "when it involves Anton Makusa, what you have is not love."A Fundamental lack of understanding.
The most frustrating thing for me about this entire book is the fact that the concept is interesting, the writing is proficient, and the characters could be truly interesting, but due to the authors lack of critical engagement with her own work it becomes a unintentional nightmare world. While reading this book so many things reminded me of media that takes these ideas and concepts and actually critically examines the consequences of these things. This who book screamed one thing to me, The author has a fundamental lack of understanding that these actions and these elements would result in a world of consequences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Suicide, Self harm, Murder, Sexual content, and Body horror
jessicaludden's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
“Calla can handle pain. She can handle blood. But this—this is somehow all and none of that at once, a wrenching in her very soul. This is tenderness. And she is more afraid of it than anything else in their forsaken kingdom.”
Chloe has done it again. Her adult debut has given me characters to fall in love with, unique world-building, and plot twists on every corner. Plus it has upped the stakes with the action and politics and intense fight scenes. I loved getting to know these characters and the twin cities of San-Er and I don’t think I can forgive the bomb dropped at the end. Needless to say, I cannot wait for the sequel!
Chloe has done it again. Her adult debut has given me characters to fall in love with, unique world-building, and plot twists on every corner. Plus it has upped the stakes with the action and politics and intense fight scenes. I loved getting to know these characters and the twin cities of San-Er and I don’t think I can forgive the bomb dropped at the end. Needless to say, I cannot wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence
More...