A review by mindsplinters
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You know you're in for one hell of a ride when a book is mentioned in the same breath as Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games. It's going to be bloody and full of paranoia and alliances and betrayals and just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not out to get you and... Well, Chloe Gong is going to give that to you with this first installment of her new trilogy. The world of San-Er is gritty and crowded and assaults the senses fully through her words and you cringe away at anybody living the way the citizens do. You also wonder why anyone would leave the country and deliberately move to the walled city. Then you remember that, throughout history, people have done an awful lot of things that go against their well-being and interests. Suddenly, the poverty and grind and docile acceptance of a never-seen tyrant and his deadly games makes perfect sense.
The facts of this world also go a long way to explain how there really aren't many "nice" people in this book. Fascinating, conflicted, determined, Machiavellian? Oh, sure. But nice? Maybe Yilas and Chami. But the rest, oh no. Not even amiable bodyguard Galipei can fit the word because he sure as hell does what his prince tells him do to - even if he feels a bit queasy about it. The main three - Calla and Anton and (to a slightly lesser extent) August - are outright messes who have long since given up more tender ideals for cold practicality with 95% of their empathy surgically removed (by both nature and nuture, I suppose). They each have their own Higher Purpose that they hold as justifiable and "good" but they don't shy away at the cost in lives, trust, and love to get there - Save the kingdom, save the lost love, save the monarchy. Whatever it is, they are all very very focused.
And downright obsessive. When Calla and Anton transfer a portion of that obsessiveness onto each other, you know things are going to get even messier. After all, only one victor can emerge from the games and, as a reader, I was not quite sure who I wanted in that spot because they were both deeply flawed and neither saw the bigger picture or the "afterwards, now what"
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the two nasty cases of whiplash the author gave me towards the end. Really, Ms Gong, how could you? (Please do it some more) However, I did err on the side of high when rating based on her previous work, her skill with words, and the layered characters. I hope the next two books build on this and add to the weaker spots - the occasional info-dump that threw you from the story, the abbreviated arc from grudging allies to obssessed lovers for Calla and Anton (I could have done with a bit more there to make it feel more organic), and the loose ends (what, how, light-less jumping, what was Crescent Society doing?).
The facts of this world also go a long way to explain how there really aren't many "nice" people in this book. Fascinating, conflicted, determined, Machiavellian? Oh, sure. But nice? Maybe Yilas and Chami. But the rest, oh no. Not even amiable bodyguard Galipei can fit the word because he sure as hell does what his prince tells him do to - even if he feels a bit queasy about it. The main three - Calla and Anton and (to a slightly lesser extent) August - are outright messes who have long since given up more tender ideals for cold practicality with 95% of their empathy surgically removed (by both nature and nuture, I suppose). They each have their own Higher Purpose that they hold as justifiable and "good" but they don't shy away at the cost in lives, trust, and love to get there - Save the kingdom, save the lost love, save the monarchy. Whatever it is, they are all very very focused.
And downright obsessive. When Calla and Anton transfer a portion of that obsessiveness onto each other, you know things are going to get even messier. After all, only one victor can emerge from the games and, as a reader, I was not quite sure who I wanted in that spot because they were both deeply flawed and neither saw the bigger picture or the "afterwards, now what"
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the two nasty cases of whiplash the author gave me towards the end. Really, Ms Gong, how could you? (Please do it some more) However, I did err on the side of high when rating based on her previous work, her skill with words, and the layered characters. I hope the next two books build on this and add to the weaker spots - the occasional info-dump that threw you from the story, the abbreviated arc from grudging allies to obssessed lovers for Calla and Anton (I could have done with a bit more there to make it feel more organic), and the loose ends (what, how, light-less jumping, what was Crescent Society doing?).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Minor: Sexual content