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A review by alexalala
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for this Advanced Copy. All opinions are my own.
Okay... this book probably wasn't for me, but I know a lot of people will go FERAL for it.
Calla is a princess in hiding after murdering the royal family. Anton, a former aristocrat raised in the palace, is jumping from body to body trying to pay his bills. August is the heir apparent looking to speed up his crowning. All three will get involved in the annual games, a fight to the death televised for the masses in this dystopian sci-fi urban universe.
The good: I loved how morally grey the characters were and how they frequently interacted throughout the book. The games had serious Hunger Games vibes that many people will enjoy. Eno was a delight and my favorite. The ending? Big twist, really nice, and made me want to read the next book (despite not really loving this one). The ending alone added an a few points for me when the first part of the book was hovering around a 2 for me.
The bad:
I had four serious issues with this book:
1. Romance. It felt super shoehorned in to me, I didn't catch any natural build-up of feelings or tension and suddenly they'd be all over each other and never think about it again until the end of the book. We're in love! Without any real emotional intimacy or discussion, which felt weird to me.
2. Pacing. This book felt sooooo slow. So many things were happening yet it really dragged. I kept going on my phone and not getting really invested in the story until the last 15% of the book.
3. Lack of worldbuilding. Hear me out, because we do get a lot of world-building, but I also feel like there was very little discussion about this body jumping and its impacts. For something that seems SO violating and chaotic, body jumping isn't really addressed in terms of how a. people deal with their bodies being hijacked regularly, b. how society still functions.
4. Forced plot twists/unexplained motives. Why was Pampi doing all that? Why did Leida really do what she did and where did it come from? Idk, I didn't get it and wanted more.
Overall, I think people will really like this book especially if they like Chloe Gong's style.
You will like this if you like: dystopia, sci-fi, royalty/palace politics, fight-to-the-death tournaments, enemies to lovers (to?), special abilities, Shakespeare retellings, and the Hunger Games.
Okay... this book probably wasn't for me, but I know a lot of people will go FERAL for it.
Calla is a princess in hiding after murdering the royal family. Anton, a former aristocrat raised in the palace, is jumping from body to body trying to pay his bills. August is the heir apparent looking to speed up his crowning. All three will get involved in the annual games, a fight to the death televised for the masses in this dystopian sci-fi urban universe.
The good: I loved how morally grey the characters were and how they frequently interacted throughout the book. The games had serious Hunger Games vibes that many people will enjoy. Eno was a delight and my favorite. The ending? Big twist, really nice, and made me want to read the next book (despite not really loving this one). The ending alone added an a few points for me when the first part of the book was hovering around a 2 for me.
The bad:
I had four serious issues with this book:
1. Romance. It felt super shoehorned in to me, I didn't catch any natural build-up of feelings or tension and suddenly they'd be all over each other and never think about it again until the end of the book. We're in love! Without any real emotional intimacy or discussion, which felt weird to me.
2. Pacing. This book felt sooooo slow. So many things were happening yet it really dragged. I kept going on my phone and not getting really invested in the story until the last 15% of the book.
3. Lack of worldbuilding. Hear me out, because we do get a lot of world-building, but I also feel like there was very little discussion about this body jumping and its impacts. For something that seems SO violating and chaotic, body jumping isn't really addressed in terms of how a. people deal with their bodies being hijacked regularly, b. how society still functions.
4. Forced plot twists/unexplained motives. Why was Pampi doing all that? Why did Leida really do what she did and where did it come from? Idk, I didn't get it and wanted more.
Overall, I think people will really like this book especially if they like Chloe Gong's style.
You will like this if you like: dystopia, sci-fi, royalty/palace politics, fight-to-the-death tournaments, enemies to lovers (to?), special abilities, Shakespeare retellings, and the Hunger Games.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail