Our Violent Ends: #1 New York Times Bestseller! (These Violent Delights)

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Roma is furious with Juliette. He may still love her, but he hates her just as much. If killing her is the only way to start healing from her betrayal, he knows that’s what he must steel himself to do. For those who have read or seen Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, characters and specific scenes from Gong’s adaptation will seem familiar. Choose a character, whether they exist in the original play or not, and create a character map that shows their character development and personality. If they’re a character that appears in the play, consider the differences and similarities. What catalysts propel their story across both books? What are the points of no return? You can create your map as a time line, an aesthetic board or video, a series of tweets, diary entries, or something else. Be prepared to present your map to the class, including a rationale on why you chose to represent it the way you did. Juliette was not frightened. If anything, she was only resentful—not at Roma, but at herself. At wanting to lean in even while Roma was actively trying to kill her. At this distance between them that she had willingly manufactured, because they had been born into two families at war, and she would rather die at Roma’s hand than be the cause of his death. She skidded to a stop. The main staircase was far too crowded. Her eyes darted to the side, to the maintenance stairs, and she tore the door open without a second thought, barreling right through. Juliette was familiar with this theater; it was Scarlet territory, and she had spent parts of her early childhood wandering around this building, peering into the different screening rooms when Nurse was distracted. Where the main staircase was a grandiose structure of polished flooring and arched, wooden banisters, the maintenance stairs were made of cement and void of natural light, relying on naught but a small bulb dangling at the middle landing.

Relax,” Juliette whispered. “What you’re about to watch came directly from its premiere in Manhattan. Quality entertainment.”

Chloe Gong

It’s safer for Juliette to let Roma hate her, even if it hurts. She knows she needs to let him think the worst of her to protect him from the blood feud that consumes both their families. Have you read either of the books in this duology? Do you agree with my take? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! You may also like: Roma, on the other hand, has been hardened by the events of book one. He still thinks Juliette killed Marshall, and his rage and guilt are overwhelming. Benedikt, almost as furious with Roma as he is with Juliette, isn’t speaking to his cousin, and the schism is hurting both of them. Roma] ached with the knowledge that the softness of their youth was gone forever . . .” What is meant by this? When do you think people realize they are no longer children? Does everyone grow up at the same rate? Why or why not? What does “growing up” mean to you? Our Violent Ends, by Chloe Gong, is the sequel to These Violent Delights. As such, spoilers for These Violent Delights are pretty much unavoidable! But, as usual, this review will be spoiler-free for Our Violent Ends. At first I thought Our Violent Ends was going to reset us to square one

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other. While Roma thinks he’s determined to kill Juliette, he still struggles when he actually gets an opportunity. The habits of loving her turn out to be hard to break, even as he hates himself for it. The love story remains central, of courseShe’s also much clearer on her feelings about Roma, which made for one of the crucial changes to the romance dynamic. This is Scarlet territory.” Her words were even, but it took everything in her to keep them that way. “You forget yourself.” Set in 1920s Shanghai, this atmospheric and intricate Romeo and Juliet–inspired duology follows eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, who has returned from studying in America to claim her rightful place as heir to the Scarlet Gang, a local Chinese criminal network. Four years earlier, her first love, Roma Montagov, heir to the White Flowers, a Russian rival gang, committed a betrayal so deep that the ripples of vengeance still move across the city. What else could she expect from a blood feud motivated by loyalty and violence? Before she can enact her revenge, a monster ravages the city, spreading a contagion that causes murderous madness and that targets both the Scarlets and the White Flowers. On top of the pandemic, political turmoil threatens to rip the city apart and end gangster rule. As a foreign imperialist presence grows, so does the threat of civil war, spurred by both the Nationalist Party and the Communists stoking the embers of revolution among the working class, who are tired of warlord control. Juliette and Roma realize working together may be their only chance for salvation. The Nationalist Party leader instructs the Scarlets to kill all the Communists and to treat the White Flowers as such, risking annihilation of an entire group of people, including workers who have no affiliation, but could be caught at the wrong place and time. What is the impact of this action? Why do you think civilians, especially the working class, are so often casualties of war?