Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 449
Published: 2020
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.”
My Review:
I was so excited to read this book… Romeo and Juliet set in 1920’s Shanghai – yes, please! So let’s start with the good stuff. I enjoyed the cultural and historical elements in the story. Her writing is undeniably beautiful and I found her way with words captivating. The descriptive world-building really sets a tone that you can feel.
“This city is filthy and deep in the thrall of unending sin, so saturated with the kiss of decadence that the sky threatens to buckle and crush all those living vivaciously beneath in punishment.”
Urban living and gang politics are the spotlight of this story, and unraveling the mysteries has a fun, Sherlock Holmes feel to it. I enjoyed the interesting cast of non-traditional secondary characters and the endearing protagonists. She gives vivid insight into their plights and motivations.
“It is never as simple as one truth. Nothing ever is.”
But there were a some things I didn’t like. I almost stopped reading after the insects became a thing. It’s just yuck. I feel like there are so many other ways this part of the story could have been done and had the same effect for the plot. I just really didn’t like it.
The romance was super slow, as in almost non-existent until the very end, which to me was disappointing. Hopefully that is not too much of a spoiler but I feel it’s a fair thing to know before going into this book. Considering this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I expected this aspect to take more of a forefront in the plot. It sadly did not. It had the makings for it, but it seems the author’s intentions were elsewhere.
I also found a few of the plot points to be a little less than believable, and the big “reveals” at the end to be anticlimactic. In general, I just found this book to be rather bland; I wasn’t swooning or whisked away like I thought I would be. This is apparently an unpopular opinion, but I’m just not hooked on this one like everyone else seems to be. For these reasons, I’m still on the fence about whether I will be picking up the sequel.
If you are looking for romance, I’d look elsewhere. If you like urban fantasy with a strong female protagonist, you’ll probably like this book.
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