Writing a second book can be difficult no matter what kind of second book it is. A duology, I imagine, can be horrendous given there are so many things to think about in the finale of this story world yet there still needs to be a progression of pace and tension to keep the readers engaged. Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong succeeds tremendously in my books in such an endeavour and let me tell you why. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS – PLEASE SKIP TO WHERE I HAVE MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK * TO AVOID SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ TVD YET (I RECOMMEND DOING SO ASAP)

A brief summary of where we paused at the end of These Violent Delights. We had an exceptional conflict culminating in what was thought be be victory, only we are left with a cliffhanger and a rather tricky position our protagonists are in with regards to relationships, direction and personal stakes.

* Heading into Our Violent Ends, we start on a low note but the tension is present between Juliette and Roma from the get-go. Not only that, but we get some action in the first chapter or two which reminds us of the stakes from These Violent Ends and the conflicts both internal and external between these two fated enemies. That intensity and significance in the blood feud between Scarlets and White Flowers burns and hooks us into the story once again.

I love how Chloe has tackled the traditional plot points of Romeo and Juliet here. I appreciate the balance between paying homage to the original text and putting her own spin on it because truly it makes the story all the more interesting and compelling to me. The seesawing between the two lovebirds felt realistic enough given the pressures on them in terms of their roles in their respective gangs, the developing situation in the city and with the political alliances each gang holds. Love the handful of minor characters and how they haven’t been thrown to the wayside in terms of character development and significance in the story.

There are a few things I have deducted half a point for. For one, I saw a rather unfortunate typo in a very important detail which I’m sure has been fixed in later reprints of the book. My main gripe is with the time jumps. I understand that historical accuracy is a leading cause as to why it was done – the Shanghai massacre of April 12th is a real event and to stick to the facts the fictional aspects of this book needed to align with the real timeline of events. It just felt a little jumbled for my tastes. The tension and pacing was going so well up until that point and suddenly it felt like things had dropped out of sync. That could just be me though and I’m absolutely fine with that – maybe I misread the dates or something and confused myself.

I will say that I love how Chloe sets up the second duology in her denouement. I would have requested the next one as soon as I finished had I not already done so when getting Our Violent Ends. The characters we are left with and the developments in the political and social spheres will make for an incredibly interesting story – I might also be a little excited given the timeframe in modern history and my awareness of a crucial detail that is likely going to be referenced in the Foul Lady Fortune duology.

I’m pleased to say that when I buy these books again I will be very happy when they arrive, more so than I was when I first got them and left them unread for years. Chloe Gong is a inspiration for me as an author not only because she is also a Kiwi, but because of the incredible feat she has managed to achieve in such a time in the world and at such a young age in her life. I cannot wait to read more from her.