Friday Friyay: 'These Violent Delights' by Chloe Gong

Happy Friday! It's been a grey and cold week, but the few moments of sunshine in between have been brilliant. I also finally gifted myself a copy of a book I have been wanting to read for ages: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. It literally has everything I could ask for: 1920's Shanghai, Romeo & Juliet, gangsters, and knives! I'm making it one of my train-reads for next week and knowing myself I'll race through it. 

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 in chaos. At the heart of it 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.

Book Beginnings is at home on Rose City Reader, hosted by Gilion Dumas, and Friday 56 at Freda's Voice, hosted by Freda. I'll also be joining the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. 

BB:

'In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens.
Its eyes snap open in the belly of the Huangpu River, jaws unhinging at once to taste the foul blood seeping into the waters.' p.1

That's just a stunning opening! There is something mystical to it, but then the mention of the Huangpu makes me slightly teary-eyed. Saturday is the one-year anniversary of me leaving Shanghai and I do still miss it, almost every day. I can't wait for Chloe Gong to take me back there.

F56:

'A smattering of sound came from right outside Juliette's bedroom door then. Juliette frowned, listening while Kathleen and Rosalind continued on, with no indication they had heard the same noise.' p.56

I love that Juliette, Kathleen and Rosalind are a trio here and not pitched against each other. I love that they're all together in her bedroom, doing whatever it is that daughters of gangster families do!

BBH:

This week's question is another great suggestion by Elizabeth from Silver's Reviews:

If you read a print book after reading a few e-books, do you find yourself tapping the bottom of the page so it will turn?

Elizabeth, are you psychic? Cause this literally happened to me this week. I have done a lot more print reading these past few weeks, but after 2 days of exclusive Kindle reading I did kind of stumble occasionally. Which is so odd, but it's also a great example of how quickly certain behaviours sink in! I even sometimes find myself trying to scroll on my Kindle if I have been reading on my phone. 

What happens quite often though is that I'm so in the reading experience, whether it's print or digital, that I don't even realize I am turning pages. That's the dream!

So that's me! What are you reading?