I lived for Roma and Juliette’s interactions, especially when they were quite sparse in the first half of the book. I have an important announcement to make: I have officially jumped onto the enemies-to-lovers fan club. I was blown away by the mirrored portrayals of both parties struggling with power and position in their respective gangs, as well as questioning their identity, and exploration of family expectations as well as legacy.

Another stark contrast would be their responses in the present towards the past, Juliette tries her best to encase all the emotions and start anew, while all that happened weighed on Roma so much, and you can really see how this was a huge factor in their relationship.Īpart from the contrasts well done, the parallelism was top-notch as well.

But what I felt made Roma such an excellent co-star of the book was the contrasts between him and Juliette.īoth Juliette and Roma were raised in gangs who tolerated no weakness and craved power but there is a huge difference between their relationship with violence. Juliette is impulsive, ruthless and embraces the violence while strong, skilled Roma has an aversion to it and seeing those mindsets clash was extremely well written. I was honestly terrified of Roma Montagov at first (as I was with probably every other character in this book haha), and still would choose Juliette in a heartbeat. 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.

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. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.īut when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations.

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. The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.Ī blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos.

These violent delights book