Rated YA-MA discussion

FULL DISCUSSION for These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Discuss the book fully, but tag spoilers.
how-to-spoiler: < spoiler > Words go here < /spoiler > (remove spaces)
Suggested Discussion Points
Do you like the characters?
What questions/ thoughts did the book elicit for you?
What rating do you give this book?
What are your compliments and criticisms for the author?
How similar is this book to it’s famous inspiration Romeo and Juliet?
Will you read the follow up book in this duology (Our Violent Ends)

Share your spoiler-free first thoughts here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Bonus Question: This book is supposed to be a modernized version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. If you've read that text, how does this book measure up?

I finished a week or more ago and now have my thoughts in order. I gave it 3 stars and feel rather tepid about it. I do not love this book nor hate it. I am likely to finish the duology but I'll probably hold out until if fulfills a reading challenge in some way.

First my arguments against the book are more a ME thing and not necessarily about the quality of the book. There is just a lot going on in this book. On one level it is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. On another level it is a historical fiction piece set in Asia during the western flapper period. It sometimes focuses on the birth of the communist party in China. Yet on another level it is a commentary on western invasion of Asia at that time. And still it is a fantasy story with a scary mythical monster that needs defeating. I, in general, dislike stories that do too much all at once which I feel this story does. That being said, the flow between all these various elements was not jarring.

I will also criticize it's comparison to R&J, but probably because I've overly familiar with the source material. It is really just the premise, warring families, and names ... and those only in part. The story does hit all the major beats of the original text, starts with a fight, has a big lead up to an important party, and big fight where certain characters die. I'm assuming the rest of the plot points are hit in the other half of this duology. The relationships are all fundamentally changed starting with the fact that R&J are resparking a former tryst, not meeting for the first time. It seems (to me) more a marketing tactic than a genuine attempt to reimagine the story.

I also gave this 3 stars.

Like you, I agree that this book tried to do too much. It failed to hold my attention time and time again. I kept putting it down and not feeling anything towards picking it up. It was just meh. I didn't hate it. There were even some parts I enjoyed. But I didn't love it by any means either. It was just okay.