About This Book:
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
*Review Contributed by Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer*
OUR VIOLENT ENDS is an intriguing sequel to the YA historical fantasy retelling of Romeo & Juliet. In this world of 1920s Shanghai, Roma and Juliette are the presumed heirs to rival gangs, the White Flowers and Scarlet Gang. After the final betrayal in the first book and accepting that pushing Roma away is the best way to keep them all safe, Juliette is still reeling by the feelings that remain while also working to cement her role as heir – one that her cousin is eager to take from her.
After the first story, the monstrous danger seemed to be gone, but Juliette knows that it could be looming still. The monster that is gone was not the only one – an assurance continued by the blackmail demands made to the gangs. As she hunts for the person behind it, struggles to maintain control of the gang, and deals with the fallout from the first book, Shanghai’s political landscape continues to change, and the world as they knew it is brewing.
What I loved: This book continues to move quickly and imaginatively with the right amount of background provided throughout. Reading the first book before this one provides the context and characterization to launch right into this sequel. Roma and Juliette are both struggling with their own feelings and the demands placed upon them, and their growth throughout the story continues to shape them into the adults they will be. The mystery of the new blackmailer and the threat of the monsters keeps the readers on their toes with a frightening threat.
The themes remain really intriguing with political turmoil around the communists/nationalists, gang loyalty, colonization, romance, and the power of fear. The picture of Shanghai in the 1920s is really compelling with the fantasy slant that still manages to impart the challenges and landscape of the era. I also appreciate the inclusion of LGBTQ romances among the secondary characters, which provide some great rep.
Final verdict: An intriguing sequel to a YA historical fantasy, OUR VIOLENT ENDS extends the original story with thought-provoking themes and further character and world development that will captivate readers.
*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*
