Summary: Rin was a war orphan living in a poor town in Nikan (based on China) when she aced the Keju, the test to find the most talented children across the country to study at the academies. She goes to Sinegard, the most elite school in all of Nikan. There, she is hated by her classmates for her poverty and dark skin. But then she discovers that she has powers that may be able to stop Nikan’s enemy, the Federation of Mugen (based on Japan). Her powers may be the only thing that can save her people, but she fears that she might lose herself in the process.
This book is definitely in my top 10 books of this year. I loved the portrayal of lgbtq+ themes with fantasy. It also has a mythological aspect to it. It’s honestly refreshing to see a book that has lgbtq+ as a subplot and focuses more on fantasy. Most lgbtq+ book are more slice of life or coming of age, although those are fun to read from time to time. Overall I loved this book.
These Violent Delights is the first novel in Chloe Gong's historical fiction series of the same name. Set in 1926 Shanghai, a blood feud between two rival gangs tears the city apart until they lose control. When a contagious sickness runs rampant through Shanghai and turns the population mad, the teenage heirs of the two gangs must work together to save their city. Gong's retelling of Romeo and Juliet is unique and well-done.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a teen fiction book but is a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The book follows Roma Montagov and Juliet Cai, the two heirs of the most fearsome gangs in 1926 Shanghai. It follows them in both the present and the past as the two struggle with their romantic relationship, as well as the threat of a monster lurking the streets. I personally loved this book; its plot, characters, and the world itself. It takes Romeo and Juliet’s main plot
One year has passed since the destruction of These Violent Delights, and Shanghai is on the brink of upheaval. Whispers of civil war hang in a mist over the streets, and the Scarlet Gang is stretched thin between the leadership of Juliette and her ruthless cousin Tyler, who threatens to usurp her.
1920s Shanghai is not a place for the fainthearted. The city is split down the middle between two gangs, the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, and the streets are perpetually stained crimson with blood. 18-year-old Juliette Cai, the heir of the Scarlet Gang and a former American flapper, holds a personal grudge against the White Flowers — after all, its heir gifted her with a love laced with betrayal. But there’s much more to worry about besides the blood feud — foreigners overstepping their bounds, an impending civil war, and something more sinister in the shadows.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, written by Grace Lin, is a fantasy novel inspired by Chinese mythology and folklore. The book follows Minli, a young girl who lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain, working hard and farming despite the terrible land of the Fruitless Mountain. Her father tells her stories and she wishes to have an adventure of her own. One day, she uses her money to buy a goldfish, and it turns out that the goldfish can talk.
The companion novel to Saints, this book looks at the same situation from a different angle. Little Bao has grown up reenacting his favorite Chinese operas and looking up to his father. When his father is hobbled by European colonists, Bao's older brothers take over the family, relegating Bao to the role of little brother. In secret he trains with a martial arts master, and quickly out paces his brothers.
