All 7 Chloe Gong Books, Ranked (Including Worst Things)

Chloe Gong’s best books demonstrate subtle shades of urban fantasy blended with Shakespearean space and historical fiction; Her new book Wild things is among the biggest fantasy books coming out in September 2024. Gong’s career began with The violent delights, The best-selling retailing of Romeo and Juliet which she wrote and published while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. With this book and its spinoff, Gong claims two of the best fantasy book duologies among the structure that has become more popular in young adult literature.

Gong progressed to mature fantasy with the subsequent release of Immortal longings, Introducing a fascinating new story-inspired setting and a tumultuous story based on Antony and Cleopatra. Gong’s entire career is a long fantasy book series worth committing to, engaging with Shakespeare and historical themes. Gong’s books are also among the BookTok books that deserve their hype, with The violent delights Praised by the users of the platform when it was released. Through these captivating stories, Gong prompts readers to think more about the tropes Shakespeare popularized and the relevance of the historical events depicted.

7

Dirty Heart Huntsman

The epic conclusion to Sud Shanghai rushes through several subplots

Dirty Heart Huntsman is the second half of the Angry Lady Fortune duality, The As you like it– Retelling spinoff of The violent delights. This is also the conclusion of Gong’s Secret Shanghai Saga, comprising five books in total, set in early 20th century China and characterized by organized crime and espionage space. Angry Lady Fortune Transitions the light-hearted story of As you like This is surprisingly true to the landscape of agents on opposing sides of the Chinese Civil War, but it also sets up a lot of subplots to be addressed in the sequel.

Dirty Heart Huntsman Rushes through some of the subplots, With much less dramatic endings than people might have expected. The twist ending of the first book seemed like it would be a bigger deal, but the issue resolves itself quickly. Other supporting characters like Jiemin and Dao Feng are not fully given their due, while the overall story moves from one sub-adventure to the next at a rapid pace. But, how As you like itIt all comes to a bittersweet end of reconciliation, ending the impressive genre blend of comedy and historical drama.

6

Last violent call

Comprising two fun side adventures with the cast of the violent delights

Last violent call consists of two novels – A dirty thing And This foul murder — each following one of the main chapters of The violent delights As they were introduced to play supporting roles in Dirty Heart Huntsman. This is a gift to the fans who want to see more of the couples being romantic and working together on new criminal enterprises, finally free of the divisions that dominated the first two books. This is especially necessary for Benedikt and Marshall when their storyline is in The violent delights Just see them get together near the end of the duology.

Last violent call Flesh out the characters by showcasing what their lives after Shanghai look like, delving into their daily activities and interactions and mixing their contentment with coping with lasting trauma. The nature of the Last violent call Collection means that it is not very heavy, As it is mostly a fun between book to set the finale of the series. However, it is something that fans who have made it this far in Secret Shanghai will absolutely love, with an air of finality as the old fan-favorite characters are called in one last time.

5

Immortal longings

San-Er is a new, even more complex setting for Gong’s adult debut

Gong’s first adult fantasy novel is the first set in a fictional setting, although the crowded twin cities of San-er were inspired by Kowloon Walled City in 1990s Hong Kong. On this action, the fugitive Princess Kala Tuolimi and exiled aristocrat Anton Makusa both fight to win the city’s annual battle to the death among 88 players. The key to winning is the ability to “jump” In different bodies, what Anton excels at and Kala wants to do. True to Antony and CleopatraKala and Anton’s personal and political goals soon conflict with their passionate attraction to one another.

Immortal longings explores complex themes of power and rule, Ask what needs to happen for the system to change and how much the characters are really willing to do. The core relationship showcases how power balances are even more disastrous in a relationship between two people who are both major players in the kingdom’s struggles. The characters are so obviously in a relationship that no one would want in real life and a political situation that few people will ever find themselves in, that they are less resonant than the cast of Secret Shanghai.

however, Immortal longings is as intriguing a book as there has ever been, Blending danger with lust seamlessly. If less relatable, these characters require further analysis because of the complex concepts they represent. But the real highlight of the first book in Gong’s planned trilogy is of course the setting itself, which is characterized as a living thing full of realistic people who cannot plan a revolution so easily. None of the typical tropes of a corrupt fictional government are in play here, resulting in a deeper story more akin to real life.

4

Wild things

The sequel to Immortal Longings enhances the romantic and political intrigue

Wild things Makes Calla and Anton’s dynamic and attraction even more volatile Through the depiction of Anton’s desire for power and revenge and Kala’s solo operations. The sequel is even stronger than the first book when it shows more how Prince August’s plans to ascend the throne are just as corrupt, despite his noble intentions. Things get even more dire from Ota Avia, a former lover of Anton, and a half-sister of August, who recently woke up from a coma and makes wild, unpredictable movements at every turn.

Ota covers the story with jealousy, which anyone familiar with Antony and Cleopatra Knowing is important to how the relationship of the title lovers is inherently manipulative. Also prevalent in the plot is how they convince each other that they deserve to be revered, translated into waste things Game-changing finale where the couple launches into a new campaign. Wild things The third book in the trilogy is still untitled to be an explosive conflict between several people who seek power for supposedly good reasons. But one may be forced to question if this is ever true.

3

Our mighty ends

The sequel to Violent Delights is angst and action that never lets up

People who go to YA literature for anxiety will find what they are looking for Our mighty ends, Where there are so many secrets and misunderstandings that keep lovers apart after the betrayals and heartbreak at the end of the first book. Some book readers may criticize it for too much angst and miscommunication, but Gong shows how much of the personal conflict comes from young people stuck in an impossible situation. Roma and Juliette are stuck on opposite sides of a turf war, which only becomes more dangerous as historical conflicts take shape.

yet Our mighty ends Delivers the painstaking inner conflict of the main couple About what they owe their families, their city and each other. The second of Gong’s bestselling books blends romance and fantasy as well as history. The stakes are higher than ever, and the emotions are gut-wrenching, with one of the biggest themes being the unchecked hatred that is tearing through the city, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. It all ends with cathartic reunions and devastation, as the characters emerge from the destruction and move into the next phase of their lives.

2

Angry Lady Fortune

As you like it meets historical fiction espionage with stunning results

As you like it is an indulgently pastoral Shakespearean comedy featuring various clueless aristocrats who take to the Forest of Arden to escape the politics of court. Gong Ambitions takes this and recasts it in 1930s Shanghai, where its various main characters work as spies and assassins on opposite sides of the conflict in China. Juliet’s cousin Rosalind (Rosaline in Shakespeare) is also the protagonist of the comedy; In Gong’s story, Rosalind is also the result of a scientific experiment that endowed her with enhanced healing abilities and stopped her aging.

yet Angry Lady Fortune Pulls off a playful story borrowing elements from As you like itSuch as fake marriages and false identities complicate budding romances. Gong’s YA books quote Shakespeare more often than her adult books, And some As you like it Lines are perfectly incorporated into the dialogue. Angry Lady Fortune Also picks up the familial themes of the inspirational material, showcasing different relationships with neglectful fathers and more attentive father figures, as well as enduring bonds and fraught relationships between siblings.

The “Melancholy Jack” Character has never been more relatable than when he is cast as a deadpan 18-year-old spy who has more going on than anyone realizes. moreover, Angry Lady Fortune Hold on The violent delights Starts by illustrating the fallout of European colonialism in China Along with the original story of the main character’s love life, regrets and conflicting loyalties. Rosalind’s moniker “Lady Fortune” is another nod to Shakespeare that illustrates her cunning nature – but underneath it all, she and the rest of the main characters are just doing their best in dangerous times.

1

The violent delights

Romeo & Juliet as you’ve never seen it before in 1920s Shanghai

yet Romeo and Juliet Offers the strongest foundation for a retelling, with more important narrative markers to be translated into a new setting. The violent delights is the razor-sharp, tightly-paced introduction to Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, Their heirs to Shanghai’s two rival gangs. Juliette is a dazzling and riveting heroine who is determined to keep Roma out of her life, but they are forced together when a mysterious supernatural threat descends on the city. The fantasy elements of the Secret Shanghai series are minimal and contained, adding just the right amount of dark magic to the story.

The supporting cast of Mercutio, Benvolio and Rosaline characters (plus Celia, Rosalind’s sister based on the As you like it character, and Roma’s sister Alisa, an original character) fill the story, making it a dynamic setting with many perspectives. Shakespearean Easter eggs are included in funny and deep moments, while incredible historical research also went into the depiction of Europe’s presence in Shanghai during this period. The violent delights is still the sharpest of Gong’s books, Incorporating themes of romance and history, free from the burden of all the sequels to do better than before.

Source: thechloegong.com