The second book in this duology is as good as the first one. We’ve got more monsters, more politics, more drama. What’s there not to enjoy? Okay, okay, the politics and riots of the late 1920s in Shanghai was entirely not a fun time, but it makes this book interesting. I love how history, even though some events have been bent to fit the plot, had a large influence on the second novel. It feels real (monsters excluded), raw and said monsters aren’t the only terror.
I haven’t mentioned it in my review for the first novel, but I also really like that the romance between Roma and Juliette isn’t the sole focus. It’s one part of the book, nevertheless the blood feud, the politics, the other characters, everything else has plenty of screen time. And the characters struggle, not only our two protagonists, but also their cousins, friends and sister. Pretty much nothing ever goes smooth. As I have mentioned before, it reminds me of the C-Dramas I’ve watched (sorry that I have to blabber on about this again) and it’s just as entertaining as they are.
Like the first part there’s no literary obstacle and I could dive right in to the story. The writing style is rather simple and easy to get into. Since I wasn’t looking for a literary masterpiece but good entertainment I got what I was looking for.
If I’m in the mood again for more of Chloe Gong’s writing I know that there exist more novels set in Shanghai.
