Gorgeous picture by @starlight_and_fairytails_
Hello everyone!
It’s day 2 of our Readalong for These Violent Delights!
We left off on quite the discovery from Louren’s, and insight to Juliette and Roma’s past – let’s dive right in, I have a feelings things are going to get intense. ☠
Today we’re reading Chapters 9-16!
Please be warned, the following will include spoilers for These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong Chapters 1-16! Read only if you’ve finished those chapters!
-!SPOILERS!-
Marshall and Benedikt are on clean up duty and Marshall just casually starts reciting poetry and sees something weird. Benedikt decides to cut a corpse only to find insects burrowed in the brain omgg!
Juliette, Rosalind and Kathleen are at an opium den to collect rent, here to see the Madame, who knows Juliette from when she was a kid. She was close friends with her mother. Omg Rosalind and Kathleen had another sibling and she knew? ouch
Ooo Juliette isn’t here for the rent, she wants information on the Communists and supposedly Madame lets them use the opium den to hide. Naturally she refuses any knowledge. Juliette offers her necklace as an apology and boom it’s a weapon now wrapped around her neck! Damn Juliette.
Zhang Gutai, another mention! Interesting, is he the head of the Communists? Could the virus be man made?
Kathleen questions Juliette, but all too soon they are home and madness has erupted – the contagion has reached their house and the clawing begins!
The Cai’s have been invited by the French to the masquerade ball and Juliette has to go because her father needs her there and Paul has invited her ugh. Tyler once again eavesdropping, and once again there to remind Juliette that he’ll be there to take her place should she fail.
Juliette tells Kathleen to use her ‘Communist ties’ to find Zhang Gutai’s address.
Louren tells Roma the insects can jump from one host to another. For Louren to find a cure, they need a live patient… but how?
At home, Lord Montagov gives Roma an address for a Communist who supposedly created the virus to get their attention.
Kathleen lost in her thoughts, and we find out that there were triplets?! One had died and their father asked her, more like ordered, to taken on the identity of her dead sister, Kathleen. OMG – she used to be Celia, the daughter her father least appreciated because of how carefree she was. Startled out of thought she finds Dr Nao and asks for Zhang’s address.
A Scarlet member feels like she’s being followed, a eerie feeling, that makes her run right into White Flower territory – she sees something in the river, what could it be? Shouts make her stop when they see she’s a Scarlet, but chaos comes soon when something erupts from the river. Seven dead on the Russian ship and thousands of insects scurrying back to the water.
Juliette sneaks into Zhang’s newspaper office and finds drawings of a monster, in a sparse office desk. Gets caught but says she here on behalf of Lord Cai, escorted to Zhang’s office… where Roma is waiting also ooop! Looks like the address Roma was given was Zhangs.
Roma goes in first and returns saying ‘he knows nothing’, Juliette gets the same, Juliette leaves, bumps into Roma by the door. Sneaky Roma, takes the masquerade ball invitation instead.
Juliette casually throwing daggers at doors, gotta scare them if she is to be the head of Scarlet gang one day. She tells Kathleen to interview the bankers to see if they saw anything like a monster.
Rosalind in Juliette’s room, she saw it. She was the one who saw the monster in the river.
“It had silver eyes. And a curved spine. And sharp ridges. And scales and claws…”
Benedikt and Marshall live together, and now they have a live person to find and of course that’s a fail! Their only allegiance is to Roma.
On the other side, Kathleen is having no luck with the bankers, they have no idea. But she gets stopped by an old lady, who saw the fishermen shoot at something but it got away. Wait, her son saw a man, who swam away! WHAT!!!!
All ready for the masquerade ball and Lord Cai notices her armed with a garrote wire aka her necklace and she has 5 other concealed weapon aha!
The city is dying, and so are the people but all too soon they are at the ball, and the deal is sorted with the french consul general. But not before Juliette says what’s on her mind – they have no right to try and rule a place that they invaded! Lord Cai, takes her away and explains that they have all the power here. ?
Paul explains to Juliette they work for someone called the Larkspur, why does that sound familiar?
Roma is in a wig!!!! OMG, they dance and wants Scarlet’s and White Flowers to work together, but all to soon their ‘moment’ is interrupted by Tyler who has a gun to Roma’s head because he recognised his voice – Juliette tries to defuse the situation but Benedikt and Marshall come out brandishing their guns – oh no!
Screaming starts but not because of the guns. Juliette turns and sees Mr Li her favourite uncle drop to his knees, she tries to stop him but he’s clawing at his throat and Roma stops her, before she gets infected through the insects. ? One meeting, and its done!
Juliette explains why this need to work why the more the gang dies the easier it will be for the foreigners to take over!
Alisa is eavesdropping again, and now she’s late for the meeting and on the way she helps someone who has the madness, OH NO!!! She meets Juliette outside, get called in, seated next to Roma and tries not to scratch.
And the back and forth begins until there’s viable tension in the room and it just needs one person to react and that’s what we get. Benedikt pulls his gun on Tyler so Marshall wouldn’t, but Tyler has his gun out and shoots but Kathleen took the bullet out – phew but the damage is done!
Now everyone is on their feet, guns out and just before it starts there’s a wheezing sound that stops them all… to see Alisa drop to the floor, fingers going for her throat!
OH MY GOD! I can’t believe what just happened. That was tooo much. ?
How did we find today’s chapters? Comment down below, and I shall see you all tomorrow.
Love,
Shaz
Ok, that thing about the insects is disturbing to say the least. My head keeps feeling itchy ??
I don’t like this Dexter guys, both the father and the son. Speaking of which, mr dandypants really should learn to take “no” as an answer ? and I’m sorta bothered by how everyone seems to touch/push Juliette around?
Noooooo Alisa! I really hope she won’t die ? since she is small maybe it will be easier to restrain her so she won’t harm herself?
I don’t think I can stop here, I’ll read a little forward ?
p.s. I want Marshall and Benedikt to kisssssss
lol defo want them to kiss!
I love Ben and Marshall haha
Me too!!
I also get very itchy when I read about lice (like insects) ???
Hi everyone!!
I’m sad about Mr. Li dying and I hope Alisa will survive!!! ??
I wrote down one sentence that hit home for me, made me stop and think about it : ‘Too many kind hearts turn cold every day’…..
that quote is (sadly) so true.
and I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels itchy ?
Paul Dexter gives off such bad vibes, but he seems to be acting dumber than he actually is. I know he’s the Paris of the story, so I wonder if they’re going to get engaged or anything like that! I can’t believe that cliffhanger, oh gosh! I really hope Alisa doesn’t die.
That’s what I thought when her mother asked her whether Paul is good looking – that she will try and match them together for some political purpose.
I’ve never read Romeo and Juliet but there is more to Paul. And now I’m curious whether there is an engagement ?
Ooooo that’s an interesting theory, and Paul is definitely hiding something and acting ‘dumb’
I started to enjoy the story more with today’s chapter, so I’m hoping it continues to just get better and better.
Glad to see I’m not the only one sat here scratching when reading about the insects ?
I don’t like the Dexters, definite bad vibes coming from them. And I’m really not a fan of Tyler.
Juliette, though, is a total badass! I love that she wore the garotte as a necklace ?
And I’m really hoping that they can get Alisa to Louren in time and he can save her ?
Juliette is just so badass and has so many tricks
I really loved todays chapters. Especially the meeting of Juliett und Roma at the Communists workplace and of course the dance!
Tyler is so nervewreckingl ? same as Paul
There is more to come from them
And it wont be good
Now i reall want to know what happens to Alisa. I hope they find a cure
Tyler is just pure stress! Always lurking ugh
Is it just me or are these chapters really long!?
I enjoy the setting and description but it really does take up a lot between dialogue that could be moving the plot along.
Other than the really long descriptions and lengthy chapters, i am enjoying that we learnt more about the monster and that the insects are burrowing into heads.
I knew that Alisa was going to get in trouble and i had to read one extra chapter to see what happens to her O_O
I like Juliette a lot but i would like more chapters of Roma going forward. I find his story more intriguing at this point because he’s so conflicted about his father.
Also loved the scene with benedikt and marshall lol oh the tension! hehe
The chapters are really long every time I start a new one I look to see how many pages there are so I mentally prepare myself?
That cliffhangerrrr!!!!?? These chapters were interesting to say the least.
I enjoyed the chapter with Benedikt and Marshall as it’s fun to see the side character’s lives.
Let me just say I HATE Tyler. He’s just so abrasive and annoying, and I could care less about him.
I love the interactions between Roma and Juliette so I’m excited to see more!
I think I’m going to read a little more now to see what happens to Alisa…?
Thank you to Fairyloot for the beautfiul extra of the annotated chapter, I loved the author’s comments so much.
Alisa better survive! Julitte will somehow help Roma and Alisa will survive and their relationship will begin to heal; surely.
Also, the idea of beast lice that causes you to kill yourself scratching, (as a teacher especially) grosses me out more than words can say.
Am loving this book so much.
aww so happy to hear you enjoyed the annotated chapter
Marshall‘s and Benedict‘s friendship is so pure – I loved reading more about them! I didn’t even expect to get some chapters in the POV‘s of side characters but I am loving it!
What I am definitely not loving is Paul – I do NOT trust him at all, he seems to be that kind of guy that is willing to do stupid stuff to get his way ?
The masquerade ball scene though!! The tension between Roma and Juliette is strong but I also can‘t stop laughing at their encounters – they‘re both such messes!
Can‘t wait to read more!
About half way through this section I twigged that Chloe Gong had taken the infamous ‘A plague on both your houses’ like from R+J and RUN with it. Looool.
First up: oh no, Alisa! Noooo. I think she will be the live victim Roma procures for the scientist at least, which means I don’t think she will die in the next chapter, but honestly I was whispering “oh no” to myself outloud when she starting scratching her hair.
I really love Kathleen as a character. I’m glad she has accepted her name as Kathleen and seems to be at peace with it, but the reason behind it is still heartbreaking. Also, I like that she’s a pacifist in this heavily violent book.
My only real criticism so far is that the fantasy monster element seems kind of… not settled in the story so well, I guess? Since there is no other magical or fantastical part to the story so far its a bit jarring. Still, the rest is so well written that I’m hoping it’ll find its footing in the narrative better before too long.
Agreed about the mythical monster. It doesn’t fit in with the story in my opinion, but it’s interesting.
Yeah. I can sort if bite (heh) with the insects but the monster feels left field still. In a way, I sort of think it would work slightly better as a sci fi than a fantasy? Ah well, I’m still enjoying it!
And I’m still behind . . . ?
But again, what I was able to read was BRILLIANT! The plague spreading is dark, mysterious, and scary! The way it spreads is as well! The obvious tension between Roma and Juliette is so thick, a knife could barely cut through it. I love being in the past and can only hope I catch up with the readalong today so I can enjoy this book with everyone.
It’s hard! I’ve just managed to catch up. I wish you luck!
Honestly not enjoying this whole ‘contagion/outbreak’ element considering the times we live in ?. However, loving this book so much! Alisa is my favourite, so feeling rather stressed right now!!
I’m starting to get the hebbie gebbies reading all these sections about bugs and scratching throats.
I figured the “live victim” would probably be someone’s family member, but I’m so sad it ended up being Alisa! I really hope they can keep her safe and find a solution in time!
As others already mentioned it, those parts with the bugs made my hair itch so much… ?
I like the MCs and most of the other characters too, save for the parents, as usual in a Romeo and Juliette retelling.
I’m so sad for Alisa! I hope they’ll be able to find a solution to her condition!
Forgot to mention: Paul and Tyler are so damn annoying! ?
Ohhhh my gosh.. This part was so intense!! I liked the pacing way better than in the first section.
Though I have to admit that I found the whole insects part very disturbing / upsetting and I keep feeling itchy every time they get mentioned…
I definitely do not like Tyler one bit! And I hope Alisa is somehow going to make it, she’s such a great character.
I’m still feeling the same as yesterday… the Insects are creepy & the throat ripping out is disturbing. I like the main characters close friends maybe more than I care about Juliett and Roma. There are a lot of characters to dislike in this book Roma’s dad, Tyler, Dimitri, Juliett’s parents but the worst is probably Kathleen’s father. I get that he’s not accepting of her being trans but forcing her to give up the name she has chosen (Celia) & making her pretend to be her dead sister is appalling
The insects are soo scary. I am seeing them move in the corners of my eye all the time whilst reading ?. These chapters were exciting! I feel like the story has really started now. But poor Alissa! I hope she’ll be okay, I think I really have to continue reading now to find out!!!