Overall Rating: 🔮🔮🔮
Vibes: 1920s Shanghai • Dark academia • Gang rivalry • Lovecraftian horror
Action: 50% character-driven / 50% chaos
Spice: 🌶️ Minimal romance, more tension than spice
Age Group: YA/Adult crossover
Warnings:
Violence • Murder • Body horror • Gore • Monsters • Gang conflict • Death
My Thoughts:
This may be a Romeo and Juliet retelling, but it is nothing like the version you remember.
Set in 1926 Shanghai, the story follows Juliet Cai, heir to the Scarlet Gang, and Roma Montagov, heir to their rival Russian gang, the White Flowers. Their families rule the city through fear, violence, and political influence—but an even greater threat is stalking Shanghai’s streets.
Something monstrous is killing people, and it doesn’t care whether you’re Scarlet, White Flower, wealthy, or innocent.
The horror elements gave strong Lovecraftian vibes, adding a dark and eerie atmosphere to the story that made it stand out from a typical enemies-to-lovers fantasy. The pacing is slower, focusing heavily on character development and the complicated history between Juliet and Roma. The more you learn about them, the more you understand how deeply their family loyalties and past choices shape who they’ve become.
What I loved most was seeing glimpses of who they used to be beneath all the resentment and political tension.
I originally wasn’t sure this series would be for me and kept passing it by at bookstores—but once I started reading, I was hooked. While I do think the story potentially could have worked as a standalone, I didn’t mind that it was split into two books… especially after that cliffhanger ending.
Now I need to know what happens next.
You Might Like This If You:
Love dark retellings
Enjoy rivals-to-lovers tension
Want fantasy mixed with horror elements
Like morally gray characters
Enjoy atmospheric historical settings
Book Hangover:
Immediately wanted book two after finishing the final chapter.
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