Chloe Gong

Immortal Longings

Paige Leitner

What are memories if not stories told repeatedly to oneself? Her whole body is the very narrative of her existence.

#1 New York Times bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games. Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him. Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he's deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he's one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning. Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton's partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.

Yenale

There's nowhere quite like the coliseum. 

fc ♡

"It will be remembered,” he goes on, like he doesn’t hear her. “And what fine daylight we have today to ensure its longevity in their memory.”

its wearer turns his head toward her, letting her catch his eyes at last—fully, properly. 

It is not August Shenzhi, the rightful crown prince of San, that Calla has put on the throne. It is Anton Makusa.

"I love you, so this is a favor to you. I will spare you from having to land the blow on me. I will take the burden.”

 Anton’s lips thin. Though the arena is uproarious and overspilling with havoc, Calla catches the exact moment that his eyes darken. “That’s ridiculous,” he spits. “You take no burden. Kill me, Calla, but tell the truth. Kill me because you love your kingdom more.”

"What is more important to you, Calla?” he asks. “Your lover or the kingdom?”

"I love you,” Calla says, the declaration snaking off her tongue and dropping into the space between them—as red as her mouth and as sharp as her sword. Like everything else she has wielded, her words are a weapon. 

A smile presses to Anton’s lips, though he appears confused. “What a strange time you have chosen to say so,” he replies, “but I love you too.” 

Relief washes through her coolly, tamping down the flames that burn within her ribs. But it is not enough. Calla tilts her head, letting a strand of hair untuck from behind her ear. “How much?” 

“How much?” Anton smooths her hair back. “There’s beggary in a love that can be counted and calculated.” 

“Can’t I be curious about how far your love stretches?”

 Anton laughs then, shaking her grip off gently. “You would have to find new skies and new earth, or else it would never stop stretching"

"Kiss me,” he says. “Kiss me and make every dreadful second here worth it.”

It’s strange that he has not been in Calla Tuoleimi’s acquaintance for very long, and yet he knows exactly where to go to find her.

He doesn’t take the stairs down onto the streets. He walks up instead, then pushes through the door to the rooftop. And indeed, there she sits at the very edge with her back to him, one leg swinging along the side of the building and the other propped up beside her. There’s a cigarette dangling from her fingers, the heel of her hand resting on her knee. Even like that, slouching in the most casual fashion, she looks every inch a princess. 

Calla turns slowly, her expression level while she takes him in. The morning light is brighter here than it is from the streets, but the clouds are as gray and heavy as the plastic bags that litter the gutters. Another storm floats on the horizon. “Are they?” Calla asks. “I hadn’t heard.” 

Her sword has been reacquainted with her hip, hanging where it belongs. When she moves her leg to make room for him, Anton joins her without further prompting. 

“Terrible.” He watches her take a deep drag. “Rots the qi and ruins your health. Practically guarantees an early death—”

Calla removes the cigarette from her lips and, with the puff of smoke still in her lungs, leans forward and kisses him. Despite his words, he lets her release right into him, taking the toxin down his throat like it is the sweetest liquor he has ever tasted. As soon as the smoke settles, Calla pulls away slowly, her lashes heavy and dark, fanning down with her indolent gaze. Her fingers remain around his jaw, and Anton watches her as she turns his face this way and that, surveying him under the groggy daylight.

Anton rubs at his eyes, turning over in his bed. When he reaches his arm out, it comes down on nothing, and he blinks awake, finding only sheets where Calla had been. He jolts up. It wasn’t a dream, was it? She really was here. His hand goes to his heart, and he exhales, finding a puckering, clotted wound. Never did he think he would be so relieved to confirm an injury on himself

Suddenly, Anton turns, nudging his shoulder closer toward her. Calla snatches her hand back with a start, but he’s not stirring against her touch. He has not awakened at all: he only adjusts until he is facing her, eyes still closed. Before Calla can react, Anton draws her near, seeking her body amid the sheets. He reaches for her, an arm curling around her waist, solid and steady. 

Gently, Calla puts her arms around him too, returning the gesture. There’s a surge of emotion in her chest—a foreign feeling, twisting at her insides like a rapid-setting infection. She brushes at his hair, and when his arm tightens at her waist, a tear slides down her cheek, landing silently onto the pillow. It would be easier if he had betrayed her. That’s familiar territory, something she knows how to navigate.

"Oh,” Calla whispers into the night. She turns, facing Anton. He has his back to her, his breath rising and falling with the heaviness of deep sleep. He had gone back for the sword.

 That’s why he’s in the body of a Crescent Society member. Not because he was plotting against her, but because he wanted to find her weapon. 

 When Anton shifts in his sleep, Calla draws a finger along his bare spine and marvels at how he doesn’t startle, like he has let his guard down, even knowing that she could take a sword to his chest.

Anton shakes his head. It’s a subtle movement, barely visible if lightning had not briefly illuminated the room. Without looking, he reaches for her ankle, unzips her boot, and tugs it off. The other follows. 

The barest smile twitches on Anton’s lips. “Thank you for being so cooperative.”

 “Don’t get used to it,” Calla warns. 

His gaze is heavy, mouth brushing against hers again, only to whisper above the rain, “Everything you do hurts, Princess.”

At first, Anton tastes of blood. Then his lips part, and the hint of something sweet hits Calla’s tongue, passing between them in that second that he relaxes. The blade slips away from her throat. As soon as the blade is gone, Calla pushes him hard. They part abruptly, the dagger clattering to the floor. Anton darts back with a sudden inhale; Calla is fast to rise. In her jacket pocket, she still has a set of chains. She’s got it around his neck in a flash. The metal crisscrosses in front of him, both her hands gripping each end of the chain, ready to pull. All it will take is one fast motion. Then Anton is no longer her problem, eliminated from the games. There’s nowhere to jump from here. No one around for him to occupy. Calla steadies her hands. Anton watches her. He merely watches, even while his life is under threat, even when he has the opportunity to find some way out.

“Go on,” he says evenly. “Kill me. Be the murderous princess they say you are.”

 “Do you think you’re insulting me?”

 Calla tightens the chain. Though his throat must be closing, breathing made intolerable, Anton makes no move to claw at the chain. “You sent people to murder me. At least I have the guts to come after you myself.”

 “If you don’t believe me, then I have nothing to say.” 

His hand shoots up and grips her wrist. She doesn’t know if it is his hands that are covered in blood, smearing the red between them, or if her arms were already this bloody to begin with. “But you do, Calla. I can tell that you believe me. Why are you doing this?” 

Because this is how it must end. Again and again, she tells herself there will be only one victor in the games. It would be foolish to think otherwise. Her grip loosens the barest fraction. She is a fool.

 “Did you kiss me just to distract me?” he goes on. “Or because you wanted to?”

Her hand comes down fast, the blade slicing through the air. The dagger plunges in an inch, threatening toward his heart, before Anton catches her arm, stopping the blade from doing any real damage. With a muttered curse, Anton tears her hand away. She barely has time to wince with pain; he sits up with startling speed, knocking his head against hers and tugging the dagger out from his chest in the same motion. Her world spins, her skull rattling from the hit. That pause is enough for Anton to turn the tables, her blade now in his hand and his knee pinning her down. He’s heaving for breath when he braces his arm beside her. She’s struggling to fill her lungs when he presses the dagger to her throat. 

“Is this really what you want, Calla?” he whispers. 

There’s a hot, steady trickle of blood coming from the wound on his chest. It lands, drop by drop, onto Calla while he hovers over her, marking her skin and staining a pattern onto her clothes. He’s not looking in her eyes anymore

“Do you want to fight me?” She doesn’t. Of course she doesn’t. But when has that ever mattered? Anton leans closer, the blade digging in.

Calla shifts toward the blade, just to test how firm his grip is. It stays pressed to her neck, but Anton flinches. It’s not the blood loss swaying his hand. It’s her. 

“Yes,” she breathes. “I want you dead.” And she moves again—not to the side, not away from the dagger. She lifts her chin, bringing her head nearer, and kisses him.

"Calla,” he tries, his breath warm against her neck. “Stop this.” 

“Why?” she hisses. “It’s only postponing the inevitable.” 

She kicks out from behind, her boot making enough contact with his leg to buckle him away. The moment there is the slightest give, she whirls around with a backhanded hit, striking his jaw. Before he can recover, she kicks at him again and follows him down—making sure he goes down—braced atop him when he lands flat on his back. The floor beneath them is cold. The linoleum tiles of his living room are cluttered with papers and boxes, all of which have skittered in every direction during the fight. As the two of them grow still, the disturbed objects settle to a stop too. 

Anton Makusa is vulnerable. Throat exposed, heart facing out. Now he is hers to take. Calla heaves for breath. One of her hands is braced on his chest, the other reacquainting with the blade that has landed on the floor. As soon as she has secured the handle, she raises the dagger high, imagining how its arc will come down. She can feel his heart thudding beneath her touch: fear and something else. 

“Calla,” Anton says again, desperation creeping into his voice, and Calla wants to tear him apart. Because she has him completely under her mercy, pinned like prey, but all he can do is look up at her like that. 

“What?” Anton asks. His eyes trace along her face. His pupils have blown so large that Calla can’t see the usual purple that rings his black irises. In an effort to keep him down, she presses upon his hips harshly, and then she can feel him, can gauge exactly why his pulse throbs at his throat.

“I don’t know what idea you’re stuck on,” Anton heaves. He wipes at the corner of his mouth. There’s a spot of blood, the skin swelling slightly from her hit. “But you’ve got it wrong.” Calla draws a breath. She flips the dagger, adjusts her grip on the handle. 

“Regardless,” she says, “I think we’ve reached the end of our alliance.” She closes the distance and swings. Just before the blade can make contact with the side of his neck, Anton catches her wrist, his eyes snapping a quick motion from the blade to Calla. He still looks taken aback, surprise marring the wide shape of his eyes. 

“So easily?” he asks. He twists her wrist; against Calla’s will, the pain triggers a nerve that forces her to release. The dagger clatters to the floor.

before she can gear up again, Anton twists his hold on her other wrist until her arm is arched behind her own back. In a blink, he’s slammed her up against the wall, pressed against her to keep her still.

Anton catches her arm; she looks at him dully. “Stop,” he instructs. “Sit down.”

Anywhere but here, she thinks. No weapon in her hands, only her bare skin, needing to brave harsh elements like the sweltering heat outside and Anton’s sympathy inside. “Release my arm,” she commands.

Anton frowns. “You’re being stubborn.” 

Stubborn. As if this is only a trifling disagreement, debating whether they should change the television channel, instead of her whole life undone. “And what about it?” Calla snaps. “Why do you care?”

 For several seconds, Anton is silent. Then: “Have you lost your mind?” he fires back. “I am only mortal, Calla. Clearly I care about you.”

“Release me immediately,” she says again. “I need to report to August. You won’t stop me from that, will you?” 

“August can’t help you.” There’s a plea in Anton’s eyes. “He is as powerless as the rest of us.” 

“He can help me more than you can,” Calla says.

Finally, Anton releases his hold on her arm, his whole face going blank

Anton returns to his chair, his lips thinning. “I hope you recognize,” he says when she remains silent, “that you were being really fucking stupid at the temple.”

 Her eyes snap up. She blinks once, her fingers twisting into the sheets. She can’t say anything to defend herself. She knows this. She watches him, and every little detail she has ever let slip unfurls between them, one after the other, culminating to here, to now, to her with a gouge in her chest because she refused to jump when she easily could have. Anton draws closer. His hand lifts, brushing along her face, fingers burying into her hair. It’s not the same soft gesture as when she was asleep. He is not trying to soothe her; he is holding her in place to get a good look, like an investor putting his prize up to the light. 

“You’re a wild, terrifying thing, do you know that?” he asks, a tremor in his voice

"You should have let me die,” Calla says.

 Anton rolls his eyes, pushing the glass into her hands. “And lose your help? That would be incredibly foolish.”

"I took your wristband and ran around with it each time it went off.”

 Anton digs into his pocket and, finding her wristband, tosses it back to her, the silver buckle landing with a heavy plop beside her hand. Calla peers at the screen. Nothing looks different. Anton could have smashed it up, pulled the chip out. He could have done anything in those hours she was gone to the world. He could have let her die.

A steady, delicate brushing, smoothing the strands away from her face and along her temple. Calla turns her head. The stranger pauses, his fingers halting as soon as he sees that she’s awake. 

“Anton,” Calla greets, looking at his midnight-black eyes.

“Oh,” he says. “I didn’t even say our catchphrase yet.” Despite her dry throat, she manages a croak of a laugh. “Go on. I’ll let you have your fun.”

 Anton reaches for a glass of water, already prepared by his bedside table. “What fine daylight we have today,” he says, passing her the glass. “Careful not to—”

Someone—Anton?—has sliced her shirt along its middle, stopping just before she is indecent, the exposed skin slathered with herbal leaves that cover her wound. All the blood on her chest has been wiped clean. Only her torn shirt shows the remnants of her torment, though it has long dried, the fabric dyed into a deep red brown.

He swivels to Calla. Grabs her by the arm, uncaring whether she can stand or not. She must. If she’s stupid enough to stay in this body, then she must be strong enough to carry it through. The other Crescents in the room are all injured and bewildered. There is an easy path—a quick shove and then through, his arm swooping down to retrieve the wristband he’d tossed onto the floor before hurtling up the steps with Calla and barging out from the basement.

 Anton looks left, right. The corridor is empty. There’s no one here. 

“Fifty-Seven?” Calla teeters sideways. He catches her immediately, his shirt staining with red where she presses close. 

“I’ve got you,” he promises. “I’ve got you, Princess.”

"Fifty-Seven,” Anton shouts, alarm rising in his tone. He still can’t see. “Fifty-Seven, jump.”

"Jump!” Anton is yelling. “Jump or they will kill you—” 

Anton stamps his foot hard, then hooks it around the leg of the nearest body beside him. The Crescent stumbles, and when he feels the air move, when he feels them lifting a weapon with intent for harm, Anton leans right in, letting his face take it. It cuts, and it cuts deep. But it also slices through the blindfold, which tumbles to the floor in one long piece. Anton shakes his wristband off and jumps. He takes that nearest body first, the one who slashed him, and turns the blade on his own throat. It’s a risk, but he leaves fast and breathes a sigh of relief when the next body accepts him.

He swings the chain over her neck. He tugs, slams her to the ground. Calla drops too, hand clasped to her chest and blood pouring through her fingers. Hard to tell whether it’s fatal. Whether he has just lost his best ally. Anton bares his teeth. “You like blindfolding so much?” he hisses.

he finds a sharp knife in the pocket of this body’s jacket and slashes across her eyes. He thinks he blinded only the left, but it’s enough to shove her aside when she screeches, counting her incapacitated.

Suddenly, Anton stumbles, his hand going to his sternum. He inhales like he can barely catch his breath, then he turns to the Crescent nearest to him, fury burning in his eyes. “Did you just try to invade me? Piss off.”

Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah. A murderous, dystopian Shakespeare adaptation? I'm sat!!!!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong's adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games. The only way to win, is to survive. Every year, thousands flock to San-Er, the dangerously dense capital twin cities of the kingdom of Talin, where the palace hosts a set of deadly games. Those confident in their ability to jump between bodies can enter a fight to the death - for the chance to win unimaginable riches. Princess Calla Tuoleimi has been in hiding for five years, ever since she murdered her parents to free the people of Talin from her tyrannical family. Only one person stands in her way of finishing the job: her reclusive uncle King Kasa. However, she knows he always greets the victor of the games. If she wins, she will finally get the chance to kill him. Enter Anton Makusa, whose childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace. He's deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Which means his last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning. When Anton proposes an unexpected alliance with Calla, they quickly find their partnership spiraling into something all-consuming. But before the games close, Calla must decide what she's playing for - her lover or her kingdom. For no matter what, only one of them can walk out alive . . .

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Chloe Gong's Adult Epic Fantasy Debut

millena

ok hear me out I know everyone didn’t like this book but I kinda LOVE IT??? I totally get it some of your points tho, it was a little bit slow sometimes and had some info dump but for me these parts were totally okay

the romance was SO different from others books, they’re completely crazy and intense (perfect for each other if you ask me 🙂‍↔️) and the ending???? Chloe girl how am I supposed to wait for the next one???? 😭

I’m so happy I read this one! maybe the book isn’t for everyone but you one hundred percent should try because it was DEFINITELY for me

Mira <3

unfortunately i had little in expectations for this book, but given it was chloe gong's first adult publication, i gave it an honest chance, hoping that the quality in the her writing has improved, considering i should've been the target audience. instead i ended up reading a book so inferior from her own debut that it was almost mind numbing.

the setting and premise was extremely interesting and promising. first, this was MEANT to be a retelling of antony and cleopatra. heavy on the meant, because this book is barely that. a retelling is not similar names (anton and calla and very oddly... otta avia) and a vague vibe. but i only make that point because nothing else in the novel makes up for it - a sub par attempt at a retelling could be forgiven, if the world building was not done abysmally. the concept was a beautiful opportunity; san-er, a setting inspired by hong kong, with a monarchy and very impoverished population. you couldn't miss it, due to the the large swaths of info dumping between lines of dialogue - the conversations between characters felt like those edits of episodes of friends with the sound track taken out
because of how much (sometimes useless and ultimately repetitive) information was being pushed down the reader's throat every time someone spoke. gong's descriptions of the poor were, bluntly said, boring and unoriginal, but again is something i would've looked past had the rest of the book be the most drab 400 pages i've read in a while. 

the hunger games imitation in this book was so bad it was laughable. sometimes i forgot the games were happening and then a character would mention it. the twin cities being the arena meant that normal civilians could get involuntarily included due to the book's magic system, with a mechanic called "body jumping". someone could "jump" into someone else's body, and be their own person but in that body. a practise thats illegal except in the games of course! not that it makes the games any bit interesting in practise. the concept could sure sound interesting when pitched, but it was ill executed with anti-climatic descriptions and with no other contestants of any importance. the games were just an exercise for calla and anton to be physically at eachother throats to fulfil the enemy to lovers trope. extremely lack lustre and lazy on chloe gong's part. 

the characters were irritating and flat. calla is just plain violent and annoying, anton had no real personality. nothing in the world could convince me that main characters this boring could ever be considered morally grey. there were way too many other characters which served no real purpose. side characters were sometimes implied to be queer (namely prince august and calla's ex attendants) but this is never explored, just randomly dropped in the book. again, extremely bloody boring. 

i really do urge someone in chloe's team to make her take a fantasy writing workshop - if the book is doing to be so heavily political, the reader cannot have questions for the most basic concepts. calla is so fiercely anti-monarchist... but hold on, would the monarchy be that bad if the king was young and hot? the political system and issues this world has was not explored at all. a lot of chloe gongs narrative choices left me with more questions than answers.

all in all, it's a disappointing debut into a new genre from chloe gong, considering how solid her YA debut was. it seems that immortal longings was an empty YA book with a sex scene. gong's essay on ageism in the publishing industry came back to me whilst i was reading this book; "Anyone can produce mediocre crap" she said, and unfortunately, mediocre crap is what she wrote.

 The 0.5 is clearly because I devored the book in one day. ONE DAY. Guys.

What a story, I'm so intrigued. First of all, I loved the universe, I felt really immersed and grasped the magic system very quickly. The main characters were so.... 🤭 I adopted them immediately lol. 

However, the thing that I actually liked the most was the writing. It surprised me in a good way, because it was different, somehow. I couldn't really grasp what was different this time but bravo Miss Gong, this duology looks on point and I cannot wait for the second book!! (YES I DIDN'T KNOW THE SECOND BOOK WASN'T OUT YET)

But when I write this - I realised that I had forgotten to review the book - the second book is out and is in my possession 😈 Going to read this asap 

 The 0.5 is clearly because I devored the book in one day. ONE DAY. Guys.

What a story, I'm so intrigued. First of all, I loved the universe, I felt really immersed and grasped the magic system very quickly. The main characters were so.... 🤭 I adopted them immediately lol. 

However, the thing that I actually liked the most was the writing. It surprised me in a good way, because it was different, somehow. I couldn't really grasp what was different this time but bravo Miss Gong, this duology looks on point and I cannot wait for the second book!! (YES I DIDN'T KNOW THE SECOND BOOK WASN'T OUT YET)

But when I write this - I realised that I had forgotten to review the book - the second book is out and is in my possession 😈 Going to read this asap 

         I have somehow fallen into a black hole of fantasy novels, and I am not happy about it.  There are sooooooo many books, why in the world did all of my books lists put a bunch of fantasies all bunched up together?  I can usually blow through a book in a day, but then I got stuck on a fantasy road and I can’t seem to even finish one with any enthusiasm.  This one was insanely popular in the book world, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.

            In a bizarre variation on 

 mixed with elements of Stephen King’s 

, Gong has created a winner-takes-all competition in a world where poverty and crime are rampant.  We have the evil king (overdone theme) who lords over a people who  have little to nothing (overdone theme).  Eventually, one lone hero (overdone theme) takes it upon herself to do everything in her power to end the king’s reign (overdone theme) and bring prosperity back to the people (we’ve all seen Robin Hood, whichever version you prefer).  With the added element of body snatching (we’ve even seen that before), it just becomes a jumbled game of who’s who. 

            Gong tried to introduce an element of romance, and there are some relationships that have appeared to stand the tests of time, but for the most part, this is a hopeless dystopia with zero chance of positivity anywhere in the future.  With little hope to grasp onto, there’s really no point in reading this story…or any future stories of this same realm.  The end throws us off a cliff, but I feel like going ahead and meeting my demise at the end of the fall is a better option than reading anything further from this world. 

            Obviously, I do not recommend. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I have somehow fallen into a black hole of fantasy novels, and I am not happy about it.  There are sooooooo many books, why in the world did all of my books lists put a bunch of fantasies all bunched up together?  I can usually blow through a book in a day, but then I got stuck on a fantasy road and I can’t seem to even finish one with any enthusiasm.  This one was insanely popular in the book world, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.

            In a bizarre variation on The Hunger Games mixed with elements of Stephen King’s The Running Man, Gong has created a winner-takes-all competition in a world where poverty and crime are rampant.  We have the evil king (overdone theme) who lords over a people who  have little to nothing (overdone theme).  Eventually, one lone hero (overdone theme) takes it upon herself to do everything in her power to end the king’s reign (overdone theme) and bring prosperity back to the people (we’ve all seen Robin Hood, whichever version you prefer).  With the added element of body snatching (we’ve even seen that before), it just becomes a jumbled game of who’s who. 

            Gong tried to introduce an element of romance, and there are some relationships that have appeared to stand the tests of time, but for the most part, this is a hopeless dystopia with zero chance of positivity anywhere in the future.  With little hope to grasp onto, there’s really no point in reading this story…or any future stories of this same realm.  The end throws us off a cliff, but I feel like going ahead and meeting my demise at the end of the fall is a better option than reading anything further from this world. 

            Obviously, I do not recommend. 

Mel 

This was a chore to read.

I think this book is further proof that I need to trust my gut. The story of Antony and Cleopatra just does not interest me at all. I didn’t care much for the characters or the world or the magic tbh. The romance was very flat/stilted. This reads very YA. It lacks the nuance and depth of The Hunger Games and how the games represent/shape the society in the books. I will say that there is a twist in this book that I found interesting but I don’t plan on continuing this series.

the last 2/3rd of this book really just made me so anxious and ready to throw up and then the cliffhangers are also not assisting with any of these feelings by any means 

samantha lias

Natalie 

4/5⭐️ First off, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!! I am a huge fan of Chloe’s books and I loved them all. I’ve been excited for this book, and honestly I was a bit disappointed. The first third or so was pretty slow and I didn’t feel engaged with the story very much. However, it did pick up, and the rest was pretty good! The plot is sort of hunger games-like in a way, which as a fan of that series I enjoyed seeing a twist on it. This has true enemies to lovers core as well and I really liked Calla and Anton together. Overall, I did enjoy it and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens!

this book did not grasp me and i felt like there were one too many holes, BUT, the ending did ensure that i will be reading the next one so there’s that

abi a

Kendi Dockum

3.5 stars

Okay, this one took me a minute to get into it. I don't know, guys, maybe I've got something wrong with my brain, because I didn't love it right away. Maybe it just took me a minute to wrap my head around the concept. Or maybe it was just that I was expecting something COMPLETELY different. Or maybe, just maybe, I am the pickiest reader alive because my brain, for whatever reason, cannot process books written in the present tense right away. You can take your pick.

Chloe Gong strikes again with her tendency to switch to multiple POVs throughout the book. I'm finding this method to be both confusing and refreshing at the same time, if that makes any sense at all. Most of the books I read stick to just one person's perspective, or at the most, two, but the problem with that is we only get one, or two, side(s) of the story. So having multiple POVs gets us to see the story at a different angle. At the same time, sometimes there's too many characters to keep straight, especially when their names have the same first letter.

As per usual, Gong did a phenomenal job in sucking us into the world with her world building. There's no argument against that. Her attention to detail is something I love in books, especially when it's a fantasy novel. The twists and turns as the story progressed still have me reeling. Especially that ending. My goodness, Gong... Can we just take a moment to breath? 

*Takes a much needed deep breath*

The characters... 

August, for me, was one of those characters that I loved to hate from the very first page. His morals were so gray you don't know whether to slap him across his face or give him a big, fat wet kiss. Reader's choice as to where. XD It's obvious from the start that he cares about his kingdom and its inhabitants, but there's some questionable choices that he makes that leaves the reader wondering whether or not he's supposed to be the villain here. His relationship with his body guard and friend, Galipei, had me curious from the start, and now I'm even more curious about how this is going to progress.

Calla... I loved Calla from the moment we meet her. Her snarky attitude, her complete and utter defiance to anything anyone says. Calla doesn't care what other people think about her, and she's not shy about letting people know it. She's a strong, capable woman that's sure to remain in the spotlight for a long, long time.

From the moment Anton Makusa stepped into the picture, I just knew he was going to try to steal the show. He's charming, witty, and of course, very complicated. I loved every aspect of his being. He's easily my new favorite character. 

Calla and Anton's relationship was captivating, to say the least. They're rivals... Then they're reluctant partners... Then they're lovers. I'm pretty sure I'm missing a step in there somewhere, because that was one slow-burn romance right there. From the moment they meet, their chemistry jumped right off the page. Their banter is glorious. They're evenly matched in talent and intelligence. They really do make the best team.

I'll definitely be looking forward to the next instalment to this series, because as per usual, Gong leaves us with one of those cliffhangers that you just HAVE to know what happens next.

When I bought this book, I was so excited, I’d heard the best reviews.. but then I started reading it.. it was too slow for me personally! I was sooo bored reading it, I thought it got too lazy with the romance and the plot didn’t go as deep as it could have. I feel let down honestly :( it took me ages to finish simply because I didn’t want to read it 

Robyn Harley

I really did like this book, but the love story in this was so rushed. They didn’t seem to love each other and then all of a sudden they change their minds. It’s hard to explain. Overall good book. 

I really struggled through most of the book. I found it very hard to get into and hard to care about the characters until maybe the last fourth of the book. It was very clear the whole time that Gong is holding back major plot information from the reader, probably to drop a bomb in book two, and that’s a huge pet peeve of mine. I don’t mind bomb drops, but it’s so irritating to have it telegraphed to you that there’s info you don’t know the whole book. The world and the characters weren’t very fleshed out so it made it hard to understand all their motives. It also seemed like a second-rate Hunger Games which honestly felt lazy. There was one twist I didn’t see coming that was good and the ending was a bit satisfying, but this book was pretty meh. 

Katie Allard

Action packed, suspenseful, and twisty! Hunger Games meets Altered Carbon!

See my storygraph review for all the content warnings (includes parent death, child death, blood, etc.)

The romance was truly the least interesting part of the book, but thankfully it didn’t occupy much page time, namely Anton simping over Calla. The political/royal drama and betrayals carried the story, and I’m very interested to see how the qi magic system develops in the next installment.

I vaguely know the historical figures of Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and Augustus, but I’m less familiar with Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, so I can’t speak to any poignant plot points or quote references that more familiar readers might recognize.

Liz Griffin

Action packed, suspenseful, and twisty! Hunger Games meets Altered Carbon!

See my storygraph review for all the content warnings (includes parent death, child death, blood, etc.)

The romance was truly the least interesting part of the book, but thankfully it didn’t occupy much page time, namely Anton simping over Calla. The political/royal drama and betrayals carried the story, and I’m very interested to see how the qi magic system develops in the next installment.

I vaguely know the historical figures of Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and Augustus, but I’m less familiar with Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, so I can’t speak to any poignant plot points or quote references that more familiar readers might recognize.

I really enjoyed Gong’s YA books and was looking forward to seeing her bring a more sophisticated approach to her excellent character building and narration style with what sounded like a really cool idea.

Instead this book is three ideas wearing a trench coat. There is only a plot because this a modernized retelling. The world building is non-existent, the characters are 2D, and the actual story is just a bastardized Hunger Games that isn’t good.

This idea had a ton of potential—especially with Gong’s talent behind it. But unfortunately it feels like NO ONE on her team sat down with her and actually talked the ramifications of building a magic system around body jumping. The lack of nuance was astounding.

There are “twists” that barely qualify as such as they are actually SUPER obvious—and not in the “the author did a great job laying the groundwork with foreshadowing” way.

This book was desperate to be taken seriously as an Adult Fantasy—you can feel it as you’re reading it. And unfortunately, every narrative choice made this book feel less mature than Gong’s YA books. 

You’re better off keeping this one off your TBR.

Deborah Kerr

An utter disappointment.

I really enjoyed Gong’s YA books and was looking forward to seeing her bring a more sophisticated approach to her excellent character building and narration style with what sounded like a really cool idea.

That was not what was delivered here.

Instead this book is three ideas wearing a trench coat. There is only a plot because this a modernized retelling. The world building is non-existent, the characters are 2D, and the actual story is just a bastardized Hunger Games that isn’t good.

This idea had a ton of potential—especially with Gong’s talent behind it. But unfortunately it feels like NO ONE on her team sat down with her and actually talked the ramifications of building a magic system around body jumping. The lack of nuance was astounding.

There are “twists” that barely qualify as such as they are actually SUPER obvious—and not in the “the author did a great job laying the groundwork with foreshadowing” way.

This book was desperate to be taken seriously as an Adult Fantasy—you can feel it as you’re reading it. And unfortunately, every narrative choice made this book feel less mature than Gong’s YA books. 

You’re better off keeping this one off your TBR.

i expected so much from this since i loved these violent delights but i just wasn’t feeling the romance :( the couple barely had any chemistry, and the ending felt a little rushed which is sad because the ending was the best part of the book 😭

As a Shakespeare enjoyer and as someone who also enjoyed the These Violent Delights duology, I have to admit I'm let down by this book. I went into this with excitement because I had high hopes for where Chloe Gong would take her writing in something that was not only in the adult genre but was also inspired by Antony and Cleopatra but I ended up disappointed. Honestly, I think saying it was inspired by the play is a stretch in itself when really the only similarity that had anything to do with the plot itself was their names and the obsessive relationship they had with each other. I understand this is supposed to be a trilogy so maybe the other two books would dive deeper into it but that feels a bit like false advertising to me, especially after TVD/OVE were arguably much closer to their source material. All throughout the book, there were long paragraphs dedicated to describing San-Er and while I do appreciate description, there was simply too much of it here. Almost, if not every, chapter had an info dump about the setting or the games and it simply got repetitive at some points (I found myself skimming often which I absolutely hate doing). The body-jumping aspect was intriguing at first glance when I read the synopsis but the further I read on, the worse I felt about it. Jumping is repeatedly mentioned to be illegal but that it's widely accepted people still do it and that it's legal for the players in the games. There were certainly opportunities for nuanced conversations woven into the narrative regarding body politics, exploitation, and consent, but they fell flat. To the games aspect: if you are going to do something similar to another preexisting entity (in this case, The Hunger Games), you have to do it better or make it unique otherwise it falls flat and unfortunately that was the case here. I really hate that I disliked this book so much because I really loved TVD and OVE and I was excited for something fresh and new in this trilogy but almost none of the characters were interesting to me and I don't know if I really want to pick up the next two. It might be impressive that Chloe Gong has put out 4 books and 2 novellas and is just 24 years old at the time I'm writing this, but I think it might do her some good to slow down, focus on improving her craft, and spend some time writing without focusing on churning out as many books as humanly possible within a few years. I truly wish I hadn't felt this way because I love Chloe's other books and I hope for a better experience with Foul Heart Huntsman in the Fall and her future books.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong's adult epic fantasy debut

First off, I started reading this book as an eARC from Netgalley (thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the oppertunity!), and honestly, I struggled to get into it. So when my July adult Fairyloot turned up while I was only 5 chapters in, I decided to restart with a physical copy, and it was a lot better! The world Chloe Gong has created here is bustling, its constantly active, its a life force of its own, and this translated a lot better, became a lot more absorbing as a physical read!

The story is an Antony and Cleopatra retelling, but with major Hunger Games vibes! I loved Gong's adaptation on these two stories combined into a fantasy setting with an incredible and unique magic system of the characters being able to "jump" into another person's body and steal their appearance, therefore constantly adding a mystery to the games of who your opponents are.

Add to this the claustrophobic city setting, royalty, and secret political agendas, and you have a bloodthirsty, action-packed, and shocking story that constantly left me on the edge of my seat!

Calla's character was especially intriguing for me. She gave me constant kick-ass Mia Corvere vibes, with her own cat sidekick (this time a real cat rather than a shadow cat, but I'm sure if Mao Mao could talk, he would be as sassy and sarcastic as Mr Kindly). The constant bickering between her and Anton added all the slow burn suspense you needed to their relationship, making the final chapters in the book even more heart shattering!

The cliff-hanger ending just gave such a thrill to the story, with a major twist that I would not have expected! I can't wait for the sequel to see what these characters have to face next!

Victoria Justice

First off, I started reading this book as an eARC from Netgalley (thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the oppertunity!), and honestly, I struggled to get into it. So when my July adult Fairyloot turned up while I was only 5 chapters in, I decided to restart with a physical copy, and it was a lot better! The world Chloe Gong has created here is bustling, its constantly active, its a life force of its own, and this translated a lot better, became a lot more absorbing as a physical read!

The story is an Antony and Cleopatra retelling, but with major Hunger Games vibes! I loved Gong's adaptation on these two stories combined into a fantasy setting with an incredible and unique magic system of the characters being able to "jump" into another person's body and steal their appearance, therefore constantly adding a mystery to the games of who your opponents are.

Add to this the claustrophobic city setting, royalty, and secret political agendas, and you have a bloodthirsty, action-packed, and shocking story that constantly left me on the edge of my seat!

Calla's character was especially intriguing for me. She gave me constant kick-ass Mia Corvere vibes, with her own cat sidekick (this time a real cat rather than a shadow cat, but I'm sure if Mao Mao could talk, he would be as sassy and sarcastic as Mr Kindly). The constant bickering between her and Anton added all the slow burn suspense you needed to their relationship, making the final chapters in the book even more heart shattering!

The cliff-hanger ending just gave such a thrill to the story, with a major twist that I would not have expected! I can't wait for the sequel to see what these characters have to face next!

rooting for august idk i support gay rights but also gay wrongs. also loved calla and yilaschami 🫶

emily

I apologise in advance. I have turned into a philosopher. First and foremost, this is my opinion and commentary. Disclaimer, this review is slightly spoilerish, especially when I talk about the relationship of the main romantic pairing. I'm assuming everyone knows about Anthony and Cleopatra, plus I talk a bit about the worldbuilding and left in information that is found early in the book.

This book is Chloe's debut in the adult genre. Compared to Foul Lady Fortune, which was more fun and entertaining, it is serious and has a darker tone. I see why one could get bored with everything going on and the worldbuilding. If you aren't invested, you might struggle to keep up. I also found it to be slower paced. 

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but it is a bit Hunger-games-esque so if you liked that I think you’d enjoy this too. There also are no explicitly good characters, for the morally grey character lovers. But don't go into this looking for queer rep because there's nothing concrete worth mentioning. 

Everything in this book happens in San-Er, once two cities but now joined under the Tyrannical rule of king Kasa, the capital of Talin. The living conditions of the lower class are bad, which is why people enter The games. What the contestants might get out of them, even if by dying, is explained pretty early, so I’ll skip that, but the victor is greeted by the king and awarded a large sum of money. And that’s why the main character, a traitorous princess Calla, enters the game under a false identity, so she can finish what she started and kill the king. She is immediately discovered by August, the king's adoptive son and heir to the throne, who offers her support and pardon if she does the dirty work for him which would put him on the throne. Early into the games, she also allies with another contestant and grows close to him. But only one of them can become the victor, when they are the last one standing.

Something really interesting in this book is the concept of people being able to transfer into different bodies. But only people with a special gene have that ability. This skill is intertwined with the concept of qi which originates from Chinese culture. I found it quite fascinating. On the other hand, there are people from a certain family tree that are protected from being invaded by jumpers. There are also laws to how jumping works as well as various negative consequences. Everything was very thought out. 

As in Chloe's fashion, the foreshadowing was excellent. I should have seen some things coming.

The book is written in 3rd person, allowing for more deception as we don’t see what’s going on inside the characters, just what is apparent from the outside. But with jumping, the factor of deception is even higher, which leads to many plot twists. Shoutout to Sydney for giving me this cue. Another thing about jumping is that people do not value their bodies (with the exception of the royals, who frown upon jumping into a lower person's body because of classism). They view them just as shells carrying their qi. Appearance doesn’t necessarily tell much, as there could be anyone occupying the body. Although jumping is illegal, it is not uncommon. And since it facilitates crime while being undetectable on surveillance cameras, there is also a great deal of injustice and dilemmas in the judicial system.

There are people who don’t inhabit a different body from their birth one, people who temporarily take over someone else's when convenient for them, or people who don’t even have a permanent one. Which makes you think, who actually are we, or what if our bodies are mere vessels? What defines us? 

Moving on to Calla. Out of all the characters (which I admittedly didn't really care about), she was the one I liked the most. She is strong, independent, ruthless and set on removing the king from the throne, so the world could become a better place. August wishes the same. But I think he would have ended up on the same path as the king before him. He’s calculative and goes by any means necessary to achieve his goal. I didn't particularly like Anton. He's the contestant Calla allied with, and they form a romantic relationship. 

Now, this relationship I found very intriguing. I’m not sure whether it was intentional or not, but I’m hesitant to call what they had love. Anton has a history of being obsessed with his childhood sweetheart. Back to my point. He did not occupy any body permanently (she slept with a random dude?) so it couldn’t have been physical attraction that Calla was feeling for him. But was she truly in love with just his character? I'm not convinced. Their emotional connection came a bit out of nowhere. At the very end, the reason he entered the games in the first place was so that he could pay medical bills for Otta his girlfriend, who had been in an artificial coma preventing her from dying for years. He clings on to her hoping she would awake, all while claiming he was in love with Calla. When she suggests an alternative solution which would keep them both alive, he refuses. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and what happens next is important. I want conflict. There's a lot of potential for drama, interesting and juicy stuff. Basically, I hope there isn't a happily ever after because where's the fun in that? I just love messy relationships and complicated characters. Gives you something to think about. 

There's a lot left unanswered, so I will be looking out for the sequel. 

Ps: If people were so recognisable by eyes alone, why didn't anyone ever think to wear contacts? Do they not exist???

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Characters: 7/10

Enjoyment: 8/10

Plot: 9/10

Worldbuilding: 8/10 

Writing: 10/10

I apologise in advance. I have turned into a philosopher. First and foremost, this is my opinion and commentary. Disclaimer, this review is slightly spoilerish, especially when I talk about the relationship of the main romantic pairing. I'm assuming everyone knows about Anthony and Cleopatra, plus I talk a bit about the worldbuilding and left in information that is found early in the book.

This book is Chloe's debut in the adult genre. Compared to Foul Lady Fortune, which was more fun and entertaining, it is serious and has a darker tone. I see why one could get bored with everything going on and the worldbuilding. If you aren't invested, you might struggle to keep up. I also found it to be slower paced. 

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but it is a bit Hunger-games-esque so if you liked that I think you’d enjoy this too. There also are no explicitly good characters, for the morally grey character lovers. But don't go into this looking for queer rep because there's nothing concrete worth mentioning. 

Everything in this book happens in San-Er, once two cities but now joined under the Tyrannical rule of king Kasa, the capital of Talin. The living conditions of the lower class are bad, which is why people enter The games. What the contestants might get out of them, even if by dying, is explained pretty early, so I’ll skip that, but the victor is greeted by the king and awarded a large sum of money. And that’s why the main character, a traitorous princess Calla, enters the game under a false identity, so she can finish what she started and kill the king. She is immediately discovered by August, the king's adoptive son and heir to the throne, who offers her support and pardon if she does the dirty work for him which would put him on the throne. Early into the games, she also allies with another contestant and grows close to him. But only one of them can become the victor, when they are the last one standing.

Something really interesting in this book is the concept of people being able to transfer into different bodies. But only people with a special gene have that ability. This skill is intertwined with the concept of qi which originates from Chinese culture. I found it quite fascinating. On the other hand, there are people from a certain family tree that are protected from being invaded by jumpers. There are also laws to how jumping works as well as various negative consequences. Everything was very thought out. 

As in Chloe's fashion, the foreshadowing was excellent. I should have seen some things coming.

The book is written in 3rd person, allowing for more deception as we don’t see what’s going on inside the characters, just what is apparent from the outside. But with jumping, the factor of deception is even higher, which leads to many plot twists. Shoutout to Sydney for giving me this cue. Another thing about jumping is that people do not value their bodies (with the exception of the royals, who frown upon jumping into a lower person's body because of classism). They view them just as shells carrying their qi. Appearance doesn’t necessarily tell much, as there could be anyone occupying the body. Although jumping is illegal, it is not uncommon. And since it facilitates crime while being undetectable on surveillance cameras, there is also a great deal of injustice and dilemmas in the judicial system.

There are people who don’t inhabit a different body from their birth one, people who temporarily take over someone else's when convenient for them, or people who don’t even have a permanent one. Which makes you think, who actually are we, or what if our bodies are mere vessels? What defines us? 

Moving on to Calla. Out of all the characters (which I admittedly didn't really care about), she was the one I liked the most. She is strong, independent, ruthless and set on removing the king from the throne, so the world could become a better place. August wishes the same. But I think he would have ended up on the same path as the king before him. He’s calculative and goes by any means necessary to achieve his goal. I didn't particularly like Anton. He's the contestant Calla allied with, and they form a romantic relationship. 

Now, this relationship I found very intriguing. I’m not sure whether it was intentional or not, but I’m hesitant to call what they had love. Anton has a history of being obsessed with his childhood sweetheart. Back to my point. He did not occupy any body permanently (she slept with a random dude?) so it couldn’t have been physical attraction that Calla was feeling for him. But was she truly in love with just his character? I'm not convinced. Their emotional connection came a bit out of nowhere. At the very end, the reason he entered the games in the first place was so that he could pay medical bills for Otta his girlfriend, who had been in an artificial coma preventing her from dying for years. He clings on to her hoping she would awake, all while claiming he was in love with Calla. When she suggests an alternative solution which would keep them both alive, he refuses. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and what happens next is important. I want conflict. There's a lot of potential for drama, interesting and juicy stuff. Basically, I hope there isn't a happily ever after because where's the fun in that? I just love messy relationships and complicated characters. Gives you something to think about. 

There's a lot left unanswered, so I will be looking out for the sequel. 

Ps: If people were so recognisable by eyes alone, why didn't anyone ever think to wear contacts? Do they not exist???

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Immortal Longings

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