Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada, published November 17, 2020

Format: Paperback ARC

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (Goodreads):

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

My Review:

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book.
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A retelling of Romeo and Juliet, the book is set in 1920s Shanghai and revolves around the relationship between two people of rival gangs.
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Juliette is heir to her father’s gang, the Scarlet Gang. She is tough and knows she has to be taken seriously as the heir. Therefore, she is forced to make certain decisions to maintain her image. Roma is also the heir to his father’s gang. the White Flowers. He is soft and beautiful, but also hard and violent, and Roma too knows he needs to keep up a tough image.
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I loved reading about the interactions between the two. I thought I knew what the book would be about from the connection to Romeo and Juliette, but there are actually a lot of differences and the book itself has its own flare. You can definitely see the connection between this book and the Shakespeare play, such as the rivalry between the two families, but the change in setting, violence, and fantasy elements makes this book quite unique! 
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A couple of other things I liked about the book is that the characters were multi-lingual, and the book touches on the issue of colonialism in China and the impact the British and the French had on China. I loved reading about how the characters could switch back and forth between languages when talking to each other. In regards to the representation of colonialism, the book showcases the tension between the colonial powers and the people from Shanghai, and how the locals would bend over backwards to try to get in their good graces, when in reality the colonial powers only brought harm and destruction to China. 
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Overall I loved getting lost in the pages of this book!