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 in chaos. Juliette Cai is the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law.
Roma Montagov is the prodigal son of her greatest rivals, the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. He is also Juliette's first love . .
. and first betrayal. When a deadly madness strikes gangsters on both sides, the people start to whisper.
Of a contagion, and a monster in the shadows. And 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, there will be no city left to rule.
Staff Choice: Damla
1920's Shanghai, glowing with unabashed decadence, balanced on the edge of a knife between the mounting tensions of the colonizing foreigners and gang feuds, the social balance ready to tip over at the slightest exhale.
A beautifully ominous, rich writing that is as decadent as the decade, weaving a web of superstition, politics, hunger for power, love, hate, betrayal, and suspicion.
The result is an incredible debut that translates to a bittersweet love letter to the city; a hopeless love that burns bright despite its sharp edges, its ugly entanglements, dark corners, and darker abusers.
Definitely recommended!