10 YA book releases we’re feeling thankful for this November

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The words “these violent delights” harken back to Shakespeare (or HBO’s Westworld, if you’re a fan), but that’s also the title of Chloe Gong’s latest YA novel. These Violent Delights transports readers to Shanghai in 1926, where a blood feud between two prominent gangs is tearing the city apart.

Eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai finds herself in the middle of this mess as the heir of the Scarlet Gang. A former flapper, the only real concern Juliette and her gang have is their rival group, the White Flowers. Of course, that rival gang is run by Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love — and things didn’t exactly end well between them.

It looks like the two will need to overcome their differences, though, if they have any hope of beating an even bigger threat to their city than competing gangs. Per the synopsis:

"“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.”"

These Violent Delights sounds perfect for readers who love following morally grey characters navigating a criminal underworld. Between the romance and the action, you’ll easily be distracted from everything happening in the real world.

These Violent Delights is available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats on November 17.