Epic Fantasy Balances Love and Brutality on a Razor’s Edge

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

Chloe Gong’s Immortal Longings (Saga Press) is a captivating blend of stunning world building, fast-paced action and fascinating characters. In her adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Gong has crafted a tale that balances love and brutality on either end of a precarious, double-edged sword.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi spends her years in hiding following the bloody massacre of her parents, a fate meted out by her own hand. She yearns to complete her plan to bring down the monarchy by killing the remaining king in the kingdom of Talin — her uncle, King Kasa. To do so, she must enter the brutal games that the palace hosts each year, a ruthless competition in which the players’ single goal is to be the final player left alive. Players in the games are those with confidence in their ability to jump between bodies, wearing another’s skin as if it were a set of clothes. If Calla can win the games, she will not only be presented with unimaginable riches, but also the opportunity to see her uncle … and thus have her chance to finish what she started. But first, she must win.

When Calla finds an unexpected ally in exiled palace aristocrat and fellow player, Anton Makusa, she finds herself faced with a decision that she does not want to have to make. Add in the machinations of Prince August, King Kasa’s adopted son and thus Calla’s cousin, and the rumblings of foreign invasion in a city already overflowing with problems, and who knows what will happen …

There is but one truth: there can only be one victor.

Immortal Longings takes off like a shot from the very first page. Heart-pounding action is laced with political and romantic tensions. It seems like every chapter adds an additional sense of urgency. These players are fighting for their lives, and yet there is so much more at stake. Families, lovers, the social hierarchy and all of society as a whole — the fate of Talin — all hang in the balance as Calla, Anton, August and more claw their way to the top, each with their own motives and methods.

Calla is brutal and biting, her world colored by the harsh reality of the kingdom that made her. She is a deliciously morally gray character, her reasoning tipping back and forth between cold logic and red-tinged, rage-fueled need, necessity versus obsessive desire. August and Anton are wicked in their own ways, and the dynamics between each pairing are volatile. These three central players are the pieces of a ticking time bomb — we simply have to wait with bated breath to see who will trigger that final, world-altering explosion.

Gong’s writing is exquisite. Talin and its capital twin cities of San-Er are brought to life with vigor. They are practically living, breathing beings in their own right, the very streets humming with a ravenous hunger that swallows up the poor and unlucky. This is a book that captures you from the very first words, pulling you at breakneck speed into a world of neon lights and dangerous slums, a world that oozes violence underneath the fabric of society. Gong’s writing style feeds the nature of the story, hurtling along with vivid description, sharp language and clever banter. Add to that the fascinating ability to jump between bodies, and this novel has it all.

Immortal Longings is a terrifyingly seductive plunge into a ruthless tale packed with plot twists, vengeance and a touch of spice, all infused with the political intrigue and fated relationships of Antony and Cleopatra. I truly could not put this book down. It’s perfect for fans of The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas), and all who enjoy a heart-wrenching plunge into a razor-sharp, wonderfully crafted tale.

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From BookTok to Bestseller: A Conversation with Chloe Gong

Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, PEOPLE, Forbes and more. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult.

Publish Date: July 18, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Author: Chloe Gong

Page Count: 384 pages

Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press

ISBN: 9781668000229

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