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“Love isn’t deserved. It is given freely.”

What is the Book about?

Princess Calla has been in hiding since she murdered her parents. She wants to free the people of Talin from the tyrannical royal family. Only one person stands in her way: her extremely reclusive uncle, King Kasa. Every year, the palace organises a series of deadly games, a fight to the death – with the chance to win unimaginable riches. There, Calla finally has the chance to get close enough to her uncle to kill him. Opposite her is Anton, a young man who has fallen deep into debt. Winning the games is his last chance to save his comatose childhood sweetheart and himself from his debtors. When Anton proposes an unexpected alliance to Calla, their partnership quickly develops into a passionate, all-consuming affair. But before the games end, Calla must decide what she is playing for – her lover or her kingdom. Because no matter what happens, only one of them can leave the game alive…

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Rating
Plot ★☆☆☆☆
Characters ★★☆☆☆
World Building ★★☆☆☆
Atmosphere ★★★☆☆
Writing Style ★★★★☆

Favourite Character
Calla

My thoughts while reading it

As a fan of Battle Royale games, I am naturally drawn to the “Hunger Games” setting, where only one can emerge victorious in a life-and-death struggle. With a highly original premise plunging us into an Asian cyberpunk world, Immortal Longings promises a blend of sword fights and technology, enriched by the intriguing twist of soul-switching between bodies. It sounds like an excellent concept that could provide an entertaining read. Moreover, with its beautiful cover, this book is one that simply belongs on the shelf.

An Asian-influenced world in a city similar to Hong Kong in the 90s brings us a partly historical setting that has been transformed into something of its own. It is very fitting that something real was chosen for this kind of story, as one could also imagine a displaced future like this. Narrow alleys, partly illuminated by neon signs yet adorned with traditional Asian lanterns, create a captivating atmosphere. The presence of a divided metropolis, split into two cities, adds to the epic scale, with sprawling markets and tempting food stalls providing the perfect backdrop for intense battles. Chloe Gong skilfully strikes a balance between vivid descriptions and plot progression, her sober writing style fitting perfectly into the emotionally austere cityscape.

The magnificent setting of the modern city is also attributed to a modern magic system. People who can jump from body to body with their “soul” and capture them has great potential. How interesting is it to use the physical advantages of another person for fighting? And how cool is it that nobody knows exactly which body I’m in? (So if I want to steal delicious food, I could just quickly jump into another body and not get into trouble hehe :)) But even if this ability was used, that’s the only thing that happened with this interesting magic system, it was just used. However, despite the utilization of this fascinating magic system, its potential for exploring moral quandaries remains largely untapped. And especially since there’s a love story here, wouldn’t that be an idea to explore how much love has to do with the appearance or how much is really in the character of the person? Unfortunately, there was none of that at all.

The narrative thrusts us into a “cage fight” in the city, where only one can emerge victorious. While the survival game trope holds promise for thrilling twists, it falls short in execution. Despite the introduction of a former princess with a mysterious past, the narrative fails to capitalize on potential intrigue. The motivations behind her participation in the fight feel vague, lacking conviction. Similarly, the oppressive backdrop of the city remains underexplored, failing to evoke the sense of societal unrest hinted at. It’s pretended that there are oppressed classes here or an authoritarian leadership. But apart from a few sentences about it, there is nothing that could give rise to this feeling. So why should I believe Calla that this is her motivation? The next problem is also that there is so much info dumping and that is the only thing the author uses to build up the suspense. Unfortunately, this tends to leave you feeling annoyed. Especially in the middle part, there was no tension at all. Additionally, the anticipated epic battles are disappointingly brief, failing to deliver on the promise of visceral excitement. I don’t really like reading battles, but I have nothing against an epic, long-lasting duel, and isn’t that what the survival game trope advertises? Epic, bloody, and backstabbing battles. I haven’t seen a single one of those, I really don’t mean ONE…

For the fact that this story is written rather soberly, which suits the plot, the characters are written interestingly and emotionally enough. At first they seem a little one-dimensional, but the more time you spend with them, the more you learn to like them. Calla and Anton are two very egotistical characters that you shouldn’t really like, but after a while you find yourself rooting for them anyway. The interaction between the two was also very realistic, as only the bare minimum of conversation is done here, as the two can’t stand each other. The two provide a good basis for the story, even if the backstory of the two is unfortunately missing a little, which is why I would have liked us to have seen flashbacks of the two again and again so that we could understand their motivations better. What was also unfortunate was that the characters were very isolated and the supporting characters were barely fleshed out, failing to capitalize on the rich potential of the city’s backdrop.

In conclusion, Immortal Longings squanders its potential for an engaging narrative, instead delivering a lackluster story. Focusing more on the arena combat and injecting it with thrilling battles could have elevated the book significantly. Nevertheless, the book remains enjoyable, primarily due to its writing style, and the climactic ending leaves one eager for more. This book would certainly make a great movie! I’ll give the second book a chance, hopeful for a more engaging narrative.

Reading Recommendation? ✓✘
Favourite? ✘