#calla and otta

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Out of context vt reactions part 1

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @chloegong and @sagapress for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Art torn with the permission of @artbysmashley

✩⛓️🕊️Review:

Seeking out the next fantasy book that will destroy you? Look no further! 

Picking up where “Immortal Longings” leaves off, “Vilest Things” follows Calla Tuoleimi as she serves as royal advisor to August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne. Only Calla knows Anton took over August’s body to survive her betrayal. The two must set aside their conflicts when Otta Avia awakens and her secrets threaten the very fabric of the monarchy.  

This book outdoes its predecessor with more power (but in the wrong hands), more repercussions, more politics, more tension, and even more  betrayals. Gong truly has a knack for making her readers suffer and I’m not sure what this says about me, but I endured every cliffhanger, volatile exchange between Calla and Anton, and unanswered question happily. 

“Vilest Things” is told from multiple points-of-view and I was captivated by every single one. Gong makes each perspective necessary in advancing the plot forward and unraveling what larger is at stake. As a result, I was equally frustrated and excited to follow a different character at the start of each chapter and discover a new piece to the puzzle. 

I am obsessed with the world Gong creates in “Immortal Longings”, so I really enjoyed how she expands upon it in this book. Gong completely engrossed me in Calla and Anton’s journey beyond the walls surrounding San-Er and into the outer reaches of Talin. Each province they cross into is accompanied by descriptions of the region and its customs to make one distinctive from another. The secret that draws them out there in the first place adds an element of mystery relating to the kingdom and its history that kept me on the edge of my seat!

 Calla and Anton’s begrudging alliance on their travels had me in a chokehold! The events at the end of book one obliterate all trust established between the two of them, bringing their relationship right back to square one, and their toxicity festers because of that. Both still have residual feelings, but allow their stubbornness to keep them apart. Otta also serves as a source of tension for Calla and Anton’s relationship and nothing was more agonizing than watching Otta manipulate their perceptions of each other. The angst and mutual pining, however, makes it all worthwhile.

Fair warning: “Vilest Things” ends with the most brutal cliffhanger. I thought the end of “Immortal Longings” was soul-destroying…but this is a whole other level. I could do nothing but watch it play out and I fear I might be scarred for life. Chloe if you’re reading this, I’ll forgive you in exchange for book 3. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[thisisourlovestory]

So I read Vilest Things last night cause it was delivered yesterday so I was like I’m gonna read it in one night so I did and it was magnificent thank you Miss Chloe

Although every time one of them said ‘what gives?’ I started laughing and when Anton was like ‘what a delinquent’ I snorted

[chloegong]

hello tumblr I have come to bring you the VILEST THINGS COVER REVEALS AHHHHHHHHH

in case you missed it, there's an excerpt here and yeah I picked it myself for maximum toxic situationship angst

"chloe what about august what about galipei—" they suffer too don't worry we have to leave some suffering for inside the book ok!!! you can preorder a copy now, all links are live for this sequel to show up at ur door on Sept 10th :D

Official Description:

Calla Tuoleimi has succeeded in the impossible. Despite the odds, she has won San-Er’s bloody games and eliminated King Kasa, her tyrant uncle and the former ruler of Talin. She serves now as royal advisor to Kasa’s adopted son, August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne.

Only Calla knows it isn’t really August.

Anton Makusa is still furious about Calla’s betrayal in the final round of the games. In an impossible feat, he took over August’s body to survive, and has no intention of giving up this newfound power. But when his first love, the beautiful, explosive Otta Avia, awakens from a years-long coma and reveals a secret that threatens the monarchy’s authority over Talin, chaos erupts. As tensions come to a boiling point, Calla and Anton must set their conflicts aside and head to the kingdom’s far reaches to prevent anarchy… even if their empire might be better off burning.

[bubbeshfk]

I think one of my favourite aspects about Immortal Longings is how the language being used to describe Calla and Anton's relationship sound vaguely romantic when read uncritically because of romance genre conventions but become deeply concerning when placed in context. Like when Calla states that she NEEDS to constantly be around Anton so she feels less off-kilter and on edge which signals how their relationship is beginning to become co-dependant and that their pseudo-professional alliance is devolving into something very unhealthy. In a different novel this would be treated as a testament to how much she adores him but given Calla's self-loathing and fear of solitude makes the sentiment a hell of lot more grim.

Then there's Anton who compares Calla with Otta which on the surface seems like he's becoming more critical of his compulsive attachments to people and seems to realise that his attachment to Otta was fairly obsessive but he only does so because he made Calla that new object of obsessive infatuation. So him calling her a goddess and the like reads less like terms of endearment and more like those attachment issues rearing its ugly head even Calla to some degree is a bit uncomfortable with how much he deifies her.

The infamous sex scene between Calla and Anton has caught a lot of heat for how unromantic/unsexy it feels and I would argue that it's supposed to make you feel uncomfortable not titillate. The scene is really interesting to me because it highlights the rampant miscommunication between the two and how they both use sex as a substitute for dealing with their issues with the other. The line that stands out the most to me being "Everything you do hurts, Princess" and Calla's response being "So hurt me back" shows that they both believe that romantic love is supposed to be this awful, compulsive all-consuming thing but fail to realise that an all-consuming relationship leaves you with absolutely nothing which doubles as foreshadowing for just how badly their relationship is going to end.

[linopolitan]

immortal longings characters + their roman counterparts

i've not been on this blog in like literal ages but i just finished reading this book and i figured making these connections might allow for some foresight into the rest of the trilogy but god forbid i put some of my findings on goddamn twitter of all places so here it is

(spoilers under the cut for obvious reasons)

calla tuoleimi (cleopatra, ptolemy) and anton makusa (antony, marcus) are obvious; i think this is the cut and dry point stated for anyone even trying to look into this book

august avia and otta avia = octavian (later, augustus) and his sister, octavia, also mark antony's wife; while tuoleimi is an obvious bastardization of ptolemy, i'm not sure if shenzhi stands for something (or maybe i'm just dumb who knows)

king kasa = caesar/kaiser, bc like yeah

galipei weisanna = marcus vipsanius agrippa (this might be a stretch but its the closest approximation i can find both through their roles in the play and their names)

leida miliu = marcus aemilius lepidus, one of the triumvirates alongside antony and octavian

pampi magnes = sextus pompeius magnus pius, one of the rebels working against the triumvirate

eno = gnaeus domitius ahenobarbus (i could not find anything on this guy other than him being aligned with antony at some point and this pissing off octavian)

chami + yilas = charmion and iras, two of cleo's servants and advisors

pls let me know if i'm missing something or there's something you want to add on bc my brain is going haywire after that ending kek

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

Power plays, spilled blood, and lethal romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Immortal Longings, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.

Calla Tuoleimi has succeeded in the impossible. Despite the odds, she has won San-Er’s bloody games and eliminated King Kasa, her tyrant uncle and the former ruler of Talin. She serves now as royal advisor to Kasa’s adopted son, August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne.

Only Calla knows it isn’t really August.

Anton Makusa is still furious about Calla’s betrayal in the final round of the games. In an impossible feat, he took over August’s body to survive, and has no intention of giving up this newfound power. But when his first love, the beautiful, explosive Otta Avia, awakens from a years-long coma and reveals a secret that threatens the monarchy’s authority over Talin, chaos erupts. As tensions come to a boiling point, Calla and Anton must set their conflicts aside and head to the kingdom’s far reaches to prevent anarchy…even if their empire might be better off burning.

Review:

The stunning sequel in the Flesh and False Gods series filled with even more betrayals, heartbreak, and vicious vile feelings. Calla Tuoleimi has killed the king, she's won the blood games, and is now the new advisor to the king's adopted son, August Shenzhi.... only her victory meant she had to kill the one person she was falling in love with, Anton Makusa... who just happened to body swap and jump into August's body at the last moment. To say Anton is mad that Calla killed him is an understatement and now that he is in the new king's body... he's going to make her pay. Anton was never meant to swap bodies but he somehow did and still fresh from Calla's betrayal he has no intention of giving up this new body or his new power. But things only take a turn when his first love, the beautiful Otta Avia awakens from a year long coma with a thirst for her own power and a personality that has him questioning if he ever even loved her at all. Anton is warring between his feelings for Calla despite her betrayal and the old feelings he has for Otta... she is up to something and he wants to know what. Yet when he discovers August's own secrets, how long can he keep up the act before someone figures out its him... and can he get his old body back before its too late and he's trapped in August's body? Calla knows Anton is in August's body and she wants to make amends, yet he gave her no choice when he chose Otta over her and she chose the kingdom over him... but with Otta back and scheming to put the kingdom in ruins, can August and Calla put aside their differences to long enough to prevent the ruination of their empire... or will are some betrayals too deep? Finding out that this was only the sequel in what I thought was a duology when in fact it was a trilogy makes it a very interesting read. I loved that we get to jump immediately into the events of the previous book and the fall out of the relationship between the main characters. This was truly a roller coaster from start to finish. You can understand both character's flaws and why they decided to act the way they did, yet when they are together it's an undeniable connection. I cannot wait for the third book and to see how this all wraps up. The political games, the betrayal, and the romance were just so much fun to read in this book and I definitely think this does not fall into the sequel slump many books tend to do when they are in a trilogy. Its got such a fun "enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again" vibe and I can't wait to read the conclusion!

Release Date: September 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

Author Info: Website

Book Tour: TBR Beyond Tours

*Thanks Netgalley, Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press, and @tbrbeyondtours for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review and being part of the book tour.

[thosesillylittlegayghosts]

IMMORTAL LONGINGS SPOILERS

‘Anton isn’t sure if he still loves Otta, but he thinks he loves Calla.’ MY HEART

[typingwithmyhandstied]

MORTAL LONGINGS IS SO FUNNY AJDKDJSKAKDJSJ

Calla making the Olivia Rodrigo joke and calling Galipei August’s horse 😭 and the constant “are you dating” bullying 😭

Anton texting Otta made me laugh he was just like “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE” it was so funny. And his chats with Eno too

Overall 10/10

IM GLAD YOU LIKE IT 😭😭😭

I had so much fun writing it.

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

I sort of agree, but after rereading recently I don't entirely agree.

While I wouldn't really categorize Immortal Longings as a romance in terms of genre, I do think that Anton and Calla's relationship is a romance to some degree. I just think the issue is that people hear see romance and immediately characterize romance as something that is ultimately going to be positive and healthy, and in Immortal Longings it is not.

I don't think Anton and Calla's relationship is solely about lust, and even if it was, having sexual attraction as a foundation of a relationship is not a bad thing. In Anton and Calla's case lust is obviously a factor in their relationship, but I really don't think that's all it is. And who they are as people is what makes their relationship unhealthy not the fact that they're sexually attracted to each other.

Calla very deeply wants to love and to be loved and to be safe, but at the same time, she is a very deeply traumatized person who views herself as selfish for wanting that and just has absolutely no idea how to have a healthy relationship with another person. She clutches on to any figment of a sense of self that she can grasp onto while allowing herself almost nothing beyond the revolutionary role that she has designated to herself. With Anton she is obsessive and possessive. She sees the smallest glimmer of an opportunity to have this one thing outside of her goal of killing King Kasa, and she wants it so, so badly even though she knows the circumstances are impossible and in the end she knows she will be willing to give up Anton to achieve her ultimate goal even though she very desperately does not want to.

Anton cannot remember a time, other than when he was watching his entire family get murdered, when he was not alone. He had an extremely unhealthy friendship with August growing up, and continues to cling onto the teenage relationship he had with Otta that seemed to also mostly consist of emotional abuse and her basically using him as a prop. He cannot comprehend being in a relationship with someone who is not possessive of him and who wants him without ulterior motive. He has no idea what a normal healthy relationship looks like or how to have one. But at the same time, he still wants it. He continues to care for his abusive ex while admitting that he may not have truly loved her partially out of obligation, yes, but also I think because he subconciously recognizes that without him she too would be cast off and left to fend for herself, much like him except that this would be a death sentence for her. He is so desperate to be cared for and to reciprocate that care that he looks past every single red flag in his and Calla's relationship that he is completely illogically surprised when she tries to kill him at the end of the games.

Does this make either of them good people? No. Have their circumstances allowed them the chance to be good people? No. Does this make their relationship positive or good or healthy? No.

But I don't think that Chloe Gong's point in Immortal Longings so far has been solely to write a toxic relationship if that makes sense. I think a lot of the point of this is to look at all of these horrible toxic parts of their relationship while also looking at the tiny glimmers of moments that could be good if they had more time or different circumstances etc. I think this is a huge part of the tragedy of their relationship because you know deep down that their relationship will not end well despite all of the what ifs and tiny glimmers of hope. Because their circumstances and who they are as people do not allow anything else. I think that a huge part of the tragedy of Immortal Longings is that Anton and Calla likely will never know whether what they have is love or obsession, and the audience, as a result, will never truly know either.

Also, I think there is this urge to say their relationship is not and cannot truly be love because it is toxic and bad and unhealthy and because Anton and Calla are... morally gray, to put it nicely. And I don't personally agree with that because I don't think love is always a good thing or a universally positive experience. And I really like how Immortal Longings portrays relationships with nuance by not showing toxic relationships as wholly bad and instead acknowledging that even in a relationship that is a net negative, there are often moments that contradict that. I also think it is very good and important that Immortal Longings portrays characters who are not good people as something other than aro coded unfeeling robots.

“The romance in Immortal Longings was so bad!” “We want more romance!” “Chloe’s OTHER romances are so well done!!”

How many times do we have to say ITS NOT A ROMANCE!!

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Hozier said, “a rope in hand for your other man to hang from a tree,” but when I, Calla Tuoleimi-

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Tbh I feel like aspects of Anton’s character might sort of be commentary on how male characters in the YA That Gets Marketed At Adults Genre almost get sexualized for having trauma idk if that makes sense or if I worded that well but yeah

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

New Flesh and False Gods 2 snippet just dropped

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

help chloe just said that calla, anton, and otta don't count as a love triangle because none of them are in love they're all just delusional

[jessread-s]

✩🩸🌙 Special Edition Collection:

Obsessed is an understatement. Keep scrolling to read my full review of “Immortal Longings” and see why I had to get my hands on EVERY special edition of Chloe’s adult debut!

Gong makes a name for herself as an adult fantasy writer with her explosive debut “Immortal Longings.”

As with her other works, Gong draws inspiration for her novel from Shakespeare—specifically from his play “Antony and Cleopatra” in this instance. Her fictional world encompassing the the kingdom of Talin’s capital twin cities, San-Er, closely resembles Kowloon Walled City— an ungoverned and lawless territory that was once the most crowded place on Earth. Though the walled city was demolished in real life, Gong keeps its memory alive in her writing through her intricate world-building and descriptive prose. 

Gong completely leans into the fantasy genre with “Immortal Longings,” which I thoroughly enjoyed. She establishes that those who have a strong qui are able to jump between bodies. This ability is crucial to the people of San-Er’s survival, as the twin cities have high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse. Additionally, jumping is beneficial to those competing in the King’s Games—a series of games hosted by the monarch of Talon where 88 citizens fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. The reader is able to alternate between the perspectives of two of the king’s players: Princess Calla Tuoleimi and Anton Makusa. 

Princess Calla is a fierce cat lady who rocks bangs and leather jackets. She killed her own parents (the former rulers of Er) to bring down the monarchy, is no stranger around a sword, and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. After years of hiding, she enters the games in secret, dead set on finishing the job she started by killing King Kasa—the ruler of San. Her chance meeting with Anton, however, throws a wrench in her plans. 

Anton is a master jumper who was exiled from his life as an aristocrat. If he wins, he hopes to use the winnings to pay off the debt he owes to the hospital for keeping his childhood love alive while she is in a coma. While she is the one to give Anton’s life direction, Calla is the one to give it purpose. 

On their own, Calla and Anton were merely surviving, but together, in their unexpected alliance, they find a way to live. The spark that develops between them reaches a fever pitch leading up to Gong’s first steamy scene, which is as violent as it is delightful.

Aside from Calla and Anton’s points-of-view, Gong supplies the reader with chapters written from August, Pampi, and Yilas’ viewpoints. Through them, we learn of every betrayal, deception, and ruse. Despite this and knowing in advance that “Antony and Cleopatra” is a Shakespearean tragedy, nothing could have prepared me for the whiplash I experienced at the end of “Immortal Longings.” I’m afraid my heart won’t stop pounding until I get book two of the “Flesh and False Gods” series in my hands. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

@chloegong

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Dumb commentary on the vt snippet

I’m putting it under a cut just in case anyone would consider it a spoiler but I don’t really think there was any new information

melodramatic ass bitch like oh no the person i was competing against in the fight to the death games tried to kill me this is literally so fucked up i never saw it coming shut uppppp

Oh this is going to be such a mess lmaooooo

I’m still not fucking over this like go girl be an early 2000s ya protagonist over describe those sight orbs while simultaneously being an evil dictator like get it I guess

Real or not r- [gunshot]

This is going to be such a fucking mess oh my god how do I even process how much of a mess this is going to be