My bookish red flag is that I'm physically incapable of hating August Shenzhi.

Vilest Things, second book in the Flesh and False Gods series, is the final book of my Top 5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2024...and it delivered. I'm shook. Like, legitimately, one of the best endings of the year. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while. And when the next book comes out...
It's hard to describe the plot of this book because it's so chaotic, and there are so many twists that I can say very little without giving them away. I think the pacing was a bit slower than in the first book, but the tension was so much higher that I didn't mind it (and also, I'd waited so long for this book that I read it in less than a day). The last 25% or so picked up the pacing dramatically, and I didn't try to predict the plot twists with this one, so I was completely blown away. I also liked that the slower pacing allowed for more character backstory (especially for Galipei!) and also worldbuilding. I'm super excited for the next book already.
The characters are all so incredibly complex, and in typical Chloe Gong fashion, I love all of them. Calla is such a strong character, and I really look forward to seeing where her arc goes next. I appreciated more Anton POVs in this book as well, and I liked seeing how his relationship with Calla changed. I love Galipei and his loyalty, and he's definitely my favorite, along with August. As I've said before, I don't have a defense for why I like August so much. Otta is...I have strong feelings and they aren't really positive.
Vilest Things is the thrilling sequel to Immortal Longings, and it's just reconfirming my claim that Chloe Gong can't write a bad book.

4.5/5