If you want the cleanest experience, read '
these violent delights' first
and then follow it with 'Our Violent Ends'.
I say this because the two books are tightly stitched: the first sets up the rivalry, the political
atmosphere, and the emotional stakes, and the second tears them open and resolves most big threads. Reading them in publication order preserves the reveals and character growth—Juliette and Roma’s arcs land harder that way.
After You finish the duology, I usually poke around for the author’s interviews or tweets; Chloe Gong drops little bits about deleted scenes or inspirations that add color without changing
the plot. There aren’t any mandatory third books to continue the same story, so once you’ve closed 'Our Violent Ends' you can either sit with the ending, hunt fan discussions to unpack motifs and symbolism, or re-read to catch foreshadowing. For me, revisiting
the first book after the
finale is always satisfying because I spot lines that
glow differently the second time around.