Chloe Gong has a gift for reinventing classic stories in striking new ways, placing them in 1920s Shanghai and layering them with rival gangs, political unrest, and supernatural menace. Her breakout novel These Violent Delights turns Romeo and Juliet into a feverish tale of blood feuds and mystery, combining historical atmosphere, sharp tension, and romance with a fresh cultural perspective.
If you enjoy reading books by Chloe Gong then you might also like the following authors:
If Chloe Gong’s vivid characters, quick pacing, and high-stakes drama appeal to you, Marie Lu is well worth picking up next. Her novels are packed with action and tension, often led by intelligent, defiant protagonists who are easy to invest in.
One standout book is Legend, set in a dystopian future where the western United States has become the war-driven Republic. June is a military prodigy from an elite family, while Day is the state’s most wanted criminal.
After a personal tragedy throws June’s world off balance, their paths collide in unexpected ways. As hidden truths surface and loyalties shift, both are forced to question everything they thought they knew.
Like Gong, Lu delivers a twisty, emotionally charged story driven by strong character dynamics and relentless momentum.
Emiko Jean writes stories filled with lively characters, emotional warmth, and a strong sense of place. Her novel, Tokyo Ever After, follows Izumi Tanaka, an ordinary American teenager whose life is upended when she discovers that she is actually a Japanese princess.
Suddenly thrust into a world of royal rules, palace drama, and relentless media attention, Izumi must figure out who she is in the middle of constant scrutiny. The novel explores identity, family, belonging, and romance with charm and humor.
Readers who appreciated Chloe Gong’s interest in cultural heritage, romantic tension, and layered family relationships may find Tokyo Ever After especially enjoyable.
Sabaa Tahir is known for writing emotionally intense fantasy with dangerous stakes and unforgettable characters. If Chloe Gong’s stories drew you in with their pressure-cooker plots and complicated relationships, Tahir’s work offers a similarly gripping experience.
Her book An Ember in the Ashes unfolds in a brutal empire built on fear and ruthless control. Laia, a young woman from an oppressed people, risks everything to save her brother by spying for the resistance.
At the same time, Elias is training at the Empire’s military academy, though he longs to escape the cruelty he has been raised to serve. Both characters are pulled into a conflict shaped by duty, fear, freedom, and sacrifice.
The bond that grows between them only raises the stakes. It’s an ideal pick for readers who enjoy urgent storytelling and relationships tested by impossible choices.
Elizabeth Lim writes lush fantasy inspired by fairytales and Asian folklore. Her book Six Crimson Cranes follows Princess Shiori, who hides a dangerous secret: she possesses forbidden magic.
When a curse transforms her brothers into cranes, Shiori must break it without uttering a word, because speaking would bring them even greater harm. Her journey carries her through a magical world filled with dragons, demons, and unexpected companions.
Lim blends enchantment, adventure, and romance with ease. If you love Chloe Gong’s mix of strong atmosphere, fantasy elements, and compelling characters, she is an excellent author to try next.
Julie C. Dao writes immersive fantasy shaped by East Asian folklore and dark ambition. Readers who enjoyed Chloe Gong’s books may be especially drawn to Dao’s novel Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It follows Xifeng, a young woman destined for greatness, though the path to power demands terrible choices.
As Xifeng navigates dark magic, palace politics, and her own hunger for control, the story becomes both gripping and unsettling. With elegant prose, rich mythology, and a morally complex heroine, Dao creates a fantasy that feels both grand and intimate.
Renee Ahdieh writes lush, atmospheric stories filled with romance, danger, and emotional complexity. If Chloe Gong’s historical settings and simmering tension are what you love most, Ahdieh is a natural next choice.
In The Wrath and the Dawn, Ahdieh draws inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights to tell a story of vengeance, mystery, and unexpected love. Each evening, a young king takes a new bride, only for her to be executed by dawn.
After her closest friend is murdered, Shahrzad volunteers to become the next bride, determined to survive long enough to exact revenge.
But as she is drawn deeper into palace life, she discovers that the king is not as simple—or as monstrous—as he first appears.
Ahdieh builds suspense beautifully, creating a story rich with secrets, longing, and dramatic turns.
Readers who enjoy Chloe Gong’s blend of vivid characterization, fast-moving plots, and rich world-building may also connect with Tomi Adeyemi. Adeyemi is best known for her sweeping West-African-inspired fantasy Children of Blood and Bone.
The novel follows Zélie, a young heroine determined to restore magic to a land where it has been brutally erased.
Joined by a runaway princess and a conflicted royal warrior, she faces betrayal, violence, and hard choices at every step. Adeyemi’s writing combines pulse-pounding action with themes of power, oppression, loyalty, and hope.
Alwyn Hamilton writes energetic fantasy full of sharp dialogue, memorable characters, and cinematic action—qualities that many Chloe Gong fans will appreciate right away.
Her debut novel, Rebel of the Sands, introduces Amani, a talented sharpshooter desperate to escape her stifling hometown.
When she joins forces with a mysterious fugitive, the two are swept into a desert world of rebellion, dangerous magic, Djinni, and political unrest.
Hamilton balances adventure, romance, and fantasy with confidence, creating a story that feels both exciting and immersive. If you enjoy bold heroines and rebellious energy, Rebel of the Sands is a strong choice.
Marie Rutkoski writes fantasy steeped in political tension, emotional conflict, and slow-burning romance. Fans of Chloe Gong will likely appreciate the way she builds complicated relationships against a backdrop of power struggles and divided loyalties.
In her novel The Winner’s Curse, Kestrel, the daughter of a powerful general, impulsively buys a slave named Arin at an auction. It soon becomes clear that Arin is hiding far more than she first suspects.
As Kestrel uncovers his secrets, she finds herself torn between allegiance to her world and feelings she never expected. The result is a tense, elegant story where every decision carries consequences.
If Chloe Gong’s blend of glamour, danger, and fantasy drew you in, Roshani Chokshi is another author to explore. Her novels often combine mythology, history, and vivid characterization in irresistible ways.
Her book The Gilded Wolves is set in 1889 Paris, where treasure hunter Séverin Montagnet-Alarie is recruited to retrieve a powerful ancient artifact.
Alongside his talented and deeply compelling crew, he moves through a glittering world of secret societies, coded puzzles, and buried histories.
As ambitions collide and secrets come to light, the novel delivers a stylish, fast-moving historical fantasy that should strongly appeal to Chloe Gong readers.
Kristin Cashore creates immersive fantasy worlds anchored by powerful characters and emotional stakes. Her novel Graceling follows Katsa, a fierce young woman born with an extraordinary ability known as a Grace.
Because of that power, she has been used as a weapon by her corrupt uncle, the king. But when Katsa meets the enigmatic Prince Po, her life begins to shift in ways that force her to rethink her purpose, her power, and her future.
Readers who loved Chloe Gong’s strong-willed protagonists and compelling tension in These Violent Delights will likely find Cashore’s work equally satisfying.
If you enjoy Chloe Gong’s atmospheric settings, romantic threads, and emotionally driven storytelling, Adrienne Young may be a great fit for your reading list. Her books are immersive, adventurous, and full of strong character work.
Her novel Fable centers on a determined young woman abandoned by her father on an island of thieves and scavengers.
Forced to survive on her own, Fable endures harsh conditions as she fights to reunite with her father and claim her place in his dangerous world of trade and secrets. The story blends danger, longing, and intrigue with a vivid seafaring backdrop.
Young’s writing is transporting and evocative, making Fable an easy recommendation for readers craving adventure with heart.
Traci Chee offers an engaging mix of mystery, magic, and richly imagined settings that should resonate with Chloe Gong fans. In The Reader, Chee introduces Sefia, a young heroine living in a world where reading is forbidden and books are nearly unknown.
When her aunt is kidnapped, Sefia turns to a mysterious book left behind by her murdered father. That book contains secrets, power, and perhaps the key to understanding her own past.
Chee combines adventure, hidden histories, and inventive world-building to create a story that feels both original and absorbing. If you enjoy layered mysteries and determined heroines, The Reader is a rewarding pick.
Readers who love Chloe Gong’s blend of fantasy, history, and romance should take a look at Hafsah Faizal. Her storytelling is lush, dramatic, and filled with richly textured world-building.
Faizal’s debut novel, We Hunt the Flame, follows Zafira, a skilled huntress who enters the cursed forest known as the Arz to provide for her people, disguising herself as a man for safety.
Meanwhile, Nasir—the feared Prince of Death—sets out to recover a powerful artifact on a mission of his own. Before long, it becomes clear that their fates are deeply entwined.
With poetic prose, layered characters, and an undercurrent of danger, Faizal crafts a story that feels immersive and emotionally charged.
If you enjoy Chloe Gong’s dark atmosphere, morally gray characters, and intense intrigue, Jay Kristoff may be another author worth exploring. His books often pair expansive world-building with violence, suspense, and sharp emotional stakes.
His novel Nevernight introduces Mia Corvere, a determined young woman bent on avenging the destruction of her family.
She enters the Red Church, a brutal school for assassins where survival depends on outmaneuvering deadly rivals, enduring vicious trials, and uncovering dangerous secrets.
The result is a dark, fast-moving story packed with tension and atmosphere, perfect for readers who like their fantasy edged with danger.
