Foul Lady Fortune

Foul Lady Fortune

  • Downloads:2186
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-08-20 09:52:34
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Chloe Gong
  • ISBN:152938026X
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai。

It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue。

Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound。 In short, Rosalind cannot die。 Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country。

Code name: Fortune。

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots。 A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion。 Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed。

To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good。 But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried。 As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined。

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Reviews

Bess

Thank you Edelweiss and Margaret K。 McElderry Books for my e-ARCI loved this book。 I won't even talk about the plot because honestly the way Chloe seamlessly blends in different types of themes and diversity should be studied by all authors or authors to be。 She can easily add in diversity and not bunker down the plot of the entire book and I love it。 She truly is a master of writing and I really hope this becomes a series since it's an intriguing spy games type of novel set in China in the 190 Thank you Edelweiss and Margaret K。 McElderry Books for my e-ARCI loved this book。 I won't even talk about the plot because honestly the way Chloe seamlessly blends in different types of themes and diversity should be studied by all authors or authors to be。 She can easily add in diversity and not bunker down the plot of the entire book and I love it。 She truly is a master of writing and I really hope this becomes a series since it's an intriguing spy games type of novel set in China in the 1900's。 I felt fully emerged in the setting and the times of the novel and I'm not even exaggerating。 。。。more

Jules Pelarski

My review: great for fans of Marvel, terrible for fans of Shakespeare。 Was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the prose and action sequences, but lost a star because the stakes are zero: your protagonist can't die, and if she fails, China。。。 becomes, Communist? LOLSeriously though, you are reading the words of a Marvel hater。 An anti-stan, if you will。 And how Gong writes (let's face it) Captain America is the best the genre has to offer。 Messy politics and absolutely bizarre Shakespeare "r My review: great for fans of Marvel, terrible for fans of Shakespeare。 Was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the prose and action sequences, but lost a star because the stakes are zero: your protagonist can't die, and if she fails, China。。。 becomes, Communist? LOLSeriously though, you are reading the words of a Marvel hater。 An anti-stan, if you will。 And how Gong writes (let's face it) Captain America is the best the genre has to offer。 Messy politics and absolutely bizarre Shakespeare "references" aside, Foul Lady Fortune was a commercial romp with well-defined characters and a twist every chapter。 Is it 1Q84? No。 And I wish it was。 But I was expecting much worse after becoming familiar with Gong's name on the cover of The Ones We Burn and Lightlark, and I think she's shot herself in the foot a bit trying to get that publicity。I really wish the Shakespeare retelling element had been left out of the marketing - or the book entirely。 It's possible to use the framework without "paying" homage, and I think it would've been more respectful left alone。 I can understand wanting to use Romeo and Juliet to break into the competitive marketplace, and obviously it's worked well for her。 But the references here, in a story about an immortal assassin (and, presumably, swamp monsters and stuff。。。) it feels a bit insulting to the bard。 There is so much to appreciate about Shakespeare that's not the basic plot。。。 you could just as easily say it's a Christopher Marlowe retelling, and be just as accurate。 The epigraph in the front is awkward and out of place。 I knocked another star off for this, because calling it "As You Like It" is just。。。 uhhh, ok。 Dreaming a bit big with that comp, don't you think?Finally, the "fake married trope。" I've expressed my disdain for trope marketing before。 I'm irked by the cheap trick that seems more at home in fanfic than a bookstore。 But as it is YA, and as it does lean in to "blockbuster fanciful," I'll give it a pass and say it was good fun。 The problem will arise as Gong continues to try to make a name for herself: can she stand on her own without relying on the ideas of others and a premixed cocktail of pinterest, tropes, and tiktoks? The prose is there! (Though I was thrown, in the first pages, by some confusion with tense and perspective。 But again, better than a Marvel film, so I'll let it slide。) Since Gong is so eager to brag about her Ivy League education (eye roll) I was expecting literary aspirations to reach a bit higher。 But as it is, for a weird concept played straight, it played well。 Quality is a bit spare on the YA frontlist, and if this were a purely original idea, it'd be a 4 star book。Fans of Chloe Gong will not be disappointed。*I received the ARC for free at the bookstore where I work 。。。more

franzi

dnf @ 50%rtc

Sophia

Content Warnings: death, violence, medical experimentation, imperialism, racismFour years after the end of Our Violent Delights, the two gangs who previously ruled Shanghai have dissolved and been replaced by new factions: Nationalists and Communists。 But there is a third faction sweeping into Shanghai - Japanese imperialists - who are suspected to be responsible for a new series of suspicious murders in the city。 Rosalind Lang, having escaped a brush with dead which left her near immortal, is p Content Warnings: death, violence, medical experimentation, imperialism, racismFour years after the end of Our Violent Delights, the two gangs who previously ruled Shanghai have dissolved and been replaced by new factions: Nationalists and Communists。 But there is a third faction sweeping into Shanghai - Japanese imperialists - who are suspected to be responsible for a new series of suspicious murders in the city。 Rosalind Lang, having escaped a brush with dead which left her near immortal, is pulled from her usual role as the assassin code named Fortune, and told to go undercover as a spy with another agent, Orion Hong, who will pose as her husband。I had SO much fun reading this book - it's all spy thriller/mystery stuff with a healthy dose of magical elements and (of course) some romance。 This was a story I found really easy to fall into。 It's so full of intrigue and once I hit around page 200 I was genuinely struggling to put it down。 My main condition for thriller/mystery stories is that the aha! moments be suitably satisfying, and I am giving Chloe Gong a definite pass on that count。 Some of the twists and turns literally had me gasping out loud (or aggressively sitting the book down and staring at all wall for a sec)。 The forced proximity/fake relationship trope is just *chef's kiss* and it works so well with the cool spy stuff (I was kinda getting Mr and Mrs Smith vibes at some points)。 Rosalind and Orion's dynamic was just a lot of fun to read。 Characters are definitely another real plus with this novel - as usual I am fawning over the morally grey women (Rosalind Lang I would die for you) and I was happy to find myself just as invested in the new characters of this book as I was in the returning characters from the These Violent Delights duology。Roll on the sequel!! I am already waiting impatiently! 。。。more

Avery (Cardan's version) Herondale-Brekker-Warner-Cresswell-Calore

I suppose it's too much to wish that somehow Roma and Juliette are in this I suppose it's too much to wish that somehow Roma and Juliette are in this 。。。more

❦ jazmin

RTC*4。5✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧ my carrd ❦ RTC*4。5✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧ my carrd ❦ 。。。more

Grace B

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 I tend to be sceptical about spin off books as I think they can often take away from the original work。 However, Chloe Gong not only proved me wrong, but exceeded my expectations in every possible way。 Like These Violent Delights Duet: These Violent Delights; Our Violent Ends, she expertly draws you into 1930s Shanghai, crafting a world that feels lived in by her characters。 -Spoilers- Rosalind is the perfect Spy, Assassin, Take-No-Prisoners agent, and is deftly balanced by Orion's seemingly Dev I tend to be sceptical about spin off books as I think they can often take away from the original work。 However, Chloe Gong not only proved me wrong, but exceeded my expectations in every possible way。 Like These Violent Delights Duet: These Violent Delights; Our Violent Ends, she expertly draws you into 1930s Shanghai, crafting a world that feels lived in by her characters。 -Spoilers- Rosalind is the perfect Spy, Assassin, Take-No-Prisoners agent, and is deftly balanced by Orion's seemingly Devil-May0Care attitude。 The mystery in the story is built up in a way that forces you to keep reading, and the twists at the end had me shocked (yet kicking myself for not realising earlier)。 Rosalind's annoyance with Orion that slowly fades into friendship and love is gripping。 I liked being able to see Rosalind process her past relationships (and the harm that came from them), yet slowly move past that trauma in order to trust Orion。 I just wish them both the best, and I need things to work out for them Perhaps one of my favourite aspects of Foul Lady Fortune is how Juliette and Roma are mentioned throughout the story。 Though they are not present, they very much are。 Yet it didn't feel gimmicky or forced。 I felt, as I was reading, that I was being given to grieve them alongside Alisa and Rosalind。 And Phoebe and Orion casually talking about stealing each others boyfriends and girlfriends had me cackling。 I adore their sibling dynamic and really just adore Phoebe。 Foul Lady Fortune is deserving of every bit of praise and more, and I cannot wait for the follow up! 。。。more

Sara Piesse

I will jump straight in and say 5 stars。 I could not put this book down, i read it over 2 nights it is most definitely a page turner。 Can highly recommend。 Edge of your seat book。 Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review it and to Chloe Gong for writing such a fabulous book。 I love Rosalind。

Megan Vick

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!! Following the events of Our Violent Ends, Foul Lady Fortune follows the story of Rosalind Lang, cousin to Juliette Cai。 Rosalind is now an agent for the Nationalists, who want control of Shanghai (and China) against both the Communists and Imperial Japan。 Normally, Rosalind is an assassin, but her newest assignment teams her up with Orion Hong as her fake husband to infiltrate a Japanese newspaper agency to investigate mysterious chemical killings across Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!! Following the events of Our Violent Ends, Foul Lady Fortune follows the story of Rosalind Lang, cousin to Juliette Cai。 Rosalind is now an agent for the Nationalists, who want control of Shanghai (and China) against both the Communists and Imperial Japan。 Normally, Rosalind is an assassin, but her newest assignment teams her up with Orion Hong as her fake husband to infiltrate a Japanese newspaper agency to investigate mysterious chemical killings across Shanghai。 When Rosalind meets those from her past and lets new people into her life, everything she thinks she knows is upended。 Faced with choosing between love and responsibility, Rosalind must find a way to make amends for her past mistakes and ensure a stable future for herself and the city she loves so dearly。Foul Lady Fortune felt like a much faster read than These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends。 I really enjoyed the political element of Nationalists/Communists/Imperialists all vying for control of Shanghai - and how you see this through the eyes of Shanghai citizens。 It was a great historical fiction read with a twist of fantasy thrown in。 Brace yourself - this book ends on a killer cliffhanger!! It was so good, but I WANT MORE! 。。。more

Rachel Small

I can’t get over how much fun Foul Lady Fortune was!I loved the new characters and switch from the 1920s to 1930s。 It definitely felt like a different book despite continuing a thread from the original structure of These Violent Delights/Ends。 I really feel like the narrative writing style has grown so much, avoiding the mildly clunky repetition from the very first book and drawing out really sharp critiques of the political landscape。 The plot was really interesting with a solid base of tropes I can’t get over how much fun Foul Lady Fortune was!I loved the new characters and switch from the 1920s to 1930s。 It definitely felt like a different book despite continuing a thread from the original structure of These Violent Delights/Ends。 I really feel like the narrative writing style has grown so much, avoiding the mildly clunky repetition from the very first book and drawing out really sharp critiques of the political landscape。 The plot was really interesting with a solid base of tropes and banter, and I have strong hopes for the future sequel to this particular set。 The epilogue alone has me wanting to reread really specific scenes to see the details I never caught on originally。 Foul Lady Fortune managed to diverge from the base politics between gangsters as well as big movements between the Nationalist Party and Communist Party。 The landscape has shifted tone to include an introduction of the friction between country and the Japanese。 I really enjoyed how complicated alliances were in this book, and how loyalties historically shifted very quickly。 。。。more

Munira

that ending oh my god ded😭💀💔

El

full review to come but this completely distracted me from working on my dissertation which now has to take priority over writing the review :( basically book's great 10/10 dying to reread already full review to come but this completely distracted me from working on my dissertation which now has to take priority over writing the review :( basically book's great 10/10 dying to reread already 。。。more

Nessa

I loved this book! Foul Lady Fortune was an excellent start to the new duology。 I fell in love with Chloe Gong’s writing style, and the way she described everything, including settings, characters, or emotions。 The world-building was cleverly done, as the book did a great job of avoiding dumping too much info onto the reader without making you feel completely in the dark about things。 Seeing the relationship between Orion and Rosalind unfold was very fun and enjoyable to watch as well。I will cer I loved this book! Foul Lady Fortune was an excellent start to the new duology。 I fell in love with Chloe Gong’s writing style, and the way she described everything, including settings, characters, or emotions。 The world-building was cleverly done, as the book did a great job of avoiding dumping too much info onto the reader without making you feel completely in the dark about things。 Seeing the relationship between Orion and Rosalind unfold was very fun and enjoyable to watch as well。I will certainly be looking out for the sequel to this series! 。。。more

༓☾ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅʏ☽༓

oh shiti cant goddamn wait tokyo ever after was so gooodddd, this。。。ahhhhhh。as an abc, im like alreading intrigued, but then theres like the plotline (HELL YEAHHH!!!) and the fact that a fully trust Chloe Gong。AHH, THIS IS GONNA BE EPPPICCCC!!!! oh shiti cant goddamn wait tokyo ever after was so gooodddd, this。。。ahhhhhh。as an abc, im like alreading intrigued, but then theres like the plotline (HELL YEAHHH!!!) and the fact that a fully trust Chloe Gong。AHH, THIS IS GONNA BE EPPPICCCC!!!! 。。。more

Lyssa

Foul Lady Fortune is an intricately woven spy novel that takes place in 1931 Shanghai。 There are undercover missions, physical fights, and murder victims abound。 The mystery and tension were handled really well。 My interest was high the entire time I was reading。 There were also many surprises for me while reading which I thoroughly appreciated。 I was left speechless and reeling numerous times。 I think the romance could have used just a smidge more chemistry。 I adored Rosalind and Orion together Foul Lady Fortune is an intricately woven spy novel that takes place in 1931 Shanghai。 There are undercover missions, physical fights, and murder victims abound。 The mystery and tension were handled really well。 My interest was high the entire time I was reading。 There were also many surprises for me while reading which I thoroughly appreciated。 I was left speechless and reeling numerous times。 I think the romance could have used just a smidge more chemistry。 I adored Rosalind and Orion together; they had great banter, cute nicknames, and I could see the potential they had。 I just felt like so much time was spent on plot that the romantic development became a little neglected。 I’m excited to read the next book and hopefully see more of them together! The other minor issues I had was the pacing。 It seemed at times scenes were being dragged out。 There were points where so much was going on and I felt on the edge of my seat and then a lull would hit where I was still interested, but it felt like the meat of the story was somewhere off the page。 。。。more

ChellesOfBooks

5 starsThank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this ARC。 All thoughts are my own。Initial ThoughtsAs someone who enjoyed the These Violent Delights duology, I was eager to catch up with familiar characters in Foul Lady Fortune。 It also was fantastic to read from the point of view of those who weren't central to the storyline of TVD and uncover a new mystery happening in the height of unease in 1930s Shanghai。What's great about this book?- The pacing is wonderful。 My biggest gripe 5 starsThank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this ARC。 All thoughts are my own。Initial ThoughtsAs someone who enjoyed the These Violent Delights duology, I was eager to catch up with familiar characters in Foul Lady Fortune。 It also was fantastic to read from the point of view of those who weren't central to the storyline of TVD and uncover a new mystery happening in the height of unease in 1930s Shanghai。What's great about this book?- The pacing is wonderful。 My biggest gripe (if you can call it one) was that These Violent Delights was quite a slow slog at times, and when I saw how chunky this novel was, I was a little worried if this would have similar pacing。 I consumed Foul Lady Fortune within 24 hours, and feel that the balance was perfect - it wasn't fast enough to lose any of Chloe Gong's intricate detailing skills, but not slow that it felt tough to navigate at lull moments。 - Both Rosalind and Orion are in-depth main characters that offer a lot in the way of character growth and mystery。 Whilst we learn a lot about them both within the book and see their personalities and connections with others evolve, I still feel there is more to learn going into the sequel。 - The supporting characters didn't just propel the plot along, they added much-needed diversity and interest。 I liked trying to guess what their roles will be throughout Foul Lady Fortune, and wasn't let down in the slightest。 - The new element of supernatural humans - such as Rosalind's healing capabilities - felt fresh。 Although in the previous books of this world there were supernatural elements, I feel like the approach to Foul Lady Fortune tied in well with the time period for scientific discovery and experiments, along with keeping genuine to the world the author has already established。 It didn't feel farfetched at all - if anything, I found it more interesting than the monsters of the first two books。 The chemical killing mystery was a nice touch to assist in aiding the scientific aspect of the book and kept the intrigue alive well into its final pages。- Chloe Gong is no stranger to adding her interpretation of historical events to her books and I appreciated the continued weaving of the unrest from Japanese imperialism, and the Communist vs Nationalist conflict within China at the time。 At no point did this feel like a textbook or a history lesson, but for those who have an interest in the era (I'm a trained historian who has studied Chinese History), I was pleased with the details added in。 - The final revelations were executed seamlessly, and I enjoyed the surprise of some that I hadn't guessed。 Things I didn't quite enjoy- I honestly cannot think of any。Final thoughtsI'm eager to delve further into Rosalind and Orion's journey and how Shanghai will fear now that the chemical killings have achieved dangerous results。 Chloe Gong has become an auto-buy author for sure。 。。。more

ashlyn

i think i’m going clinically insane。 i’ve been walking in circles for 5 minutes because my brain genuinely cannot comprehend that ending。 WHAT THE FUCK。 i’ll write an actual review once my head stops spinning

nor

ARC given to me by netgalley!4。25 ⭐️ i wanted to dislike this book。 i started out disliking it!!!! but i caved because WHEW。 what a ride。 what a book。 foul lady fortune is difficult to rate for me; it took me literal weeks to get even a third of the way into the book (i was in a reading slump but still) and because of all the background needed to set up the plot, i had a hard time maintaining interest。 however, once i hit the halfway mark i was hooked。 the plot went from too slow to blindingly f ARC given to me by netgalley!4。25 ⭐️ i wanted to dislike this book。 i started out disliking it!!!! but i caved because WHEW。 what a ride。 what a book。 foul lady fortune is difficult to rate for me; it took me literal weeks to get even a third of the way into the book (i was in a reading slump but still) and because of all the background needed to set up the plot, i had a hard time maintaining interest。 however, once i hit the halfway mark i was hooked。 the plot went from too slow to blindingly fast and it was all i could do to keep up。 the cast of characters chloe gong had been introducing finally collided and they bounced off each other so well。 i particularly loved alisa and rosalind’s dynamic, they’ve become a favorite pairing of mine。 their shared past made them super interesting to me and i always looked forward to their scenes together。and, of course, the romance was Amazing: rosalind and orion have easily overtaken romajuliette in my eyes。 im sorry no i’m not。 they’re SERVING。 like the fake marriage trope the scars trope it’s all just so,,,, *chefs kiss*。 they are the best part of this book。 i could talk about them for hours。 chloe gong outdid herself with these two because if you thought romajuliette was her peak…。 honey you’ve got a big storm coming。celia and oliver on the other hand bored me。 they feel like a completely separate entity compared to the rest of the characters; they had minimal chapter time and felt undeveloped。 unlike rosalind and orion, whose relaitonship was built up from the beginning, celia and oliver already had this deep, strong bond, but because we rarely spent time with them, it felt like i was just being told about their relationship and not actually shown the mechanics of it。 i think they would have been better as cameo characters because honestly i would have been perfectly fine without their chapters。 or they could have their own book, i don’t know; all i do know is that i was skimming their parts to get to rosalind’s。 it was all very nina zenik in king of scars and that’s never a good thing。now to my biggest issue: the writing。 this book felt strange in a way that neither tvd books did。 it felt off in a way i don’t know how to describe。 there were too many embellishments and synonyms in places where there should have been more simplicity, and it really threw me out of the moment。 i had a hard time getting invested in the scene when i was constantly being distracted by the (it needs to be said) somewhat pretentious prose。 i think if chloe gong had whittled chunks of description down just slightly, this book could have been much easier of a read。 of course, you don’t necessarily want to spam the word “said” your story, but you also don’t need to go so overboard with synonyms that i have to reread the sentence just to understand what’s being said。 overall, this book does have its issues, and i hesitate to rate it four stars because of how long it took me to read it。 but at the end of the day, i found myself enjoying it and i think there’s too much good for me to bring it down to a three。 rosalind and orion earned that extra star for bringing the slay factor to this book。 also i had a visceral reaction whilst reading the ending。 like how is that allowed chloe why would you do that to me :/ 。。。more

Kalie Reid

Thanks Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights duology was a strong four star read for me— I love her world-building and pacing and think she is immensely skilled at writing a vivid sense of setting, abilities that continue on to her newest novel。 I’m not the biggest fan of some of her characterisation and have never really thought writing a convincing romance was one of her strengths, but found her skill at the p Thanks Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights duology was a strong four star read for me— I love her world-building and pacing and think she is immensely skilled at writing a vivid sense of setting, abilities that continue on to her newest novel。 I’m not the biggest fan of some of her characterisation and have never really thought writing a convincing romance was one of her strengths, but found her skill at the previously mentioned strengths more than enough to make up for it。 Foul Lady Fortune followed in the same vein of opinion for me— I loved the setting, pacing and plot, but didn’t really buy the romance。 Its pitched as a story of fake married spies taking on the mercurial and glittering intrigue of 1930s Shanghai, a summary that immediately had my attention。 We’re reunited with Rosalind and introduced to Orion— a playful, irreverent nationalist spy。 Together, they’re launched on an epic journey of clandestine spying, tight squeezes and twisty conspiracy。I love a spy thriller, as a rule。 I grew up devouring Cold War era thrillers and am well accustomed to the expectations of the genre。 Chloe took some of the conventions and placed them in her glittering, historically based world in a way I’ve never read before。 As I mentioned, I believe her strength lies in setting and plot and Foul Lady Fortune shows off these abilities to their greatest extent。 I was on the edge of my seat the whole time。 The build up to the main plot twist was a tad long, with substantial time on exposition in true Gong fashion, but I still found my interest held all the way to the end。 The last 100 or so pages were positively gripping and I read them in a single sitting。 I also need the sequel ASAP!As I mentioned in the start of my review, the romance was the least interesting part of the book。 I love, love, love the marriage of convenience trope, but I really did not see the chemistry between Rosalind and Orion。 I feel like with a lot of Chloe’s writing that she relies heavily on tropes (see “knife to throat” in TVD) at the expense of building up any sense of yearning and chemistry between her characters。 This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me, as I go into her books excited for the plot and setting and not the romance。 I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but her relationships are just not my cup of tea。Overall, Foul Lady Fortune was a great read and I’m really looking forward to the sequel! As a final note, I found the ARC reading experience very difficult and annoying as it was only available to read on the NetGalley shelf, meaning I had to read a 500+ page book on my phone。 Eye strain is not the one!4/5 stars 。。。more

Bethany

Thank You NetGalley for the eARC!Foul Lady Fortune (FLF) tells Rosalind's story in coming to terms with finding her place in the city she shattered, spinning off Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and historical events happening in Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s。 Gong creates a figure that is open in the mental issues and emotions debates Rosalind possesses creating a realistic protagonist。 If you find yourself not liking Rosalind after TVD and TVE, prepare to fall in love with the agent Fortune, yo Thank You NetGalley for the eARC!Foul Lady Fortune (FLF) tells Rosalind's story in coming to terms with finding her place in the city she shattered, spinning off Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and historical events happening in Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s。 Gong creates a figure that is open in the mental issues and emotions debates Rosalind possesses creating a realistic protagonist。 If you find yourself not liking Rosalind after TVD and TVE, prepare to fall in love with the agent Fortune, yourself。 Gong intertwines her narrative with historical events on Shanghai, causing her characters to have motives and actions that are believable, and really masters her story retelling。 Despite being fiction, the added realism almost makes you forget the fantasy elements。 Gong has perfected the emotional balance in this book, making you happy with the humour at play, sad at the tragedy between characters (romance, familial, etc) and the well written action will leave you reading exponentially faster。 The final few chapters, mixed with the epilogue have left me truly baffled, knowing I will have to wait a year until I can get the second half of FLF and see Rosalind to her end。 However, all credit to the author, Chloe Gong, in creating the most amazing spy protagonist I have ever read。 I shall see you soon, Foul Lady Fortune。 。。。more

Bee Loves To Read

Chloe Gong does it again with a stellar, engaging plot。This book follows Rosalind and Celia after the events in Our Violent Ends。 Rosalind is now an assassin, known as Lady Fortune and Celia is a spy for the Communists, both working with brothers, Orion and Oliver respectively。 Their two missions inexplicably come together with twists and turns that will have you guessing all the way until the end。 I can't wait for the next book and I have a theory on who the mysterious J。M is who makes a litera Chloe Gong does it again with a stellar, engaging plot。This book follows Rosalind and Celia after the events in Our Violent Ends。 Rosalind is now an assassin, known as Lady Fortune and Celia is a spy for the Communists, both working with brothers, Orion and Oliver respectively。 Their two missions inexplicably come together with twists and turns that will have you guessing all the way until the end。 I can't wait for the next book and I have a theory on who the mysterious J。M is who makes a literary appearance in the end of the book in the form of a letter。 I hope I'm right! 。。。more

rosie

i loved this!! as a fan of these violent delights & our violent ends i was super excited to hear that there would be a spin off following rosalind and whilst this book is technically from the same world it’s so different in many (good) ways! it honours the first two books whilst being its own story and that’s what i loved about it

Kalyani

No one is more disappointed than me that I didn’t adore this book! Chloe Gong definitely has a very lyrical and slow building writing style which worked in the TVD duology but made the pacing of FLF feel very sluggish and confusing。 There were so many side plots and factions that I had trouble making head or tail of what each new finding revealed about their mission。 Also the infiltration of a newspaper company ended up feeling pretty boring and mundane instead of sexy like you would expect with No one is more disappointed than me that I didn’t adore this book! Chloe Gong definitely has a very lyrical and slow building writing style which worked in the TVD duology but made the pacing of FLF feel very sluggish and confusing。 There were so many side plots and factions that I had trouble making head or tail of what each new finding revealed about their mission。 Also the infiltration of a newspaper company ended up feeling pretty boring and mundane instead of sexy like you would expect with a spy。 And due to the dizzyingly fragmented plot (not helped by frequent POV changes)。 I don’t feel like we actually got much time with the characters - to see their relationships and connections build。 Which made Orion and Rosalind’s love story a lot harder to root for/find believable。 Actually Oliver and Celia were the most gripping part of this book and they got very little screen time。 I would read a whole book about their history and development together。 I also think that the politics of this era are very complex and there is no one “good” side so having our characters also not seem particularly invested in the side they were fighting for made the whole premise feel kind of pointless。 No real angst since it’s not like they actually have to betray each other for a side they believe in。 And I don’t know if the average reader will have all the historical context to make sense of the political stakes in this book- I’ve studied this time period in China and still found myself disoriented。I think Chloe Gong’s strengths really lie with her character and relationship work but that often gets lost in these really big picture alluring premises that I’m not sure she is always able to successfully pull off。 I think if this book had tried to do less (and more clearly) I may have enjoyed it far more! 。。。more

Natalia

EEE I was so excited to see this book on Netgallery and so grateful to have been approved for it!!A SPY THRILLER SET IN THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ERA?! FAKE MARRIAGE?! SIGN ME UP。 Chloe Gong is an absolutely incredible author who creates the most beautiful worlds and universes, I love the characters, I LOVE LOVE LOVE forced proximity and the grumpy v sunshine dynamic! I think the pacing was perfect and everything was so well explained and I understood what was happening and how and why! A fantastic EEE I was so excited to see this book on Netgallery and so grateful to have been approved for it!!A SPY THRILLER SET IN THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ERA?! FAKE MARRIAGE?! SIGN ME UP。 Chloe Gong is an absolutely incredible author who creates the most beautiful worlds and universes, I love the characters, I LOVE LOVE LOVE forced proximity and the grumpy v sunshine dynamic! I think the pacing was perfect and everything was so well explained and I understood what was happening and how and why! A fantastic read and I will now be ordering the Waterstones LE。 。。。more

dhwani。

Chloe Gong does it again!! After completing the These Violent Delights duology, I had been quite excited to read Foul Lady Fortune。 I had very different expectations about the main character when the novel was originally mentioned, thus Rosalind Lang being the main character completely caught me off guard。 I wasn't sure at the time if I would enjoy the novel, but after reading this one tumblr post about Rosalind's character, my excitement for it returned。Rosalind Lang, or Fortune, is a poison-us Chloe Gong does it again!! After completing the These Violent Delights duology, I had been quite excited to read Foul Lady Fortune。 I had very different expectations about the main character when the novel was originally mentioned, thus Rosalind Lang being the main character completely caught me off guard。 I wasn't sure at the time if I would enjoy the novel, but after reading this one tumblr post about Rosalind's character, my excitement for it returned。Rosalind Lang, or Fortune, is a poison-using assassin who also possesses a particular talent。 She is one of the most lethal assassins the Nationalists have because her cells never die and always return to their original state。 She also never sleeps, doesn't age, and recovers from injuries quickly。 She is immortal。Rosalind is tasked with identifying the perpetrators of these attacks after a series of sudden deaths in Shanghai follow a recognisable pattern。 The Japanese imperialists are the primary suspects。 However, she is required to assume the identity of the wife of Orion Hong, a Nationalist agent who at first seems to not take anything seriously, cracks jokes constantly, and repeatedly tries to woo Rosalind, which irritates her to no end。Rosalind doesn't particularly like Orion at first, but as she moves forward, she starts learning a lot about the assignment she is given。 The Communists Oliver Hong and Celia Lang are living their own stories while on their respective missions outside the city, until they come upon the same location that is linked to all of these killings。The romance and the plot of TVD were the main reasons I fell in love with it, and I had high expectations for this novel as well。 Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint me in the least。 The dialogues, the romance, and the narrative were all excellent。The plot twists in this novel are numerous, unexpected, and I had never seen any of them coming。 They caught me off guard and significantly improved my reading experience。 Chloe Gong has a talent for writing people in such a detailed and endearing way that you can't help but fall in love with them。 Every single character in the novel was wonderful to me。 The side characters contributed so much to the story and were so well-written。 The epilogue, the damn epilogue, and the narrative were both AMAZING。 I was LEFT SPEECHLESS by it! The book has just the right amounts of romance, mystery, and sweetness! Because of how fluid Chloe Gong's language is, I never felt dissociated while reading。 I need the sequel ASAP pleaseeeeeALSO OLIVER HONG IS MY HUSBAND IMAGINE GETTING CALLED "MY SWEETHEART" ALL THE TIMEthe queer rep>>>>>>>>>I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH AND I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL AS WELL AS THE OTHER BOOKS THAT THE QUEEN CHLOE GONG WILL RELEASE!! Also remember to read the These Violent Delights Duology before you read this series since it has spoilers from that book!!____________________________________________________(11 August 2022)WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ?????REVIEW TO COME BECAUSE I NEED TO CALM DOWN TO WRITE ONECHLOE GONG, YOU'RE A QUEEN AND I'LL ALWAYS BOW DOWN TO YOU 。。。more

tammy

thank you to hodder and stoughton, netgalley and the author for sending me this arc。4 stars (and perhaps even 4。5)。miss chloe。 you have done it again。i absolutely loved the 'these violent delights' duology, and it was no different for 'foul lady fortune'。 i cannot wait for this book to release so i can put it on my shelf。i know absolutely nothing about chinese history, so it was interesting to get a glimpse of what shanghai looked like in the '30s。 and i get there's a lot of fiction rolled into thank you to hodder and stoughton, netgalley and the author for sending me this arc。4 stars (and perhaps even 4。5)。miss chloe。 you have done it again。i absolutely loved the 'these violent delights' duology, and it was no different for 'foul lady fortune'。 i cannot wait for this book to release so i can put it on my shelf。i know absolutely nothing about chinese history, so it was interesting to get a glimpse of what shanghai looked like in the '30s。 and i get there's a lot of fiction rolled into it (which is why i thoroughly appreciated the author's note at the end, explaining the real events that were mentioned throughout this book), but if there's one thing i love about life, it's that there's always something more to learn。 and as westerners, we don't get enough glimpses of what it is/was like in other parts of the world, so i thank you for that。like in 'these violent delights', there's a LOT of politics in this book, but it is not brought in a boring way。 i absolutely tore through this story, and wasn't bored for one second。politics and history aside– the story was so good。 i love me a good spy novel with a dash of paranormal humans。 and hello?? the characters? it was so nice to read about them again!i thought my 'our violent ends'-shaped wound would have healed over by now, but foul lady fortune tore it right back open。 🥲 reading about the shanghai post the final events of 'our violent ends' was like a grieving process in some kind of way, but rosalind and celia are both such interesting characters, i'm glad their stories were continued。i very much look forward to the next book。 i wish i could read it right this second。 thank you, chloe。 。。。more

Vritti

CHLOE GONG DOES IT AGAINI REALLY LIKED THE PLOT TWISTS IN THIS ONE。I am one of the biggest fans of the These Violent Delights duology, so reading Foul Lady Fortune and revisiting the universe felt like a comfort。 If you liked the political side of the first series, then you are going to like this one。 It gives me very similar vibes to These Violent Delights in terms of the romance and political intrigue。 I would recommend reading the first series first if you are interested since there are spoil CHLOE GONG DOES IT AGAINI REALLY LIKED THE PLOT TWISTS IN THIS ONE。I am one of the biggest fans of the These Violent Delights duology, so reading Foul Lady Fortune and revisiting the universe felt like a comfort。 If you liked the political side of the first series, then you are going to like this one。 It gives me very similar vibes to These Violent Delights in terms of the romance and political intrigue。 I would recommend reading the first series first if you are interested since there are spoilers for that one in this book。 if you like books, fantasy, and history, buckle up because this is gonna be a fun ride。Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster for sending me an advanced readers copy。 。。。more

Verona

I hate giving this book only three stars。 I want to give it five, or even just four, but I can't。 The main reason is that I'm so so confused right now。I loved These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends so I had great expectations for Foul Lady Fortune。 Rosalind was a very interesting character in that duology so I was excited to see her in her own book。FLF is fantasy, possibly sci-fi, just like TVD。 And just like that duology, we're back with the murder mystery and political history, so the sty I hate giving this book only three stars。 I want to give it five, or even just four, but I can't。 The main reason is that I'm so so confused right now。I loved These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends so I had great expectations for Foul Lady Fortune。 Rosalind was a very interesting character in that duology so I was excited to see her in her own book。FLF is fantasy, possibly sci-fi, just like TVD。 And just like that duology, we're back with the murder mystery and political history, so the style remains the same。 The blurb sounded awesome。 Fake marriage trope as a cover for being a spy? Essentially immortal assassin lady? Love it! The stakes are high, the story is exciting!But I'm going to be honest。 The characters were so very confusing。First of all - the names。 Everyone has a Chinese and a Western name。 Some people have code names。 Some people have changed their names for the sake of keeping their identity hidden。 With all that, a single person can have up to five different names and how am I supposed to keep up with that? But that's not all。You gotta figure out the alliances。 Who is related to who, who is a communist, who is a nationalist, who is good, who is evil, who is an undercover spy, who is double crossing who。 I should've sketched all the relationships and maybe it would've been easier to keep up。 In the end I think I managed to get most of it, but figuring out who the characters are shouldn't take that long。With TVD it was also complicated, but as it was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, I always had something to compare it to。 In this case, I simply got drowned in a pile of Chinese and Japanese politics that I knew nothing about。 But to be fair, I haven't read As You Like It。 If I had, maybe I'd have understood quite a bit more。 As it is, however - very confusing。 Don't get me wrong - seriously interesting and exciting! But I basically just went along with anything that was happening, hoping to kind of understand what was going on。 Because of this, the first half of the book was very slow。The second half was much faster paced and quite exciting, but especially the ending did require some concentration。I also wish there had been more Rosalind awesomeness。 She's Fortune, and immortal assassin - why don't we ever see her use her powers? I want to see her be awesome, not run around as Orion's fake wife (even though I love him)。 The great finale did take me by surprise and it was almost enough to give this book four stars。 The finale was great! But at that point the book had already lost me and could't quite get me back。Thank you NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Niharika

I was probably one of the few who still hadn't read These Violent Delights before one fine day this August。 But now I'm one of the many people who have read These Violent Delights and swear by it。 Very happy to have entered the Chloe Gong fan club。Okay, so, this book revolves around Rosalind and features a few other characters you'll know from These Violent Delights duology。 Yes, you will probably be better off if you read TVD before moving on to this one because there are massive spoilers for t I was probably one of the few who still hadn't read These Violent Delights before one fine day this August。 But now I'm one of the many people who have read These Violent Delights and swear by it。 Very happy to have entered the Chloe Gong fan club。Okay, so, this book revolves around Rosalind and features a few other characters you'll know from These Violent Delights duology。 Yes, you will probably be better off if you read TVD before moving on to this one because there are massive spoilers for that duology in this。The themes in the book are imperialism, civil war, invasion, colonialism, and more, which were all very well done in my opinion。There are a lot of things I liked about this book。 But let's start with the writing。Although not exactly lyrical, it still flows very smoothly。 As a person who finds reading some ebooks tedious and very time-consuming, I love books that have the kind of easy-to-read writing that makes you fly through the book, and yes, Chloe Gong does have that kind of writing style。 So this was automatically a huge plus for me。The characters as you will expect if you've read TVD, are well fleshed out and bring life to the book with their passion, motives, and。。。badassery? Yes, badassery。 Celia and Alisa were my ultimate favorites going into the book but the whole cast (Rosalind, Orion, Oliver, Phoebe, and Silas) did manage to burrow into my heart by the end of the book。 I'm still sort of mad about the terribly low page time Alisa had but that just made me love the parts she was in so much more。The demi (Rosalind) representation was so wonderfully well written and accurate and just made my heart soar。 I think Benedikt is demi too and I'll very much like more info on this, thank you very much。As for the plot, I can see most of these plot twists hitting people hard but unfortunately, didn't seem very twisty to me。 I wasn't surprised about any of it and could see a lot of it coming。 However, I must admit, the twist in the epilogue did throw me off completely and that was a very pleasant and shocking surprise。The romance is very well written and made me feel a lot of feelings, like wanting such romance in my own life and wanting to bang my head against a wall due to the absence of it。 However, I can't help but feel that the falling-in-love parts of the romance seem to be entirely absent from Gong's books。In TVD duology and in this one for Celia and Oliver, people seemed to already be deeply, madly, in love。 And as I said before, it works, it works most amazingly because of how Chloe writes romance。 We did get something more akin to falling-in-love in Rosalind's POV, which I absolutely loved but for Orion, it didn't quite feel like falling-in-love and。。。already being in love? Which shouldn't be possible but yes, the falling-in-love didn't quite come through。The length also seemed unnecessarily long to me and certain parts a bit repetitive。But anyway, except for these teensy things, I really loved and enjoyed the book and very much look forward to the next book in the duology!! <3Highly recommend it to fantasy lovers, historical fiction lovers, and everyone else too! <3 。。。more

Liza Croft

Another masterful story in this world。