Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I am rather in love getting to know Rosalind more. She’s a character who blended more into the background in TVD and OVE but she really shines in her spotlight. Clever, intelligent and snarky, she does her best to survive; honing new skills and utilising them to her best advantage. It was interesting to see just how guarded she was throughout most of the book - not just because of her position as an assassin/spy, but because of her past as part of the Scarlet Gang. But, when she started to let her guard down a little, it was great to see her relax and be a bit more herself.
Oh Orion. What a guy. Despite the struggles he faces, he remains - for the most part - gentle and inquisitive. His dedication to the role as Rosalind’s husband had me feeling weak at the knees and I would like to place an order for my own Orion please. His protectiveness - over both Rosalind and his sister - his fire, his slightly broody nature? Absolute brilliance.
We don’t see a massive amount of Celia in this book but what we do get is fabulous. Seeing her grow into herself, away from the pressures of the Scarlet Gang and its rules and appearances, feels so freeing. She’s found herself in a position where she’s happy and content with her life and who she is. But, more importantly, she is accepted and I am so happy for her!
Alisa is still a little spitfire who I absolutely adore. Still sticking her nose into other people’s business and being a busy-body. What a fantastic character she is!

What. A. Book. I absolutely adored getting to jump into Gong’s world once more, the time in the future. Getting to see the difference in Shanghai after the events of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends but with different perspectives was more fantastic than I thought it would be. Gong has a real and true talent for writing and I find myself sucked in and utterly mesmerised by the unfolding stories she creates. The slow burn of romance had me giddy. The thrill of chases and unrelenting danger had me on edge. The trials and tribulations had me eager for more. The callbacks and easter eggs for the previous books were brilliant little surprises that popped up along the way - but never felt like too much or like they were taking away from Rosalind’s story. The entire book was a joy to read but that ending … MISS GONG, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! And now I have to wait for the sequel to come out?! That’s just nor fair at all…

Overall, Foul Lady Fortune is a story that gives you twists and turns before flipping everything you believe entirely on its head.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

4.0

Genuinely, this is such a fun read!!

I connected to Rosalind, and found her to be a truly compelling character. The Fake Romance (which was just wonderfully written) actually made me excited, and I started giggling at the pages sometimes, which doesn’t happen very often. A wonderful read all in all.

While I enjoyed the first half of this book, the second half blew me away.

After the end of Juliette and Roma's books, I was cautiously hopeful that Rosalind's story would be able to measure up. It did.

I loved the introductions of the new characters, and the return and reference to the ones we know and love just enhanced the reading experience. By the end of OVE, Rosalind was not a character I had a particularly strong connection to. By the end of Foul Lady Fortune, I had discovered a side of her that we hadn't previously seen, and it made me love her. Nobody writes three dimensional characters like Gong.

The highlight of this book for me had to be the witty banter between the characters, along with the completely unpredictable plot twists. The chemistry between Rosalind and Orion had me hooked, and, in a book about spies, one can imagine that the secrets and lies were both intriguing and frustrating at times.

I sometimes have doubt in authors who write spin off books, afraid that the new main characters won't be given their own space to breathe and grow - Chloe Gong allowed her characters to flourish. She once again captures 1930's Shanghai with detail and introspect that almost makes me imagine she was there. If you enjoyed TVD and OVE, Foul Lady Fortune is the book for you.

I'd say the first 2/3s of this book were a 3.5, the final 1/3 was a solid 4.5.

For me, there was too much emphasis on the historical politics aspect of the story than the fantasy elements at the beginning of this book, and I struggled to get started with it. However, it really picks up, especially with the final 20% of the story which is pure action, reveals and an undercurrent of romance.

For me, what really drove the story was the premise of the two spies in a marriage of convenience and watching their relationship unfold as they kept secrets from the world and each other. Chloe Gong has really created a relationship here that I was rooting for, even when the characters did questionable things.

If the sequel is just as exciting as the second half of this book was, then I can't wait to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and Chloe Gong for allowing me access to an e-ARC of this novel. Although I was provided this copy for free, all views are my own and this review was given willingly.

chloe gong has me in a chokehold. i didn't think i could love her any more than i did after reading our violent ends, BUT WOW WAS I WRONG.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I’m convinced Chloe Gong can’t write a bad book, it's just impossible.

I absolutely loved this book with my entire heart! The first chapter starts straight into the action and I was hooked right from the beginning. The plot is so intricate, detailed and has so many layers (Chloe Gong is a genius). There’s mystery and politics and spies and assassins and it was just amazing.

I liked Rosalind in These Violent Delights but I can’t say I was super attached to her but in this book I loved her. We see a completely different side of her and how much of a badass she is. There were a few other familiar characters that returned (including Alisa who will always be my fave) as well as some new ones that I loved (Orion was just fantastic).

As with all of Chloe Gong’s books, the writing was beautiful. It flows well and is easy to read but also has a touch of flare that results in some amazing quotes. I cannot wait to read the sequel, especially after that ending!!! If you liked These Violent Delights, you are just going to love Foul Lady Fortune.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for sending me and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how all the main characters in These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends were mentioned in some capacity. Foul lady fortune could easily be read as a duopoly independent to TVD since all the main plot points are covered throughout FLF anyway. However, it would be important to note that there are spoilers for the previous duology.

I liked how Rosalind and Alisa's relationship was explored a little more- both were previously on opposite side of Shanghai's gang wars but have not been left in a very similar position. The both of them are mainly alone, with hardly any communication with their families and both lost a loved one. I'd love to see them both get closer and find a sense of companionship in each other. Orion is an absolute darling- he and Rosalind are a perfect pair in every sense of the word. The last few chapters were a whole whirlwind- so many plot twists, it made my ancestors dizzy. I absolutely need the next book to come out ASAP!

I did not read Gongs' previous duology before reading Foul Lady Fortune nor do I have any intention of doing so as I don't like Romeo and Juliet as a story in any form - in spite of that I found that you don't have to have read the duology to read this book as the duology is briefly recapped. Not reading the duology also meant that I had no expectations going into Foul Lady Fortune, except for what others had said about the books. Granted according to a few reviews it felt like a full-on sequel but I think I agree with Gong in that Foul Lady Fortune is its own series.

The two main protagonists are Rosalind Lang, an immortal assassin, and Orion Hong, a spy. The two are connected together by a joint mission and have to fake marry. So if that is a romance trope you like then you'll like this, kinda like SPY X FAMILY, there's also the "Who did this to you?!", "I'll love you from far away" and in my opinion, the guy falls first. I liked their romance - it was a slow burn and I liked the interactions they had with each other. They just work together. The secondary group of main characters are Oliver Hong, also a spy and Orions' brother, and Celia, also a spy and Rosalind's sister... and they're also together and then there's Phoebe Hong, the sister, and Silas, the friend who I think are in a will-they-wont-they situation? The Pet Names! Please someone call me sweetheart.

The characters are wonderfully diverse (I think there's a tweet confirming but this is what I could find). "Rosalind is demisexual, Orion is bisexual, Celia is a trans woman, Alisa is aromantic and asexual, Phoebe is bisexual", and it's accepted by all the characters which was lovely to see as it didn't become something that defined who that character is, just a part of them.

Onto the plot: Foul Lady Fortune per Gong is a "speculative historical thriller inspired by Shakespeare’s As You Like It". I liked it I thought it was well-paced, and I enjoyed the multiple third-person POVs. I liked that the main antagonist wasn't predictable, personally, I had two or three people pegged from the beginning and so I liked that it play out like a spy thriller where you kinda don't know who's really behind what. There are also code names, fake identities, and double and triple agents. Trying not to give too much away right now but Gong pulled me in quickly.

There really wasn't much to dislike, I think my only issue was that they kept saying out loud to themselves that they were good spies or an agent and that could not be me, risking my cover to give myself a pep talk ???

I recommend this, I really want to read the next book because what was the epilogue - Chole Gong really did that! I will also be keeping my pre-order of this book via Waterstones and the copy I ordered from Fairyloot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton, as I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book 167 of 2022

Foul Lady Fortune. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did, to be honest.The first half of the book felt slow, but by the second half, I got attached to the characters and setting and wanted to know what happend.
OK, let’s dig deeper. I have mixed feelings about the writing style. Overall, it’s pleasant to read, but there were a few sentences that pulled me off the narration. Plot-wise, I had a lot of questions about the plot and spy network that didn’t get fully answered and a couple of plot points felt… plot-hole-y, unless I didn’t understand. Because of this, I wasn’t feeling fully immersed in the world.
That said, I liked the historical Shanghai setting and history, between the different factions of the time, and we see it through individual lenses - people that don’t have strong opinions, people who do... I enjoyed the diversity of the characters and the building slow-burn between Orion and Rosalind. The novel has cool concepts and twists and manages to make us understand the world, even though lots of characters already appeared in previous books, which I haven’t read. I wonder how different my experience would have been, but you can definitely read this book even if you haven’t read Chloe Gong’s other novels. I felt like the setting, the ambition of this historical fantasy Shakespearian retelling and the dialogues were a strength of this book, and the second half warmed me up to the idea of reading the next book.

I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Chloe Gong, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a spoiler-free review.

The spy thriller I never knew I wanted - but most certainly needed!

I loved the insight into characters I recognised from These Violent Delights. I may or may not have sobbed like a baby whenever Roma and Juliette were mentioned, because their story wrecked me in the most incredible of ways, but I was so thankful and relieved that the story didnt end there.

I enjoy a good espionage based plot, but haven't really read one I enjoy as much as the storylines in C-dramas and K-dramas. That has finally changed. Chloe Gong brings all the best part of those stories to life, while still maintaining and delivering her trademark narrative and writing style, which makes for the most incredible reading experience ever.

Rosalind was a character I wished we had gotten to know more about in TVD, but now that we have a whole story about her, I think I might rival Orion in my love for her.

This book has fantastic representation of the LGBTQ community, without feeling forced or shoehorned in, and the story was as thrilling as I wanted it to be. The fake marriage trope was written to perfection, and there is not single thing in this book I would alter or change, other than wanting it to never end!

If I could rate this book higher than 5 stars, I really would, but since I can't, I'm going to spend the next few months shouting about the brilliance and perfection that is Foul Lady Fortune.

Goodness gracious. I don't quite know what to say. (I say: A good 4.5 stars.)

Let's start somewhere else. I recently read Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights duology in preparation for this book, and I wasn't at all impressed, even though I'd heard mostly good things. I liked her writing style very much, but the characters and plot fell flat, so those two books ended up being a dissapointment. In turn, when I started this, I expected more of the same, and when I read the synopsis and saw that this book was a kind-of-sequel, I was ... not optimistic. I still would like Chloe Gong to let go of the whole Scarlet Gang vs. White Flowers thing. Don't get me wrong. I still cringed every time I was reminded of the existence of Roma and Juliette. But everything else? Holy hell.

To continue this thought, it was pure luck that I decided to read TVD before FLF, but I'm glad I did, no matter how little I liked it. Because this is not, like the author said, a new series, it is a full-on sequel. About half of the main characters carry over, and it's not really explained too well who exactly they are. I suppose you could read FLF without having read TVD, but it would lead to much confusion.

The main characters of FLF are Rosalind Lang, who was previously a supporting character, and Orion Hong, a new addition. Let's just say that both of them are delightful. I didn't like Rosalind too much during TVD, but being in her head improved my opinion of her immensely. Her interactions with charming, rougish Orion are hilarious and ... very, very sweet. I am a big fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, and I love it even more when the traditionally more feminine partner is the grumpy one. Oh god, I loved the two of them so much, and I especially loved them both together.

The plot ... is a different story. Because it was good! But it was also exactly like TVD. And OVE. Exactly the same plot. There's a mysterious illness, people are dying, and someone is physically causing it, so our main duo has to investigate. It works for this one, but I wish I didn't have to read this exact same plot for the third time in a series.

Orion and Rosalind are spies and get paired together to go undercover as ... a married couple. Fake marriage. I love my life. Oh god, it was so good. The dynamic between the two is just so good, and I could talk about it all day. Literally every single interaction made me smile. It was quite the opposite from Roma and Juliette's absolute lack of chemistry, and I loved loved loved it. There's so much more to it, but I'm gonna shut up for fear of spoilers. But it was so good. This relationship - and their investigation - had layers.

In addition to Rosalind, multiple other characters from TVD carry over, most notably Celia and Alisa. Ben and Marshall are regrettably but understandably absent, but we do see quite a lot of Celia, which I was very happy about, because she was by far my favorite character in TVD. However, this reappearence of older characters does lead me to another point that might confuse readers who picked FLF up thinking it was a new series - the who's who.

Every character has a multitude of names and allegiances. Alisa also goes by Liza and by Roza and she's working for the Communists but she actually doesn't care about their cause. Rosalind has the fake name of Janie Mead but also the codename Fortune which everyone gets wrong and calls her Lady Fortune but she also is undercover as Mrs. Mu for the Nationalists but she is also loyal to Celia, who works for the Communists. Celia used to live under her dead sisters name (Kathleen) and some people still call her that and she's a passionate communist. Oliver and Orion are brothers and work for opposite factions. And all of them are undercover, double agents, shifting allegiances, working together even though they shouldn't, all that good stuff. One character is even a triple agent (at least he's honest about it, though). It all gets very confusing, and I think it would be even more confusing if you haven't read TVD.

However, the writing style makes up for it. Chloe Gong manages to build suspense in way I haven't seen managed in a while and her decriptions are vivid and bursting with vibrancy. Her books tend to start of slow and build up speed by the end until the ending literally leaves you breathless. I still am of the opinion that you could've easily shortened FLF by at least 100 pages, but the pacing is a hell of a lot improved from her previous books. I also think she greatly improved on her dramatic reveals and foreshadowing, because with FLF if was actually foreshadowing and not the blatant tell over show of TVD. Those villain reveals had me gasping instead of rolling my eyes.

Also, I will be thinking about that Epilogue reveal for ages. And, for once, I cannot wait to read book two.

I have been a huge Chloe Gong fan since I read These Violent Delights. The TVD duology was one of my favourite reads of last year and when Foul Lady Fortune was announced, I was just waiting to get my hands on the ARC. And now that I am done reading it, it has solidified the fact that I'll always be a huge fan of Gong and her writing.

While I felt the first half of FLF moved quite slowly (similar to TVD), it picked up speed in the latter half. I did think there were too many subplots being introduced at one point, but I think the second half of the book deals with them pretty well and I'm sure the second book itself will show what happens to those storylines.

Rosalind was not really a favourite of mine in the original duology, but I really liked her character in FLF. She seems like such a fun and intriguing character and I am very excited to read more about her in book 2. And Orion? Loved that boy. He's pretty funny and smirk-y (that's not a word, I know) and he carries with himself, his own set of mysteries. I also thoroughly enjoyed the fake-marriage plot; it seriously made me love the book more. And the banter...Gong is incredible at writing good banter and romance.

The way it ended though....I need book 2 ASAP. All in all, Foul Lady Fortune is a great read, albeit a little slow, and I cannot wait to own a physical copy!

The year is 1931, and Shanghai hums with the anticipation of war. Rosalind Lang - a jaded, bitter, immortal assassin - is given a fake husband as part of a covert operation to discover the motivation for a series of deadly attacks. What a shame her fake husband Orion is such a handsome, annoying, charismatic playboy…right?

I must say: these are lousy spies. Given the fate that would have awaited real spies and double agents during this time period, the casualness these protagonists discussed their mission in public and fraternised with their supposed enemies took me out of the story a bit. But what Gong does best is craft angsty, believable love stories. And that’s the selling point of FLF. Unlike These Violent Delights/Our Violent Ends, the angsty love is paired with comedy instead of tragedy. With a few melodramatic plot twists thrown in near the end.

While these stories are light on “fantasy” - you could be forgiven for thinking Gong lived through 1930s Shanghai herself: the atmosphere, period details and characters are rich as ever. ☠️🌸☠️

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy to review.

After a series of suspicious murders starts to terrorize Shanghai, Rosalind, a Nationalist agent and an assassin known as Fortune, had for mission for infiltrate the Japanese society and find the responsible for these murders. But to avoid suspicion Rosalind has to be the pretend wife of an other Nationalist agent and spy, Orion Hong. Both have secrets that they don’t want the other to know, but they’ll realize that these murders are way more complicated than what it first seemed.
This book was just amazing. I was 10 pages in and I already was in love with Rosalind. I also adored Orion since his first meeting with Rosalind. I adored Rosalind and Orion’s relationship and how it slowly developed from not liking each other to fully trusting each other. This book was even better than These Violent Delights and Our Violent ends and I absolutely adored these books, Chloe Gong totally outdid herself. I really missed this world and it was amazing to be back in it.

An assassin, a spy, a fake marriage, and a dysfunctional family.

Action packed heavy with political disturbances, killings and laced with slow burn romance.

Lots of aliases and code names. Betrayal, twist, and mystery. Super page turning.

IT WAS SOOOO GOOOOD😭👌 It gets better as you near the end where the knot started to unravel.

THE CHARACTERS' DYNAMIC IS TO DIE FOR. Siblings trope is strong.

THE ROMANCE got me screaming.

For me personally, the political stance waa easier to follow. No gore during the action, much investigation and disguise.

SURPRISING TILL THE END.

One more, the Hong family members need therapy.

Thank you Hodder Books and Hodder Publicity for the Arc through netgalley!!!💕

Stunning Stage Set for Sophomore Saga: Foul Lady Fortune

Plot, Prose and Pacing: Rescued Me From A Reading Slump

Reading Foul Lady Fortune was a whirlwind blur. To be completely honest, I don’t quite remember most of it because I was so engrossed with learning what comes next; I just ate up the scene and moved on. Another thing that I felt hindered my reading experience was not finishing Our Violent Ends as Foul Lady Fortune is tied to the ending of the These Violent Delights duology. You can read Foul Lady Fortune as a standalone but in case you haven’t read the preceding duology, you may want to hold on until you’ve done so as there are some spoilers.

Set four years after the events that the duology set in motion, Rosalind Lang is a medical enigma. She is unable to age, does not require sleep and can heal any wound inflicted on her physical body. Plagued by her traitorous past, Rosalind is now a Nationalist assassin and spy. Code name: Fortune. It is a time of political turmoil. Nationalists (of the Kuomintang, the legitimate government of Republican China) are warring with the Communists (who resist Kuomintang rule and are persecuted for their rebellion) while Imperial Japan sets in motion their plans to invade China. In the midst of all of this, a series of chemical warfare murders are taking place in Shanghai and fingers are pointing in each and every direction, fracturing an already divided nation.

Suspecting the Japanese of these murders, Rosalind is assigned to infiltrate Japanese society by working in a Japanese press publication to uncover the culprit so the Nationalists can put a stop to their actions. But, prickly Rosalind is bound to draw more suspicion than answers. The solution? A fake marriage to another Nationalist spy, Orion. A sweet-talking charmer with a heart of gold, Rosalind can’t stand Orion and living in close proximity means it’s harder for her to hide her unique abilities. As they work together to uncover the mystery (while ignoring their growing attraction for each other), they soon learn that each layer unveil reveals an uncomfortable truth neither would want to confront.

My knowledge of China’s history is incredibly rusty so I can’t speak for historical accuracy but it is not a secret that this was an era filled with espionage and shaky allegiances. I loved all the facets of spying that Gong has written and introduced from double agents to double-double agents, meetings with handlers and ducking in and out of dangerous places. I do wish we got to see more of the inner workings of the spy agencies but I love that we got to see the spy action in both the Kuomintang and the Communist camps.

Gong’s writing has also improved significantly. I struggled through Our Violent Ends because the flowery prose felt clunky and more to pad the word count. I gave up trying to slough through halfway. But we get much less of that in Foul Lady Fortune. This style is pretty much a hallmark of Gong’s writing so we do get some of it in relation to character introspection but it only adds to the depth and design of the character. It doesn’t feel unnecessary, it feels well-thought out and appropriately placed. It is also a testament to Gong’s writing skills that although I didn’t finish reading Our Violent Ends, I didn’t feel as if I missed out on any of the important details nor did I feel like I needed to go back and finish the series.

The only thing I thought didn’t quite work out was the ending. It felt very rushed. Foul Lady Fortune was well-paced up until about the last 20% where the coming together of all the elements was a jump out of the blue. That isn’t to say it surprised me but the lead up didn’t seem as sophisticated as the rest of the book. Which is a shame because the ending is stunning.

Characters: Fake Marriage Anyday, Please

As always, Gong writes fantastic characters. And this time, her characters because they’re not constricted by their predetermined roles such as Juliette to Juliet and Roma to Romeo. Even though Foul Lady Fortune is based on As You Like It, another Shakespeare play, Gong has taken much more creative licence with the original work and truly made it her own. I absolutely loved all the delicious tension, bickering and banter between our two main leads, Rosalind and Orion.

Rosalind is a self-pitying assassin for the Nationalists. Her only motivation in life is to right her wrongs and to preserve the dignity of her beloved nation. She is prickly and defensive but as we all know, sharp-tongued characters like Rosalind always hide a surprise centre. And Gong writes that beautifully. The contrast between the Rosalind that she presents to the world and the Rosalind in private hits right at that sweet spot. Characters like Rosalind who go through life with a singular focus can tend to become very annoying, constantly repeating their life’s mantra and forcing it down everyone else’s throat, But Rosalind’s layers are so well-crafted that you can see right through her and understand her motivations. I’m also fairly biased because she’s my favourite kind of character.

Her partner in crime, Orion, is your sexy, suave and charming spy brimming with golden retriever energy. He’s so much fun and such a sweet and understanding darling, even when Rosalind snaps at him. He’s got such a fantastic relationship with his sister, Phoebe and I love the dynamic between him and his best friend, Silas. I had a major issue with Gong’s previous male lead, Roma, who was as cardboard and one-dimensional as they come. On the other hand, Orion is anything but. Gong has perfectly crafted the layers to his personality, the tension of his secrets carefully layered so that each reveal of his hidden life lends more nuance and detail to his character. While Rosalind is pretty much an open book to the readers, Orion is more of a mystery. As Rosalind learns more about him as their partnership grows, so do we. Also, just for a little bit of a fun thing, I’ve always imagined Orion as SEVENTEEN’s Kim Mingyu and you can’t tell me he isn’t the perfect guy for the job.

If there’s absolutely one thing that deserves praise in Foul Lady Fortune is the enemies-to-coworkers coupled with the fake marriage trope. Gong made it more romantic than sexual which is quite new for me; the tension is delivered through their unspoken interactions rather than a primary sexual attraction. Which is so nuanced because Rosalind is portrayed as a demisexual. I only wish we had gotten much more of the fake marriage bits, especially more domestic interactions and that the romance hadn’t been so rushed towards the end. Also, there’s a bit of a “what just happened here” moment for me as Rosalind and Orion are suddenly declaring their love for each other with any precursor.

The cast of Foul Lady Fortune is also equally as compelling as the two main leads and it features some new characters and some familiar faces:

- Celia: Rosalind’s sister, we previously met Celia in the These Violent Delights duology. I like that we see their relationship expand across enemy lines despite Rosalind being a Nationalist and Celia, a Communist.
- Alisa: Roma’s sister, whom we also previously met in the These Violent Delights duology, an older and more grown-up Alisa is also now a spy for the Communists.
- Oliver: Orion’s older brother, Oliver works with Celia as a Communist spy and is considered the black sheep of the family. Even so, he loves his family dearly but his loyalty lies with his faction.
- Silas: Orion’s best friend, Silas is a double-double agent. He is working for the Nationalists and has infiltrated the Communists while the Communists believe that he is spying on the Nationalists on their behalf. He is also in love with Phoebe.
- Phoebe: Orion’s baby sister, Phoebe is curious and precocious. Still in high school, Phoebe can’t help but want to be a part of her older brother’s worlds.

It’s a stunning cast of characters this time around. They’re a little bit underutilised but each have their own equally important role to play and significant personalities.

Worldbuilding: Gritty and Realistic China

I’m not the most well versed with China’s history nor am I fluent in the Chinese language but I do like that Gong seems to have taken some of the criticism in hand and attempted to be more “Chinese” with Foul Lady Fortune. One such element I noticed is the characters’ usage of Anglicised names. It was a huge contention with the previous duology and while Rosalind, Orion and the like still rarely use their Chinese names, it makes sense within the context. After all, they’re spies and they constantly adopt different names and personas. I also like that other characters often refer to, for example, Rosalind and Orion, by their romanised Chinese names, calling them Lang Shalin and Hong Liwen respectively. I’m still not satisfied that the Chinese characters for their names aren’t used though.

While there aren’t overt representations of Chinese culture and society, it felt infinitely more authentically Chinese than the previous duology and less a romanticised version of the era. From muted qipaos to moderate living, it felt less ostentatious. It felt gritty, it felt dangerous. It felt very grounded in historical sentiment. I love how Gong captured the anti-Japanese sentiment as well as the underlying unity in preventing the Japanese invasion. It seems that when working with actual historical events, Gong’s writing is stronger and more compelling while at the same time taking some liberties with historical facts and elements. I do still think there is some trivialising of historical events and nuances on Gong’s part which is not something to be taken lightly, given the tumultuous relationship China has with its past. I do wish Gong would treat historical events with a bit more delicacy instead of using them as fodder for story-telling.

The science and superhero elements in Foul Lady Fortune also felt more realistic. One of the major issues I had with These Violent Delights was how the science fiction element seemed so far out of left field. To me, it didn’t make sense within the context of the story Gong was telling nor did it seem like it even belonged in the era. It felt too fantastical. However, in Foul Lady Fortune, I can definitely imagine that there would be some sort of chemical warfare going on between all the factions. I can also imagine that with all the chemical concoctions floating around, someone would be bound to develop a serum to accidentally turn Rosalind superhuman and immortal. It didn’t seem far fetched like some goop monster lurking around Shanghai, infecting people with mind control bugs.

I studied As You Like It in college and as a testament to how old I am, I can’t recall much about what I studied. But I do remember that it is one of Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy plays. Pastorals are usually light-hearted and almost ridiculous plays so to see such a dramatic and dark take on what is supposed to be fun and uplifting is refreshing. I love how Gong translates the cross-dressing elements of Rosalind’s original character into spy espionage and how the pretend relationship between Ganymede and Orlando is translated into the fake marriage trope. It’s so incredibly clever. And love and its many iterations are a central theme of As You Like It, so to have so many variations also play out in Foul Lady Fortunewithout diluting the plot is so much fun . I really like that Gong is pushing boundaries of what a retelling should be. I hope that Gong finds a way to slip in her own rendition of the “all the world’s a stage” line.

Did I Enjoy It?: Conclusion

To sum it all up, I thoroughly enjoyed Foul Lady Fortune both while I was reading it and analysing it after for this review, especially in comparing it to As You Like It. Gong’s writing is absolutely stunning and I absolutely love how well-thought out the book was while not sidelining historical context. There really isn’t much for me to dislike about it although I’m sure in the coming weeks and months following the book’s release, tons of criticism will emerge. But until then, I am enjoying Foul Lady Fortune and to be very honest, I’m still thinking about it even as I’m reading my next book. That’s how strong of an impression it has left on me. I absolutely cannot wait for the second book to release and can only hope it will be as strong as this one.

I feel so lucky that I got approved for the eARC of #foulladyfortune because it’s one of my most anticipated reads this year and I can’t believe I got to read it early - and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. To be fair, I needed a bit to be fully invested in the story and the characters but after the first 1/3 I just couldn’t put the book down. I love the vibes of the book, the historical setting in 1930s Shanghai, that the main characters are mostly queer (for example Rosalind is demisexual and I just always love when a book has ace rep but there were more queer characters) and Chloe Gong used so many amazing tropes that made me want to scream because they’re iconic.
I just adore the characters, the more I read about them the more I loved them and even though I wasn’t 100% sold on the romance, I love Rosalind and Orion together. They have such a good dynamic and whenever they were together in a scene it was a favorite scene in the book for me, I truly love them.
I can’t really say much about the plot because spoilers and to be honest, I was a bit confused about what exactly happened here and there just because I’m not really familiar with Chinas history. (But I learn a lot from this series and that’s great 🤓) Some of the plot twists I saw coming, one took me totally by surprise for some reason (should have seen that coming) but overall I really liked where the book was going at the end. For me the first 1/3 was dragging a little bit, it’s slower and less action packed than the rest of the book and was my least favorite part of a book I overall really really liked.
I can’t wait to get a physical copy for my shelf when it’s released at the end of September!

I was so happy to receive an early copy of this book.
I absolutely adore Chole Gong’s writing and this book did not disappoint.

It was so fast paced and well written, I couldn’t put it down.
I absolutely adored Rosalind and genuinely felt like she was someone I could be friends with.

The descriptions really made me feel like I’d been transported in to the locations.

I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Chloe Gong is fast becoming one of my favourite authors! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an ARC of her newest book!

This was brilliant. I don’t even have the words to explain how much I enjoyed this! The characters stole my heart from the very first page and refused to give it back. The connections and interactions they had with one another were so real and beautiful and just pure magic.

The setting, once again, was a character itself. That’s how real it felt. I wanted to climb within the pages and live there. The descriptions immersed me in the world and took my breath away.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this masterpiece.

I was very happy to get a copy of Chloe’s new book and it didn’t disappoint at all! I loved reading this book! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book early!