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!

An action packed, spy, romantic, thriller that is more political than I expected. To be frank, this book had a lot going on. Apart from closely following up to the TVD duology, it sets out a similar political romance weaving in the magical realism. Knowing that this is based on As You Like It, I had expected this to be a bit confusing to follow but I caught up well. I could figure out the disguises and aliases. I still struggle with whatever politics Chloe cooks up, some of it doesn't make sense while most of it feels ad lib. A good thing about this book is that it did show Chloe's growth as a writer because of how well Rosalind is sketched out, I found her as a charming character one that I have longed to read. In fact, I would chose her over Orion any day. I'm sure if you liked TVD and OVE, you'd definitely love reading this. Watch out for the plot twists, it will definitely keep the pages turning. ❤️

Thank you to Hodder and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Foul Lady Fortune' by Chloe Gong. I'm extremely grateful.

Thank you to Hodder and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Foul Lady Fortune' by Chloe Gong.

I dont know if I can convey my emotions into words. I love Chloe Gong and I would probably do anything she asked of me. 2% in, I knew this would be a 5 star and I'm happy to announce that it remained that way.

'Foul Lady Fortune' ties perfectly into 'These Violent Delights' - to the extent some people might get confused as to why I am a massive lover of certain characters - but Chloe added much more detail and love into these characters. Our main character Rosalind - my favourite - is so well developed, I was attached to her and her actions throughout the book. The plot twists were so unexpected for me to the extent where I had to pause and just mentally applaude Gong for her brain.

However, I want to talk about the ending. Of course, this is only the first book for Rosalind and Orion but oh my goodness. I definitely didn't expect that ending and I will be awaiting the sequel where I can find out more.

I was given an e-book ARC of this book, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Foul Lady Fortune is a spy novel, with a new spin. We follow Rosalind, Code name: FORTUNE. Rosalind also has some unique skills... for her latest task she joins Orion Hong, the son of a Chinese General accused of treason and spy. They work together to solve the murders happening across the city.

Great concept, loved this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the Arc of Foul Lady Fortune.

I was really excited to read this novel as I've heard great things and the blurb intrigued me. It's my first novel from Chloe Gong and I wasn't disappointed.
I enjoyed the style of writing and the world building.
The characters gelled well, names were similar but overall was a good read.

I did struggle with the flow because of how the arc is set out(couldn't open on kindle- the flow is nothing to do with how it's written) but I do have Foul Lady Fortune on pre-order so can't wait to re-read when I have the physical copy.

This was a beautiful start to the spin off from the Violent Delights duology.

I've always loved retellings of plays and mythology and this just got added to the list. The mixture of spies and politics and 20th century Shanghai is fresh and fun and beautifully written - I have always loved Chloe Gong's flowery prose and her skill in writing from a third person perspective.

I will admit that I didn't find the two MCs as fleshed out as Juliette and Cai in the previous duology - I feel like I don't know anything about Orion and while he was fun, I didn't get a handle on the relationship between him and Rosalind. Forced proximity/fake marriage is always a fun concept but I feel like this could have been taken further. Some of Rosalind's dilemmas and thoughts were a little convoluted or repetitive and this is probably the main reason why this was just shy of a five star review for me.

Nonetheless I thought this was a fantastic start to another captivating duology - I flew through the last quarter of the book as the plot twists and drama began to unfold. I'm very excited for the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

First, let me say that I loved being back in this world. Sure, you can read Foul Lady Fortune without reading the original duology (These Violent Delights & Our Violent Ends) but I highly recommend that because it would spoiler the duology´s ending for you and it makes so much more sense to read it because of the events and characters.

Foul Lady Fortune focuses on Rosalind. In the beginning, you get to know what´s happening in her life four years after the events of Our Violent Ends. It’s 1931 and Shanghai is unrest once again. Japanese Imperial Army is getting closer, while the city has to deal with a civil war between the Nationalists and Communists. As if the city hasn't been through enough already. It´s a golden age of espionage - with double and even triple agents roaming the streets - and that´s how Rosalind meets with her fake husband Orion Hong. Together, they depart on a mission to uncover the culprits behind the gruesome murders terrorizing Shanghai.

“Across the city and outside of it, Friday arrived to the sound of war drums.”

Heartbroken and atoning Rosalind is prepared to do anything to glue the broken city back together - to heal it, to make it whole again. You may originally hate her for what she´s done but in the end, cannot help to root for her. She´s not a perfect human, she has her flaws, but that´s what makes her a perfect character. By the way, Rosalind is demisexual and while it is not directly stated (through this modern term), it is discussed in the text.

Speaking about romance, Rosalind and Orion Hong are a great couple and a power duo, in public and in private as well. I loved how Orion calls her “beloved” or “ my wife” even when they are alone or with people who know. They both have their own secrets which undeniably adds to the ever-present tension between them. Their interactions are amazing and I live, ache, and breathe for this pairing.

Besides meeting and getting to know a bunch of new characters - (previously mentioned) Orion, his brother Oliver and sister Phoebe - we get to be reunited with now seventeen-year-old Alisa Montagova as well as Rosalind´s sister Celia. Together they become entangled in the political machinations and despite being on different sides of the conflict, end up cooperating and saving each other's butts. I loved this group (every one of them) and their dynamics.

Around ¾ of the book felt kind of “peaceful” to me or how to describe it. Of yours, there is a lot of spying to uncover all the dangerous secrets, occasionally some gunshots or poisoning happening, but overall, it is very political - which is still amazing because I love this kind of books - until the whole situation escalates, making you sit at the edge of your seat holding your breath and praying that everyone survives the inevitable storm coming their way. As the tension rises and the stakes get higher, it is very hard to put the book down. It is INTENSE. I could not stop reading till the ending, well… it broke me.

At last, I want to say that I´ve genuinely missed Chloe Gong´s writing. She never disappoints. Foul Lady Fortune is beautifully written and well thought through from the first word to its very last. Overall, it is very cleverly done. Now I have no idea how I am going to survive the wait for the second book of this incredible spin-off to These Violent Delights.


Special thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me an electronic reading copy in exchange my honest review.

Foul Lady Fortune is the first book in Chloe Gong's latest duology, set in the same world as These Violent Delights. The book follows Rosalind Lang, traitor turned immortal assassin, and her desperate attempts at solving a series of murders causing unrest in Shanghai.

In summary: This book is frickin perfect, amazing and just all round 😭😭😭. There's angst, there's sexual tension, there's *who did this to you? I'll kill them🗡*. There are so many twists and turns and literally gobsmacking reveals. I had to put my kindle down at one point just to process what the f had just happened. There's secrets upon secrets upon even more frickin secrets. This book is just incredible. Chloe Gong has weaved such an intricate story, it is impossible to put down. The romance is slow burn but let me tell you it is not flat or boring at all. The chemistry between Rosalind and Orion is electric. I loved the re-introduction of already familiar characters and the new ones you'll be sure to love instantly. Basically, you need to read this book and I need the sequel like now please, thank you.

PS. Please can JM be who I want it to be so bad 😭🤞

I'm sorry but this is worse than These Violent Delight.

I struggled through this ARC so much. It's intensely heavy on its politics that everything else becomes a side story.

Both Rosalind and Orion are hardly decent main characters. I don't think there's any real depth to them. It's hard to feel or care for them because of this dense, stoic nature they carry.

Rosalind is now this legendary assassin, or so we're told. It didn't translate too too well into the story I think. All her competence are merely told to us, instead of shown for us to witness.

For me the thing that truly drag this book behind is its plot. The spying bits are DRAINING. This is the premise of the story, yet its the most dull. I really feel like Rosalind's character is swallowed into this spying acts, making her unable to really shine. Its also very slowly paced, and it only start to build a good momentum in the third act.

In some sense its like watching a chinese period drama. The repetitiveness and slow steady pace that a 30 episodes show is capable to invest on.

There's some big twists towards the end that is clearly going to be a new premise for the next book in this series.

I'm able to get my hands on this ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!!

This book made me feel so many things, I still didn’t recover from all the plot twists 😭
Foul Lady Fortune was a pleasure to read from beginning to end, I absolutely loved all the characters (despite not being fond of Rosalind in TVD), and I am once again LOVING the way Chloe Gong weaves intricate historical elements into her worldbuilding. If you like the fake marriage trope, spies, and historical fantasy, this book is for you!
Now I really need the sequel to make up for the emotional damage
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

fake married spies, in 1930s shanghai, investigating a series of murders !! flf is now my second favourite book after our violent ends:)

i'd like to say a huge thank you to netgalley and hodderscape for providing me with an e-arc of foul lady fortune - i truly appreciate it with all my heart as i'm a huge fan of chloe + her past works (these violent delights, our violent ends)

foul lady fortune is undeniably another masterpiece written by chloe - although i went in with impossibly high expectations, i found myself feeling rather impressed and satisfied. in fact, there were many aspects of the book i enjoyed more than her past duology, which are my all time favourite books. it's clear that her writing is improving progressively, and she never disappoints. i really love how chloe incorporates east asian history into her books as i feel like i'm being educated in the most immersive way out there !

onto the review :

1. characterisation
one of my favourite things about chloe's books is the way she crafts her characters - every single person introduced left a mark on me, and even though my memory is terrible, i could still remember them after finishing. after reading our violent ends, i wasn't a huge fan of rosalind, the main protagonist, and yet by the end of foul lady fortune i was OBSESSED with her. orion, who is introduced for the first time in foul lady fortune, is such an endearing male protagonist who will most definitely have you screaming on the floor. i absolutely loved seeing their relationship develop throughout the book - nothing felt unnatural or too sudden, which i often see in books with the fake dating / marriage trope.

2. plot
the way i threw my phone 5 times while reading this... there were so many plot twists that weaved together perfectly, and yet none of them felt predictable in the slightest. the pacing was also much better than her past duology, and made me feel as if i were watching a drama the entire time. it wasn't just reading for me, it was a whole EXPERIENCE !!

this might sound cliche, but the only bad thing about this book was that it ended (and that i have to wait over a year for the sequel). i can GUARANTEE you guys will enjoy it ☹️

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for honest review!

Foul Lady Fortune is the first Chloe Gong’s book I had chance of reading, even though These Violent Delights are sitting on my TBR for quite a long time now. And if I’m being honest, I’m glad I started with this one. Romeo and Julia is story well known, and I was missing the interest to begin reading, as the ending was- expectable, however, I had no idea what to expect with FLF. And I was amazed by it. Brief throwback to the events of TVD eased coming into the world and meeting the characters, as well as the relationships. It was well written, enough to explain the consequences, yet still leaving me interested for first duology. I absolutely loved writing and the sense of historical setting without heavy wording which was great for YA and made the book great to read. As English isn’t my first language, that I very important point for me. I will not describe what the book is about, because you can find the synopsis very easily, and I’m very afraid of accidentally spoiling anything, but the most important question is: would I recommend it? Yes, no hesitation. This book single-handy broke my reader’s block, and I’m so excited for more. Also, I will be buying physical copy just to have this gold on my shelf.

What I loved:
• Orion and Rosalind’s relationship? I would give ANYTHING for them. I would read a book on two of them just living day by day. All my favourite tropes stacked in one pairing.
• The ending of the book, incredible. The first part didn’t even come out yet, and I’m already looking out for second!! I did have my suspicions and they worked out 50/50 but it still punched me right in the gut as everything revealed itself.
• Number of characters was perfect to keep up the pace, reveal enough to the reader yet keep the good amount of information in the shadows. Plus, third narrative following different POV’s worked great.

What I didn’t loved:
• Orion’s and Oliver’s names. I suppose there was a reason for this but having two characters with similar-looking names was very confusing at times. I’d say similar with the amount of names all characters had, but I know there is a good reason for it, and I absolutely loved the use of them!! This whole point is purely due to the fact that I have no name-memory and am dyslexic! Please, do not make your mind on this book based on this point:)
• Celia’s backstory. I know that not starting with TVD I missed out a lot of story, but FLF was supposed to be explanatory enough. For me, Celia needed a bit more light because the short description of what happened to her before got me only more confused. I’m sure there was better way to word it.
• It kind of seemed- rushed? With the amount of tricky plot and worldbuilding it feels like characters got a bit lost, I would like to know more about them!!
• Random flashbacks even though the change of tense was quite clear, it did take me by surprise, throwing out of the rhythm.

It's hard to review this book because even though I finished it a few days ago I still don't feel ready to talk about it but here goes nothing! I'm fairly certain this is the first spy thriller I have ever read and Chloe has unlocked a new favourite genre for me! The back drop being 1930's Shanghai and including so much historical context worried me a little bit at first; I thought the plot might become clunky including so much in a relatively short book (as well as squeezing a little romance in) but I really should have had more faith after reading (and LOVING) the These Violent Delights duet! Chloe has such a magical way with weaving stories that are so detailed and heavy on information yet they don't feel like a trek and I come away feeling like I've learned so much! She's just such a beautiful writer.
After These Violent Delights I knew she could write a strong and complex female character well but Rosalind really blew me away; such a strong, smart woman, capable of so many things that others actively shy away from in this story, and yet the doubts and fears that she keeps to herself? The hatred she feels for what she is? Yeah, she's my new favourite!
Everything about this book was a 5 ⭐️ from me and I can't wait to but the physical copy when it's released!
Really not looking forward to the wait for the sequel but so grateful we get more Chloe in the next couple of years!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, so I was really excited for this book, and it didn’t disappoint. I loved everything about it from the characters to the plot and how they developed, and I didn’t wanna put it down. An easy 5/5 stars, I can’t wait to see what she produces next!

Thank you Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read an ARC of this book from Netgalley

Review:
5/5⭐

I was afraid that I wouldn't like this book as I wasn't particularly fond of Rosalind in These Violent Delights. However, I adored her so much in this book. Obviously she has her flaws like most characters do but she is just a girl trying her best.

I loved all of the POVs as each character had their own personality as well as goals and obstacles to overcome. Even though there was a lot of plot, I would say the characters drove a lot of it so I was glad that all of the characters were interesting and kept my attention.

The storyline was intense as you had all of the Communists, nationalists, Japanese imperialists, on top of killings from an unknown drug, so there was always something happening in the backdrop. The characters also took an active role within this mixture of struggle and fight, whether it was through their own volition or not.

The writing was beautiful and detailed, and the story all came together perfectly and I just overall enjoyed reading Foul Lady Fortune and would highly recommend to anyone if you love high intensity storylines, spys, romance, well developed characters, and plot twists.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book as the cliffhanger has me hanging!

The one thing I would say that could be improved would be to have a little more foreshadowing because I felt some things just came out of nowhere (unless that was just me not picking up on the hints, if so I apologise!) such as *SPOILER* the involvement of Orion's mother, I felt like she just appeared so suddenly when all we knew of her came from the Hong's backstory.