Chloe Gong can do no wrong, I loved the These Violent Delights duology and couldnt wait to start Rosalinds story. Its just as well paced and of course the characters were as lovable as usual! I would recommend this to any fantasy lover irrespective of whether they have read the first novels. It is magical, mystical and full of intrigue; inspired by Shakespeare's As You Like It, this first instalment is momentous. Brilliant!

I love Chloe Gong's writing so when I knew she had a new duology I wanted to read and the preface of the novel, murders in 1930's shanghai was all I needed to pick this up. A gripping and enjoyable read; 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.=-

Spies, fake dating and 1930s Shanghai! This book sounded absolutely amazing and the cover is just stunning. But...

I made the huge mistake of requesting this one without reading the previous duology, thinking it would be okay because this is classed as a side story with only a few recurring characters.

It really isn't.

I felt like I was missing a huge chunk of Rosalind's backstory, which is entirely my own fault. This is definitely a book you need to read after the other two to get the whole picture. I did manage to complete the book, the writing is gorgeous and very addictive and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. There is a bit of a cliff-hanger ending which I feel would have hit harder if I'd read the other books.

This is definitely one I'm going to reread in the future after first devouring the others. That being said I would highly recommend this to fans of Chloe Gong and I can't wait to read her future books (including the sequel to this one!).

Somehow, I loved this book more than These Violent Delights! Pacey, gripping and with some very welcome Captain America and Winter Soldier vibes, I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Rating: 4.3 stars
★★★★★

If you aren't already convinced to read the book after that quote, I don't know what to make of you. Now look, I'm extremely guilty of abandoning this book—I was so excited for it; from unintelligibly scouring all of internet for a proof of this to actually being able to secure an advanced copy. So yeah, I'm pretty miffed at myself for not picking this up sooner cuz who waits that long, right?

Anyway, apart from that very horrible end (I swear I'll be doing the same as above for the sequel and actually following up through it), the book admittedly had it's misgivings. The first half was honestly not that great, it felt like Chloe was piecing together torn pieces of a paper to create the semblance of what would be Foul Lady Fortune. Some flashbacks were abrupt; you can tell that they're there for the sake of telling the reader and sometimes the writing felt off. And the plot was messy, with too many people and too many conspiracies to fit into it. But I'm glad I waited because Chloe delivered—by that, I mean outstandingly, and we couldn't have seen that coming.

It was of course, lengthy. The plot started picking up only after the 50% mark, which honestly, is a lot. Even for most fantasies it's usually 40% before I'm hooked. This book definitely took it's time. Rosalind, much to my dislike, reminded me a little too much of Juliette Cai from the earlier duology. And by dislike, I don't mean I didn't like Juliette, I just meant that they were too similar to be wholly different characters. As for Orion, I loved him. I don't think I'd be able to find an excuse not to like him. But if course, like all books, I was more invested in someone else other than the main characters and that was Alisa.

I don't know how to quite describe this feeling but other than the fact that we're all rooting for our couple in the spotlight (duh), I was also highly immersed in what was going with her. She was an interesting character to read. It could be only me, of course, but yeah. Celia and Oliver's storyline were not as intriguing as the others. They had their moments, sure, but I was more interested in what was happening in the other stories. And on an ending note, Chloe really saved the best parts for the end. With all the twists coming right at you like bullets, I don't think the reader has a chance to even breathe as they are frantically flipping pages, desperate to get to the end.

A fantastical addition to the universe of These Violent Delights, Foul Lady Fortune is an exhilarating new adventure following a familiar character - Rosalind Lang - in the aftermath of the events of Our Violent Ends. Acting as a separate duology within the same world as Chloe Gong's previous series, I would recommend this to any fantasy lover irrespective of whether they have read the first novels. It is magical, mystical and full of intrigue; inspired by Shakespeare's As You Like It, this first instalment is momentous. I loved every page!

I need to be honest here, I powered through the first two Gong books to set the scene, I also pre-ordered this. I was disappointed. I loved the start, I wasn't completely sold in the Violent Delights books and I really thought an immortal assassin in those first few chapters was where it was at. Unfortunately, it wasn't to my taste. I buddy read this with a booksta bestie and we just couldn't understand how they were successful spies... I felt like the ending and the start were well written and the rest of the book was very much a filler to get to and from. I made a mistake pre-ordering the next, but I'll read it in hopes for a better understanding and perhaps I've mis-read the whole plot.

I will add, I really did love the start, I had every hope and I was very enticed by the beautiful cover too!

Anything. AND I MEAN ANYTHING, by Chloe Gong is literally a masterpiece. The writing in this book was amazing!! The plot! OMG it just had me flicking page after page and I was so intrigued and drawn back to the past.

I really enjoyed Chloe Gongs 'These Violent Delights' duology so was VERY excited to dive into this one, but sadly I was very disappointed.

The premise of the book sounded so amazing but the actuality was the complete opposite. I feel the author had this idea that she would have an immortal assassin...then didn't know what else to do with it. To be honest, I felt they may have watched MCU movie 'The Winter Soldier' and thought hey that's neat I can do something with this.

The characters were very undeveloped, the romance (???) was flat and very unbelievable - 0 chemistry, the 'twist' was ridiculous and my main take away was HOW are any of these people spies? also did she need to be immortal? No wonder no one picked up on it she wouldn't look any different anyways in her 20s with 4 years having past.

I have chosen not to post this review to my socials, however, thank you very much for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I loved this book so so much! I went in with high expectations as I adored These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, and Chloe Gong did not disappoint. I read this in almost one sitting because I couldn’t leave these characters alone for too long.

This takes place four years after the end of Our Violent Ends, yet Rosalind is still 19. She almost died from scarlet fever, and her sister, Celia, took her to someone who saved her, but in doing so, he made her immortal. Her body will heal from any cut or wound, meaning she is unable to die, but it also means she cannot age. Because of this, Rosalind works for the Nationalists as Fortune, an assassin. She also no longer goes by Rosalind, and is Janie Mead. As the Japanese Imperial Army is getting closer to Shanghai, there are also a series of chemical murders causing unrest. Rosalind’s handler believes they have pinpointed the location to a newspaper publisher, and he places Rosalind undercover there. However, he also places Orion, a Nationalist spy, and Orion and Rosalind must pose as husband and wife. I love the fake dating trope, especially when it’s a fake marriage, because with fake dating comes real feelings (at least in books anyways)!!

Orion only knows Rosalind as Janie Mead, so Rosalind has to keep this under wraps, which proves more difficult when she finds Alisa Montagova undercover at the same place they are, but as a Communist spy. I loved seeing familiar faces and watching them weave themselves into the story. Celia and Oliver (Orion’s brother) are working for the Communists, so there are family divides and politics to go into also. I loved the action in this, and I was gripped to the pages trying to figure out who was behind the chemical killings at the same time as our protagonists.

The development between Rosalind and Orion had me squealing. Watching them go from reluctant partners to lovers, ahh I adore them so so much. There were many moments of tension between them and I was just thinking go on confess your feelings, but then they wouldn’t. I need that sequel right now, because I need to know how they are. Fortunately for me, this was not the only romantic relationship in the book, Celia and Oliver had so much tension between them and I was obsessed. Both are so stubborn and put their cause first but they had loads of chemistry and I am obsessed with them.

If you can’t tell I loved this book so much and definitely recommend reading, especially if you’ve read Chloe Gong’s other duology.

Foul Lady Fortune is a spin off series set 4 years after the events and the ending of the These Violent Delights Duology. We follow Rosalind Lang, code name Fortune, and yes, she is now an assassin, or shall we say a spy, and her new mission is to enter a fake marriage with a fellow Nationalist operative, Orion Hong, in order to gather intel for their new mission.

I absolutely love the new setting, from rival gangs, we enter a world of spies, secrets, undercover operatives, missions, lots of action and I absolutely love it all. I adore Chloe Gongs descriptions of Shanghai at that time, the surroundings, the fashion, absolutely everything. I love her main characters as much as the side characters in both of her series.

Rosalind really grew on me and my heart aches for Orion, I just want to wrap him in a warm blanket and never let go ❤️
Literally goosebumps every time he called her “beloved”.

The last third of the book had me in full anxiety mode, I was screaming and crying until the very last page and the plot twists I definitely did not see coming at all. I need, absolutely NEED book 2. I can’t live without knowing what happens to my babies from here, I refuse to let things stay like this until September 2023…

Do I even know where to start? No. My mind is reeling. Broken. Chloe Gong broke my brain and I’m happy about it.

Where do I? What do I? MY BRAIN HURTS

Okay, let’s try again. At the beginning. Maybe we’ll get somewhere, who knows,,,

I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again… CHLOE GONG’S MIND!!!! Because I mean what a concept this book pulled off yet again?!?!?! An immortal assassin figuring out murders in Shanghai amidst a civil war forced to work with her softy fake husband WE LOVE TO SEE THIS. This book is as fun as the synopsis sounds and I was kept on my toes the entire time. It was pulled off just SO WELL UGH WHAT A MIND

The plot was just!!! Full of political intrigue that my brain was lowkey slow to understand but that’s a me problem. I just absolutely love how the entire system is steeped in more or less real Chinese history. The political system on national, communism and imperialism is so fascinating to see from this fantasy perspective and I LOVE IT. This world also has just enough fantasy to make it slightly edgier yet not to overwhelm the reader with like a new magic system. If that makes sense? It’s just enough of a political and supernatural balance which I just LOVE.

As expected but also surprisingly, Chloe’s writing blew me away. I just forgot how good it was but she is A MASTER OF PROSE OMG!!!! Honestly, it’s rude that she’s this talented. I literally just sat back in awe of how good it was. The descriptions are just CHEFS KISS BOW DOWN BEFORE HER

jhshsfhsefiu I AM FEELING A LOT OF EMOTIONS

Characters!!!! I need a moment. I,,, love them all. Like a whole lot. They’re all amazing.
Silas, what a cutie, I am so intrigued by this baby child and his triple agent status??? Need to know more.
Phoebe, I mean a gem you are. Loved her, but also wanted to strangle and I’m so excited to see what happens with her character.
Love Alisa and Celia to absolute shreds. Always have, always will. We’re soulmates.
I cannot make up my mind about Oliver but if we’re supposed to trust him, then I do. Do not fail me sir.
Took me a second to understand Orion but once I did UGH LOVE YOU. THE ENDING AHHHHHHHHHH.
Finally, my assassin girlie, Rosalind who honestly I just want to hug. I love Ms Gong giving her the redemption arc and I just want to best for her ilysm

Ofc the romance needs a second to shine. I mean, how did you not think I’d need to yell about this? As we all know, I would literally give my life for Juliette and Roma and whilst I am not quite there yet for Rosalind and Orion, I am here for them nonetheless. It’s hard to drop childhood friends to lovers friends but I think we’re getting there. Their ending had me by the neck and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!!

DID I MENTION THE CLIFFHANGERS!!! Yeah, you read that right. PLURAL. There are multiple and Imma need 7 business days to recover. Which is great since that’s right on time for Last Violent Call WHICH I NEEDED TEN BILLION YEARS AGO

*grabby hands for eternity*

Ms Fortune came for me so hard ugh it was so good!!!!! I want to transport to 1930s Shanghai which is extremely dangerous but it’s so good I’m brave enough to go there.

I’m so late to this train so do I need to convince you to read it at this point? Not really but you definitely should if you also had not read it. Though you probably have. You will now. DO IT!!!!! It’s genius and you need this masterpiece of YA (though kinda new adult) historical fiction fantasy with spies, poison, assassins, political intrigue, amazing characters, stunning prose and all the romance in your life <3<3<3

I want to thank Netgalley and Chloe Gong for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This book, in the same universe as "These violent Delights", focuses on Rosalind Lang four years later.
This book is a good spy thriller. Secrets, action, always in this republic of China with its problems and its advantages.
you will have your brain turned upside down to succeed in following all the secrets that the author has written and hidden in this book

The story is enthralling, it keeps you wanting more after every chapter and you cannot stop reading. While reading the Violent Delights series, it was easy to tell that it was the author's first book, even though the story and setting were on top, the writing needed a bit more polishing. In Foul Lady Fortune you can feel that Ms. Gong has definitely improved herself, showing us how her technique and style are something else.

The book will take you from here to there both in narrative, characters, and locations. It may sound crazy and messy but everything is so well-managed and controlled that you don't feel lost at any moment, on the contrary, every turn is necessary to needle all the pieces together, and it shows. Character development was also at its peak, both the female and male leads were very enjoyable to read, although my favorite pair were Phoebe and Silas.

All in all, the book was more than anything I was expecting, it is worth the hype it continues to have.

Asdfgdhfjhkjlk, I can't believe I got an early copy of this, it was amazing! Chloe Gong literally knocked it out of the park once again, the characters, plot lines, plot twists, were all amazing. We didn't get to see the other side of Rosalind's story of TVD, so it was so cool to have her as the MC, and she's immortal! Ughh her sass is just on another level. Orion was the literal definition of a cinnamon roll, I love him so much. And Alina got her starring role too! All in all, the writing was superb, the book was amazing, and every body alive should be reading this book

Chloe knows what she’s doing and she never makes mistakes
Love the setting
Love the story
The characters

You cannot go wrong with Gong's writing. The characters, the setting and the plots suck you in right from the get go.

TW: micro-aggressions, racism, transphobia (mentions), graphic violence, blood, death

Original review: Oh my god.

Updated review:

How do I express the profound love that I have for all stories by Chloe Gong? From beginning 2021 with These Violent Delights, to starting 2022 a sobbing mess in the aftermath of Our Violent Ends and having the HONOR to usher in 2023 with Foul Lady Fortune? This writer has me IN A CHOKEHOLD. I know many have read, loved and reviewed FLF, so my voice may just be one more drowned out in the the throng, NEVERTHELESS, in addition to chronicling my harrowing journey through this tome on bookstagram through gifs and unintelligible noises, Foul Lady Fortune IS a phenomenally written story and you SHOULD read it.

Whether it is Gong's meticulous historical research, cleverly-placed Shakespearean allusions (when I tell you how much I squealed when I first stumbled upon one) and ENEMIES TO LOVERS and MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE tropes *screams*. This third instalment to the TVD/OVE universe is incredible, amazing, never-before-seen. That's it. That's all I want to say.

Thank you Chloe Gong, Harper Collins UK and Net Galley for this #gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got a free copy from Netgalley all opinions are my own.

4 stars.

I didn't like TVD and I haven't read OVE, but I still decided to request an ARC for Foul Lady Fortune, completely expected to be rejected. Low and behold my request was accepted, so I decided just to read this hoping I understood what was going on.

I really really liked this book. OMG it was that good. I liked the tension between our main leads, and I liked the story.

I really liked the characters in FLF, I enjoyed the mystery and overall I don't have anything to complain about.
I'm honestly suprised ny how much I liked this book considering that I didn't like TVD at all!

I'm really looking forward to the sequel now!

Foul Lady Fortune is a lazy attempt at passiny off shallow prose and 4 tropes as some deep commentary of geopolitics while not really addressing any of it.
What worked for me?
Not a lot but I like the setting and Gong really can bring it alive.

What didn't work?
Everything else including the shoddy plot, the constant throwback to her other duology, and the exhausting prose.