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.

I cannot stop thinking about this book. This was the first book I have read by Chloe Gong, but have now recently bought her others.

I had to pick my jaw off the floor after reading parts of this - I did see one twist coming but did not expect the other one!

I have to admit, that this hasn't been my favourite book by this author. I found it really hard to get into and took a while to finish.
The storyline is interesting but maybe it was that I wasn't in the mood for this genre.

with every new book chloe comes out with , she makes her place as one of my favorite authors even stronger , foul lady fortune is a spin off to her highly acclaimed debut duology.
foul lady fortune follows rosalind lang , juliette cai's cousin after the events of OVE but however she has some new powers and is a weapon herself, the story unfolds in such a beautiful pace and way that you'll never feel like you are reading , rather like you are in the book itself.
with stunning plot twits and an unbearable ending ( GIVE ME BOOK TWO ) this is definitely one of my favorites and the best chloe has come out with.

Chloe gong is an absolute gem of a writer. I adore her characters and genuinely cannot get enough of her world building. Although i rarely read YA books nowadays, I can never miss one of Miss Gong’s releases even though they leave me in tears. Absolutely can’t wait for the upcoming immortal longings. Thank you to netgalley and hodder and stoughton for an arc of this book !!

I was so happy when I saw we were revisiting a few characters from Chloe’s previous duology. I really am a fan of Chloe’s writing. It’s fast paced but not too fast that you don’t make any connections with the characters, and as with her previous work, it was overall beautifully written.
I’m so glad we have fantasy written in places other than the US/UK. 5/5 - anything Chloe writes is an instant pick up for me now.

Chloe Gong does it again. I don't know if she laces her books with crack but I cannot get enough. Her writing just feels like it's leagues above others in the genre and the way she develops her plot and world is so intricately done that I sit in awe every time I read one of her novels.

I must say, when it was announced that this book would be following Rosalind, I was hesitant. She is such an unlikable character in the original duology, that it takes a lot to redeem her but I think that is a feat that Gong accomplishes in this book. Seeing the story from her perspective and seeing her grow as a character is truly satisfying.

I also think I've found my new favourite chaotic bisexual - Orion Hong (which makes the ending of this book almost unbearable to read btw). He has a flashy exterior but such a soft and vulnerable heart. The way his relationship develops with Rosalind made me melt on the spot. I also think that the way she incorporates queer characters into her stories is so well done and I love seeing the representation.

Marriage of convenience / pretending to be marries is one of my all time favourite tropes, especially in an espionage setting. I know that Chloe and I share the same fanfiction background so she knows how to execute a trope like this where I'm kicking my feet in the air, giggling but also gasping at the tension between the two characters.

The historical setting has changed, time has moved on and the political climate in Shanghai is a whole new ball game. Tension is high as our characters have to maneuver through big powerhouses grappling for control of the city and the country as a whole. Gong manages to balance the historical setting with her supernatural plotline. The intrigue and espionage is so well crafted and that twist at the end stabbed me right in the heart.

I need 2 Foul 2 Fortune immediately thank you very much. 2023 is truly going to be Chloe Gong's year with 3 books releasing and I cannot wait for all of them. She has become one of my all time favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Chloe Gong has done it again! A spy and an assassin in a fake marriage is everything I didn’t know I needed. With a tightly woven plot that kept me reading into late hours, Foul Lady Fortune delivered every promise.

FOUL LADY FORTUNE is a fun historical sci-fi spy caper.

There are spies and double crosses and people with aliases the reader may or may not know galore in this book. Everyone is scrambling for power in a city being ripped apart in the shadows by the communists and nationalists fighting for control. The Japanese are a threat simmering on a very low heat in the background, and I'm going to assume we see more of them in the next book.

All these spies and aliases are a great set up for various betrayals and having to suspect everuone, not to mention try to untangle the plots Rosalind and Orion find themselves caught in. it's so hard to know who the "primary enemy" is, the one they need to focus on and defeat right now (everyone else is pretty much still an enemy as virtually no one can be trusted not to be out for themselves.) It makes for simmering tension and a compelling hook to pull you through.

Rosalind and Orion are the main characters and narrate most of the book but Celia, Alisa, and Phoebe (Orion's sister) have scenes too. The number of narrators not only gives the book a feeling of scope but also lots of different sides into the spying, while masterfully hiding certain facts. It gives you a sense of just how much is at play, and how many parties are involved with uncertain loyalties.

I've been thinking a lot about the fantasy/sci-fi boundaries, and it means I've revised my opinions of where all of Chloe Gong's books (so far sit.) The impossible in these books are all explained by magic, serums and bugs, which (to me) makes them sci-fi. They just happen to be set in the past, rather than space - and the technology isn't are "advanced" as usually found in sci-fi, but there's nothing magical in the impossible. So these are now sci-fi in my books, and I hope we get more "unusual" sci-fi like this.

The book is apparently a very loose As You Like It reimagining, but I have to say, even knowing that and the play, I couldn't really see the play in the book at all. Which is absolutely fine (if not brilliant) by me - As You Like It is one of my least favourite Shakespeare plays. The Shakespeare in this book comes from the occasional quote, including the very famous "all the world's a stage" soliloquy.

I will be grabbing the next instalment in this series when it's out, reading LAST VIOLENT CALL in the mean time.

I love Chloe Gong's book so I didn't even hesitate to pick this book up to read as soon as it was released. I'm also very excited for the next book as well in this series, as well as anything else Chloe Gong is going to release. I love the fake marriage between two different characters but also how they complimented each other as well.

I absolutely love how Chloe Gong weaves political history into her novels along with the inspiration of a Shakespeare play - As you like it, in this case. Gong has created an intricate world where you are glad to he reunited with characters from Violent Delights. The mystery, fake marriage & plot what’s not to love!?

Leaps and bounds better than the original duology, but could've done with 200 fewer pages and still been as effective. I enjoyed the characterisation and Rosalind's cool spy thing, but overall a meh book

I read this one without the context of the other series and suffered for it, would definitely recommend reading the others first which is what I'm going to do right now! Overall enjoyed the story.