Another incredible novel from Chloe Gong.

Foul Lady Fortune is filled with high stakes and tension, brilliant twists and fantastic characters. I loved all of the nods to the previous books.

The historical setting is immersive and well developed.

I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

I didn’t realise until I started reading it that this book draws lightly on some Romeo & Juliet threads – having never read or seen the play except the lovely Cbeebies adaption, I expect there’s more references in here than I noticed, but even coming to it blank it was a really good story. Similarly, I didn’t know it was set in the same world as the author’s previous duology, and while it references events from those stories I never felt like I was missing something for having not read the books.

I enjoyed the slow evolution of Rosalind and Orion’s relationship from grumpy people forced to work together into friends who care about each other. I hate reading instalove and I really appreciated that the changes in how these two felt about each other develop gradually over several weeks. It felt very believable and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing it turn into something more romantic in book two.

I also liked the little peeks into Celia and Oliver’s relationship. I get the feeling that will be explored a lot more in the sequel, and again I’m excited to see that.

Over the course of the story, as they unfold the mystery, you can really see Rosalind shift from being very self-reliant and not trusting other people or letting anyone close, into gradually accepting help. She has good reasons for having closed herself off and although early in the story it’s against her will that she has to work together with Orion, and then put a little faith because of him into his other friends, by the end of the book she’s started to realise the benefits of having more people on her side.

This was a great mystery story and gave me a real insight into a historical setting which I didn’t know much about. I really liked the character development, and I’ll definitely be looking out for the sequel.

Spy thriller set in the Republic of China era with delicious fake marriage for cover between the two spies…
If that didn't pique your interest, I don't know what will!
The same writing style that we know and love garnered with a lot of twist and turns and keeps you at the edge of your seat.
We see few familiar characters from the previous books, and it was intriguing to see how the events from Our Violent Ends had shaped the way of thinking of Rosalind Lang.
The plot was action packed, unraveling multiple mysteries.
That coupled with multiple POV's and the fact that our both main characters are keeping secrets of their makes it all the more complicated and intriguing.
The chemistry and the banter between Rosalind and Orion was perfectly made, but I wish we had more spotlight on Orion, so I can dig deeper and understand better his character.
Loved this book from start to finish.

*Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.*

This book was my first to read from chloe gong. I had heard amazing things about her previous books so had to see what the hype was about. I was not disappointed, this book is great!

Amazing amazing amazing. I love Chloe so so much and this was no different. Gong is a go to author for me and an automatically buy author too so it was no surprise at all that I’d love this. I loved loved Rosalind and absolutely adored the new cast of characters we got: Oliver and Celia were definitely my favourite though and the ending??? I cannot wait until book 2!

I absolutely devoured Foul Lady Fortune and couldn’t put it down! It’s filled with intriguing politics and plot twists that made me want to throw my Kindle across the room (in the best way). I wasn’t too sure how I’d feel about Rosalind being the main character but I loved how she was developed throughout the book and couldn’t help but root for her by the end. Orion was the absolute sweetest and I fell head-over-heels in love with him. Their banter was perfection and they had such good chemistry. I really loved that we got to see quite a lot of the characters that I’d already grown to love in These Violent Delights. The pacing was overall quite good and the unexpected twists made up for Foul Lady Fortune featuring quite a lot of information about the history and politics of the time. Chloe Gong has grown immensely as a writer and I loved her writing even more in this one.

Foul Lady Fortune is an action-packed and addictive new novel in Chloe Gong’s monstrous version of 1920s Shanghai and I can’t wait for the next one!

I have to admit I was at first taken aback by Rosalind's "immortality", while with These Violent Delights the existance of the monster could have been, and actually kind of was, presented almost as more of a scientific experiment, it still sort of gave a sense of "reality" to the whole situation (of course largely accentuated by the historical setting of the story), but here this plot device was too much of a "fantasy" one.
But despite this it was still a great book, I particularly enjoyed the multi POVs and I confirm myself a great fan of Gong's prose (and especially her meme references). Can't wait to read her next works

Chloe Gong really said "LET'S MAKE THE READERS SUFFER AGAIN". *cue crying and screaming*

Okay, but really now, Foul Lady Fortune is the PERFECT TVD spin-off with more political intrigue and even more characters to adore!

In this story we follow Rosalind who is still trying to atone for her past betrayals by doing the best she can - be it by doing spy work and uncovering dangerous plots or by helping and saving the people she loves (even if the circle is vastly smaller than it used to be, at first).

I loved how this book included so many different POVs and characters and I think I can easily say I adored every single one of them!! From Rosalind and her brisk manner (that started melting further into the book, I spy another new favourite OTP of mine), Orion and his shameless flirting (and deep pain on the inside! The perfect combo, no?), Ceclia who is still just as wonderful as she always was, the dedicated and smug Oliver, and of course Phoebe and SIlas - I NEED to know more, I wouldn't mind 5 more books about these characters one bit!

Foul Lady Fortune is quite a bit politically heavier than These VIolent Delights and Our Violent Ends (and even those two deal a lot with politics), but Gong's writing makes it all seamlessly fit together with more dramatic and action-heavy scenes and with the soft proclamations of love. I absolutely ADORED it all! (also I now need to read up on China in the 30s. The powers shifting through the country back then, the political parties, everything!)

Basically, another amazing Chloe Gong book you cannot put down! I am SO READY for this sequela and for Last Violent Call, I need them now!

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

This book is a spin-off of These Violent Delights series so if you still haven't read that series please do so before reading Foul Lady Fortune because this book spoils both the plot and ending of the original series.

These Violent Delights was one of my favourite series of all time so when I heard Chloe Gong was doing a spin-off series with Rosalind as the main character I couldn't wait to read it as Rosalind was one of my favorite characters in this world (although I lowkey hated her at the end of Our Violent Ends if you know what I mean).
In this book we got to meet some new characters and I slowly but surely started to a new another favorite character and that is Phoebe and with that epilogue I just can't wait to read more about her backstory. I loved that all the character development on all the characters like some new ones like the Hong family, Silas and some from the old world like Alisa and Celia.
Although I predicted almost all plot twists and revelations that happened I actually ended up on enjoying them anyway. There way too many clues left throughout the book that let me predict the ending so that was a little bit disappointing, but I still was able to get excited to see how the characters would react with these revelations.

If you liked reading These Violent Delights I would totally recommend to give this new series a go and see for yourself all these new stories with both old and new characters and also the world building of this amazing world that Chloe Gong made us love so dearly.

I didn't realise this book followed on from the These Violent Delights duology - so I won't be reading those now, as this story reveals how that plot ends.

That being said, I very much enjoyed this book, and had enough information to follow the characters and story without reading the previous duology. I really enjoyed watching the plot unfold and the unexpected twists - some parts seemed quite obvious but others are shockingly good. The relationships between all of the characters are beautifully developed. I'll definitely read book 2 when it's released.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

DAMN THIS IS SO GOOD ! I’m so happy I got the chance to started this book before it was out and it’s just an amazing companion to the fan of these violent delight. I think Chloe Gong is becoming my new fav author !

Now welcome to a very casual review of me just telling how this book is just perfect and why everyone should read it.
As a person who has already read These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends and practically cried till the pages were wet, yeeted my tab, laughed till i fell and was just too shocked to do anything else you can see when i got the ARC i felt all of this again and it got doubled when i read it cause its just a pure bliss to read
(tip: when u read a book you promised to read in 3 days in 12 hours you know its worth everything)

To be honest when it was announced that rosalind will be the protagonist of the book i was a little bit confused cause by the end of OVE the image of her is not exactly the best.
But the whole point of view changed once I read this and just can I say that I will be dirt on her heels and then pray to her. She is my can’t take shit for a second and will literally say i told you so because she is superior wife.
On the other hand Orion Hong my lovely bisexual crazy adult child who makes jokes when uncomfertable and the way he charms everyone i-

In other words thank you Chloe for using the tropes which make us scream.
Their chemistry, the banter and the hate from the start to change of heart and is this love? Or am i making a mistake all this with such a slow burn is just making me crazy even it has been more than a month since i read this book

And most importantly as much as the romantic relationships were amazing in this book, it’s the sibling that really touched me. Even though on opposite sides they always protected each other first no matter what and the encounters i-

With that i wanna just that the side characters are just so-

We have already met our darling Celia and Alisa and i swear when they came i literally screamed-

(i screamed a lot during this book)
We see them in a new light after them carrying the event of the previous books and i truly hope they find the happiness they deserve
As for Phoebe and Oliver
Oliver still has to grow on me but no i don’t hate him and for Phoebe i literally will carry a ring for her cause when i see her i m getting on one knee for sure

The plot was definitely good, i ‘ m not exactly a history person but I loved the storytelling (i mean its chloe-) and the nostalgia of TVD while still loving new people. Even the pace was perfect to read with multiple povs to read

THE WAY I LOVE THIS BOOK SO SO MUCH
Its so so amazing. I absolutely loved Rosalind and Orion's dynamic and oh my god, that cliffhanger WOWZA

I enjoyed this novel but I do feel I was missing out not knowing the full background of the characters. It was exciting and fast paced enough that I got caught up in it all and I'm definitely going to search out the previous books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I do like the premise of this story. But I think you need the to read Gong's debut novels because it revolves around in that setting.

The characters are astounding and the plot is great.

Chloe Gong has done it again!

Honestly. Not sure how she has managed to change my opinion on one of my least favourite characters from These Violent Delights so drastically, but she has!

With a whole cast of new characters this follows on from where Our Violent Ends ended, but the political landscape of Shanghai has changed. Although there are no more monsters on the lose, there are increased tensions between the nationalists and communists vying for power in the city, and Rosalind Lang is the perfect person to go undercover and take part in a little espionage..!

(Also, Orion is such a badass name, I knew I was going to like him from the start, whether he had turned out villain or hero or neither).

Another masterpiece from Chloe Gong! I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorites this year, and shockingly I liked this even more than These Violent Delights. I absolutely adored all of the characters, but Rosalind and Orion are my absolute favorite. They’re flawed and real and you can’t help but root for their story. The main plot and the political aspects make this a truly unforgettable and very interesting read. The writing is phenomenal, it sets the atmosphere so very well and I always love the way Chloe Gong starts a book. Pacing was great and I was at the edge of my seat by the end of this book. Highly highly recommend. Looking forward to the next novella and the sequel !!

A huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the copy!

3.5 stars

i received the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

to be honest, a lot of this just felt like a whole lot of work. it started off really good, rosalind’s powers were very interesting — but we don’t get to see a lot of them later on. there was the occasional scene i really enjoyed and it kept me going, but there was a lot i just really wasn’t interested in. i didn’t care about the majority of the characters, especially celia. her chapters were so boring i started skipping them. i did like alisa and rosalind was alright, i guess. this book was just lacking the emotional depth for me that chloe gong did achieve with her first duology. i hope the next book focuses more on rosalind’s and orion’s relationship and alisa’s character even more. ps. it also didn’t help that i couldn’t make sense of most of the political plot of this book because i quite frankly have no historical knowledge regarding any of this shit

Many Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the digital review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

What did I just read!!!...... Chloe Gong, you complete genius. This book just blew my head off, having never read anything by this author, I didn’t have any expectations, and while the synopsis sounded good, I didn’t expect anything like the meticulously researched, bursting with intrigue, and delight that is this novel.
Let me just start with Rosalind, that woman is a badass, fearless and beautiful, and has a wicked sense of humour, she is crippled with regret about her past, grieving, and desperate for redemption, learning to love doesn’t come easy, thankfully for her, she now has my new book boyfriend Orion. Orion is charming and relaxed, but don’t be fooled, because he has some deep secrets of his own. Together they make a serious dynamic power couple both with a flawless character arc that adds so much to this story. The romance itself was a slow build but didn’t make it any less passionate.

I do have to add one more character here that I fell in love with and that is Shanghai itself, Chloe did a fantastic job of weaving the city into my heart, it was so magical and vibrant but also has a darker side that I fell hard for. Chloe Gong, you rocked my world!

When I first picked up These Violent Delights last year, I wasn’t too sure if it was going to be my thing. I think it had something to do with the way YA books go viral on social media, and whenever I pick up one of these books I’m always let down; it’s not that I wanted to dislike it, I just didn’t really have high hopes for it. Happily (or maybe, painfully would be a better word? iykyk), I couldn’t have been more wrong and Ms Gong /very/ quickly became one of my favourite authors.

When I was approved for a FLF ARC on NetGalley, I damn near had a heart attack. I don’t think I have ever been so excited for anything in my entire life.

Now, I will admit, a lot of life got in the way of my reading it and so this review is, unfortunately, coming to you a lot later than I had wanted. But, nevertheless, here it is for your reading pleasure.

Foul Lady Fortune was just incredible.

Every time I read a book by Ms Gong I think I just get round to piecing something together and then she slaps me around the face with a wet fish and tells me not to be so stupid.

The twists.
The turns.
The tension.

At the end of OVE, I felt /extremely/ sorry for Rosalind, and really sympathised with her character, but I couldn’t help myself from disliking her a little bit; but during this book, she really came into her own. From the get go you know where, as the reader, you stand.

She was everything.

Having more from her perspective really helped me to see her as a human being, who makes mistakes and who has flaws just like the rest of us. The sheer depth of Ms Gong’s characters will never cease to amaze me. Somehow, within a few hundred pages, she had made me go from begrudgingly sympathising with a character, to crying with her.

Moving on to Orion, my beloved.

I loved Orion from the first time we see him lounging in his living room. He was everything I love in a YA love interest. And, as always with Ms. Gong, he deserved SO MUCH MORE (I’m still sobbing).

When writing these reviews, I always like to have a balanced commentary on the book. However, as always, I find myself unable to find something I disliked about this book. That is not to say that there /aren’t/ flaws with this book; I’m not naive enough to believe any piece of literature is perfect. What I mean is, I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that at no point was I dragged out of the story because there was something glaringly obvious that I hated. I was so utterly engrossed within the story, the characters, their relationships with one another, the mystery of it all, that I didn’t have the time to stop and think about how maybe this passage could have been worded differently, or this character shouldn’t have said/done this. There was none of that. Because Ms gong has me in choke hold with her writing and /refuses/ to let. me. go.

(and I honestly don’t want her to)

Actually. No. I lie. The flaw with this book is that I don’t have the second one in my hands right now and I now have to wait at least another year for it. There. That’s something I didn’t like.