This is my 3rd Chloe Gong book, and it's served as scientific evidence that she is probably one of my favourite authors. I loved the way this was written, and I loved how TVD had a link and relevance to this book, but it wasn't based off it, and it wasn't one of those annoying books that fixates on previous books - this book had its own story. I loved learning more about Rosalind, I know that when I go to reread TVD, I will see her in a much different light.

HELLO THE PLOT?!!! Way better than TVD, and I didn't think it could get better than that. Chloe raises the bar, every time. The twists, and turns, and the way every character has some kind of relevance at the end that you just do not see coming. It was all done so intricately and thoughtfully - I am so here for it. I cannot wait for the next book, and genuinely, I will be buying a physical copy of this and the sequel. But also, Chloe Gong if you wanna send me a copy👀 be my guest girlie pop.

And finally, the romance🤌🏻 was absolutely impeccable. Chloe Gong just gets how to do an enemies to lovers plot so so well. Seeing Orion fall for Luwein was good, but seeing her fall for him was insane - especially because she gives the biggest grumpy girl energy. I loved reading about Orion being that annoying husband. This was just so good, Seeing Rosalind soften was sweet and wholesome.

I want to read this all over again, so so excited for book 2!

Saying I loved this book is an understatement.

I have finished it quite a few days ago, but I haven’t found the right words to express how much I loved it. It wasn’t surprising, it’s after all Chloe Gang’s book, and so far, I loved them all. ‘Foul Lady Fortune’ has definitely lived up the duology preceding this story.

If anything, ‘Foul Lady Fortune’ is even more atmospheric and beautifully dangerous. This time the stakes are even higher, and the lines between who’s your friend and enemy even muddier.

I really enjoyed Rosalind’s story and her character development. While not insignificant, she hasn’t been the main character of the first duology, and this spin off has definitely proven that she has a whole lot more to say, live and show us.

Chloe Gang’s seamless plotting in of the fantasy into a historical narrative never disappoints, and it has been wonderful to follow Rosalind and Orion in their journey. Considering how it ended, I really need the next book now…

It's a great read for people interested in fast pace action but also likeable characters which make the journey of reading more enjoyable.
I would say this book had everything that one can ask for in a book: romance,action but also humour. The story itself is easy to follow without it becoming predictable and borning.
This was my first read by this author and I wasn't disappointed I'll definitely pick up more of her books soon.

I feel in love with Rosalind and Orion almost as much as I fell in love with Roma and Juliette. Seeing Rosaling struggle with herself after the events of OVE made me really feel for her. I didn't have any strong feelings toward her before this, regardless of her actions, because she was being used, but this really made me like her. Orion and her were so funny bickering all the time and having to work together.

It did take me around 50-100 pages to get into it properly, because it's both similar and kind of different to TVD and OVE. It has the vibe, but different approach.

I never would've guessed all the twists and turns that this book had throwing my way. It was engaging and I read it pretty fast. I wasn't expecting everything to go down as it did, but I'm happy with it. That last sentence before the epilogue.. As soon as I heard that something big is going to be the theme of the last sentence, I guessed it right away and I'm so happy I was right. The epilogue left me kind of confused, but I'm sure that the next book will clear everything up!

This was a fun, easy read with a pretty unique setting, however overall I found the story a little formulaic and predictable (though I still thoroughly enjoyed it!)

Despite not having read anything beyond the plot synopsis of 'These Violent Delights' (or its sequel 'Our Violent Ends'), I didn't have any issues understanding the characters of 'Foul Lady Fortune' or their backstories - i.e. you can read this book without much prior knowledge of the first series.

Rosalind was an interesting character - I liked how despite being an immortal assassin, she was still very human in many ways, and I liked the process of her coming to terms with her past mistakes/trauma and learning to trust people again. The other supporting characters were also pretty well-fleshed out, and I loved seeing some aro/ace spectrum representation!

The setting was also pretty cool - not sure I've read much set in 1930s Shanghai. The various factions and their spies fighting a cold war against each other in the city made for an interesting but tense setting.

That being said, I found the plot a little boring, and I didn't 100% buy the development of the relationship between Orion and Rosalind. But overall, this was a good read, and I look forward to the sequel!

Chloe Gong delivers again. A great read with plenty of twists and unexpected events to keep you interested.
Her language is beautiful and the worldbuilding is just enough. Even though this is a spin-off of her previous series, this can be read without having picked up the previous books.

I do find that it's a bit on the slow side in the beginning, but it's still a very good read with interesting and believable characters that are easy to root for.

I love the setting and the diverse cast.

Romance, immortality, assassins - what's not to like! Gong has an amazing ability to bring life to a story through her linguistics choices and it is a pleasure to read. Potentially took a bit to get going but the second half was well paced.

Foul Lady Fortune started with a bang and I expected no less from a book about an assasin who was effectively immortal. This was going to be something really special, I thought.

A serial killer stalks the city. Meanwhile, our main character is set up in a fake marriage with an agent from the political opposition to go undercover on a secret mission. Danger at every turn.

Then, for some reason, everything stalled. Any action felt secondary to the couple's sniping back and forth at eachother. I found it a real struggle to read on.

The last third of the book was better, but I was just so jaded that any revelations and plot twists at this point fell flat.

If the book had been a good bit shorter, the pace would have improved dramatically and I would have enjoyed it much more, because the idea itself is a good one.

Thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

chloe gong is one of those writers whose prose improves every book, it genuinely never fails to impress me. a fun ride, if conventional for the young adult space and what gong likes to write. i liked it

I absolutely bloody loved this book. It was very gripping, and had me in the feels. The characters where fantastic, and the storyline was brilliant. A very bingeable read!

Returning to the These Violent Delights universe with the 1st installment of a duology starring the awesome Rosalind.

After the experiment that altered her (no sleep, no aging, absolute healing) was performed to save her life, Rosalind became a spy. She is now Lady Fortune. As Japan prepares to invade, a series of murders are credited to them. She must go undercover as a married couple with Orion hong and infiltrate foreign society to solve the murders. But things are not as they seem...

After an enigmatic prologue, we are put right into the action, in the middle of one of Rosalind's missions. I really enjoy how Gong writes action, giving the situation the gravitas it needs by utilizing vibrant descriptions. Details that are unexpected plus creative wordplay and the author's signature figurative speech, always gorgeous, constitute the engrossing narrative. A narrative that manages to be simultaneously evocative and matter-of-fact. That sweeps you away and hitches your breath. All this to the backdrop of a dangerous 1930s Shanghai.

Rosalind is a badass. Known and feared as a merciless assassin. Orion, who became a nationalist spy to save his family's name is the other main POV that captivates you from the get-go. The forced to act as a couple trope which I love. Their antithesis fuelling sparks that may ignite, with Orion having the right amount of seemingly arrogance and playfulness to antagonize our protagonist. There is also another POV which is a pleasant surprise. Gong juggles the many POVs with ease. The development of the characters is quite dynamic, sourcing from the great depiction of emotions and thoughts alongside their actions. The author has a knack for making you care about them.

I wanted to adore this installment as much as its predecessors in this world but I couldn't. Don't get me wrong, this is a great book, but even though the pacing is generally good, in some parts the story lags. A lot. The truth is I think the book should have been shorter, some scenes more condensed. The 2nd part is so much better to the point of exhilarating.

This story is about redemption and loyalty. It raises the question of how much of our past should we carry, if at all.

Full of bombshells and gasp-worthy twists, the mystery unfolds in a riveting manner. Doused with intrigue, espionage and politics, plus betrayal and honor, all complimented by Gong's gorgeous writing, this is another hit for the author.

Foul Lady Fortune is an epic story filled with politics, friendship, love. I loved every aspect of it. I really loved the explained paranormal power Rosalind had. Also I really liked that it it was in These Violent Delights universe. This book was excellently executed from Chloe Gong. If you liked The Violent Ends duology you will adore the Foul Lady Fortune.

4.5/5, rounded up

A twisty, witty and layered story of intrigue and betrayal. Rosalind is a nationalist spy in 1930s Shanghi, codename Fortune. She was made immortal four years and has spent the intervening time as an assassin. For her new mission, though, espionage is her goal, and she’s paired with cheeky, callous Oliver, who will pretend to be her husband in an attempt to give them both a more legitimate backstory. Together they need to find those behind a series of murders, before more people are killed.

To start, I haven’t read the THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS duology that this spins off, nor do I have much knowledge about 1930s Chinese politics, and this didn’t impact my enjoyment - the context of TVD is sufficiently woven through that I can tell it was a Romeo and Juliet retellling (rival gangs situation that imploded), and the historical details of Chinese nationalism, communism and Japanese imperialism were sufficiently explained when necessary.

As much as I adore espionage and political suspense (of which there is plenty) it was the dynamic between Roslind and Orion that I really fell in love with. Oh that sweet, sweet demisexual slowburn. The banter, the tension, Orion saying “my beloved” at every opportunity. So good.

Not the full five stars because, despite how much I enjoyed it, when I put it down I could easily leave it for days at a time. It didn’t quite call to me like the most captivating books do. Nonetheless I look forward to the sequel.

as someone who was greatly confused by the storytelling in these violent delights and our violent ends, i didn’t hold out much hope for this book. this actually ended up being my favourite chloe gong book so far, and it’s a solid five stars. generally, i think chloe gong’s storytelling improves massively in this book - i get that the point of complicated and evasive narratives in tvd and ove were to keep up suspense, but i just ended up not know what was going on. in foul lady fortune, there’s a lot more explict explanation which makes the story miles easier to follow, but there are also so many twist, turns and secrets that you’re still kept guessing all the way through. obviously this leads up to some pretty big reveals in the last 100 pages or so, and they pay off beautifully. seriously, my jaw was on. the. floor. several times. i definitely can’t say much about the ending without spoiling it completely, but please know it was my favourite part of the whole book. as for the specifics of the characters and plot, i found these characters so enjoyable all round. the idea to have rosalind be an immortal assassin was so intriguing and didn’t feel too forced. i didn’t actually like rosalind so much in tvd/ove, but her development in this book is so solid that seeing that alongside her doubts, worries and insecurities made me totally love her. orion was SUCH a great character, his charming manner was wonderfully written and i loved him from the off. the addition of the fake marriage trope into the plot of rosalind and orion working undercover together was so so SO good, i am a total sucker for that trope and it was done extremely well here. i also lovedddd the side characters, getting to see celia again was so lovely (and i’m so proud of her! she’s such a queen!) but i absolutely fell for orion’s brother, oliver. he was such a soft grump and his and celia’s lowkey relationship had me smiling so hard. the history of this book was pretty easy to follow (after a quick google of what was happening in china in the 1930s), and honestly the plot of the serial killer on the loose is chloe’s best plot yet. this is a well-rounded, incredibly told story of love, betrayal and ambition, and i’m gonna need book two like, right now.

I love the way Chloe Gong writes. She has such a colorful, vibrant writing style: descriptive with much attention to details without ever being too much. I’ve read Chloe Gong’s previous duology (really recommend reading that before this book btw) and Our Violent Ends was one of my top reads last year. So, it’s safe to say that I had some expectations for Foul Lady Fortune.

However, I found this book sort of flat. I guess that I expected Foul Lady Fortune to have the pace and action as These Violent Delight and Our Violent Ends which it didn’t, at least not in my opinion. After reading about 1/3 of the book, I still wasn’t completely sure what they wanted to accomplish in the book… It did pick up a little about half-way through and all in all, it was a decent read. It never crossed my mind to DNF or anything. I just (and it pains me to say this) found Foul Lady Fortune to be a bit boring and plain.

Since the sequel is already in the making, I hope that Foul Lady Fortune was just the build up for whatever is going down in the next book. I want the same amount of action (not necessarily fights but purely action), drama and plot twists that we got in Our Violent Ends.

(I would’ve rated Foul Lady Fortune a solid 3,5 stars but since neither Goodreads nor NetGalley allow that, it got 4 stars anyway.)

After the imperfect ending of „Our Violent Ends“ I was exiting for the new dilogy. You read from different points of view I loved all. The story of Rosalind was the most interesting for me, because she is a character with a hard past and a great development during „Foul Lady Fortune“. She is a brave, passionate and strong woman who found her independence as a spy. I like about her that she didn’t forget her past, especially her family, and look ahead as well. Rosalind learnt from her mistake and fights for her city Shanghai and the persons she loves. But I gladly read about the others main characters, too. Rosalind‘s sister Celia was already one of my favourite characters in the former dilogy and in this story she can be herself at last. In contrast to the Lang sisters or Alisa Montagov I didn’t know the Hong siblings before. Mostly we fellow Orion becoming Rosalind‘s alibi husband and my favourite Hong. He is real family guy who put his family always first. I admire his loyalty the most. But my favourite scenes were the shared between him and Rosalind. At the beginning they are only bickering (which was very funny) and with the time the newly weds build their trust as well as heal their old wounds together. They become a great and supporting team, although Rosalind and Orion learn each others‘ flaws, too. I liked them much more than her sister Celia and his brother Oliver together.

The whole setting Shanghai 1931 was very intriguing and different from Shanghai 1926. There are more factions like Nationalists, Japanese and some more who fight for the rule over Shanghai and different spies everywhere. It was a exciting situation because you (and the characters) never know who you can trust and who is on which side. Concurrently I love historical settings where you learn something about the „real“ past.

The story is a great mix of historical fiction, political schemes, mystery crime and some fantasy elements, because of that you never know what to expect. At first the book develops slowly, but constantly. Throughout the story you learn more and more about the characters, the world and the many secrets. We have a new mysterious person/monster which attacks at night with chemicals and all protagonists need to uncover. Chloe Gong wrote a complexity story where every little detail matters at the end. The isn’t any boring moment. On the contrary you get surprised regularly because of the many plot twists. I hope and fight along the characters during the whole book. Especially the last ten chapters are full of twists and surprises. I couldn’t stop reading and get shocked more than once. My heart gets even broken because the cliffhanger at the end is open and nasty. I cannot expect the second volume and my anticipation increased thanks to the last sentence. I have a guess and hope that I‘m right.

CONCLUSION: 4/5⭐️
If you loved „These Violent Delights“, you will also love „Foul Lady Fortune“

Chloe Gong knows exactly what she did.

Foul Lady Fortune is an absolute fireball of a book. This is an impeccably slick murder mystery entangled in the backstabbing, claustrophobic world of spies and political machinations.

It is important to note that this book can be read separately from the original duology. However, it does give away key plot spoilers for that duology and personally, I really appreciated all the little nods and hints to certain aspects of those books in this story. For me, it added that extra layer of depth, character work and world-building in order to fully comprehend the story being told.

This book totally consumed me and has stayed in my thoughts since. It transported me to 1930s Shanghai and the complex political machinations of various groups there. You are dropped into this shadowy world of spies, secret identities and constant betrayals. Right from the start, you know this book did not come to play. Gong drops one of the most menacing and chilling openings I have read for a while, setting the cold and calculating tone of the unseen forces manipulating much of the action. That mystery is clearly laid out and you can’t help but want to know more. This is an extremely intricate puzzle, with twists and turns that will leave you reeling.

I also loved how this is very much a book defined by its sprawling cast of characters. We meet so many brilliant figures, some familiar to readers of the These Violent Delights duology and some brand-new. Each has so many layers and nuance to them, with unspoken secrets and hints at different aspects of themselves. However, my clear standout was Rosalind Lang herself. Admittedly, she was not my favourite from the original series, but by about ten pages in here, I knew I would pledge my allegiance to her. She is such a wonderfully raw and fractured character, dealing with the ramifications of her choices and learning to come to terms with the exploitation and manipulation she endured. Her expertise in spying and assassination literally demonstrates how a reliance on superficial appearances will betray you and leave you vulnerable. Through her character, Gong emphasises how femininity is traditionally seen as weak and shallow, but this is utilised by Rosalind to her advantage. She is an extremely smart and world-weary character, shown best in the tight dialogue between her and Orion. Their relationship is so, so good. It has that natural build to it and the chemistry as they switch into different dynamics is sizzling. You find yourself rooting for them, but as ever with Chloe, not everything is as it seems.

This is a speculative historical thriller inspired by Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the way Chloe Gong brings in these real life events and meshes them with the fascinating magic system and world she has created is sublime. For example, the events referred to sometimes as the Manchurian Incident or 9.18 Incident form a central catalyst for the plot and this was something I immediately went to further research and educate myself. By integrating these mirrors of real-life events, Gong adds that touch of realism and intensifies this looming atmosphere of impending war and doom.

Right from the first page, you are wholeheartedly thrown straight into the action and it is difficult to draw breath from there on in. The plotting and atmosphere are superb. You genuinely do not know who to trust and can never fully untangle everyone’s true allegiances. In a world of deception and pretence, there was always going to be heartbreak and that is where Chloe truly excels. She has my whole heart and she crushes it with every book she writes. That ending was one of the best cliffhangers I have read for a while and shattered my spirit completely.

Foul Lady Fortune was one of those books that truly takes your breath away and leaves you scheming, theorising and obsessing. It is easily one of my favourite reads of the year.

Thanks Netgalley and Hodder for this book.

Foul Lady Fortune is a perfect aspect of romance, spy, murder, and mystery. It was fast paced and beautifully written. The plot twist? I love it. Can't wait to read the next book

I really enjoyed this one! The writing was very atmospheric and I loved the setting! I cannot wait for the sequel to read more about this world.

i'm a long time fan of the original duology so i was excited to dive back into Shanghai and in the lives of the Lang twins. Rosalind won me over in just three sentences, i came to love her as much i loved juliette. this new story, set a few years after OVE, is in a way different and familiar, rosalind and orion's struggles with a city still divided, with their identities, real and fake, their relationship with their family, is so touching, and well done, as expected from Chloe Gong. what i love most in her books is the level of research for her story, Shanghai is her third (or first?) main character and it's so vivid, you can really feel like you're walking the same streets. and again, the real history gets intertwined with "fantasy" and the result is spectacular.