CHLOE GONG
(Book 1 in the Foul Lady Fortune Duology)
Synopsis:
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
Content:
Language: Several uses of minor swear words and a few uses of stronger language, including "s" in both English and French.
Violence: The novel depicts killings with poison, descriptions of blood and some gore, victims of a serial killer's "chemical killings" (though there is not a whole lot of blood when it comes to these deaths), and some fighting with knives, guns, and fists. There is also some discussion of human experimentation. Some chapters are written from the killer's point of view, as well.
Sex: Allusions to sex and a few mentions of brothels. Our male main character is known to be a "philanderer" and is mentioned to have taken lovers to bed. There are several kisses, though none of them are very descriptive. There is one instance were the MCs fall asleep in the same bed, but nothing happens. There is also a lot of physical closeness between Orion and Rosalind.
LGBTQ: A few characters are mentioned to be bisexual, one is only sexually attracted to people after she has formed a close emotional bond with them, and there is a trans main character.
My Review (the short version): I was given a free digital ARC in exchange for my review, so the large block of text below is for that. If you want to short version of my review, I really enjoyed this book. These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends (review to come!) were better in my opinion, but Foul Lady Fortune is definitely worth the nearly six-hundred page read.
My Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow.
After Our Violent Ends, I wasn't sure how to feel about Rosalind. But considering the fact that I have been quietly squealing to myself for the last ten minutes since finishing this masterpiece, I would say that I am now completed devoted to both Rosalind and Orion. The These Violent Delights duology is still better in my opinion, but if I hadn't been willing to buy everything Chloe Gong writes before, I am now.
Foul Lady Fortune follows Rosalind Lang, now a Nationalist assassin, and Orion Hong, a Nationalist spy, as they go undercover as a married couple (!!!) to investigate a series of "chemical killings" happening around Shanghai. At first I was worried it would be like a restructured version of These Violent Delights, but it was something wholly its own.
Gong's writing is so magical, and the plot is so intricate and carefully laid out. Every single detail mentioned has a purpose in this book. Every. Single. Thing. There are all of these little snippets that we learn, and then it all comes together gloriously. I was guessing the plot twists the whole time and I did manage to guess one thing, but the main twist was so unexpected.
Along with the plot, Gong once again managed to get me to like and care for each character. Usually in books (especially ones with multiple points of view), there's always that one plot line you aren't interested in or that one character who's chapters you skim through. But every character and their journey was compelling.
The ending left me in shambles. I loathe with when books end on the same type of cliff-hangers that Foul Lady Fortune (and These Violent Delights—my internal whining went on for a week at least), but I can only hope everything with turn out okay in the next book. (And I have a few ideas about what might happen . . .)
I would like to note that there were multiple formatting errors throughout the book that made it confusing to read, but hopefully those will be fixed by the time it is in print form. (I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!) There was one part where I was a little confused
**(VAGUE SPOILER)
how Orion just accepted that Rosalind had been stabbed in the stomach but she was fine. I hadn't thought it was common knowledge that Rosalind Lang was Fortune. Another thing I had trouble with was how she went from being angry with him near the end to totally forgetting about that. That was the only pacing issue I had
(END VAGUE SPOILER)**