(Foul Lady Fortune #1)
by Chloe Gong
September 27, 2022
Goodreads Summary:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai.
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 for 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.
Review
I have a somewhat complicated relationship with Chloe Gong's books. Similar to her debut duology, Foul Lady Fortune took some time for me to warm up to. But once the story got going, I was all in.
Foul Lady Fortune is a unique blend of historical, Shakespearean and fantasy. Whether you've read the These Violent Delights duology or not, there was quite a bit of information to slog through in the first quarter of the book. Getting through that, the story was an ominous but intriguing tale of murder, deceit, redemption and romance.
Rosalind and Orion were two of the most (emotionally) complex characters I've ever read. Though they had very different personalities and ways of achieving their goals, the moral struggles, the burden of responsibilities and the righting of past wrongs weighed heavily on both their shoulders. It was no wonder and so natural to see Rosalind and Orion develop real feelings for each other. I cheered for them as individuals and as a couple.
Even though the focus of Foul Lady Fortune was on Rosalind and Orion, Celia, Oliver, Phoebe and Silas played important roles. Their tangled relationships shaped the story. They all went through ups and downs. While each had a different agenda, there was no denying Celia and Oliver, Phoebe and Silas's fates were intertwined with Rosalind and Orion's.
Explosive and riveting, the last quarter of Foul Lady Fortune was where the action and drama were at! One shocking twist after another had me reeling. I thought I knew what was going on but some quiet reflecting made me see the story anew. The unspoken suspicions with the truths lurking in the background- that is some clever writing!
Slow to start, Foul Lady Fortune packed a punch by the end. Politics aplenty, "monsters" amok and slow burn romances galore, this is the start of a series you do not want to miss. I can't wait to see how Ms. Gong will rip us her characters apart (and piece them back together, hopefully).
*I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.
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