I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong Series: Foul Lady Fortune #1
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 9/27/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 525
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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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.
Short and Sweet Review
Four years ago Rosalind was brought back from the brink of death and after an experiment Rosalind can’t die. After the things she’s done she’s looking for redemption so she uses her new abilities to act as an assassin for her country. The Japanese is beginning to march into Shanghai and people are being murdered by chemical attacks and that causes Rosalind’s mission to pivot. Now Rosalind has to infiltrate foreign society to find who is behind these murders, but to avoid suspicion Rosalind is teamed up with Orion and they have to pose as a married couple. The more these two unravel the layers to this mystery the more they realize that this mission isn’t as open and shut as it first seemed.
First of all, I love Chloe Gong’s writing. I loved the These Violent Delights Duology and it was interesting to see where some of the characters we know from that series ended up. Rosalind kind of reminds me of Black Widow, trying to get some redemption for mistakes made in the past. It was interesting that Rosalind was working for the Nationalists while Celia was a working for the Communists, they’re on opposite sides but I liked how they still looked out for each other. We also see Alisa, she’s a few years older and ends up running into Rosalind at the office building they’re both infiltrating but for the opposite sides. The partnership between Orion and Rosalind was great, they’re both obviously hiding things from each other. We have multiple POVs which I liked because it just added to how crazy everything going on was, and it was interesting to see how alliances shifted and who might be a double agent. We have some characters we recognize, but there’s also some new comers like Oliver and Phoebe, Orions siblings.
This book brings us back into a world we know and love but with something different. I loved the element of spies and traitors and a whole new era of panic in Shanghai. Orion and Rosalind did a good job at being undercover and investigating the people they worked with and also each other. The chemistry between these two just worked, Rosalind may have been annoyed with Orion at first but throughout the book you could feel the slow burn.
I wasn’t sure about following Rosalind’s story at first but she’s a badass and she makes you fall in love with her one page at a time. The ending was mind boggling and it just made me want the next book in my hand immediately, I can’t wait until Foul Heart Huntsman is released.
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