Book Review: Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong launches a bold and exhilarating spin-off to her These Violent Delights duology, expanding her fictional 1930s Shanghai into a richly layered world of spies, secrets, and simmering political unrest. Both a standalone and a continuation, this novel is a masterful blend of historical intrigue, speculative twists, and slow-burn romance that reaffirms Gong’s place as a powerful new voice in YA literature.
The story follows Rosalind Lang — cousin to Juliette Cai and a former assassin seeking redemption after the traumatic events of the previous series. Now functionally immortal due to an experimental serum, Rosalind works in the shadows as a government spy. When she’s assigned a mission to uncover the source of a string of mysterious murders, she must go undercover — posing as a married couple with Orion Hong, a charming but enigmatic fellow operative with secrets of his own.
Gong’s prose remains sharp and lyrical, steeped in atmospheric tension and laced with clever wit. The dynamic between Rosalind and Orion is magnetic — full of banter, distrust, and vulnerability. As their fake marriage slowly develops into something more real, the emotional stakes rise alongside the political ones.
What sets Foul Lady Fortune apart is its sophisticated handling of historical context. Gong brings 1931 Shanghai to life — a city simmering with revolution, foreign occupation, and ideological conflict. Her exploration of identity, nationalism, and the blurred lines between loyalty and manipulation gives the novel both depth and urgency.
This is a story of reinvention, resilience, and reluctant hope. Gong expertly balances action and introspection, politics and passion, history and imagination. Foul Lady Fortune is smart, stylish, and utterly addictive — a thrilling start to a new series that promises even more secrets to unravel.
About Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
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.
