Chole Gong has once again cemented her place as the queen of Shakespearian retellings. This time, the Bard’s comedy As You Like It takes center stage, now set in 1931 Shanghai as China is invaded by Japanese imperialists. These Violent Delights’ Rosalind Lang enters the spotlight, now an immortal assassin tasked with infiltrating a Japanese newspaper alongside Orion Hong, a wealthy playboy turned Nationalist spy. The two must pretend to be husband and wife, but as the danger intensifies, real feelings start to develop. The characters are joined by figures from the previous duology, as well as new faces who finish a truly spectacular ensemble. Never have I read a book that kept me guessing until the very end, but that made perfect sense after each twist was revealed.

One of the best parts of this novel is the characters. Readers have already been introduced to Rosalind, but believe me when I say that Foul Lady Fortune took her to a whole new level. Watching her deal with the trauma of her past and understanding it from her perspective was crucial to character development, and the author handled it marvelously well. I liked that she wasn’t another version of Juliette: charging ahead and taking life without remorse. Rosalind was complicated, and the author never ignored nuances in her character in favor of the plot. Orion was just as well-developed; though he started rather shallow, each chapter continued to reveal hidden depth, and his humor balanced Rosalind’s gloom wonderfully. His relationship with legacy mirrored hers in a way that allowed both characters to work through their trauma together while still maintaining separate backstories.

The supporting characters were developed just as well. Especially after how the first duology ended, it was so fun to see Celia as she truly was, and Oliver’s protective streak was as touching as Celia found it annoying. Seeing Alisa grow into an adult still processing everything that happened with Roma drove home the point that these characters were affected by the past, and while they now have stories of their own, the events of 1927 have left an impact. Phoebe and Silas were great additions to the secondary characters, especially the more information that the reader got on them. Phoebe especially was well-written, and I’m sure Juliette would approve. The casual queerness of many characters was exceedingly well done, normalizing gender and sexuality experiences in a way that was important to individuals without overshadowing personalities. No character was just a stereotype. 

Foul Lady Fortune executed every element well, and it’s clear how much Chloe Gong has grown as an author between series. While I love These Violent Delights, I must admit that some of the long descriptions got a little repetitive, and more detail than necessary was often included when describing a scene. That didn’t happen in this book. Every word felt intentionally and carefully placed, with each detail foreshadowing a future event rather than repeating information that the reader had already been told. The dialogue was amazing (to the surprise of absolutely no one), and the witty banter created much-needed humor in dark situations without disrupting the tone. 

It’s not at all surprising that I’ve gotten this far into my review without even mentioning the plot because every other aspect of Foul Lady Fortune was just that good. The plot was amazing. There were fewer action scenes, with most of the story focused on subtle espionage with enough danger to keep the audience invested, and it worked. I never found myself growing bored, and I liked that every fight scene served a purpose beyond shock value. Suffice it to say, I loved Foul Lady Fortune and can’t wait for the next book.