Foul Lady Fortune
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the “equal parts intoxicating and dazzling” (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves) 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A disgraced, immortal assassin reluctantly partners with a high-profile playboy while investigating a slew of brutal murders in Gong's (Our Violent Ends) enticing duology opener, a take on William Shakespeare's As You Like It set in 1931 Shanghai. After betraying her family and nearly succumbing to fever, 19-year-old Rosalind Lang was administered a mysterious serum that granted her healing abilities and stopped her from aging. Now, four years later, she is employed by nationalists under the code name Fortune to hunt reprobate Communist White Flowers. When a series of murders causes unrest in Shanghai, and members of the invading Japanese empire come under suspicion, Rosalind's new orders involve posing as a married couple with nationalist spy Orion Hong and, together, infiltrating a local Japanese paper to uncover the perpetrator. Cavalier and flippant as he may seem, Orion hides dark secrets of his own that could endanger their mission and even Rosalind's immortal life. While the duo's repartee is sizzling on its own, their relationships with secondary characters—including Rosalind's transgender sister Celia and Orion's brother Oliver, both Communist Party members—add tension that further complicates Gong's pulse-pounding caper. An author's note provides historical context. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
5 stars
Okay, so I definitely struggled the first couple nights that I began to read this book. I just couldn’t really get into it, and I even thought to myself, “do I finish this book?” I didn’t know if it’s because I didn’t read the other two books that have some of the same characters in it, that sort of gave the background knowledge as to what was going on, but I had read online that you didn’t have to read those two books first. I regret not reading them first though, simply based off of how great this book ended up being. Once I read about 100 pages, suddenly I had a hard time putting the book down. There were a few twists and turns I just did not see coming.
I love most of the characters and I truly can’t wait for the next book in this series. If you’re looking for an action pact YA novel to read - you should check this one out. I was a bit worried that the second book in the series (if you don’t count the first two books that are based off of another main character from a few years previously… but the actual ‘foul lady fortune’ series) will be released at the end of this month! Or at least, a novella - they are calling it the ‘foul lady fortune 1.5’ lol.