A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

It might be my fault that I didn’t love this as much as I was hoping to, since I had extremely high expectations.

FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN was definitely a character driven book over a plot driven one. The cast was ginormous. We followed Rosalind, Orion, Celia, Oliver, Phoebe, Silas, Alisa, and, erm . . . other characters (no spoilers, right?). And despite this book being over 500 pages, it did not feel long enough to truly spend time with each character and show us their stories and characterization well. It was jarring to constantly be switching to different characters, in completely different settings. I normally would never say this about a 560 page novel, but I think it should’ve been longer.

Despite that, I did love Rosalind’s development. I didn’t love her in the orignial THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS series, but I truly do now. She has been hurt, manipulated, damaged, lied to, betrayed, and still chooses to do the right things and fights for her family. She got closure and finally healed in this book. I’m happy with her character’s ending.

But the side characters were true gems. I grew to absolutely love Alisa and Phoebe. Phoebe shows her true character in various parts of the story, and so many people underestimate her and gosh, it was so fun to see her unveil who she truly was. And Alisa. She’s so hilarious and sassy and resourceful, and I just love her. I also really liked Oliver. He was a lot more layered than I realized at first. I didn’t care too much about Celia and Silas (although a certain part with him and Phoebe near the end was so satisfying). Someone else I really loved was Jiemin, I really wish he had more parts in the story.

Moving onto relationships, I can explain them in just two words: excessively self-indulgent. Listen, I’m a huge romance fan. But this book is marketed as a fantasy/historical fiction, action-filled novel. And honestly, I just felt like there was way too much romance. The first novel had the perfect mix of a sweet romance and plot, which is why I rated it so high, but this one didn’t achieve that. The romance scenes were cute (albeit unrealistic), but it soon became too much. All of the romantic relationships felt way too similar. They all had a somehow perfect guy, banter, some sweet nickname (think “Dorogaya” from THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, but worse), plus angst that the characters created themselves. But I will say, I did like Oliver and Celia’s romance more than I expected to (mostly because I love Oliver now). They were actually cute (but do people actually say “Sweetheart” out loud when talking to their partners?).

I think Orion and Rosalind’s scenes had too much fluff, which is something I never thought I would say. They needed actual angst. The first book had such great stakes for their forbidden relationship since they were a spy and assassin, it was a fake marriage, they had secret identities, and despite this, they learned to love each other, much to their dismay. It was such a beautiful blossoming romance, from enemies to allies to friends and lovers. In this book, though, it just felt unrealistic sometimes. And this is coming from a person who adores them. But regardless of all of that, I do love them. Their relationship feels like the song “Daylight” by Taylor Swift.

By far, the best part of this book were the non-romantic relationships. The family that these characters became was so sweet. I loved it so much. Every single platonic interaction was realistic, entertaining and authentic. Each duo got their own time to shine. I particularly loved Alisa’s relationships with everyone else. Despite the fact that she’s not related to any of them, she cared about them like siblings (Alisa is the greatest). Alisa and Rosalind’s interactions were just hilarious, they’ll hold a special place in my heart for a long time.

Something else I found wonderful was the relationships between Orion, Oliver, Phoebe, and their mother. The family dynamic was so well done. Oliver and Orion constantly fight, but a certain trope complicated things, and I was just eating their interactions up. They care about each other immensely while simultaneously wanting to kill the other. Their relationship is so complex, and the one thing they agree on is Phoebe’s safety. Speaking of Phoebe, I loved how she rose up against what they would expect of her and took control of her life. She showed how much she grew and I was cheering for her the whole way. And their relationships with their mother was just so good. She is technically “evil”, but she still loves and cares about them and it just added so much more complexity to the typical “Evil villain kill them NOW!!!!!!—” cliche.

Coming back to what I said at first about this being a character driven book, the plot felt a bit weak compared to the first one. It felt like I was more stressed than the characters. Were they not paying attention? The stakes technically were high, but they just didn’t seem to care, which made me not care. It felt light. Even though all the characters had different subplots going on, it didn’t feel as intense as. I wanted. However, the pacing was quite good. I was never bored, and the engaging dialogue kept me entertained, even if the characters weren’t doing anything that interesting.

I am a huge sucker for political intrigue, especially when it’s set in the past, which is one of the reasons I actually enjoyed this book. The is set in the 1930s, around the same time of the Japanese invasion of China. While it wasn’t the main focus of the book, it did have decent importance and was what actually gave this book a storyline. Something else that added to this was how all of the characters were apart of different organizations; ex-White Flowers (gang), ex-Scarlets (gang), Nationalists, Communists, etc. The minor characters followed the same pattern, they were Japanese, Chinese, British, French, American, etc. This heightened the conflict between the characters, which was very entertaining to read about. The teamwork of these characters of different groups added layers of complexity to the story, since everyone had different motives and ideologies.

All in all, FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN was a nice conclusion to the duology. It was a sweet farewell to these characters we’ve known for years, and I’m really happy with where they ended up.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up)

Content Warning: violence, medical experiments

Here we are back in Shanghai on the edge of turmoil! And can I say I love the book covers of ALL her books. I have to admit it took me about 10% into the book to get situated again in this world, and I was confusing Oliver for Orion and vice versa. THEN I got my bearings, and it was smooth sailing from then on out. I think it’s easy to get confused because there are a few romantic couples in this series. We have Rosalind/Orion, Celia/Oliver, and the one that’s not fully established yet, Phoebe/Silas. So, I was trying to keep them organized in my head. Is Alisa ever going to meet someone?


If you like spies and assassins , with some historical fiction happening in the background (Japan is threatening to invade Shanghai) then you will love this series. It’s got action, mysterious players, covert operations, sinister medical experiments, exciting get-aways and romance. There are also some surprises which I loved.

As for the romance, I love Rosalind and Orion who are too funny and cute with one another. There is actually a lot of love in this book between them and then the love struggles going on with the other couples. I feel like Celia and Oliver are okay but the other one I thought was a good development was between Phoebe and Silas. But I wanted more for them. I honestly didn’t realize this was a duology while reading it and felt like a third book could have happened just for Phoebe and Silas, but I think the story was tied up nicely. I still think this series could continue with another duology maybe for Alisa? And I love the found family between all of them.

Tropes: found family

Why you should read it:
*you love this series (These Violent Delights) and enjoyed Foul Lady Fortune
*lots of action
*lots of romance during all the tension and chaos in the city

Why you might not want to read it:
*not into the series

My Thoughts:

Even though it took me a little while to get my bearings in the story, I locked in and enjoy the ride that is a Chloe Gong book! I think I’m starting to get used to the wild finishes of her books – it’s exciting and makes me want to read the next book from her. I love Rosalind and Orion’s romance, they can be so silly together which was fun. And I love the themes of family and friendship in the book. Great conclusion to this duology and I hope Alisa gets her own duology too.

I have no cohesive thoughts right now, but I absolutely adored this book. It might be one of my favorite sequels of all time.

Chloe Gong really outdid herself with Foul Lady Fortune—and the same can be said about Foul Heart Huntsman. Rosalind and Orion are such an OTP. Everything from their little quirks to their dialogue is supremely written; I could not help but root for them on every single page. Not only did I love Rosalind and Orion, but Oliver, Phoebe, Silas, and Celia are also worth mentioning as they were equally as enchanting. Usually when a book has multiple POVs, I find myself disliking at least one POV (or feeling like none of the POVs are developed enough) but I truly loved every single character in this book.

The plot was fun. I feel like this series was written less to fit into the gritty, dark YA cannon and more to write something different and enjoyable (even if it caused me severe emotional distress at times). I have always loved a good spy story and this duology absolutely delivers on that.

All in all, I highly recommend this duology.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.

This was one my most highly anticipated books (and sequels) of 2023 and it did not dissapoint! Chloe Gong did what every reader hopes for: brings back beloved characters and kept the humor and romance high even with rising stakes. My only complaint is that everything was tied up a little too neatly. I would have loved to have a little more betrayal/death/big consequences, but I'm very much fine without it. It still hit everything I was hoping it would. Foul Heart Huntsman was a great conclusion if this truly is the end of story for all these beloved characters.

This was pretty good, but unfortunately not quite good enough to make up for how annoyed I am about Roma and Juliette being alive. It's actually pretty frustrating that Chloe Gong has this reputation as someone who rips out reader's hearts, but she doesn't really kill main/major characters off?

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an ARC
4.5 Stars.


Overall I really liked this series. I enjoyed the first one just a little bit more than the second. The second book seemed to be a little... too convenient. I am trying to explain without spoiling, but many things seemed just conveniently to fall into place for Rosalind and Orion.

I adored the first one because of the spy/ arranged marriage trope, and I just wish this one still gave me the gushy feelings that the first one did.

A must read for readers that love a little bit of fantasy, history, romance, and science all rolled into one book. Picking up right where Foul Lady Fortune left off, the Nationalists, Communists, and Japanese continue in their fight for control. Rosalind finds herself torn between duty and saving her previous mission partner, Orion from his mother's clutches. With the help of those she trusts, Rosalind embarks on a tour aimed at getting Orion back. But will she be able to cure him of the chemical concoction that controls him? How much is she willing to give up if it means protecting someone she loves?
When I was able to really get into the story, it was amazing. Chloe Gong does a very good job of explaining all of the complex tensions going on between the various groups that appear throughout the plot. It is a sign of skill to be able to introduce numerous characters, settings, organizations, and storylines while still being able to thoroughly establish all of them in a way that is understandable and enjoyable to readers. It also made the story feel so unlike anything else I have read because there is a level of complexity that makes it unique. While there are certainly other young adult books out there that focus on assassins, rebellions, invasions, and friendships, none have been done with so many ties back to real life history or with the inspiration of a Shakespearean work. 
My only complaint regarding this book was that the pacing seemed a little slow. Short chapters helped to combat the daunting nature of such a long book, but there were parts that still bored me a little with their lack of action. It just seemed like things could have been slightly less dense. That said, the first book was written very much the same way, so it is understandable that things are consistent throughout the series. 
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking to invest their time in a longer, but worthwhile, story. There are definitely elements of the story that I think makes it a good fit for those people who really enjoyed the 2000s dystopia/fantasy era classics but also more recent fantasy and romance works. With so much going on over the course of the two books, there is something for everyone.

I can't believe this was the last book in this world! (crying)
I just love all my babies so much.
And I loved this book. I was captivated from beginning to end, I loved everything about the plot, all I wanted to do was read read read. I just love this whole cast, this whole setting, this whole world so much. I will miss them like you wouldn't believe and I will be rereading all of this. Without a shadow of a doubt.
I honestly don't know what else to say that isn't a screech or would spoil the books that came before.
I loved it. I didn't expect any of the twists and I was completely enthralled.
I can't wait to read every single book Chloe Gong writes.

** spoiler alert ** special thanks to netgalley for providing me with this arc!

I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars but goodreads doesn't allow for half stars. I felt as though a majority of the characters had their story lines wrapped up but mars and ben's story line felt a little flat, they showed up for a brief moment and I expected more of them after the plot in Last Violent Call. That being said, this book was really well done and a great way to finish up the stories of these characters. Rosalind and Orion are by far one of my favorite duos that Chloe has written, their banter works so well and found myself laughing out loud at times. One of the problems I have when reading sequels is that I tend to forget what happened in the previous book but Chloe does a great job at helping the reader remember what went on and how things actually went down!

I have so many feelings about this book that I have been left completely overwhelmed and adrift now that I’ve finished it. I didn’t race through reading this, which is usually what I do with stories I love, but instead took my time getting lost in it, savoring Chloe Gong’s searingly good world-building and the intriguing plot direction. I really can’t get enough of her writing style. It is effortless, profound and she makes each and every word come alive.

If I had any complaints, it would be centered around how there weren’t nearly enough POV chapters from Celia and Oliver, who I actually found myself rooting for more often than Rosalind and Orion. (This may be another unpopular opinion but the Phoebe and Silas arc in this was, for the most part, dreadfully boring; only picking up in terms of intrigue toward the very end.)

It may be a long shot, but I do hope Gong ends up writing more from 1930s Shanghai, featuring some of the cast of characters we’ve been following from the beginning. (Spin-off series about Alisa, anyone?)

*Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC.*

Unfortunately this will not be a series I will be continuing at this moment! I’m very sad as I really wanted to like it, but it just is not a series for me.

Favorite Quote: “They came for Manchuria first. They will come for Shanghai next, swallow up the coastal city where they have already been allowed land and law. The empire across the sea is small. And when this is an age of expansion, they will claim that invasion must be performed in self-defense, that it is a necessity while their people grow hungrier, a population with mouths to feed and feet to plant.”

Spoilers Ahead For Foul Lady Fortune & Last Violent Call

In the winter of 1932, Rosalind Lang’s cover has been blown. Shanghai, and her enemies, now know who Lady Fortune is. No longer a shadow-hugging assassin, Rosalind is finally called into headquarters to be decommissioned. Over and over, her superiors have told her to forget her partner, Orion Hong, as he is now fully brainwashed and in the clutches of his experimental-scientist mother. Though her friends and family are split between Communists and Nationalists, they find they have a common enemy: the Japanese. Rosalind and Celia gather their misfit group of spies and assassins to rescue Orion and protect those they love knowing they are all on borrowed time.

Foul Heart Huntsman is the follow-up to Chloe Gong’s successful franchise, including These Violent Delights and Foul Lady Fortune. It’s a great continuation of the series and Chloe Gong does a great job developing side characters into main characters. What started as more of a YA Fantasy series is now firmly a gangster-spy-historical fiction. And it’s delightfully fun!

P.S. - It’s important to read Last Violent Call before you begin Foul Heart Huntsman!

FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN is a show stopping sensation of a novel, transfixing you from start to finish with its captivating narrative, heart-wrenching scenes, and characters that feel like home. It’s everything you could ever ask for in a finale, which is as grand as it is breathtaking. I am so lucky to be given an early opportunity to read the book, and I send so many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cinematic end to a cinematic series. This being the finale to a duology AND a four-book-plus-two-novellas series, it did feel like the returning characters presented a bit of a juggling act, especially since the focus still needed to remain on Rosalind and Orion as the primary protagonists. But it was still satisfying to see everyone back in the game.

I am a longtime fan of Chloe Gong's Secret Shanghai novels, since before I'd barely dipped my toes into the publishing world, so to finally read the conclusion of this series feels so very bittersweet. What a stunning end to an incredible series of books. (If you told teenage me that there'd one day be a historical SFF series, set in the city I grew up visiting over school breaks, based on Shakespeare plays, with a largely queer cast, I think I would have actually frothed at the mouth.) I don't know what to praise first: the prose, the characters' journeys, the bombshells (literal and figurative) that just kept on dropping. But ultimately, I think I am most touched by this novel's emphasis of how important love is, in all of its forms. The world is a scary place, even without the looming threat of mysterious concoctions that turn people into invincible, mindless soldiers, but it's worth living for all the loves we have.

(Thank you to Simon & Schuster for continually granting me ARCs of Chloe's books all these years. I cannot wait to see what's in store.)

I definitely preferred this one over the first book but I still found the pacing, characters, and the story itself to be a bit slower and dull for my taste. I did prefer the action in this one and I did enjoy the ending.

**Review will be published September 21st on my site an socials**

DID NOT LET ME DOWN.

You know when you’re waiting for your most anticipated 2023 release and that Netgalley approval finally comes through? THIS IS THAT BOOK FOR ME.

And I loved it. I loved it so much. I am constantly pulled in by Chloe Gong’s writing style and the way she tells a story. Captivated by this spy/agent thriller and all of the relationships in between.

LET ME TELL Y’ALL. The romances are subtle, they are not the main plot, but gosh dang it, I was absolutely smitten with ALL OF THEM (and there’s three so YAY). Every nuanced look or little touch, the glances and swoony confessions and kisses. I ate it all up. Surrounding the romances are such loyal and strong sibling and friendship bonds. I love that this has a found family vibe where everyone was looked after, old friends showed up, and past grievances were resolved.

The plot is entertaining and gasp inducing. I loooove that it’s a multi-POV set up and the flow from character to character. The betrayals and losses, the way my husband asked me if I was going to bed soon and I responded with, I’m at 85% and I don’t know who’s going to survive so NO I AM NOT. My emotions have been invoked, my love for this series is intense and I beg of y’all to give it a chance.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Historical Fiction + Fantasy
- Language: little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, murder, gun violence, weapons and physical violence, bombings, war themes, torture, medical experimentation, amnesia

Thank you so much to SimonTeen and Netgalley for the ARC! I loved Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights duology, as well as Foul Lady Fortune, and was so excited to read Foul Hunt Huntsman. I loved seeing the cameos, as well as how the characters' storylines wrapped up. Absolutely delightful!

Oh, I just loved this book! The characters of the These Violent Delights/Foul Lady Fortune series mean so much to me, and I loved the way that their storylines wrapped up in this book.