Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Foul Heart Huntsman is a conclusion I’ve been direly waiting for! In it, Rosalind must save her country and her love with the help of the whole gang from Foul Lady Fortune. We get multiple povs and are taken through so many twists and reveals that had me screaming in shock and then smiling in joy from one page to the next.

The book pacing was steady with many questions being answered and new ones coming into the open. Although the pacing was consistent, I felt the stakes weren’t incredibly high as I thought they would be. Most of the book is under a sense of urgency, but not necessarily constant danger. Which isn’t a bad thing, just how the book was.

With shining cameos from Chloe Gong’s universe of characters, and conversations I was dying to see play out- a lot of the book stands out to me for the family and relationships aspect. The characters connections with each other was a beautiful web of love, banter, and of course some arguments.

So entertaining. So bittersweet to say goodbye, but it was one hell of a ride with Rosalind and Orion. I loved every second.

“𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Overall a good conclusion to the Foul Lady Fortune duology.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 1930’𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘪, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘈𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩.

I was so excited to read this one after really enjoying FLF, and I needed to know what was going to happen with Rosalind and Orion (and Alisa, I adore her). I did feel like this book could have been a lot shorter than it was, a lot of it felt a bit like filler. And without giving away any spoilers, I will say that I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot backtracking in some places. But I did still really like the characters and the story, and I enjoyed how everything wrapped up in the end. I do recommend giving them a read! Thank you so much to @simonteen for my @netgalley arc, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 is available 9/26/23!

Thus ends such a clever, unique saga beginning with These Violent Delights all the way through Foul Heart Huntsman. I've come to love all of the characters and their unique journeys, and I absolutely love the 1920s spy world. It will be hard to say goodbye!

This book has many more POVs than Foul Lady Fortune, and it's fun seeing all the different storylines and characters intersect. The plot definitely gets more epic in this book, with higher political stakes and more family drama. I loved seeing characters from These Violent Delights too—the perfect way to wrap everything up.

The romance with Rosalind and Orion is delightful. I won't say much for sake of spoilers, but Orion has my whole heart. His cinnamon-roll character with his big golden heart perfectly compliments Rosalind's colder exterior. I love their banter and love.

I did struggle to get through large sections of this book. It felt slow to me, like some of the romantic and plot tension fizzled out. It could have been entirely a reading mood thing, but I wanted to get sucked into it. That just didn't happen. I still enjoyed it though, even if it felt long.

All in all, a fantastic series ender. I will be recommending this series for years to come!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley, for the arc!
Release Date: September 26, 2023

Trigger/Content Warnings: poisoning, fighting violence and death, mild torture, descriptions of wounds

Foul Heart Huntsman is a force of nature. It brings the Secret Shanghai series to a triumphant finish and wraps up one of the best YA series I have read for the past few years.

Gong did something extremely interesting within her emerging brand of Shakespearean inspired stories by choosing to pivot from the tragedies underpinning her previous work to a comedy. The previous duology in the series These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends drew on aspects of Romeo and Juliet and her adult debut, Immortal Longings, published earlier this year and drew some inspiration from Anthony and Cleopatra. The bones of Shakespeare here are excavated from As You Like It, a pastoral comedy of disguises, false identities and miscommunication. Gong brings those latent themes to the forefront in this claustrophobic, tightly plotted tale of espionage, experimentation and the looming threat of war. This is a series that has consistently raised the stakes, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. Foul Heart Huntsman doubles down on that, with looming threats materialising into real world consequences. The devastating final sequence of Foul Lady Fortune has far-reaching consequences. I absolutely adored the way these consequences linked back to the previous duology and there are plenty of nods for long-time fans, some of which are excellent payoffs from Last Violent Call.

That mesh of mixed identities is particularly prevalent for our heroine, Rosalind. Her cover has been blown and she is exposed as the latest fascination, an immortal super spy and former socialite. This duology has focused so much on her personal growth and development from the original series. It has been a real search for her own self-identity and grappling with the trauma she suffered before. Her voice is so cutting and calculated, but there is a deeply vulnerable ache to it that betrays itself from time to time. For me, it is like watching a flower blossom. That depiction of confronting your own guilt and trauma, no longer allowing it to dictate your life and who you are, is so impactful.

Gong’s writing is, as always, exceptional. She brings in unexpected moments of levity and joy, as benefitting the comedical roots. I did catch myself laughing at some of the witty dialogue and just from watching these characters interact. However, this is a dark story at times, delving into heavy topics and keeping those consequences real and bloody. Like the original comedy, there is a bleeding heart at the centre of it all, disguised in romance and levity. It cannot be fully concealed; it must be faced eventually.

There was one particular chapter ending that I knew was coming and the build-up had been deliciously unsettling. When I reached it, I had to put the book down for a second, stop and just take it all in. It was twisted and evil and so Chloe Gong coded. Luckily, I was able to tell her this in person. Everything truly has been building to this. After finishing this, there was an itch to go back and restart the entire series to see the little nods throughout. There is an attention to detail and mesh of genres that Gong pulls off so well. Those dramatic moments are earned through meticulous build up and only impact so well because you are heavily invested in these flawed, three-dimensional characters. The morality is always murky and firmly placed against the wider cultural and historical backdrop. There is that need to survive and that naive hope for something better than this, often characterised through romantic aspirations and interactions.

Foul Heart Huntsman brings together a beautiful series that I will hold close to my heart for a long time. It is a bombastic conclusion in every sense.

Foul Heart Huntsman is the last book of the Secret Shanghai series, and the second book of the Foul Lady Fortune duology. Here, we finally get the conclusion to the story of these characters, and how civil war might end up dividing not only the country but also their families. I DON'T WANT TO SAY MORE BECAUSE I WOULD END UP SPOILING EVERYTHING, but if you're here at this point you might know who the main characters of these books are, so I will name them at the end of the review.

Chloe really knows how to make characters go through hell and back, and honestly? I love the journey! All the things these characters have to go through is important for their development, for them to understand themselves and make the best decisions for themselves. However, that doesn't mean it didn't make me suffer. I SUFFERED! I was in pain! I didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them and seeing them having to face so many things made me really nervous. But it's all part of the experience of reading a Chloe book, so you just get used to it (in a good way).

The writing, as always, is perfectly on point. We have various POVs, and all of them work perfectly. I think, when a writer decides to use the multiple POVs resource, the author needs to make sure each character has its own voice and that it isn't confusing for the reader to know whose POV they are reading, and Chloe Gong works that perfectly. The switch was fast in some parts, but it just flows with the story and you know in whose head we are in every moment. I did feel that some moments were a little rushed, but that didn't affect the overall experience.

AND THE ENDING. IT WAS PERFECT. I LOVED THE ENDING SO MUCH I'M SO HAPPY I CRIED HAPPY TEARS.

Now about the characters (maybe a good time to stop reading if you don't know who the main characters of this duology are):
I've always loved Celia, I loved her since the very first book, so it was no surprise to love her in this book too. But with Rosalind, the experience was very different. The relationship with her is very complicated since TVD and OVE, and the fact that I know love her so much just shows how well Chloe writes her characters' developments. I loved being in her mind and understanding her grief and guilt, and how, slowly, she starts to accept the love that is given to her.
Orion and Oliver were a very nice pair of characters to meet, but my favorite Hong sibling is Phoebe. Her character is so good, so nicely built, and also very complex, because she is the "forgotten" sibling, the one nobody really thinks about, but she holds in her shoulders the fear of her brothers being hurt, of her family being broken since her very first memories. She doesn't have that many memories of her parents as her brothers, and she grieves that while she tries to make her own way to saving those she cares about. I love my girl so much I would read a whole book about her thoughts (I think she is my favorite character of this duology).

I hold these books very close to my heart, and I wish we had a thousand more book in this series, but for now I say goodbye to them, and I thank Chloe Gong for creating them.

This was such a great conclusion to a wonderful duology. I highly recommend reading These Violent Delights & Our Violent Ends before starting this series because there’s a lot of callbacks to characters from this author’s debut series.
I loved the characters in this and I was rooting for them all so much. I’m so glad this book had a happy ending. This author definitely knows how to make a book end off with a bang with lots of twists along the way.
This was a fast-paced and compelling read. I really enjoyed it and I’m excited to read more books by this author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Chloe Gong's "Foul Heart Huntsman" delivers a spellbinding finale that beautifully wraps up the gripping Secret Shanghai duology. Transporting readers to 1932 Shanghai, the novel masterfully combines historical intrigue, fantasy elements, and heart-stirring romance in a way that keeps you entranced from start to finish.

Set against the backdrop of a chilling Japanese invasion threat and the backdrop of a wintry Shanghai, Rosalind Lang, known as the infamous Lady Fortune, faces the fallout of her exposed identity as a national spy. Gong's storytelling prowess shines as Rosalind embarks on a treacherous journey to save her mission partner Orion, who has been manipulated by his own mother. The stakes are higher than ever as alliances shift, old ghosts resurface, and the fate of not only Rosalind and Orion but the entire nation hangs in the balance.

While it may take some patience for the story to fully grip you, the narrative takes an enthralling turn around the one-third mark. Gong expertly weaves a tale of intricate twists and turns, making each revelation more satisfying than the last. The characters, who were already captivating in the first installment, undergo significant development in "Foul Heart Huntsman." Their raw emotions, personal trials, and alliances are deftly explored, making them feel all the more real and relatable.

One of the standout qualities of the duology is the depth of the relationships portrayed. Gong excels at crafting characters who interact in ways that are both heartwarming and humorous. The romances are subtle yet impactful, with gestures and confessions that leave an indelible mark on the reader's heart. Moreover, the theme of found family is beautifully woven throughout the narrative, evoking a sense of warmth and unity.

Gong's exceptional world-building effortlessly blends fantasy and history, adding layers of complexity to the narrative. The intricate tensions between different groups are masterfully introduced and established, lending authenticity to the story's backdrop. The fusion of historical context, Shakespearean inspiration, and imaginative fantasy elements creates a uniquely immersive reading experience.

However, some readers might find the pacing a bit sluggish in certain parts, a characteristic consistent with the series. While the book's length can feel daunting, the shorter chapters work well to break up the narrative, preventing it from becoming overwhelming.

In conclusion, "Foul Heart Huntsman" is a compelling conclusion to the Secret Shanghai duology that offers a satisfying blend of fantasy, history, romance, and intricate storytelling. Chloe Gong's ability to create rich characters, build a complex world, and interweave diverse themes is commendable. If you enjoyed the first book or are a fan of historical spy thrillers with a touch of Shakespearean inspiration, this duology is a must-read. While the pacing may require some patience, the rewarding journey makes it well worth the investment. A solid 4.5-star rating is well-deserved for this captivating and bittersweet conclusion.

(Note: This review is based on an ARC received from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

3.7 stars

After loving Foul Lady Fortune, you could say that I was head over heels for Chloe's writing and immediately wanted a copy of Foul Heart Huntsman. So my anticipation was pretty high while reading. I still prefer Foul Lady Fortune but this novel only comes a close second. There are a lot of things that were better in this than in the former. And also some things that weren't that great.

What worked:
- The pacing was so much better. This is one thing I struggle with in most of Chloe's books—the pace is slow-ish and sometimes, it just takes away from the reading experience. But I'm happy to report that this book had me turning the pages furiously to know what would happen next.
- The characters and their interactions we're both wholesome and sad. As a wrap-up for all of Secret Shanghai, most of the characters that appeared in the first duology also make an appearance here; be it brief or important. And their arcs were also satisfying to read through.
- The plot kept moving. Adding on to the first point, this book does end up in a very different place from where be began—but then that's the whole point. The little plot twists and reveals were so nice and especially because that's where Chloe's strength lies in.

What didn't work:
- The characters felt one-dimensional to be very honest. If you look closer and try to dissect each character one by one, you will find out that there's not much difference in them. They might feel wholly different in life experiences and stuff, but deep down it's kinda prevalent that they're cut for the same cloth. I want more original characters but it's not very present in any of the author's books (her adult debut included).
- The ending was kinda unsatisfactory. And by end, I don't mean "end" end, because that's quite interesting and know y'all will eat that epilogue up. But I mean how the final act was managed. There was a lot of buildup to something very phenomenal in almost every page leading up till the end but the last chapter felt a bit anticlimactic in my opinion.
- The politics that tangled up with the plot was messy. It worked to the story's favour greatly in Foul Lady Fortune but here, it just felt like a part that was unnecessary and didn't know where it belonged so just stayed there. And especially the part about Japanese mercenaries and the looming wars. They only served to play their role beside Lady Hong's "big scheme" but it wasn't as nuanced as to be expected. Felt like a big downgrade to me personally.

Anyways, that's about this review. I'm positive most of you will love this book if you loved her other works and especially Foul Lady Fortune. And I did too, except for the little inconveniences but I hope you liked this review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

4.5 stars

After Rosalind’s identity as the Kuomintang assassin “Fortune” was exposed, she’s been kicked off active duty and consigned to hiding in her apartment from trigger-happy reporters. But she can’t stay cooped up; though her marriage to Orion was fake, her feelings are real, and she can’t let him be used as a weapon by his hanjian mother. She decides to leverage her fame on a national tour to drum up morale among the Chinese people as a cover for pursuing Orion, but when the tour derails, her plans are thrown into chaos. Soon it’s not only Orion’s life in the balance — but the whole country’s.

This book was such a rollercoaster. It took me ****200 pages**** for me to finally feel invested in this book, which is over **one third** of this book. Chloe Gong’s books do admittedly have slow starts, but this was a little excessive, and I was really worried I would have to DNF my most anticipated book of the year.

But. ****But.****

After that first third?? This book became so fucking good, and I mean that so genuinely.

Gong’s strength in my eyes has always been character development (as opposed to plot development) and without spoiling too much, all the characters finally being allowed to interact in the middle act severely helped this book. They all played off each other so well, and there were some interactions that I did not expect at all but still added so much to the book. I feel like each character got their best ending despite some plot twists that had my jaw dropping.

The overall plot was convoluted, as is the norm in previous Secret Shanghai books. As mentioned, there were some truly shocking plot twists, some that were foreshadowed and some that weren’t. The character banter was really what carried me through this book rather than plot investment, to be honest. If you are a stickler for neat plots that you can clearly follow or aren’t particularly attached to these characters, you might not want to pick this up.

Speaking of character banter, the romances improved significantly compared to Foul Lady Fortune. In my FLF review, I wrote that Rosalind and Orion’s romantic development was a little abrupt, and I maintain that Gong struggles with romantic development between two strangers. If the relationship/friendship previously existed, though, she writes them exquisitely. Since Rosalind and Orion are already in love by the start of this book, their moments were much better than in FLF. Phoebe and Silas’s relationship still honestly confuses me (SILAS YOU NEED TO STAND UP!!) but certain events in FHH made them more believable to me.

Celia and Oliver completely stole this book for me, though. I’ve said before that Celia is my favorite character in the Secret Shanghai-verse and this book only reinforces that. Their moments had me actually screaming and putting my book down just to take some deep breaths. It just makes me so happy to see a trans woman find someone who loves her deeply and wholly, which brings me to my biggest positive takeaway from the Secret Shanghai books:

The queer representation.

I will always feel so grateful to her for deliberately including queer people in historical fiction, a genre where we have been frequently overlooked. In this duology, Rosalind and Alisa being acespec, Orion and Phoebe being openly bisexual, and Celia being transgender, all mean so much to me. Their identities never feel tokenized; they’re just another aspect of their characters, and it just. It matters so much to me, as someone who could never find books like these only a few years ago. I love that queer identities are being normalized in these settings, and I can’t believe these are the books teens are reading now.

I got a little sappy at the end but I figured it was now or never, since this is the last Secret Shanghai book. This series has such a special place in my heart, and FHH feels so bittersweet. It was the perfect send-off for these characters I love, but I can’t believe this is really the last I’ll read of these characters :(. If you liked FLF, or if you like historical spy thrillers with high tension and adventure (plus romances that’ll make you scream into a pillow), you will love this!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Foul Heart Huntsman is one of my anticipated releases this year and it really didn't let me down!
I went from hate to love Rosalind throughout her story. I really enjoyed her character development! And the emotional rollercoaster I had because of this book made me went speechless.
This is a perfect book for a series conclusion!
I will miss the characters and the series so so so much! I already pre ordered my copy and I can't wait to receive it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chloe Gong does it again! I loved this book just as much as the first in the series. I love her imaginative world building

Ok to be fair. I didn't love the first book in this duology (I do like this series as a whole), so I didn't have high expectations for this book. I did enjoy this one better and actually noticed the chemistry between Orion and Rosalind more. My main problem with the writing of this book is the pacing. We have multiple couples in this book and the perspective jumps around a lot, but not necessarily at the best times. Most chapters end in a sorta cliffhanger then moves to a different perspective. While I understand this choice as it can build anticipation, I found in this book, it just made it feel like nothing and also everything is happening at the same time and the book never found its rhythm.

It feels quite bittersweet to be writing this since, in many ways, Foul Heart Huntsman marks the end of an era. If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve read the rest of Chloe’s Secret Shanghai books; I don’t think there’s all that much I can add here, so I’ll keep it relatively short. For starters, can I just say that there were so many funny moments in this book that made me absolutely cackle while reading?

One way I would describe this book is *conclusion*. All the threads left unresolved in Foul Lady Fortune, the end of the These Violent Delights duology even, they got jerked together and tied into a flourishing bow. While Foul Lady Fortune felt like families torn between enemy lines, Foul Heart Huntsman was everyone in it together, as a team… With a side dish of betrayal and self-interest in mind, of course.

I’m pretty sure I already gushed about Rosalind in my review of Foul Lady Fortune, so I shall refrain here (but mention it, for you to keep in mind, since I do love Rosalind), however it’s time to scream about Phoebe and Alisa. The youngsters truly shined in this book! Alisa is such a badass in general, as is Phoebe in a more hidden way. One of my favorite subplots was Silas chasing Priest, and the way this was resolved, omg.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @simonteen for an early copy of Foul Heart Hunstman by @thechloegong. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Check out the blurb here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5776362471

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Foul Heart Huntsman is unputdownable! This is so, so much better than the first book! There are a lot more twists, revelations, and action that were very unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat. Unlike in the first book, we now see much more developed characters, and despite working for opposing sides, have now teamed up and each has their own significant roles and I feel like almost equally were given a much deeper storyline. I had a newfound fascination with Phoebe’s character – she seemed fiercer and braver this time around and I can’t believe she had everyone fooled with her alter ego. I honestly wish there could be another series with her as the lead!

I mentioned in my review of FLF that I found Rosalind and Orion’s chemistry quite bland, but with a lot of things at stake and with them being apart for a while, I felt like their chemistry and love for each other only grew stronger, and honestly, amnesiac Orion who’s more carefree than covert Orion is a tad bit better; his flirting with Rosalind, although quite a few times only, made me swoon.

FHH is a perfect ending to the series and I honestly feel like I just watched a blockbuster film. It was a delight to have read this early on, and I’m rating this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases September 26th, 2023.

Foul Heart Huntsman is one of the most perfect conclusions to a series I have ever read.

Chloe Gong, the god of impeccable writing (and making me CRY) that she is, has returned with a book where her masterful storytelling is on a WHOLE new level. Every event and plot twist was tied off in a perfect bow with how seamlessly everything fell into place. The plot was engaging and so full of action, and as usual, her descriptions were beautifully written. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

This book completely stripped the characters down to their rawest selves. There is so much pure emotion poured into the writing as they face their final threats and I truly felt like I was experiencing it along with them. Throughout this book, the characters go through many difficult trials as they’re forced to decide where their priorities lie and what the future could mean for them, and I LOVED the way it developed the story and each person.

There’s so much I could say on what I love about each and every character, but I’ll give you the highlights:

Firstly, Alisa is just being absolutely iconic on her own, and I think her + Phoebe are the best annoying younger sibling duo ever. Rosalind was really able to reflect on her past in this book, which was so heart wrenching but also clearly important for her character. I LOVE CELIA + OLIVER. THEYRE SO SWEET AND IT MAKES MY HEART HURT. Phoebe is truly an underrated character and I loved getting to dive into her relationship with her mother, especially in the context of the situation at hand. Her and Silas’s mutual pining amongst the complicated secrets between them was so angsty and I enjoyed every second. ALSO, GETTING TO SEE RETURNING CHARACTERS FROM THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I LOVE YOU CHLOE GONG.

I also really liked getting to see all of the characters finally come together and work as a team. It fed my found family trope addiction so well, I haven’t felt this attached to a group of characters since reading Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Just seeing them interacting was so sweet and hilarious at times. The characters felt really well-rounded and personable in this book, which is great story-wise, but terrible for me because now I’m devastated to see them go 😭 Chloe, you better write a cheesy novella about them or something because I NEED it.

I’m such a sucker for the soft romantic moments and urgent last minute confessions that Chloe Gong writes, and THIS BOOK WAS NO DIFFERENT. It literally makes my heart ache just thinking about all the heartwarming scenes. Celia + Oliver, Rosalind + Orion, Alisa, and Silas + Phoebe, literally all of them have such a special place in my heart now after this book. I actually cried at the epilogue and I’m going to miss these characters so much.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!


This was everything I could ever want and then some. We pick up after the events of foul lady fortune and there’s not enough good things I can say about this book. It’s fast paced, SPIES. The romance. THE SPIES.

Foul Lady Fortune was my favorite book of 2022 and Foul Heart Huntsman is the perfect conclusion to this world.

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.