I’ve read Chloe Gong’s previous duology, but I wasn’t aware she was coming out with a new
book with the same setting and (roughly) same characters. After seeing multiple reviews of this
book on Goodreads and having it recommended to me by a friend, I was eager to read it.
There are spoilers for her original duology (These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends).
Her new book follows Rosalind Lang, former member of the Scarlet Gang, four years after the
events with Roma and Juliette happened. After she nearly died, an experiment caused her to be
able to heal from any wound. Now, Rosalind, ashamed of how she was taken advantage of, has
turned to being an assassin under the Kuomintang (Nationalist party). Her name? Lady Fortune.
However, things change dramatically as she learns the Japanese army is invading Manchuria. A
series of murders begin to occur around Shanghai. She must pose as the wife of a spy, Orion
Hong, to infiltrate foreign places and find the murderers. But, it’s impossible for them to build a
relationship on trust because they both have dangerous secrets. As the mystery goes on, Rosalind
begins to discover that it’s much greater than she could’ve thought.
I thought Chloe Gong’s first duology was okay, but this one was definitely more exciting. Her
writing, as always, is incredible. I love how she included more characters from the former
duology such as Celia (one of my favorite characters!) and Alisa. I’d never really thought much
of Rosalind before, but this book made me root for her as a character. Orion was likable as well,
but he felt one-dimensional. Some things were a little confusing, such as how Rosalind got her
“immortality” in the first place, and I would’ve appreciated more background. There was also a
lot going on at once, so all the subplots were a bit hard to understand. Overall, however, I read
this book in one sitting just because of how exciting it was, and I would recommend it to people
who enjoy mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction. 3.5/5.