Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

79 reviews

luverbyrd's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Chloe Gong's writing draws me in everytime. I loved this continuation with Rosalind. This reminded me so much of a spy action movie but throw in a murder mystery, plus you can't trust anyone with a war also going on.
Definitely read the These Violent Delights duology before this so that you can know the callbacks to characters as well as understand certain cameos. It's not "necessary" because there are good summaries to what happened, but you'll enjoy it more and also it spoils the first duology if you don't.
Really enjoyed this one and can't wait for the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

acequeen's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent and Death

karcitis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Colonisation, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Death

Minor: Homophobia, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Transphobia, and Car accident

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Stalking and Gun violence

Minor: War

_azure76's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder

jessiereads98's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is decent to fine. I enjoyed the story and characters well enough that I’ll probably pick up the sequel if I remember. I do wish it had been rooted more firmly in the time period in terms of the vibes of the 1930s and with more references to the dance halls of that era or the decor or fashions. I think I probably would’ve enjoyed this more had I read the Violent Delights duet prior to going into this for more context and world building but I didn’t realize that would be necessary. I also found this very tropey to the extent I was rolling my eyes at moments that were so obviously inserted in order to fulfill a trope. The characters all also seemed to act very young compared to their age. The timeline seemed to me like while yes Rosalind was frozen at 19, all the older characters at this point would be in their early to mid 20s but were all acting like they were still 17-19. While I didn’t entirely expect the solution to the main mystery, the final reveal of the book was very predictable. 

UPDATE: I read the These Violent Delights duology then read this again. It is better after reading that. However, I still feel that the setting and atmosphere in this book are lacking, even in comparison to the These Violent Delights duology. It seemed like Chloe Gong decided that rather than expanding on that, and the changing political climate, she would handwave world-building for this one. The tropeyness irked me less on reread. The characters do still read a little young for what their ages seem to be, but not as harshly as I originally thought. It especially makes sense when these are young people caught up in large, shifting politics and underworlds, and that’s a theme Chloe Gong is clearly exploring in both duologies. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Colonisation, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Death, Grief, Torture, Transphobia, and War

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Medical content, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Self harm

Moderate: Murder, Car accident, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Drug use and Kidnapping

moonlitreading_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“You cannot save the world. You can try to save one thing if you must, but it is enough if that one thing is yourself.”

Miss Gong has done it again!!! I loved this book so much. An assassin and a spy working together while pretending to be a married couple??? I knew I was going to eat it up!!!

I wasn't really fond of Rosalind at first but as I continued to read Foul Lady Fortune I’d grown attached to her. The rest of the characters, I liked. I missed Celia and Alisa so much, the former being one of my favorite characters from TVD duology. The new characters were an interesting addition to the mix especially the Hong siblings. I wonder how the three siblings’ relationship with each other plays out in the next book.

I had so much fun reading this book!!! It was thrilling and sad. I wanted to wrap Rosalind and Orion into a big hug they’re my babies.

Also, the Hong brothers were so smooth???? The Lang sisters are in trouble fr

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, and Gun violence

serena_hien's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence

rachelelsya's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I need to gather my thoughts to describe what I feel and my review lol. Gonna change this soon🫠

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Violence, and Death

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Torture