Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Foul Lady Fortune

This is the second time this year that I’ve read one of my most anticipated releases and it hasn’t been everything I’d hoped it would be. At this point, I’m a little bit worried that’s going to become a trend.

It’s not that this was a bad book. It wasn’t. But it did lack the intrigue that drew me into and then kept me reading These Violent Delights. I guessed one of the major plot twists back in the first quarter of the book, and was just generally not as invested in the story or characters. The only one of the seven that I really liked was Alisa. Of the others, we barely saw Celia or Oliver, and I thought both Oliver and Phoebe were kind of annoying. I was mostly indifferent toward Rosalind and Orion—although Orion was, at least, occasionally amusing—and Silas just felt bland.

I couldn’t even get behind any of the ships. Silas and Phoebe had no chemistry. If we hadn’t been told that they liked each other, I wouldn’t have known. Oliver and Celia didn’t have nearly enough page time for me to get behind them. Honestly, I feel like both Silas and Celia could do better, sorry not sorry. As for Rosalind and Orion, I’ll admit that they had a few good scenes and some good banter, but for the most part, they just kind of felt… meh. I hate to say all of this, but it’s true. I know what Chloe can do with romance—I’ve seen it in Romette and in Benmars. I adore both of those couples and was hoping to feel similar love for these new ones, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I do think that Rosaorion has the most potential for the sequel, though. Maybe I could still board that ship at some point. We’ll see.

My favorite part of the book was the tiny Benmars update we got in one of Alisa’s early chapters, and the most entertaining part was searching for clues as to whether or not Roma and Juliette are still alive. I already thought they were before starting; now that I’ve finished, I’m certain not only that they’re alive, but also that we’ll see them in the sequel. If I had money, I would bet on it. I legit have a note on my phone full of textual evidence and theories.

This is unrelated to either Roma or Juliette; it’s just something I wanted to comment on. How the hell is annoying little Phoebe actually Priest??? You’re telling me a whiny, too cool for school wannabe socialite is the Communists’ best assassin??? Yeah, I know, that’s probably a cover to make sure no one guesses her identity, but still. I’m having a seriously hard time believing it, even if it would explain why Priest helped Rosalind, Orion and Alisa in the warehouse attack. I’m gonna need some convincing here, Chloe.

So, yeah. It pains me to give one of Chloe’s books less than five stars, but this just… didn’t do it for me. I had both high hopes and high expectations after reading and adoring the TVD books last year, and unfortunately, this fell flat. I’m still going to read the sequel though, partially out of curiosity, but mostly because I want to see Roma and Juliette again. 💁🏼💁🏼

Representation

demisexual Chinese protagonist
two bisexual Chinese protagonists
trans MTF Chinese protagonist
unlabeled queer Chinese protagonist
Chinese protagonist
aromantic asexual protagonist
various Chinese and Japanese side characters

Content Warnings

ashortbooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Content Warnings

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