Foul Lady Fortune | 
so-soI wanted to love this way more than I did. The idea was fantastic, I just struggled with figuring out each characters role. It was a complicated story of double crosses, and I spent so much time trying to grasp it so I didn't get immersed in the setting, which I thought I would enjoy as much as These Violent Delights. I do have a beautiful edition, which may be the prettiest book I own!
pick#AuldLangSpine
This inventive spy thriller has a few unique features that really elevate the action: 1) The spy MC is also a famous assassin who uses poison, something her new partner doesn't even know. 2) 1920s Shanghai is an ideal setting for spy noir. 3) The Shakespearean inspiration of As You Like It gives it a nice comic touch. There's also a lot of fantasy elements and references to the prior series, which I haven't read 👇
#AuldLangSpine
Thanks @TheBookHippie for sharing this list! I've only read the Hardwick. After I finished it, I thought it was just ok, but I kept thinking about it after - it really stuck with me. So I'm going to revisit a couple of its essays. I'll be pairing the Rich and McDowell with poetry from Rich/Dickinson. I'm kicking off the year with Foul Lady, which is soo far outside my wheelhouse, but that's part of the fun of this exchange.
pickI really loved the characters, some were familiar from another series but some were new. I really adored chemistry between Rosalind & Orion. This had so much action and some parts were super thrilling to read.
#SeriesLove23
Read in May-1st book in this new duology🤷🏽♀️But related with These Violent Delights world, it should be read in order. I‘m still need to read the companion novellas🙄. I really enjoyed this story. It is about Rosalind. There are some twists and full of intrigue and action. The romance parts are very YA tone but they are cute and I some are funny. That ending😱Great! For a YA fantasy genre, 4⭐️
#AsianAuthor #MagnificentMay Readathon @Andrew65
pick5/5 ⭐️ I think this is my favorite Chloe Gong book so far! Sad I missed the end of the "real time" discussions with the #chloegongreadalong but I'll be there for the next one!
pickI loved Chloe Gong‘s These Violent Delights/Our Violent Ends duology (read it 1st if you haven‘t) & I was equally caught up in this 1st in a new duology that the author calls calls “a speculative historical thriller inspired by Shakespeare‘s As You Like It.” Familiar characters are back & we get to see them in new lights & the twists & turns had me stressing & guessing (mostly incorrectly) throughout the book. Mahalo to @TheBookHippie for both ⬇️
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pick💖 wow, this was SO GOOD!
Set in 1930s Shanghai, a time period of significant social / political upheaval for the region with people forced to choose sides & families divided this really has everything, action, romance, compelling characters. Once I got a grip on how many characters & perspectives there are I was enthralled.
#20in4readathon this looks like too much but most of these are heavily in progress. I want to clear out the current reads and I‘m really excited for the next planned reads (Belladonna, Smolder & Grown)
