Gong, Chloe. Foul Heart Huntsman. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. 978-1-665-90561-9. $21.99. 560 p. Grades 9-12.

It’s 1932 in Shanghai. Rosalind Lang, also known by her code name Lady Fortune, has been exposed. As an immortal assassin, she had a purpose, and she had her missions. Now, she has nothing. Orion, her mission partner who posed as her husband, has been taken by his mother and his mind is now fully under her control. Although their marriage was only a ruse, her feelings for him were not, and she sets off on a new mission to find him and bring him home, even with an impending attack from Japan looming over her every move. With the help of Orion’s sister, Phoebe, who is an agent herself; her ally Alisa Montagova; and her sister, Celia, Rosalind encounters many dangers and ghosts from her past on her journey to save Orion, but she’s determined to find him, no matter the cost.

THOUGHTS: This novel brings the Foul Lady Fortune duology to an end. Based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Foul Heart Huntsman is a continuation of Gong’s These Violent Delights, and I would advise readers to start with that series before reading this one. The book is equal parts science fiction, fantasy, action, espionage, and romance in an alternate, historical setting. The series as a whole features diverse and LGBTQ+ characters, and readers will love the reunion scenes between all characters in Gong’s Secret Shanghai world.

Fantasy