Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong

29 reviews

manaledi's review against another edition

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

2.5

I'd liked the first half of this duology but then this one dragged on. Did we really have to follow three heterosexual couples figuring out that they love each other and that includes two pairs of siblings?? And maybe up to six different armed factions. I was rooting for them all, but not all the way invested anymore. And for a series with so much around the foreign sector and the Japanese imperialist threat, none of the geopolitics were particularly fleshed out.
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maple_dove's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loved the double lives, assassins, and the unique humor of Chloe Gong's books. I just--unforgettable.

My only qualm was that near the end, it felt like things were quickly made up in a way that didn't line up with the story set in place. Not a huge deal though.

Favorite Quotes:

Regret is an emotion reserved for the powerless. There is no need for it here.

Phoebe felt like she was using him.
Well, she was. That part was unquestionable. Friendship consisted of reciprocally using each other with love, after all.

If I am to do some good, then I must make peace with my own limits. I would lose perspective otherwise."

We leave our characters during a period of peace, to continue onward with their lives even if they are soon to be surrounded by tragedy: as we all must do to some degree during our time in this world.
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stacyaj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

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linblythe_pub22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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teddy_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

I loved this entire world, and even if I didn't love this series as much as the original duology, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both old names and getting to know newer faces. The writing was superb per usual with memorable quotes, and the pacing felt consistent. I'll miss the characters and the setting though I can hope for another novella at some point in the future!
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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book was such a good conclusion to the series and these characters. I didn’t know how it would all work out for them, but it did and it makes sense without being too out there. I feel like you need to read the novellas to know how certain characters play a role in this book that don’t appear in the Foul Lady Fortune. I also feel like some really important plot points get resolved a little too quickly/without conflict considering how long this book is. This was a compelling read that I couldn’t put down and I am sad to leave this world!
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lisashelves's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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wet_towlette's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

5.0

CHLOE GONG THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE. bro I can’t believe the Shanghai series is over this is absurd. There is always something about Chloe’s second books that get me to my core. It was so fun and exciting and like an action movie but made for the squealing teenage girls like me. The ending was perfect. I loved her notes and the end I thought it was really well done. Even though there is a lot of perspectives in this book and for a bit I thought that would be a complaint, they actually turned out to be really engaging and interesting in their own right. Like for a while I really cared to read about Rosalind and Orion but then it all started to work together and the pieces were falling into place and ITS JUST ALL SO GOOD I SWEAR BRO THE CHLOE GONG SECOND BOOKS JUST HIT DIFFERENT 
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jenny_librarian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

As good as the others! This last Secret Shanghai novel brings a beautiful end to the saga, with as many twists and turns as one can expect from Chloe Gong.

A lot happened in there, and I don’t mean only with the characters. Once again, the tense historical Chinese background blooms through and gives this story life. The setting is its own character and really elevates the whole thing from good to great.

I don’t usually love stories where everyone gets matched, but these couples have been in the work for two books, and some of the side characters have been together longer. So I can forgive it. And the demiromantic and trans rep included so smoothly makes it even better.

The last act might have required some suspension of disbelief (despite everything, I draw the line at that blood transfusion 🙈), but it doesn’t diminish my love for this series.

Thank you, Chloe Gong, for introducing me to early 20th century Shanghai and its many layers through a story that started as a Romeo & Juliet retelling.
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