About the Author
Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels and the Flesh and False Gods series. After devouring the entire YA section of her local library, Chloe started writing her own novels at age 13 to keep herself entertained, and she has been highly entertained ever since.
Chloe’s debut duology, These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, featuring rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, led by Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love and first betrayal. The sequel, Our Violent Ends, picks up a year later with Shanghai under siege and teetering on the edge of revolution. This series has captivated readers worldwide and These Violent Delights was named a BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020.
The Foul Lady Fortune duology follows an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai. This twisty, evocative speculative historical thriller is loosely based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It and explores Imperialist Japan’s expansion into China. Fans of These Violent Delights will delight in seeing familiar faces, while new readers will easily follow along.
Chloe’s adult epic fantasy debut, Immortal Longings, was a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, it is a “smart, imaginative, and brutal” (Wesley Chu, New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga) collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst deadly games. Her hit sequel, Vilest Things, continues this thrilling saga, with Calla and Anton setting their conflicts aside to prevent anarchy in their kingdom.
Chloe’s books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in The New York Times, People, Cosmopolitan, and more. She was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for 2024. Chloe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult.
Raves and Reviews
Praise for Immortal Longings
[Gong’s] adult debut is about to become your new obsession.”
—Cosmopolitan
[P]ulse-pounding action, tension, and intrigue…”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
[A] must-read.”
—Booklist, starred review
Spectacular worldbuilding, breathtaking action, and plenty of mischief.”
—Kirkus,starred review
I blew straight through this book, and I wish I could go back and read it again from scratch. Gong’s first venture into adult fantasy, set in a claustrophobic, low-tech city where life is cheap and bodies are disposable, features wonderfully complex characters and a game to the death that is executed with aplomb. Immortal Longings is a lot of fun, with twists you won’t see coming until right before the hammer drops.”
—Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of the Between Earth and Sky trilogy
Smart, imaginative, and brutal, Immortal Longings is a mind- and genre-bending epic that is as cutting and honest as it is unpredictable. Chloe Gong’s assertive style is filled with razor’s-edge prose, and her complex characters will hurt you, but in the most thrilling way. What a time to be alive for book lovers.”
—Wesley Chu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga
Gripping, bewildering, irresistible, Chloe Gong’s Immortal Longings is a tour de force of Asian Futurism, a provocative examination of self and destiny that melds the ruthless sensuality of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the visceral urgency of The Hunger Games. This book left me breathless!”
—Ryka Aoki, author of Light From Uncommon Stars
Immortal Longings is a grab-you-and-won’t-let-go sort of book, as brutal and merciless as its characters. Everyone has secret plans, and everyone’s life exists on the edge of betrayal. Each page is fierce and filled with yearning—I loved it.”
—Andrea Stewart, author of The Drowning Empire trilogy
Praise for Foul Lady Fortune
An electrifying, swashbuckling tale of intrigue and assassins, romance and betrayal.”–Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Hours series
Amazing, show-stopping, spectacular. Chloe Gong does it again with her fantastical take on the classic Chinese genre of Minguo-era spy thrillers, where no loyalties are certain and no one can be trusted in the shadowy political battle between the Nationalists, communists, and imperialists. A enthralling mystery that is sure to stun as it unravels.”
–Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow
This book is a dark delight. I found myself transported to a different place and time, which is exactly what I look for in my favorite books. Gong’s writing is evocative, and her dialogue crackles. Mesmerizing and mysterious in equal turns, Foul Lady Fortune is a captivating read, and I look forward to the next installment in the series.”
–Renée Ahdieh, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful Quartet
Equal parts intoxicating and dazzling, Gong’s newest duology is enchanting and unmissable. Each page is a finely honed blade that goes straight to the heart.”
–Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
Foul Lady Fortune had my heart pounding from the first chapter. With brilliant pacing and utterly dynamic characters, Gong transports us to 1930s Shanghai—into a high stakes game of war, love, and espionage—and conquers every page with cinematic precision.”
–Elizabeth Lim, New York Times bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes
Chloe Gong’s Foul Lady Fortune is an electric, action-packed jewel of a story, brimming with vivid prose, exhilarating twists and turns, and incredible characters who will steal your heart. This book dazzles.”
–Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn
Foul Lady Fortune is a thrilling historical fantasy packed with action, intrigue, and swoon-worthy romance. I will read anything Chloe Gong writes.”
–June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace
With tense, lush storytelling, a complicated heroine and her swoon worthy foil, Foul Lady Fortune invites you into a dark chapter of twentieth century China where intrigue lies behind every corner. Intoxicating!”
–Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl
A glamorous spy thriller that will leave you breathless. Chloe Gong masterfully blends romance, political drama, and Black Widow-esque action sequences into a familiar world with new characters you’ll fall completely in love with.”
–Dustin Thao, New York Times bestselling author of You’ve Reached Sam
When I think Republican era spy story, I think thrills, triple agents, and twists. Foul Lady Fortune delivers on all these fronts and more. The chemistry was crackling, the revelations hair-raising, and I was so taken by the world that I did not see the reveals coming, in the best way possible. Chloe Gong has outdone herself, without a doubt.”
–Joan He, New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We’re Meant to Find
Praise for These Violent Delights
The Bard would surely approve.”
–The New York Times Book Review
A deliciously dark twist on Romeo and Juliet that feels vibrant, modern, and wholly exciting. Gong’s writing brims with energy. I was swept away to her dark Shanghai from the first page and never wanted to leave!”
–Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire
Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights cuts to the heart of twentieth-century China with its scalpel-sharp prose and steel-spirited protagonists. Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov shine brighter than the glitz and glamour of historical Shanghai; sparks fly when they clash in this action-packed story set amidst a backdrop of blood feuds, gang wars, and political upheaval.”
–Amelie Wen Zhao, author of Blood Heir
Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights plants a Shakespearean classic in the rich soil of 1920s Shanghai, allowing her characters to grow, flourish, and steal your heart while warring against their own.”
–Joan He, author of Descendant of the Crane
Heady, smart, and vicious, These Violent Delights strikes every note with precision, layering romance and politics into a roaring 20s Shanghai of both monsters and monstrous imperialism.”
–Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis Lear
Full of glitter, suspense and gore, These Violent Delights takes readers into the perilous world of 1926 Shanghai. With the body count rising, and a monster lurking in the Huangpu River, Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov must put aside their differences and work together to save their city. Chloe Gong’s debut is a terrific, deliciously unputdownable read!”
–June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones
In the Media
“As She Likes It: Chloe Gong Talks ‘Foul Heart Huntsman,’ Setting Shakespeare in Shanghai and More”
September 27, 2023
“Chloe Gong is Breaking Readers’ Hearts in Her Adult Fantasy Novel Debut”
July 20, 2023
“Chloe Gong comes of age with adult debut novel ‘Immortal Longings'”
July 18, 2023
“From BookTok to Bestseller: A Conversation with Chloe Gong”
February 27, 2023
“Meet Chloe Gong, the 22-Year-Old College Grad Who Just Published the Sequel to Her Hit Novel”
November 17, 2021
“Meet the author who wrote a Shanghai-based ‘Romeo and Juliet’ novel in college”
November 16, 2021
“How Chloe Gong used TikTok to turn her YA book into a bestseller”
November 13, 2021
“Meet Chloe Gong, One of the Year’s Youngest Best-Selling Authors”
December 3, 2020
“‘These Violent Delights’ Transports Romeo And Juliet To 1920s Shanghai”
November 21, 2020
November 15, 2020
