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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story isn’t particularly gripping. I can’t really tell at almost 20% in what the thrust of the novel is.
I'm not a fan of bodily fluids or functions, and there are just far too many mentions of the different grosser ones for my brain to be able to get through. Which is disappointing because I was looking forward to the book.
I'm sure I'll try again at some point when I'm in a different head space.
I'm sure I'll try again at some point when I'm in a different head space.
Overall I very sweet and heartwarming story. I loved all of the Chinese cultural references and the writing style, for the most part, was very beautiful and easy to visualize. In the begining I struggled a bit with the MC's childishness, but in the end it was so worth it to see her mature and over come her fears.
That said, I HIGHLY disliked some of the language the MC used. Ex: turd-eggs, dog-farts, rotted turd-eggs. I get that she's young and rebellious ,but for a 100ish year old diety to speak like this was just dumb in my opinion. I usually found it a bit jarring within the story and tried to gloss over it. Only reason this isn't a 5 star.
That said, I HIGHLY disliked some of the language the MC used. Ex: turd-eggs, dog-farts, rotted turd-eggs. I get that she's young and rebellious ,but for a 100ish year old diety to speak like this was just dumb in my opinion. I usually found it a bit jarring within the story and tried to gloss over it. Only reason this isn't a 5 star.
I could not get past the main characters immaturity. it was supposed to be an adult novel but it really could’ve been YA. Additionally, I feel the world building, was lacking in a lot of parts, due to not fully explaining everything.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.
This book is incredible. The imagery is detailed without being tedious and repetitive, there is humor, and characters with depth.
Lady Jing is a young Chinese vampire in 1935 who was sold to the King of Hell Big Wang to pay her mother’s debts. As Big Wang’s ward she is expected to fulfill a
council role that supports her guardian. Lady Jing is a warrior at heart, and fights her way through self discovery while encumbered with a mortal man she finds both infuriating and fascinating.
This adult fantasy book is full of humor, heart, and true diversity of gender and culture. A.Y. Chao is able to make the Hell version Shanghai sound like a place a mortal might actually want to visit despite the creatures (and roosters) that dwell there.
Do not pass up this book if you are a lover of vampires, strong female characters, and magical lands.
This book is incredible. The imagery is detailed without being tedious and repetitive, there is humor, and characters with depth.
Lady Jing is a young Chinese vampire in 1935 who was sold to the King of Hell Big Wang to pay her mother’s debts. As Big Wang’s ward she is expected to fulfill a
council role that supports her guardian. Lady Jing is a warrior at heart, and fights her way through self discovery while encumbered with a mortal man she finds both infuriating and fascinating.
This adult fantasy book is full of humor, heart, and true diversity of gender and culture. A.Y. Chao is able to make the Hell version Shanghai sound like a place a mortal might actually want to visit despite the creatures (and roosters) that dwell there.
Do not pass up this book if you are a lover of vampires, strong female characters, and magical lands.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story with very low stakes pretty much all the way through. It falls a little bit into the "no plot just vibes" category for me. I can appreciate both of those things, but I usually look for them in something like a cozy fantasy, for example, and that wasn't the case here. We mostly just follow Lady Jing first in Immortal Shanghai, and then in regular Shanghai, as she looks into a shallow mystery.
As a character, Jing is quick to anger, stubborn, and belligerent. But despite all of that, she doesn't have a lot of agency. She just sort of gets moved along by the events happening around her, and the will and whims of Big Wang, and I suppose that makes sense in some ways, but it makes her character feel inconsistent to me. She claims that insults and hurtful comments don't stick to her, yet she can fly into a rage at a single remark. And coming from some characters, that absolutely makes sense, but she flew off the handle so regularly that there didn't seem to be much difference in her behavior, regardless of who she was dealing with.
The romance left me pretty lukewarm, but I did end up reluctantly caring about her relationship with Big Wang. Ultimately, though, I don't think I will stick around for the rest of the series. This book can stand perfectly well on its own and is not open ended.
And this is a minor gripe, but Jing kept eating salted caramels in 1930s Shanghai when those weren't invented until 1977, and these are the kinds of details that my brain gets fixated on.
As a character, Jing is quick to anger, stubborn, and belligerent. But despite all of that, she doesn't have a lot of agency. She just sort of gets moved along by the events happening around her, and the will and whims of Big Wang, and I suppose that makes sense in some ways, but it makes her character feel inconsistent to me. She claims that insults and hurtful comments don't stick to her, yet she can fly into a rage at a single remark. And coming from some characters, that absolutely makes sense, but she flew off the handle so regularly that there didn't seem to be much difference in her behavior, regardless of who she was dealing with.
The romance left me pretty lukewarm, but I did end up reluctantly caring about her relationship with Big Wang. Ultimately, though, I don't think I will stick around for the rest of the series. This book can stand perfectly well on its own and is not open ended.
And this is a minor gripe, but Jing kept eating salted caramels in 1930s Shanghai when those weren't invented until 1977, and these are the kinds of details that my brain gets fixated on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse
medium-paced