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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed this book & read it in one day. I love the setting and the characters. I have a massive soft spot for our FMC. The pacing of this was spot on for me, there was always something happening, without it all feeling rushed & crammed full of info. I enjoyed the chases romance & the friendships in the book too. I’m very much looking forward to revisiting this world when the next book in the series is released.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
Put it down for some reason and don’t feel like picking it back up
adventurous
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
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A loose 3 stars. This wasn’t a bad book at all, it just wasn’t for me. It definitely reads more like a ya than an adult fantasy. I do really like the premise of the book, having two different Shanghai’s and having a crossover of chinese mythology with vampires. However, the story was very slow paced and it felt like nothing was really happening. The vampire part didn’t really play into the story much at all. The main protagonist Lady Jing felt very immature even though she’s like a hundred years old. Mr Lee also felt kind of flat.
However, I do believe that many people are going to love this book, it just didn’t quite deliver for me personally.
However, I do believe that many people are going to love this book, it just didn’t quite deliver for me personally.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded down to 3. Overall I enjoyed this read, however it read as a coming of age/YA novel and I only started enjoying it when I changed my mindset of what I was actually reading.
Thoughts as I was reading the book:
This is not an adult fantasy novel, I don’t care how much cursing the author added or how the PR team decided to market it. This book is NA at best, but even that is a stretch when it reads like a YA novel.
The main character, while almost 100, acts like a child. While I understand the longevity of the deities, and in that context it actually makes sense that she is so immature, the book was marketed as an adult fantasy tale, and that misleading classification does this book a HUGE disservice. What I wanted was a lush, complex, Chinese mythology inspired story of a woman balancing the fate of the world and love, what I got was the story of a young woman who acted like a spoiled child AT HER BEST, and an insta-attraction that I didn’t believe in or root for. The more the author tried to make her “not like other girls” the more crass and spoiled she became.
I usually love a good and thorough world building, but because of the immaturity of the MFC, I simply could not focus on the world and thus the use of the entire first half of the book to develop the world made it difficult for me to want to keep returning to Shanghai Immortal every time I put it down.
The story starts to pick up by around 45%, although it does still read more like a YA novel than an adult novel. Once I accepted this story as a YA story, I started enjoying myself a lot more!
Thoughts as I was reading the book:
This is not an adult fantasy novel, I don’t care how much cursing the author added or how the PR team decided to market it. This book is NA at best, but even that is a stretch when it reads like a YA novel.
The main character, while almost 100, acts like a child. While I understand the longevity of the deities, and in that context it actually makes sense that she is so immature, the book was marketed as an adult fantasy tale, and that misleading classification does this book a HUGE disservice. What I wanted was a lush, complex, Chinese mythology inspired story of a woman balancing the fate of the world and love, what I got was the story of a young woman who acted like a spoiled child AT HER BEST, and an insta-attraction that I didn’t believe in or root for. The more the author tried to make her “not like other girls” the more crass and spoiled she became.
I usually love a good and thorough world building, but because of the immaturity of the MFC, I simply could not focus on the world and thus the use of the entire first half of the book to develop the world made it difficult for me to want to keep returning to Shanghai Immortal every time I put it down.
The story starts to pick up by around 45%, although it does still read more like a YA novel than an adult novel. Once I accepted this story as a YA story, I started enjoying myself a lot more!
Unfortunately, I have to echo the sentiments of many other reviewers. This was not a pleasant read for me; I HATED Lady Jing. I love a good badass, irreverant FMC, but she was just... juvenile and kind of gross. I agree with someone else who said they had a difficult time getting past some of her catch phrases (i.e. tatas and "piss-fart"). Mr. Lee and Lady Jing have zero chemistry together, and were awkward and painful to read on page. I'm really disappointed because the cover is gorgeous, and the concept is great. I just can't get past the execution.
3.5 stars
This book has an amazing premise, a half hulijing half vampire deity with a bad temper and a whole bucket of trauma. The story explores Jing who’s forced to babysit a human visiting the underworld as a result of him being sold a fake talisman. Jing experiences love, heartbreak and torment across both mortal and immortal Shanghai as she works to expose her hulijing grandmother and her court with the support of her friends and the family she found in immortal Shanghai. Jing’s character is witty and ruthless but also experiences such a real range of emotions throughout the story, the character growth within how she approaches her feelings and the way she treats and views those around her makes her a lovable and enjoyable protagonist. While the characters were fun, the story felt very slow and as if not much was happening and then towards the end, all major plot points occurred, resulting in it all feeling a bit rushed and what should’ve been the most captivating parts felt lacking in detail. Overall a fun read that had me audibly laughing at or being frustrated with Jing.
This book has an amazing premise, a half hulijing half vampire deity with a bad temper and a whole bucket of trauma. The story explores Jing who’s forced to babysit a human visiting the underworld as a result of him being sold a fake talisman. Jing experiences love, heartbreak and torment across both mortal and immortal Shanghai as she works to expose her hulijing grandmother and her court with the support of her friends and the family she found in immortal Shanghai. Jing’s character is witty and ruthless but also experiences such a real range of emotions throughout the story, the character growth within how she approaches her feelings and the way she treats and views those around her makes her a lovable and enjoyable protagonist. While the characters were fun, the story felt very slow and as if not much was happening and then towards the end, all major plot points occurred, resulting in it all feeling a bit rushed and what should’ve been the most captivating parts felt lacking in detail. Overall a fun read that had me audibly laughing at or being frustrated with Jing.