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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
A fun story… the characters were great and I can’t wait to see what Lady Jing gets up to next.
4.5 stars - I loved this, so much fun!
Fun, rich and imaginative - I really loved reading Shanghai Immortal! It’s full of mischief and adventure yet still finds time to cover some heavy topics with the respect they deserve. A.Y. Chao provides an excellent plot, fleshed-out characters and an amazing world.
I adored Lady Jing, she is zany and boisterous, and best of all - foul-mouthed! While she has a hard, sometimes ‘unladylike’ exterior, she has a big heart she has spent her life protecting.
Mr Lee is the cutest, my heart well and truly melted for him. Normally I go for mean, morally grey fictional men but he was adorable with his noble actions and fluffy declarations of thanks.
The characters as a whole are great. I liked how we got the complete essence without spending too much time away from our main girl Lady Jing, and of course the plot. They added without distracting. Honourable mentions to Big Wang, the softest King of Hell going, Lord Black, who I can only assume hits the mushrooms hard, and finally, they're so adorable it’s actually sick, Gigi and Ah Lang. I’m really hoping to see more of this lineup in the sequel!
The plot initially was a slow start but soon became exciting with twists I didn’t predict. The realms/worlds created a fun playground for the story. I really loved reading the different aspects of Chinese mythology incorporated into the book. It’s definitely something I want to read more about in the future.
I’m very excited to read what A.Y. Chao blesses us with next!
Fun, rich and imaginative - I really loved reading Shanghai Immortal! It’s full of mischief and adventure yet still finds time to cover some heavy topics with the respect they deserve. A.Y. Chao provides an excellent plot, fleshed-out characters and an amazing world.
I adored Lady Jing, she is zany and boisterous, and best of all - foul-mouthed! While she has a hard, sometimes ‘unladylike’ exterior, she has a big heart she has spent her life protecting.
Mr Lee is the cutest, my heart well and truly melted for him. Normally I go for mean, morally grey fictional men but he was adorable with his noble actions and fluffy declarations of thanks.
The characters as a whole are great. I liked how we got the complete essence without spending too much time away from our main girl Lady Jing, and of course the plot. They added without distracting. Honourable mentions to Big Wang, the softest King of Hell going, Lord Black, who I can only assume hits the mushrooms hard, and finally, they're so adorable it’s actually sick, Gigi and Ah Lang. I’m really hoping to see more of this lineup in the sequel!
The plot initially was a slow start but soon became exciting with twists I didn’t predict. The realms/worlds created a fun playground for the story. I really loved reading the different aspects of Chinese mythology incorporated into the book. It’s definitely something I want to read more about in the future.
I’m very excited to read what A.Y. Chao blesses us with next!
What a ride!
If you're looking for Chinese mythology vowed into a fun story with a really immature, impulsive FMC, this book is for you. If I was immortal and 100 years old, I would aspire to be such a spirited individual. In my opinion, people these days take themselves too seriously, manacled by societal pressures and this thought that everyone has their life together. Well, they don't. And neither do I. This is why Lady Jing was such a lovely character to read about. Her shenanigans and view of the world were a refreshment in fantasy!
The imagery of this book is just wonderful. I want to feel the clothes under my fingers, see all the Hellish scenery and try all the foods and drinks characters raved about. I just love it when authors pay attention to a lot of details like this. I love mythology and I feel like I learned so much about Chinese lore through this book. Truly, an adventurous, wonderous journey with a lot of humor, mocking proper ways, and speech that serves nothing only to try and make peacocks out of ourselves. And yes, there is a slow, subtle at first, romance as a backstory. <3
Big thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an eARC!
If you're looking for Chinese mythology vowed into a fun story with a really immature, impulsive FMC, this book is for you. If I was immortal and 100 years old, I would aspire to be such a spirited individual. In my opinion, people these days take themselves too seriously, manacled by societal pressures and this thought that everyone has their life together. Well, they don't. And neither do I. This is why Lady Jing was such a lovely character to read about. Her shenanigans and view of the world were a refreshment in fantasy!
The imagery of this book is just wonderful. I want to feel the clothes under my fingers, see all the Hellish scenery and try all the foods and drinks characters raved about. I just love it when authors pay attention to a lot of details like this. I love mythology and I feel like I learned so much about Chinese lore through this book. Truly, an adventurous, wonderous journey with a lot of humor, mocking proper ways, and speech that serves nothing only to try and make peacocks out of ourselves. And yes, there is a slow, subtle at first, romance as a backstory. <3
Big thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an eARC!
Soft DNF at 14%. I’m just not feeling it. I’m might try it again one day
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
never in my life have i read such a juvenile adult book... "ta-tas", "piss-fart" or "turd eggs" every two pages, are you kidding me?? the main character was NOT the interesting kind of "unlikeable/messy protagonist", thankfully the love interest was easy to like.
the plot wasn't interesting enough to me, although i will say the bits about mythology had me hooked!! overall, not an enjoyable time but i can see the potential (some of the writing could be relatable and the romance was sweet)
the plot wasn't interesting enough to me, although i will say the bits about mythology had me hooked!! overall, not an enjoyable time but i can see the potential (some of the writing could be relatable and the romance was sweet)
A fun, fluffy fantasy set in mythological (and at times 1930s) Shanghai, following a snotty, fowl-mothed half-demon half-vampire on her shenanigans, which involve having to protect a mortal man.
I liked the main character, Jing, and her slow discovery of friendship and how to interact with people without being rude. My favourite part was the slowly growing relationship with Mr. Lee and the exploration of Jing's vampire side.
The world, layered with Chinese mythology, was interesting, not too complicated and left a lot still to be explored in the sequels (I think this will be a trilogy).
The weakest aspect for me was the plot. The whole story kicks off with Jing wanting to protect an object called the Longnu Dragon Pearl from bad people for ~reasons~ and everything follows on from there. Her motivations felt a bit flimsy and the overall plot kept happening due to convenient circumstances.
So, overall a short, fun, kinda low stakes story with an interesting backdrop of Chinese mythology.
I liked the main character, Jing, and her slow discovery of friendship and how to interact with people without being rude. My favourite part was the slowly growing relationship with Mr. Lee and the exploration of Jing's vampire side.
The world, layered with Chinese mythology, was interesting, not too complicated and left a lot still to be explored in the sequels (I think this will be a trilogy).
The weakest aspect for me was the plot. The whole story kicks off with Jing wanting to protect an object called the Longnu Dragon Pearl from bad people for ~reasons~ and everything follows on from there. Her motivations felt a bit flimsy and the overall plot kept happening due to convenient circumstances.
So, overall a short, fun, kinda low stakes story with an interesting backdrop of Chinese mythology.
She keeps talking about how badass she is, but then is constantly jeprodizing her goals in favour of her pride and she keeps fainting. Also she keeps saying "piss-fart"... I cannot condone this baffoonery.
adventurous
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into this book with high expectations, I've been seeing glowing reviews non-stop. For me, this book fell flat. The FMC fell a bit flat, seemed quite immature. The book didn't read like a an adult book whatsoever. It felt more YA. I also didn't like the use of the slur "imbecile" whilst yes, this comment was made by a hateful group in the book, it's not really corrected in the book or shown that it's wrong whereas another slur that is used at various points throughout the book, something is down about that. These are the sole reasons I rated this 3 stars. That being said, I did quite like the world. It was a fairly enjoyable read. I got through it quite quick. I would recommend this book if you're interested in vampires, but don't go into the book thinking it's purely about vampires, because its not, which was quite refreshing.