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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
She lost me at "piss-fart" and "turd egg".
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you like the word “fart”, you might like this book too.
Lady Jing hates her life. After being sold to the King of Hell to pay for her parent’s debts (thanks Mom), her life has been reduced to fulfilling random tasks for him for the past ninety years. While being tasked to “babysit” a mortal banker, Lady Jing picks up on a plot by some courtiers to steal a dragon pearl. Determined to prove her worth, Jing takes matters into her own hand, working with the mortal to take down the courtiers and win the respect she wants.
This book was a mixed bag for me. I went in expecting an adult novel and got something more YA with middle-grade humor. Jing sure has a lot of energy to waste on tantrums for being ninety years old. She routinely defies authority the way toddlers scream when their favorite toy is taken away. While her antics were humorous, they were also very childish. Among her favorite insults are the words “turd” and “fart.” I was thrown off by how openly disrespectful she was. I grew up in Asia, and nothing was more important than saving face. I cringed every time she pouted and whined when things didn’t go her way.
1930s Shanghai in Hell is so fascinating, but it was not well-executed. So many terms and different creatures are introduced without being explained. For the first thirty percent, I kept having to relook up different words and what mythological creatures they were. While the idea of a Jazzy Shanghai was fascinating, I never fully appreciated the world. It was built so quickly and without a lot of details. I was working with the bare minimum and cheated on the gorgeous world that could have been created.
Despite these qualities, I did enjoy the book. Maybe it’s because at my grown age, I still have a twelve-year-old boy’s sense of humor. I think the plot was interesting, and Lady Jing was a unique main character, even though it wasn’t always for the best of reasons.
If potty humor isn’t your thing, wipe this off your TBR.
I made myself laugh with that last line
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lady Jing hates her life. After being sold to the King of Hell to pay for her parent’s debts (thanks Mom), her life has been reduced to fulfilling random tasks for him for the past ninety years. While being tasked to “babysit” a mortal banker, Lady Jing picks up on a plot by some courtiers to steal a dragon pearl. Determined to prove her worth, Jing takes matters into her own hand, working with the mortal to take down the courtiers and win the respect she wants.
This book was a mixed bag for me. I went in expecting an adult novel and got something more YA with middle-grade humor. Jing sure has a lot of energy to waste on tantrums for being ninety years old. She routinely defies authority the way toddlers scream when their favorite toy is taken away. While her antics were humorous, they were also very childish. Among her favorite insults are the words “turd” and “fart.” I was thrown off by how openly disrespectful she was. I grew up in Asia, and nothing was more important than saving face. I cringed every time she pouted and whined when things didn’t go her way.
1930s Shanghai in Hell is so fascinating, but it was not well-executed. So many terms and different creatures are introduced without being explained. For the first thirty percent, I kept having to relook up different words and what mythological creatures they were. While the idea of a Jazzy Shanghai was fascinating, I never fully appreciated the world. It was built so quickly and without a lot of details. I was working with the bare minimum and cheated on the gorgeous world that could have been created.
Despite these qualities, I did enjoy the book. Maybe it’s because at my grown age, I still have a twelve-year-old boy’s sense of humor. I think the plot was interesting, and Lady Jing was a unique main character, even though it wasn’t always for the best of reasons.
If potty humor isn’t your thing, wipe this off your TBR.
I made myself laugh with that last line
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
I received an advanced reader copy of Shanghai Immortal in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.
The world of Shanghai Immortal is incredibly intriguing. One the one hand, we have mortal Shanghai of the 30s, and on the other hand the dark, hellish world of demon Shanghai where Lady Jing spent most of her life growing up after being sold to the King of Hell. I know next to nothing about Chinese myths and folklore, so I can’t judge the accuracy of the fantastical elements that are explored in the story (the only familiar name was that of the goddess Chang-e), but I found it very fascinating either way.
The world building was done well but could have been developed even more in my opinion, as several elements were not explained very thoroughly - for example, the thing about fox forms and their tails was mentioned but then never referred to again. My favourite aspect about the world building was the way in which Lady Jing‘s narrator voice changed when she first went to the mortal realm, in accordance to how she experienced that world compared to her own.
The characters were all well chosen but I would have preferred, again, to get to know them a little better. It was easy to get to know Lady Jing very well due to the first person POV, and I adored Mr Lee whose character was developed remarkably well despite that POV - he’s an absolute dream of a love interest, a cinnamon roll (or a toffee, to stay in character). I just wish I had got to know some of the supporting characters a little better as well. Lady Gi in particular seemed to have such an interesting backstory, and I would have loved to learn more about that.
As for the plot itself, I felt like the pacing was a bit off towards the ending. It felt rushed and I would have liked for more things to be resolved and more loose strings to be tied up. Again, I would have also liked for some details to be developed a little bit better just in order to flesh out the characters and the world more.
What I do not understand about this book is why it is advertised as an adult fantasy. Lady Jing is supposed to be almost one hundred years old, yet she acts incredibly childish for the majority of the book. I would expect to see such a character in a YA novel, but not in something targeted at adults. In addition to that, there were no explicit or particularly gruesome scenes described in any detail.
All in all, I adored the idea of the story and would have loved if this were a real adult fantasy. As it is, the whole plot felt very YA to me and thus not as complex and nuanced as I had hoped and expected. Nonetheless, it was a quick, enjoyable read with unique characters.
3.5/5 stars.
The world of Shanghai Immortal is incredibly intriguing. One the one hand, we have mortal Shanghai of the 30s, and on the other hand the dark, hellish world of demon Shanghai where Lady Jing spent most of her life growing up after being sold to the King of Hell. I know next to nothing about Chinese myths and folklore, so I can’t judge the accuracy of the fantastical elements that are explored in the story (the only familiar name was that of the goddess Chang-e), but I found it very fascinating either way.
The world building was done well but could have been developed even more in my opinion, as several elements were not explained very thoroughly - for example, the thing about fox forms and their tails was mentioned but then never referred to again. My favourite aspect about the world building was the way in which Lady Jing‘s narrator voice changed when she first went to the mortal realm, in accordance to how she experienced that world compared to her own.
The characters were all well chosen but I would have preferred, again, to get to know them a little better. It was easy to get to know Lady Jing very well due to the first person POV, and I adored Mr Lee whose character was developed remarkably well despite that POV - he’s an absolute dream of a love interest, a cinnamon roll (or a toffee, to stay in character). I just wish I had got to know some of the supporting characters a little better as well. Lady Gi in particular seemed to have such an interesting backstory, and I would have loved to learn more about that.
As for the plot itself, I felt like the pacing was a bit off towards the ending. It felt rushed and I would have liked for more things to be resolved and more loose strings to be tied up. Again, I would have also liked for some details to be developed a little bit better just in order to flesh out the characters and the world more.
What I do not understand about this book is why it is advertised as an adult fantasy. Lady Jing is supposed to be almost one hundred years old, yet she acts incredibly childish for the majority of the book. I would expect to see such a character in a YA novel, but not in something targeted at adults. In addition to that, there were no explicit or particularly gruesome scenes described in any detail.
All in all, I adored the idea of the story and would have loved if this were a real adult fantasy. As it is, the whole plot felt very YA to me and thus not as complex and nuanced as I had hoped and expected. Nonetheless, it was a quick, enjoyable read with unique characters.
3.5/5 stars.
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, death of parent (off page), child abuse, bullying, confinement, kidnapping, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders
--
This book was so much fun and also felt like a big hug at the same time!
I’ll admit when I started the book I didn’t know exactly what to expect as for one I was drawn to the book for the cover and then also because there was East Asian mythology involved. Also briefly glancing at the synopsis beforehand and seeing that the protagonist was half vampire, half fox-spirit let’s just say I was ready for some chaos and that’s exactly what I got.
Shanghai Immortal revolves around Lady Jing, ward to the king of Hell who upon hearing whispers that the other hulijing (fox-spirit) courtiers who have made her life miserable are out to steal a dragon pearl, is determined to expose them and settle the score.
With the help of Mr Lee, a mortal visiting to set up the Central Bank of Hell who she is supposed to be supervising as a means to avoid the hulijing, she treks through 1930's Shanghai - Mortal and Immortal - to look for leads. But what she finds and experiences on her journey may be better than just vengeance.
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, death of parent (off page), child abuse, bullying, confinement, kidnapping, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders
--
This book was so much fun and also felt like a big hug at the same time!
I’ll admit when I started the book I didn’t know exactly what to expect as for one I was drawn to the book for the cover and then also because there was East Asian mythology involved. Also briefly glancing at the synopsis beforehand and seeing that the protagonist was half vampire, half fox-spirit let’s just say I was ready for some chaos and that’s exactly what I got.
Shanghai Immortal revolves around Lady Jing, ward to the king of Hell who upon hearing whispers that the other hulijing (fox-spirit) courtiers who have made her life miserable are out to steal a dragon pearl, is determined to expose them and settle the score.
With the help of Mr Lee, a mortal visiting to set up the Central Bank of Hell who she is supposed to be supervising as a means to avoid the hulijing, she treks through 1930's Shanghai - Mortal and Immortal - to look for leads. But what she finds and experiences on her journey may be better than just vengeance.
"No matter how small or insignificant you think you might be, the Cosmos makes no distinction... Embrace the Cosmos, and you become embraced. Nurture the Cosmos, and you become nurtured. Accept the Cosmos, and you become accepted. Clear your vision, and you will see. Open your heart, and you will be loved."
Chao has written a fresh little adventure which has slivers of familiar and well-loved tropes twisted in an entertaining way.
Now I didn’t immediately warm to Lady Jing and her snarky, forthright personality as some of the immature language she uses was a little grating at first. It did make it feel like the book was more suited to be labelled as upper Young Adult/New Adult because for someone reaching their first century in age some of her antics were pretty childish. However, as the story progressed I honestly grew to love her and understand her better and her character development was great.
The mystery aspects regarding the dragon pearl do start to feel more like a subplot as the story progresses and the more character focused narrative takes shape but it sure keeps you intrigued and entertained. Plus I loved how following the clues allowed us to explore the different aspects of the world(s) that Chao has imagined as well as develop relationships between characters.
'You're scary for a scholar,' I say instead, opting to keep things light. 'Remind me never to get on your bad side.'
"Scholars are overrated. Bad sides are more fun."
The worldbuilding was mesmerising both the immortal/hell Shanghai with all its creatures and curiosities as well as the mortal Shanghai with its sprinkle of real world history in there too. But I’ve got to say that I loved the relationships between the characters the most. Both the platonic and romantic relationships were so wholesome and written so well. Lady Jing and Mr Lee had me smiling so much because their dynamic was so perfect!
This book may be based around a chaotic, adventure filled conspiracy but at its core is a story about learning to love yourself for who you are and also letting others in to do the same and it is all round wholesome. Definitely looking forward to the next one!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: War
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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