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kevinscorner 's review for:
Shanghai Immortal
by A.Y. Chao
Shanghai Immortal is a Chinese-inspired historical fantasy set in 1930s Shanghai. Lady Jing is half-Celestial fox-spirit and half-vampire and belongs nowhere. A ward of the King of Hell in immortal Shanghai after being pawned off by her mother 90 years ago, Jing becomes the reluctant bodyguard/companion of human banker Tony Lee from mortal Shanghai. When Jing uncovers a plot to steal a powerful artifact, she drags Lee along on her clandestine mission to save face and finally defeat her Celestial nemesis.
I actually really enjoyed this book and found the central romance to be really cute. There was just an unfortunate juvenile quality to the writing and dialogue that may throw people off, especially for what is supposedly an adult fantasy. The language and word/insult choices read incredibly young, and both central characters (Jing who is turning 100 and Lee who is a man in his 30s) act like teenagers. Had this been a YA novel and the characters aged down, it probably would not have been an issue.
But looking past that, I actually had a lot of fun with this book. The banter and interactions between Jing and Lee were cute as can be and just made me smile. I especially loved Lee who is portrayed to be this cowardly but honorable and principled man who falls for Jing despite her abrasive personality. I would have actually liked to have seen his perspective as well in the book (which is entirely told from Jing’s perspective). Jing, meanwhile, can be divisive with her impulsivity and thoughtlessness that may (or may not) be explained by her history.
Shanghai Immortal is a fun historical fantasy with an interesting setting that would have word better as a YA novel in its current form.
I actually really enjoyed this book and found the central romance to be really cute. There was just an unfortunate juvenile quality to the writing and dialogue that may throw people off, especially for what is supposedly an adult fantasy. The language and word/insult choices read incredibly young, and both central characters (Jing who is turning 100 and Lee who is a man in his 30s) act like teenagers. Had this been a YA novel and the characters aged down, it probably would not have been an issue.
But looking past that, I actually had a lot of fun with this book. The banter and interactions between Jing and Lee were cute as can be and just made me smile. I especially loved Lee who is portrayed to be this cowardly but honorable and principled man who falls for Jing despite her abrasive personality. I would have actually liked to have seen his perspective as well in the book (which is entirely told from Jing’s perspective). Jing, meanwhile, can be divisive with her impulsivity and thoughtlessness that may (or may not) be explained by her history.
Shanghai Immortal is a fun historical fantasy with an interesting setting that would have word better as a YA novel in its current form.