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lannainthelibrary 's review for:
Shanghai Immortal
by A.Y. Chao
In an underworld parallel to 1930s Shanghai, the King's ward, a half vampire half hulijing spirit spends her days creating mayhem and struggling with her identity and powers. When she overheards a plot against her guardian by her estranged maternal family, Lady Jing sets out to uncover their secrets and prove her mettle. With her mission complicated by the mystery of the human banker Tony Lee, Lady Jing sets off on a trail of mayhem throughout the mortal and immortal worlds.
I was looking forward to this book since I first saw it announced, and it definitely lived up to expectations. Authors of asian mythology have been hitting it out of the park consistently for the past few years and this was no exception. I didn't expect the comedic aspect of it, but Lady Jing's irreverence and her friendship with Gigi were the true highlights of this book.
I liked Tony Lee well enough, although I was pretty ambivalent before his backstory and their journey to mortal Shanghai. Jing was a treasure, exasperating at times but always for good reason and like Big Wang, you just can't stay mad at her.
I wish that Jing's powers and how she came into them had been more detailed, but I'm hoping the fact that it wasn't means that this could evolve into a series.
The world building was spectacular, rich in history of what Shanghai might have been like, with enough glitz and glamour to dazzle without sweeping very real issues under the rug. I like my fantasy grounded in a touch of reality, magic doesn't cure all ills after all.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read, with a world I'd love to dive back into.
Thanks to Hodderscape and Netgalley for this advanced copy.
I was looking forward to this book since I first saw it announced, and it definitely lived up to expectations. Authors of asian mythology have been hitting it out of the park consistently for the past few years and this was no exception. I didn't expect the comedic aspect of it, but Lady Jing's irreverence and her friendship with Gigi were the true highlights of this book.
I liked Tony Lee well enough, although I was pretty ambivalent before his backstory and their journey to mortal Shanghai. Jing was a treasure, exasperating at times but always for good reason and like Big Wang, you just can't stay mad at her.
I wish that Jing's powers and how she came into them had been more detailed, but I'm hoping the fact that it wasn't means that this could evolve into a series.
The world building was spectacular, rich in history of what Shanghai might have been like, with enough glitz and glamour to dazzle without sweeping very real issues under the rug. I like my fantasy grounded in a touch of reality, magic doesn't cure all ills after all.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read, with a world I'd love to dive back into.
Thanks to Hodderscape and Netgalley for this advanced copy.