A review by bfrance99
Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really hate giving this book such a low rating when it’s clear that the author put a lot into it, but I have to be honest with myself. This book was not for me. Any book that frequently uses the phrases ‘ta-tas’ and ‘turd egg’ is not for me, and it should definitely never have been marketed as an adult fantasy. It’s young adult at best - the nearly-one-hundred-year-old half-vampire is going on twelve. I didn’t like the main character, I didn’t like the love interest, I didn’t like the other characters, I didn’t understand the world and I struggled with the lack of plot in the first half of the book. I just… didn’t like it. There was potential with the writing, which is probably why I stuck with it and didn’t DNF it, but everything else made it fall apart.