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andyn5 's review for:
Shanghai Immortal
by A.Y. Chao
A fantastic, addictive and hilarious debut that will take readers on a wild ride! Buckle up!
Meet Lady Jing, a half vampire, half fox spirit that was pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child. With a very short fuse, bad temper and absolutely no filter, she has spent the past ninety years running errands and trying to survive the constant attacks from spiteful hulijing courtiers.
When the King requests that she escorts a human guest to meet him, she has to make sure no one or something eats him. Things get complicated when she overhears the courtiers planning to steal the dragon pearl from the King's treasury. With the help of the mortal guest, Jing embarks on a journey to prove herself, expose (or get revenge against ) those responsible for her pain and trauma, and maybe... fall in love in the process. What can possibility go wrong?
I absolutely loved Lady Jing as a protagonist. She has absolutely no filter, saying and insulting without discrimination, and speaking her mind no matter who is in front of her. Her snarky, sarcastic comments and insults made me laugh multiple times. But beneath the string front she puts on, it's a young woman unable to let go of her pain and of everyone's opinion of her. I also enjoyed her most vulnerable moments, her growth, and the growth of the relationships with those around her close circle. The secondary characters are so complex and well-explored that I know the story wouldn't have been the same without them, their strengths and their unwavering love for Jing. Gigi is a particular favourite of mine.
The world-building is simply fantastic. I loved the idea of Hell being a close-copy of Mortal Shanghai, and how the two are connected. The description of all the foods and cocktails made me want to just eat Asian for a week! All those dumplings...
The ancient Chinese myths and legends are integrated beautifully into the story and the little drops of historical and social history, made this book that much better and immersive.
I can't recommend it highly enough!
Thank you very much to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy!
Meet Lady Jing, a half vampire, half fox spirit that was pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child. With a very short fuse, bad temper and absolutely no filter, she has spent the past ninety years running errands and trying to survive the constant attacks from spiteful hulijing courtiers.
When the King requests that she escorts a human guest to meet him, she has to make sure no one or something eats him. Things get complicated when she overhears the courtiers planning to steal the dragon pearl from the King's treasury. With the help of the mortal guest, Jing embarks on a journey to prove herself, expose (or get revenge against ) those responsible for her pain and trauma, and maybe... fall in love in the process. What can possibility go wrong?
I absolutely loved Lady Jing as a protagonist. She has absolutely no filter, saying and insulting without discrimination, and speaking her mind no matter who is in front of her. Her snarky, sarcastic comments and insults made me laugh multiple times. But beneath the string front she puts on, it's a young woman unable to let go of her pain and of everyone's opinion of her. I also enjoyed her most vulnerable moments, her growth, and the growth of the relationships with those around her close circle. The secondary characters are so complex and well-explored that I know the story wouldn't have been the same without them, their strengths and their unwavering love for Jing. Gigi is a particular favourite of mine.
The world-building is simply fantastic. I loved the idea of Hell being a close-copy of Mortal Shanghai, and how the two are connected. The description of all the foods and cocktails made me want to just eat Asian for a week! All those dumplings...
The ancient Chinese myths and legends are integrated beautifully into the story and the little drops of historical and social history, made this book that much better and immersive.
I can't recommend it highly enough!
Thank you very much to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy!