Shanghai Immortal: A richly told romantic fantasy novel set in Jazz Age Shanghai

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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?

Our protagonist Lady Jing is half vampire, half hulijing fox spirit and she’s just brilliant. I absolutely loved her sassy personality and I was so invested in seeing her succeed. She’s irreverent and raging against people around her, but as you learn more about her past, you really understand why and empathise with her. There is some sensitive content when we learn what happened to Lady Jing as a child and there is violence throughout the book. It is adult fantasy. I didn’t feel the violence was gratuitous and all the subject matter made sense within the narrative. I loved Lady Jing’s journey as she opens up, let’s down her shields and starts to understand more about the motives of others around her.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be in a delightfully unexpected way. It is full of humor and mischief. Relationships, whether romantic, friendly or familial, play an important part in the story throughout and yet Jing can’t seem to shake those self-doubts. There’s a wonderful found family aspect to Shanghai Immortal and if you’re a fan of those kinds of stories then this will definitely be a book for you! Every one of the “good” characters has something incredibly endearing about them. 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 and mix of Chinese mythology in 1930s Shanghai with mandarin phrases Romanized throughout the book was a fantastic and funny move. I loved how funny Jing could be in her inner thoughts and insults. Lady Jing is requested by Big Wang to meet a mortal who is proposing a bank for the undead. Big Wang is interested in modernizing Hell, which means creating a bank. So Jing meets Tony Lee, a mortal who is clearly (except to inexperienced Jing) smitten with her, pretty much from the start.

u>My least favourite part was the mystery that moves the plot forward. I forgot about it often as I was more invested in Lady Jing’s journey. I think the mystery works well within the book and makes sense at the end, but sadly I was expecting a bigger plot twist at the end of the book.As lady Jing gets into a lot of trouble, Big Wang sends her to mortal Shanghai with mr. Lee. Adventure ensues. The book I first read as an ebook, then listened to the audio version read by Mei Mei Macleod. She is a fantastic narrator and I was happy to hear the correct pronounciations of the Chinese. Having been immersing myself in Asian (Chinese especially) historical media and literature for the past eight years, I was so excited to grab this vivid, cheerfully irreverent homage to Chinese mythology, especially the fantastical tales. This is A.Y. Chao's debut, first of a series, and I am so looking forward to more! Determined to get revenge on the hulijing immortals who constantly belittle her, Jing tries to foil their plan to steal a dragon pearl from her guardian, the King of Hell. Alongside this, she is charged with protecting a mortal man. However, she soon finds herself distracted by the handsome Tony Lee as they travel across immortal then mortal Shanghai. Jing's inability to believe herself worthy of love and friendship is explored throughout the book and some of the revelations about her childhood abuse and trauma are devastating. I love that she's shown gradually realising her self-worth thanks to Tony Lee's outsider perspective.

Anyways: I enjoyed the supporting characters, the mythology, the slow burn, and Lady Jing's development. I didn't have any issue with the way the expositionary details were interweaved with the story and I was satisfied with the climax. I was left scrounging for more romantic crumbs at the end but it *was* tied up so it's all good. stars! This book is hilarious, dark, witty, and extravagant all at once. Lady Jing was such a stunning character and I couldn't get enough of her. She truly is a 'sasshole.' This story weaves mythology, fantasy, and satire together into a story as gorgeous as its cover. I will be impatiently waiting for the next book by this author. It’s also a wonderful blending of Chinese mythology and Jazz Age Shanghai. It’s such a rich and beautiful blend of subjects but in a way that never feels confusing. SHANGHAI IMMORTAL was refreshing to read, not only because the main character was half Vampire and Fox Spirit, but it was also because she was a unique and feisty person with a mind of her own.I really enjoyed the emotional moments at the end, when she realized she wasn't sold, but adopted! Big Wang really cared for her, he knew she was afraid of water way before she told him, he always kept her safe. It's a very sweet parent-daughter relationship. Shanghai Immortal is a gritty, glittering tale of gods and monsters in a reimagining of 1930s China. The fearsome half-vampire half-deity Lady Jing swaps anger management lessons for a crash course in the mortal realm and you can't help but root for her and the chaos she leaves in her wake. Full of fury, passion, and beauty, this is a debut that will grip you in its fangs and make you bleed-all the while wanting more." - Saara El-Arifi I want to preface this review by saying that I know for a fact that this book will not be for everyone. If you have delicate sensibilities and are easily offended by words like "piss-fart" and "ta-tas," as a matter of fact, you might hate this book. I, however, have the mouth of a sailor and am not offended by profanities. In fact, I found them hilarious. You see, Lady Jing, our FMC, is an absolute sasshole, and I love her for this. I love that Chao didn't shy away from developing Lady Jing's sassiness because she felt colorful and full of life.

A delightfully wild ride through a fantastical Shanghai filled with rich mythology, endearingly snarky characters, and laugh-aloud mischief. Entertaining from start to finish!" - Chelsea Abdullah One thing about Lady Jing is that she didn’t believe that people are her friends or are her support. Her protective layer hardened at every curse, accusation, and abuse that the hulijing court had thrown her direction. This is why she didn’t believe that Big Wang was truly looking out for her or that Lady Gi is her friend or that her mother loved her. I’m glad that it changed and she no longer felt as alone in the world as she thought. I love how vulgar, unapologetic and stubborn Jing is. She is one of the most well built, interesting and real characters I've read. And she made me laugh so much, it also made my heart hurt with all she had lived and I felt the sentiments were very relatable, and connecting with her and loving her is so easy ❤️ The author states that they're interested in exploring the interplay between self-perceived versus imposed identity and this is exactly what the book is about. And then throw in some dragons and you have a nearly perfect book. This book was so much fun! It’s fast, it doesn’t take itself too serious, it’s amusing. I had such a great time reading this book.

Featured Reviews

This year, I read incredible ARCs having female protagonists who embark on an adventurous journey. Shanghai Immortals is one of those ARCs. This novel has several interesting aspects. Lady Jing of Mount Kunlun aka Grand Princess Overflowing with Sagacity aka Noble Lady Hu Xian Jing of the Turquoise Hills is born of a hulijing (fox spirit) mother and vampire father. Because of this, Jing is constantly bullied by her fellow fox relatives and shunned by the rest because she has to sustain on blood. Yes, even though she’s in Hell, the yaojing (demons) are wary of her. Of course, this has to do with her explosive temper which got her into hot waters multiple times, especially when it concerns the rest of the hulijing court. Jing lives in Yin Shanghai, the Shanghai for deities and half demons, mirror of Yang Shanghai. The mortal Shanghai. In terms of the characters, I love sassy characters. I love them because normally it’s an absolute front and there’s so much more to them, and Lady Jing was no exception to that! She spends her days as, what she thinks, is kind of more of a slave to Big Wang (he says differently to her, time and time again, but hey everyone has at least a little bit of self-doubt). He wants her to live up to her title, to wear nice dresses and excel in her lessons so she can take her place in court. Lady Jing has other plans though, she wants to wear trousers and be comfortable whilst avoiding the court for as long as possible! So, hell, the mortal world… and we also get to know the celestial lands! Home to the likes of Chang-e and dragon lords. This is just a little part of the large amount of world-building Chao has put into Shanghai Immortal, and everything fits together just so perfectly. I won’t delve into this element, but I absolutely loved how roosters were used in the overall world.