As a contestant for the most stunning cover 2023 this novel is in the lead. I applied for the ARC especially because the cover caught my attention. Yet, the story behind the cover and the interesting blurb didn’t deliver.

Shanghai Immortal seems to defy all genres that I would have assigned to it, is it an adult (urban) fantasy with Chinese mythology elements or a paranormal mystery/paranormal romance?

I’m not sure what this book’s genre actually is, but it read too modern for a story set in the Jazz Age. The MC, Lady Jing, acted like a spoiled teenager rather than a nearly 100-year-old immortal princess/half-vampire-half-fox-spirit with ties to two high courts of the mythical realm. Lady Jing is acting up just for the sake of annoying everyone around her, which shows how the author is using Jing’s childhood trauma as a plot device, it’s the only reason given for Jing’s behaviour. Furthermore, Jing doesn’t listen to the advice from the people around her, which the author tries to hide under the cloak of the “miscommunication trope”.

Where Lady Jing is presented as the anti-hero hero who wants to prevent the theft of a certain dragon pearl from the King of Hell, the secondary characters are depicted as typical paste-board romance novel characters. There’s the uber-beautiful bestie and her love-interest. There is the overly protective, yet obnoxiously annoying father-figure and his cronies, the “turd for brain bitches” who have been bullying Jing all her life, there is an avuncular figure who we get to see two three times but they have to make the deus-ex-machina work, and there is the handsome, clueless and hard to crack mortal love-interest.

Ugh! I thought I’d get an Urban Fantasy with Chinese Mythology woven into it not a hot mess of a story that I’d rank as a bland romance story that has the maturity level somewhere between middle-grade and YA. It definitely isn’t an adult paranormal/mythological urban fantasy mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, this book was amazing. From page one I was invested in the story and couldn't stop reading. The world-building of yin shanghai was rich, and I really felt like I was there with Jing. I loved the pacing of this, I felt like there was a good balance between action and dialogue. At its core, it is about Lady Jing discovering who she is, and overcoming what others say about her. The relationship between her and Mr. Lee was an added bonus. And don't get me started on Big Wang, Hornsey, and Bullhead, their relationship with her was beyond cute, and you could really see how much they wanted to protect her. I'm definitely excited to see what else this author comes up with, and to continue Jing's story!

I think I would have liked this well enough if my expectations has been tempered to not so much the adult complexities designated in this book. Shanghai Immortal read a bit on the YA side and dealt with a character saddling the intricacies of several different worlds and yet not feeling that sense of belonging. I admired that, and in some sense, I could relate.

But for some reason it was also hard to believe that a character at almost 100 years of age could act as though she was a rebellious 16-y-o. It took until the end of the book for me to realize why: a majority of the antagonistic characters were just as immature.

I did like Lady Jing's eventual development, and things were interesting when she and Mr. Lee were in mortal Shanghai. The tie-ins of Chinese folklore and mythology were cool, and eventually even the awkward turns of phrases and crude terminology became background noise. Still, it wasn't quite the book I was expecting.

Half spirit fox and half vampire, Lady Jing was sold to the King of Hell. Much to her dismay, she is constantly tormented by her family and she wants nothing more than to be free of her lowly position. However, when hears of a plan to steal a dragon pearl from the King of Hell and loses her reputation, Lady Jing is determined to save face by any means necessary including using the moral Tony Lee for her plans.

The story was full of Chinese mythologies and intricately weaves its aspects into the historical and cultural parts of the setting: Shanghai. It was a narrative that took a while to pick up but didn't lack the smooth intrigue in its story to keep my interested. It didn't take long for me to be immersed in the story and want to accompany Jing on her dubious plans.

With a colorful and varied cast, the story developed an interesting dynamic and chemistry between the two main characters and the secondary ones. I enjoyed seeing Jing and Lee's slow friendship blossom into something more. I also loved Gigi's friendship with Jing. What I didn't like much as Jing herself in some areas. Her behavior felt more like a teenager rather than the adult she was explained to be. It would've made more sense if age in Hell flowed differently and Jing's age was equivalent to that of a teenager. Alas, it didn't seem like that was the case and it was rather off-putting to see. Another thing was the overuse of the word "ta-tas". At first it made for an amusing joke. But using it so consecutively in a book where the writing and language used is categorized as mature...it didn't do it for me.

The ending in particular felt anticlimactic and incomplete. There was no real closure between Jing and Lee. Nothing that tells me what happens with them now that everything is solved. And that irritated me especially since we have been on this journey with them since Chapter 1. Overall, Immortal Shanghai is definitely a rich story of mythology, culture, beautifully written atmospheric elements, and intricate narrative. However, some parts felt a bit short for me.

3.5 / 5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty fun read and I can see it appealing to certain readers, but it didn't quite work for me and my personal tastes when it comes to adult fantasy. The world was interesting and the plot had potential, but the main character wasn't my favorite unfortunately.

This was a very fun, fast-paced read, which I highly enjoyed! The plot moved very quickly, and there were very little moments were it dragged, which meant that I could hardly put it down while I was reading. The worldbuilding was well done, and I enjoyed seeing the yin version of Shanghai, and how it mirrored but also differed from mortal Shanghai. Overall, though, this books strength lies in its main character: Lady Jing. Jing is such a fun, witty, brave, and memorable heroine, and her narrative voice was so clear while I was reading. It wasn’t hard at all to root for her, and I loved how flawed she was as well, as her imperfections brought real depth to her personality. SHANGHAI IMMORTAL was such a fun book to read, and I cant wait to see the sequel!!

3.5/5 stars

The concept of this book was really intriguing - a mortal Shaghai, as well as an immortal shanghai which has all sorts of supernatural creatures and deities.

I also really liked the MC's fighting spirit, it was refreshing to read her pov.

I guess I gave it only 3.5 stars because I couldn't properly follow the narrative of the book.. it was a bit wordy, and I couldn't always figure out why things were happening? Like, we got to read about her emotions a lot, but I felt like a significant portion of the book didn't have enough character interaction for it to be gripping enough (for me, atleast)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I received an ARC through NetGalley. Due to other commitments and travel, I wasn’t able to finish it before the release.
🐉
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️(3.5/5)🚫🌶️
This was a little weird. It’s very heavy on Chinese mythology regarding hell and the afterlife. King Yan Wang (the king of hell which they call immortal Shanghai), Hulijing (Fox Spirits who feed on mortal Yang Qi), and ghosts who are indentured to the king of hell to payback their karmic debts before being able to pass to be able to be reincarnated.

Lady Jing is a ward of Big Wang who likes to cause trouble. She is half vampire and half hulijing, but is hated by the Hulijing court. A mortal comes to immortal Shanghai to help establish a bank in hell. Lady Jing overhears a plot to stop the creation of the bank and a plan to steal a dragon pearl. No one believes her and ultimately she tries to uncover the plot.

It took me about half of the book to fully understand the mythology.

I did ultimately enjoy the story minus her constant “swearing” calling people “turd eggs” or “pissfart”.

I loved the world building in this book and how the differences between immortal Shanghai and real Shanghai were described in high detail of sights, smells, food, fashion and experiences.

The Hulijing courtiers are so cruel to Lady Jing, which makes it easy to understand why she rebels against her title, is quick to temper, and acts the way she does. I enjoyed seeing her character develop over time and become more confident and less snarky as she spends more time with polite Mr Lee. She really grows as a character, realising that those close to her have been looking out for her despite what her distrust made her previously believe. Mr Lee’s character is a great contrast to Lady Jing and his courtly speak made me laugh alot.

Lady Jing’s half vampire half fox spirit heritage was a really great combination and unlike any fantasy characters I’ve read before. I really liked how the vampire side wasn’t as dark/morbid as vampires usually are, it was a fresh take on vampires. There’s lots of interesting magical beings that make me want to read more set in this world. Fingers crossed for a second book!

Lady Jing is half vampire, half fox spirit and she's the king of hell's ward. The story follows Lady Jing who wants to escape her low status and unravel an old mystery. Along the way, she gets involved with a human named Tony Lee. This story was chaotic, fun, interesting and at some parts even funny. 3.5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

The humour of this book put me off entirely and while the growth of immature characters into something more can be done well and enjoyable, I'm personally over reading it.

weird… dragon thing was cool but confused about the 2 shanghais and world building. like what was she exactly and why did those ladies want that pearl so badly?

I didn’t know what to expect when I read this book but I was pleasantly surprised and I actually really enjoyed it! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this but I just felt disconnected from the story. The juxtaposition of the Gatsby era feel of the characters but Lady Jing cussing like a middle schooler who just found out they could swear was off putting. Im not opposed to swearing in book I’m just not a fan when it detracts from the story. I haven’t seen the word fart, turd, and piss so many times since I was on my public school bus in middle school. It just gave the book a very childish feel while also including action scenes that seemed more adult. I think fans of Song of Silver Flame Like Night would love this. Lady Jing has the same acquired taste as Lan.

I did enjoy the Chinese folklore and the fact that this story includes vampires and fox spirits. That was a really fun twist and the ending of the story did pick up and get more exciting. Overall this isn’t a bad story by any means it just wasn’t a personal favorite of mine. I appreciate the cultural aspects that were included and know that the author wanted a character who was headstrong and pushed back against societal norms. All of these things were wonderful I just felt like this story was a miss for me.

Thank you Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC

i'm of two minds about this one. on one hand i found the world to be vivid and fun, and the general pace of the book to be quick moving and interesting. on the other hand i found the main character's sense of humor to undermine the good of the book, as well as being very distracting. oh well

4,5 stars. That was wild, unexpectable, and fun!! This is a one-of-a-kind cozy fantasy haha

Lady Jing is part hulijing, part vampire. and even though her grandmother is the matriarch of the hulijing court, every single hulijing court member HATE her because of her dirty"foreigner" vampire blood. She believed that her mother sold her to the King of Hell to be able to buy big diamonds. That makes her mindset skeptical and prejudiced the worst in everything. She loves to cause all sorts of trouble, and lying is as natural as breathing for her.

One day she met a human, a guest of the King of Hell himself: Mr. Lee. their interactions starting out funny with Lady Jing thought that he's a blood supply gift for her and he carried a fake protective talisman so Lady Jing had to do extra protections from hungry deities. After all, she doesn't want to disappoint her guardian.

The strongest aspect of this book is the character dynamics and the banter. Also the story's narrated using Lady Jing's voice which is sassy and interesting. She's truly a Mood and has Behaviors lmao. She reminds me of Vanja from Little Thieves which was surprising because apparently there's more layers about her past that shaped her mindset:(

The character interactions were naturally amusing!! I giggled a lot by the absurdity of the conversation. But started from &0% mark towards the end, the vibes turned somber a bit. not in a tragic way but achingly heartwarming? if that make sense.

I have some reasons on why I didn't give it 5 stars:
- the world building was pretty hard to imagine, and the way the author used 3 different names for the same location didn't help (Hell, Yin Shanghai, Immortal Shanghai)
- A lot of names & social status were threw at my face at the beginning of the book which make the story a bit hard to follow. Then at one point I decided that I don't care about them (bc apparently most of them didn't appear agaiin later) then I started to be able to enjoy the story better.
- the author used a lot of Chinese words and there's no glossary in the book. Good thing Kindle has automatic definer to help this non-Chinese reader

Overall it's a nice debut, but the ending felt to early, will there be a sequel???? I still want to read Lady Jing & Mr. Lee's adventure:(

🧧🀄Shanghai Immortal🀄🧧

(I received an ARC from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.)

Half vampire and half fox spirit, Lady Jing is probably the sassiest B (and I say that lightly) in all Shanghai. This adult fantasy debut from AY Chao introduces us to an immortal world parallel to the mortal world where adventures and hijinks are clearly the norm.

Shanghai Immortal is a fast-paced comedic adventure, peppered with all kinds of language; feisty, sassy, hilarious, and everything all over again in Mandarin phrases. It is quite a delight having to read Lady Jing's mutterings.

Though she is pegged at almost a century old, for an adult fantasy Lady Jing still gives off a teen YA vibe with the way she thinks and talks. I recommend reading this when you're in a lighthearted mood and itching for some laughs.

The book feels very plot-centered despite the world it is set in, which I felt was not built up enough to fully reveal and understand it. If you are familiar with Chinese fantasy, or speak Mandarin yourself, most of the terms used would be easily understood as they are glossed over and only briefly described.

There are a number of characters present and introduced in the book but I feel like this is more of an introduction to Lady Jing and her narrow view of her world so we don't really get to see or understand the other characters as they could potentially be. Hopefully we get to see more of these issues addressed in future books.

I've been struggling to form an opinion on this. In my opinion this was much more of a YA novel than an adult - Lady Jing acted like a sulking toddler for most of the story, throwing hissy fits every few pages and using language like "piss farts" and solely referring to breasts as "tatas" made me uncomfortable throughout.

I loved the premise of this book and the last 10% especially was really engaging (even if there was a huge tonal shift from the rest of the book). I would have loved to see more of the fox-spirit, I feel like it was something that was brought up at the start and not mentioned again. Gigi was the best character and the most developed in the book and I'd like to explore her story more.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

On paper, this book should have been everything I was looking for: an adult fantasy novel set in 1930's Shanghai featuring Chinese mythological elements. However, that initial promise didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I immediately struggled with this novel. The first person narration written in the present tense was jarring, although I did eventually get used to it. The main character, Lady Jing, was described as someone who was fierce and fiery, but I wasn't prepared for just how immature she would be. Frequent repetitions of "ta-tas" and "piss-fart" continually took me out of the moment and made it difficult to concentrate on what was actually being said.

The pacing, overall, was also a challenge. I found myself, at multiple points throughout the novel, wondering when I would finally reach the point of the plot. For me, that wasn't until about 80% of the way in, the rest having been dedicated to world-building and establishing characterization. When things finally started to come together, I found it difficult to really care about the stakes or the outcome. It was easier to settle in and enjoy my time reading once I began to think of the it as a mislabelled Young Adult novel, but that first impression was still a challenge to overcome.

Overall, if you're looking for a novel with a strong-willed, outspoken, insecure, and irreverent main character, <i>Shanghai Immortal</i> has that in spades. While I'm curious to see where the story will go in the rest of the planned trilogy, I'm not sure if I'll be sticking with it in order to find out.

🪻 ARC

I absolutely enjoyed this one!
I loved the setting and the characters.
Amazing wordbuilding and a really fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!