This was a whole lot of fun and high jinks! I loved this romp through Shanghai despite feeling the plot got a bit lost in all the detail. I loved Lady Jing and her rebellious exploits and learning about the Chinese underworld and its inhabitants. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This is a super fun, fast paced story with demons, vampires, spirits, deities, immortal roosters, jazz dancing, non binary rep, romance - I loved it!

We meet Lady Jing, a half fox spirit, half vampire who lives in the immortal side of Shanghai, which is also the capital of Hell. One day she is tasked with protecting a visitor from mortal Shanghai, and the two of them discover a conspiracy among the celestials in Hell, taking it upon themselves to intervene.

The plot aspects of this are often quite confusing, which docked a star for me. The book makes up for it however with the fun, foul mouthed, unladylike character of Lady Jing, and the wonderfully immersive multi-sensorial world of 1930s Shanghai, both immortal and mortal.

Highly recommend, I’ll definitely read the sequel.

"The yellow ones you said looked like the sun and sparkled like the stars"

Lady Jing is half-hulijing (fox spirit) and half-jiangshi (vampire) who is the ward of the King of Hell but not accepted by the the courtiers who constantly mock her which doesn't help her keep hold of her short fiery temper. When she hears of a plot to steal the dragon pearl, she is determined to keep it safe, even by putting a quiet mortal, Mr Lee in harm's way. As she is drawn deeper into the plot, she travels to mortal Shanghai and then onto other lands where she is forced to face the root of her deepest fears in order to survive.

This is a richly woven tale with both historical and contemporary references which left me wanting to desperately taste a "too sie roll". For an adult novel, I found that the way Lady Jing spoke very childish - "ta-ta's" being repeated frequently. I also struggled with the literal translations of insults which also didn't quite fit the flow of the novel. I loved the friendship that developed between her and Gigi and the romance between Lady Jing and Mr Lee was sweet especially as he supported Lady Jing.

Overall this was a quick, well-paced read that was entertaining once you adapt to the pacing.

Set in the jazz age of 1920s in mortal and immortal Shanghai. We follow Lady Jing who is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit. Her boss big Wang.
The mortal - mr. Lee is sent to immortal Shanghai to help with the banking system.
Jing’s biggest foe is her grandmother Lady Sue.
The worldbuilding is amazing, both mortal and immortal Shanghai feel very vivid. No one ever thinks of hell as being better than earth, but I think the writer has made a very beautiful hell.
The amount of cursing lady Jing does is fantastic and the amount of groveling mr. Lee does with flowery language is also amazing.
I love that lady Jing is a strong, feisty deity.
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.
I will absolutely read anything else she writes and recommend this for fantasy / historical fiction lovers.

The best part of this book was the world. It was masterfully written. The premise of the story (part fox spirit part vampire? Yes please!) was excellent, but it didn't really deliver. It had a lot of potential and it wasn't bad, but it left a lot to be desired. I still enjoyed it, but it won't go in my top books of the year.

Jing is half hulijing fox spirit, half vampire, and all bad attitude. The ward of Immortal Shanghai's biggest crime lord, Jing runs his errands and picks fights with the well-behaved lords and ladies who spurn her for her mixed heritage. A plot to prevent one of Wang's plans thrusts her into the life of a mortal, and from there into mortal, Jazz Age (and Japanese occupied) Shanghai. Excellent for fans of Chloe Gong's Violent Hearts series, Shanghai Immortal drops readers into a world of classic Chinese mythology mixed with sarcasm and spite. Jing isn't an easy protagonist to like - childish and rude, she pushes away everyone, even the reader - but her adventures are gripping and fun to read. Some classic YA tropes make this a harder sell for adult readers, but teens will enjoy it.

This book is amazing! It's funny, packed with action, but very emotional! Lady Jing has spent a hundred years thinking no one cared for her because she was half-vampire, but through the stroy, she learns that she has been loved for a long time.
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.
Her friendship with Gigi is also really nice! Gigi comes running whenever she's in trouble and kinda keeps her grounded.
Mr. Lee and Jing falling in love was so funny. Neither of them wanted love, but they couldn't resist each other. Their energies are complementary, making them a balanced couple.
Jing is a very strong character, who faced a century of insults and abuse from her aunt and her minions, but she was always sure of herself and fought back. She was also very progressive, fighting for her right to wear pants in a sexist society. She grew up, and became a minister like she was supposed to, but on her own accord. No one forced her to choose what her path was.
I'm really fond of this story, it speaks about finding out where you belong and learning to love and be loved. The elements of chinese-mythology as well as the idea of both Mortal and Immortal Shanghai cohexisting are very entertaining, so if you're a fan of Chinese Mythology, you don't want to miss out on Shanghai Immortal!

TW:death, violence, child abuse, drowning, drinking, getting drunk, reference of prostitution and drug use.

Shanghai Immortal had a ton of cool ideas, but unfortunately I think the execution left a lot to be desired.

Like other reviewers, I had a hard time with the protagonist Lady Jing. She's a 100-year-old fox spirit/vampire, but she spends a large chunk of this novel acting like a petulant child. This is supposed to be an adult fantasy novel, but the main character acts like she's in a YA, and tonally it just wasn't what I wanted or expected.

I also don't think the story felt of its intended era. I was really anticipating the 1920s Shanghai setting, but the prose and characters themselves felt way too modern for it to be convincing. There was one dance club scene that I quite enjoyed, but there was a frustrating lack of description in the writing to really embed me in the time period.

That said, I'm glad I pushed through. I almost DNF-ed around the 40% mark, but I think the end of the book showed much more promise for the upcoming series as a whole. Jing does show a lot of growth, the romance has some cute moments, and there's insight into Jing's backstory and family history that left me curious for more. I think if you can handle a crass and childish protagonist, there are definitely things to enjoy in this book.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was attractive to pick up with a promising blurb and going in I was not expecting the dry setup to a story of being a god’s plaything to end up so detailed, action-packed, and such a love letter to Chinese folklore and mythology. You almost want to go to hell to witness this cluster of amusing fury and beautifully described settings, it feels almost like a drama playing out before your eyes.

Its a vampire romance! A genre that has never before stirred me in any way. Luckily its hidden inside a period Shanghainese immortal kingdom fable where frankly being a vampire is both unusual and a bit of an embarrassment. So whilst our heroine Lady Jing does hanker after blood, she very rarely encounters (living) people in the Shanghai Land of The Dead, and most of her being and personality is much more tied up with being a three-tailed fox spirit. Nevertheless being part vampire means she has been ostracised, mercilessly bullied and she bears a grudge towards her parents, her guardian, her teachers and pretty much everyone.

There is a lot going on in Shanghai Immortal, not least the coming of age (which here is 100 - young for an immortal) or a spoiled, petulant brat who has certainly been bullied but has raised so many defenses that she doesn't even know she has friends. She is part of a grand prophecy, and the subject of much derision (often due to her own actions), so when she has to chaperone a human banker (there to set up a Central Bank Of Hell - this is 1930's Shanghai after all), she takes it on as the worst burden in the world. But as is the way in such romances, the barriers slowly thaw and she realises with his help that actual people are looking out for her, she does have friends and if she was just nice every now and then, she might make more.

A Y Chao has written a sprightly mythological adventure, mixing Eastern and Western folklore into a very fun setting. We get to see the Shanghai version of the afterlife, we get to see Concession-era Shanghai through her eyes too (there is a lovely running motif about her wanting to watch sunrises - which did remind, and make me watch one myself. Its an adventure more than romance (or even I guess horror - there is a vampire after all), but Chao creates a great sense of place for both the mythological and real environments, and in Lady Jing has a wonderfully petulant narrator, who retains plenty of bite even when she softens.

I requested this book on a whim. The cover and the plot seemed interesting and the reviews were very positive at the time. Im glad to say it didn’t disappoint. In Shanghai Immortal we are going to follow Lady Jing, she’s half fox half vampire, and lives in the underworld under the tutelage of the Lord of Hell. Suddenly a human travels to the realm and it leads to uncovering a plausible conspiracy regarding the dragon pearl, an object related to Jing’s past. That mostly summarises the plot which is one of the more entertaining factors of the book.

So let’s start with the plot. It was overall really interesting, even though for a portion of the book, let’s say between the 40 and 70 percent marks, its pushed a side for a bit, since we have our young vampire more interested in the more common aspects of mortal Shanghai. Not that I really minded since the characters and the world were quite able to carry the stories on themselves. While I think the plot was fine, I’ll also say that if you’re looking for a thick one with a lot of twists and intrigue, this one its not it, and there’s nothing wrong with it. You’re here to have a good time especially with the amount of humour of the book, even I enjoyed it even though I’m know for hating humour in books.

The humour leads us to the characters, which are probably the strong point of the novel. Our duo are going to be Lady Jing and Mister Lee, one a monster and the other one a human. They have quite the chemistry from the beginning and specially in the middle it felt a lot like a romcom but honestly i didn’t mind. As I said before the ride is super enjoyable and honestly I would love to see this one adapted as a film, it would be one those comfort movies for sure. Also our supporting characters shone pretty bright as well.

The most interesting part for me was the world building, particularly at the beginning when they are in hell, the little details were super interesting and I loved the setting in general. For some reason the plot of the bank in my mind related to the “spa” in Spirited Away, you know something about the monsters and spirits gathering. I loved the time spent in hell and I was a little disappointed when we left it, but still remains my favourite part.

As an overall view I would definitely recommend Shanghai Immortal if you’re looking for a very light and entertaining novel, it won’t change your life but it was really really enjoyable.
The final rating is still in debate between a 4 star and 3.75, not much of a difference but I’m still conflicted.

“Lies are the broken planks that keep me from drawing in all the shite that gets thrown my way."

-----------------

Lady Jing is one of the most unusual characters you will ever meet. Half vampire, half fox spirit royalty she resides in Hell where she is a ward of the big boss there. She doesn’t know much about her origins, but realizes that there is some serious contention around her coming of age (100) and taking her place in the court. She could care less. Literally. About pretty much everything. She spends her days with endless learning and training running errands for the boss. When she is tasked with bringing across a mortal man who has a fake pass, she finds herself embroiled in all sorts of drama. She must flee to mortal Shanghai for a few days, and stay alive.

This is one of the more unusual books I’ve ever read. It’s a bit of a fantasy caper. The world building is so immersive, I found myself easily lost in it, in a great way. Lady Jing takes a while to warm up to, but as the book went on, I was vibing with her sass. I loved the quest and while Lady Jing was a girl, she could definitely take care of herself. It was definitely one of those books I didn’t want to end, especially once you learn what’s really going on.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book was so much fun and also felt like a big hug at the same time!

I’ll admit when I started the book I didn’t know exactly what to expect as for one I was drawn to the book for the cover and then also because there was East Asian mythology involved. Also briefly glancing at the synopsis beforehand and seeing that the protagonist was half vampire, half fox-spirit let’s just say I was ready for some chaos and that’s exactly what I got.

Shanghai Immortal revolves around Lady Jing, ward to the king of Hell who upon hearing whispers that the other hulijing (fox-spirit) courtiers who have made her life miserable are out to steal a dragon pearl, is determined to expose them and settle the score. With the help of Mr Lee, a mortal visiting to set up the Central Bank of Hell who she is supposed to be supervising as a means to avoid the hulijing, she treks through 1930's Shanghai - Mortal and Immortal - to look for leads. But what she finds and experiences on her journey may be better than just vengeance.

Chao has written a fresh little adventure which has slivers of familiar and well-loved tropes twisted in an entertaining way.

Now I didn’t immediately warm to Lady Jing and her snarky, forthright personality as some of the immature language she uses was a little grating at first. It did make it feel like the book was more suited to be labelled as upper Young Adult/New Adult because for someone reaching their first century in age some of her antics were pretty childish. However, as the story progressed I honestly grew to love her and understand her better and her character development was great.

The mystery aspects regarding the dragon pearl do start to feel more like a subplot as the story progresses and the more character focused narrative takes shape but it sure keeps you intrigued and entertained. Plus I loved how following the clues allowed us to explore the different aspects of the world(s) that Chao has imagined as well as develop relationships between characters.

The worldbuilding was mesmerising both the immortal/hell Shanghai with all its creatures and curiosities as well as the mortal Shanghai with its sprinkle of real world history in there too. But I’ve got to say that I loved the relationships between the characters the most. Both the platonic and romantic relationships were so wholesome and written so well. Lady Jing and Mr Lee had me smiling so much because their dynamic was so perfect!

This book may be based around a chaotic, adventure filled conspiracy but at its core is a story about learning to love yourself for who you are and also letting others in to do the same and it is all round wholesome. Definitely looking forward to the next one!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 Stars

I'm not able to finish reading this book for a number of reasons. First is the terrible formatting on the Netgalley app.
I would be willing to overlook that if the book were interesting or exciting to read. It's not. This book reads like a middle schooler's idea of what adults are like based off observing their 16 year old sister. The main character is annoying and inconsistent. The language used does not at all suit the time frame or location for the story. And three pages of exposition before you get to any dialogue or action is a terrible way to start a story.
There might be an interesting story buried in there somewhere but I don't have the energy to dig for it

Lady Jing is a half vampire, half hulijing fox spirit living in Hell. As a child her mother sold her to the king and she has spent the last 90 years as his ward. Out running an errand for the King, Lady Jing overhears some handmaidens from the hulijing court plotting to steal a dragon pearl in the King's possession. Seeing this as a chance to get back at the handmaidens that made her childhood awful she decides to expose them. With help from a human soul setting up a Bank in Hell and a banished Celestial, Jing searches for ways to expose the plot and protect the pearl. This will lead her through Hell and mortal Shanghai, and will expose Jing to a much deeper hunt for truth.

I feel like this book should have been categorized as Young Adult. Whilst being almost 100 years old Jing very much acts like an unruly teenager with the emotional maturity to go with. The romance for example felt a bit off and Jing didn't understand her growing feelings for Mr. Lee. Which just made it feel like she was written younger than she is. I did enjoy the book though. The mythology blended nicely with the jazz era of Shanghai. And it did make me want to learn more about Chinese mythology as I knew very little going into this book. The ending of the book left it very open and as of right now I'm unsure if there will be more in the series but I would enjoy reading more of this world.

Rating 3.5 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review.

This book was nottttt what I was expecting at all!! It was more bloody and gory than I was expecting especially for a fantasy novel, and for that reason I’ll be DNFing. Thank you anyway for the advanced copy!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to have an e-arc copy of this book!

It’s a debut novel from A.Y Chao, which was described to me as a mix of Chinese mythology with vampires so was super excited to read this!

I really liked this book, I loved the main character Lady Jing and her storyline from kind of badass vampire to super badass vampire. I loved the language that she uses, sasshole is now my new favourite word and I will be using it always. She’s a grumpy, sword wielding bitch queen.

This book has the works, it’s takes you through an emotional rollercoaster. One minutes your laughing at Lady Jing and her antics, and the next you’re feeling the heart string tug when you realise the trauma she went through in her childhood. I will be forever obsessed with Lady Jing and how she falls for the mortal Mr Lee. Jing's journey from immediate dislike to falling for him and his sweets is the cutest thing. I also loved the found family trope in this story, with the loveable Big Wang taking her on as his ward and looking after her troublesome self all these years while she discovers her true calling. I also adores the world building in this book, it was so different and I loved the idea of the mirror worlds. You have the thrillingly dark Immortal Shanghai- a mirror world based on real counterparts of historical
Shanghai, and then the actual Mortal Shanghai of the time.

My one issue with this book was that it just felt like not a lot happened, if that makes sense? Possibly caused I’m used to so much drama in my stories now that this just felt a bit meh. Like I didn’t know what the point of the story was. I still loved this though, don’t get me wrong! I would highly recommend this to any fantasy or mythology based readers out there!

This was such a fun story - I loved Jing as a main character as she was so flawed and funny, but also such a fierce and determined person.

The story follows Lady Jing, who is half Chinese fox spirit and half vampire, when she is given a task from her guardian, the king of hell (Big Wang), to collect a package. Except the package turns out to be a mortal called Tony Lee who is here to help with a banking project for Big Wang. Jing and Tony get into lots of trouble together as Jing also deals with the stigma of being half vampire and controlling her temper, but at its heart this is a story about found family and accepting yourself, which I loved.

This was a great start to a trilogy and I am so looking forward to the next books in the series!

Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Such a fantastic read.

I was over excited about this book and it did not disappoint at all.
the setting, the character, the humor, the plot

Just amazing

2 Sterne ⭐️

Leider wieder eine Enttäuschung. Der Anfang war so vielversprechend. Ich mochte den Vibe, das Setting, die Grundidee der Welt und der Hauptcharakter. Aber leider hat es an der Ausführung unglaublich gescheitert.

Lady Jing verhält sich selten wie 100, meistens wie 16. Trotzdem mochte ich sie als Charakter ganz gerne und ihre Entwicklung war definitiv eine der besten Sachen an der Geschichte. Alle anderen Charaktere bleiben extrem Flach und es werden kaum Emotionen aufgebaut. Mr. Lee war einfach unsympathisch und bis zum Ende gab es auch kaum Spannung zwischen den beiden, um eine Beziehung zu rechtfertigen. Auch der Plot schleicht eher dahin. Zwischen durch wird einfach so so viel anderes gemacht und erst auf den letzten 10% gibt es etwas Action. Am Ende bleiben auch viele Dinge für mich offen. Auch der Schreibstil war für mich sehr holprig. Es wurden immer wieder andere Wörter eingeworfen und dass "Ta-Ta's" ein Begriff für Brüsten sein soll, war schon extrem kindisch...

Alles in allem, eher eine Enttäuschung, trotz guter Ideen.