Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin is an opulent, high-paced adult historical fantasy set in Shanghai in the 1930s, a time when the city was absolutely booming and becoming one of the worlds largest, and busiest cities

Jingwen is a showgirl, whose grandmother is the primary surgeon for the Shanghai underworld. Jingwen is not following the path her grandmother wished for her and the pressure on her mounts as terrible acts begin to be committed against the showgirls as they battle each other for the affections of wealthy customers in their establishment

The dark energy behind the narrative is utterly compelling and as much as Lin brings to life Shanghai in a completely different era, the brutality of the underworld is (whilst being at once fantasy) is reflective of the cruelty and extensive reach of some of the prolific South East Asian criminal gangs throughout history

Daughter of Calamity is an intense, highly immersive novel that wil leave you absolutely reeling and as such, I will be looking forward to reading more from Rosalie M Lin

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan, Tor and the phenomenal author Rosalie M Lin for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#DaughterofCalamity #NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book. The rich, intoxicating atmosphere was developed early on and just remained constant throughout. The plot twists kept you on your toes.

I really felt everything that Jingwen did - the disappointment after waiting hours for her new suitor, the suspicion and trepidation subsequently.

I struggled to put this book down. I don’t tend to choose ones set in the earlier 20th century but I am so glad that I did.

I read and enjoyed this book - a historical novel set in Shanghai in the 1930s but with strong elements of magical realism. The prose is rich and full of imagery, conjuring up not only the atmosphere of Jazz Age Shanghai, but also making the fantastical elements believable.
Jingwen's glamorous-seeming world of dance is set against the shady world of gangsters fighting for control of Shanghai. Some disturbing elements in the story of the dance girls' stolen faces but ultimately a story with a satisfying resolution. The plot is fast moving and complex - I was kept turning the pages compulsively especially towards the end of the story.

I'd recommend it to readers of historical fiction, and to those enjoying magical realism. I'd certainly suggest it as a good read - and a brilliant example for my students who are writing fantasy - a masterclass in weaving fantasy and real world details together to create a credible background for the story.

I love books like this: tales of lands I don't know much about, set in periods that I have only seen from a Western point of view. Between World Wars? OK, I have a rough idea of what 'the Orient' is, but that's pretty much entirely based on Hollywood movies.

And then I see that the plot features magic, old gods and literal faces being stolen.

I'm in!

First of all, the title of this book is deceptive, its meaning only becoming clear as the story unfolds. Our protagonist isn't 'calamitous' in terms of physically being clumsy or suchlike; this isn't a comedy. Jingwen is young woman struggling to find her place in Shanghai, a city both modern and ancient. She dances and drinks in lively clubs controlled by silver-handed gangsters, while living with her grandmother who performs impossible surgeries from their attic apartment. She's estranged from her mother and rebels against her family, eager to move into the exciting twentieth-century world she sees passing through the port... while at the same time feeling the pull of her ancestry, of the spirit of the land that is her home. Is it so easy to ignore the local gods? Can money or technology substitute for tradition?

This is a tale of growing up and exploring what it truly means to find your identity. Jingwen and her dancer friends are women in a world controlled by men, but many of the latter are indebted for their power to her own grandmother. Wheels turn within wheels, pieces are moved on a board made up of streets and bars, and what is the strength of one girl? When pushed to her limit: quite formidable.

The book doesn't balk from societal unpleasantness either. English and American businessmen are shown for what they are: charming and greedy, patronising and nodding back to colonialism. The anger bubbling under the surface of polite society is tangible, and Jiangwen's own perceived powerlessness is a huge source of frustration for her - but that powers her drive to win. If there is a game being played, she wants to come out on top.

This was a fast read that I didn't want to end. I do hope that the author explores more of this world, which is as enticing as its hallucinogenic liquor. Sultry and powerful as the hand of a goddess.