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

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Jing lives in Yin Shanghai, the Shanghai for deities and half demons, mirror of Yang Shanghai. The mortal Shanghai. The MC Lady Jing is young, and inexperienced with the normal world and relationships, she is still finding herself. She uses sarcasm as her shield and doesn't trust anyone but in her heart, she is brave and strong. I love scenes when she gets tipsy and become walking sunshine. Her dialogues with Mr. Lee are interesting because we can see how she grows thanks to him. The romance: I have to preface this by saying that I'm generally not a romance person, but the biggest issue I had with it was mostly that it felt like a third of the book was mostly only romance, and the rest was the actual plot. It felt oddly separate to the plot to me, almost as though it put a kind of halt to it. This might just be me personally, but it didn't feel as connected as it could have been. A wildly inventive and moving romp that goes through the mortal and immortal realms of China, with an endearing and tumultuous main character 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.

Hodder & Stoughton has triumphed in a five-way auction for debut author A Y Chao’s adult fantasy trilogy. Mr. Lee is a very interesting male protagonist. I like firm people who don't change their values yet don't remain stagnant, either. I kind of feel like he's still some of a mystery because he himself adapts to his environment and according to the circumstances--and what trouble Little Jing is in. We love to see committed and dedicated love interests! 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. Gorgeous book in all aspects, from the characters to the plot and worldbuilding and the writing. Shanghai Immortal is one of my all-time favorites. 5 stars are not enough!!!!!!!You had me at half vampire and half fox spirit. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the title piqued my interest. I was not disappointed. I loved every word. Chao said: “I am thrilled Shanghai Immortal found a home at Hodder and so excited to be working with trailblazing editor Molly Powell. Having not only my agent Jamie Cowen but now also Molly and her amazing team cheering on Lady Jing in all her irreverent arseyness fills me with gratitude and joy.” With the help of a gentle mortal tasked with setting up the Central Bank of Hell, Jing embarks on a wild chase for intel, first through Hell and then mortal Shanghai. But when her hijinks put the mortal in danger, she must decide which is more important: avenging her loss of face, or letting go of her half-empty approach to life for a chance to experience tenderness – and maybe even love Shanghai Immortal by A. Y. Chao is an adult fantasy set in 1920's Shanghai. The story revolves around Lady Jing a half-vampire and half fox-spirit who is a Ward to the King of Hell. One day, Jing overhears a plot to steal form the King, and she embarks on a quest. Along the way, she meets a mortal who she despises at first. But as the pair go on adventure after adventure, could their unlikely partnership turn into something more?

Of course, this book includes the found family trope, my favourite one! The friendship between Lady Jing and Gigi is great and they are a fantastic duo. Their dynamic is amusing, and their scenes together made me laugh a lot. The side characters are an important part of this book and I’d like to know more about them in the next installments of the story.council role that supports her guardian. Lady Jing is a warrior at heart, and fights her way through self discovery while encumbered with a mortal man she finds both infuriating and fascinating.

Where this book really shines though, is the worldbuilding. We get to experience two really interesting settings- immortal Shanghai aka hell that is ruled by Lord Wang and abundant with mythology and real Shanghai in the 1930s. Mortal Shangai feels like a clash of cultures from both the West and East and was so fun to explore. Speaking of her personality: I (greatly) enjoyed her distinctive character voice, but it will not be for everyone. Think Joan He's Zephyr and her overconfident personality from Strike the Zither. So reader, beware. The Chinese concept of saving face is no stranger to me so her motivation is completely valid, but might be for foreign audiences. So, to those readers: keep an open mind. The narration: while witty and later on enjoyable, is not going to be everybody's cup of tea. It's very sarcastic, deeply emotional and at times self-depricating, and conveys Jing's anger and fear in a way that is not always pleasant. It took me a good 20% of the book until I was able to enjoy it. 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. Shanghai Immortal is an Adult Fantasy with elements of Chinese mythology and a jazz-age feel. The world-building was vivid, and I loved the opposition of Yin and Yang Shanghai, mortal and immortal versions of the city separated a veil. Lady Jing lives in Yin Shanghai, the glittering capital of Hell, and its mortal counterpart is set in 1930s Shanghai.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. From the moment Jing will be charged to retrieve Mr Lee in a mad dash around Yin Shanghai because of a faulty talisman, she’ll describe the human as having “doe eyes”. He even reminds her of an overgrown puppy. What a pair these two will form in that’s story! She certainly was the grumpy to his sunshine! She was a little minx and loved ruffling Mr Lee’s feathers, leaving him all flustered! That was so good to read! Shanghai Immortal includes some of my favourite storytelling tropes. Firstly, that of an outsider in their world, as Lady Jing is only half fox-spirit, so she is ostracized by her fellow huiljing. Secondly, the relationship between a mortal and an immortal, the friendship between Mr Lee and Jing. Finally, the two worlds within one space, as we discover both Shanghai and the immortal counterpart.

Many thanks to Hodderscape for my gifted advanced reader copy through Netgalley! This has no influence on the honesty of this review.Accustomed to being lied to, being humiliated especially by her grandmother’s handmaiden , Jing didn’t know what to do with Mr Lee and his kindness. His sweetness was disarming. 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. This book was not what I thought it was going to be in a delightfully unexpected way. It is full of humor and mischief.