Really enjoyed this book! It was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this book! The characters and world building were phenomenal! Would definitely recommend!

Jing is a brave yet reckless spirit whose brash actions prove her despise for flattery and her past echoes through the weight of being stuck between a vampire spirit and fox spirit. She is isolates in the shadows while her vulnerability silently moans. When exposed to the courtiers' plot to steal a dragon pearl from the king, she takes a daring chance to thwart them. But she is also tasked to watch over a mortal and the danger only grows. A fun escapade that does read younger than adult fiction but still impresses with the humour and anticipation.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. The synopsis for this book had all the right words for me: half vampire; half fox-spirit; Chinese mythology and great dragons on the cover. All the things I love and enjoy reading stories about. This did not disappoint! There were aspects of the story that surprised me and I enjoyed every page.

DNF at 44%.
I was so excited to read this, and while the vibes were great in some parts, I was not a fan of the main character. - she came across as immature which made it hard to connect with her and invest in the stakes. I also felt that the world building wasn't as strong as it could've been, and the writing and pacing faltered in parts, so it couldn't deliver on the strong premise. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, I do suggest you try it for yourself.

An incredible fantasy novel. I devoured this so fast and I already need more. Such an incredible debut !!!

I might not have paid too close attention to the blurb before I picked this book up, which turned out to be a good thing. Having a book about immortal creatures from Chinese folklore living in an alternate Shanghai and a potential romance brewing might not have appealed as much in theory as it actually did in practice!
Lady Jing is someone who has a mix of power. There is her own internal power because of her parentage - then there is the power that comes from being a sort of ward to the King of Hell. She lives to push boundaries and is forever chaffing at restraints put around her while simultaneously trying to get back at the women(creatures) from her grandmother's entourage.
One day, she is tasked with bringing a mortal safely to the King. This begins her adventure, which then leads to discoveries that she has always struggled with. The writing flowed so well that it was not hard to get caught up in the emotional distress and excitement of Lady Jing. She finds out that she has friends after all and that she can actually trust people to have her back.
There are fighting scenes as well as some inane conversations about clothing being restrictive for fighting by women. It was a fun read with some poignant and deeper moments, making for a great balance.
The world started with this book and was fleshed out enough with its own curses and recriminatory words. I never understood fantasy books that just use language from our own when there is supposedly no overlap.
I would happily recommend this to fans of the fantasy (and romantasy) genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I’ve been reading this book since June, and I FINALLY managed to finish it — go me! I probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t on sale for 99p, since my arc via the NetGalley shelf app expired and I wasn’t interested in it enough to buy it at full price.

I’m not sure why I didn’t like this one, it was just very . . . Meh? I struggled to keep track of the plot. I just didn’t really know what the plot was exactly, just something about a pearl. The world building was decent, but I found the different courts and titles confusing.

Jing was an interesting main character and as the book went on we did get to see more of her depth and complexities. We got to hear and learn more about some of the other characters too, but I never felt like we really got to know any one. I didn’t really find the romance particularly appealing either.

This book was simply delightful I had such a great time with it.
Set in Shanghai “Hell” the world building was colourful and descriptive, characters were many and diverse, cute little romances, lots of humour and of course evil demons.
Suitable for all ages highly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic read with a great level of world building, luscious writing that is steeped in Chinese Mythology and divine beings

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape for the ARC of Shanghai Immortal!

This novel is SO unique; I have never read anything like it before. The magical system is well-developed and interesting. The female main character, Lady Jing, is described in the advertising as "half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit and all sasshole" and it made it hard to connect with her at first. Eventually as the character grows she begins to control her temper and pay more attention to the world less in regards to how it treats her, and she becomes a more likeable character for it. The supporting characters are incredibly interesting. I cannot wait to read the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a really hard time with this, which is a shame because I thought the premise sounded really good. For a book that is meant to be Adult, it felt very YA. Especially with how much the main character whined, the tantrums she threw and the language used. I.E. 'ta-tas'. I also think that the MC did not help in terms of the flow of the story. The lack of explanation throughout this back was another thing I found difficult to grapple with. There wasn't really a build up to the romance so it just felt forced. I didn't think any of the characters were particularly likeable however I would say the most interesting character was the Dragon King. The attempts at humour didn't quite land either. I'm so disappointed because I was looking forward to this but unfortunately the lack of development, lack of growth, juvenile language and the childish nature of the MC let it down.

The concept of this book was super intriguing and is one of the best parts of this book! The idea of more than one Shanghai and all the different species was great. Overall I think the plot is a great idea, the historical setting is exciting, and the mythology is very interesting. However, I unfortunately wasn't sold on the characters, and it didn't feel like an adult fantasy. The characters felt young and immature and the writing style was maybe a little too sassy for me. I think it should have been marketed as a YA book instead of an Adult book as it feels very YA.

Overall this gets 3/5 stars.

I received this free from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This took me months to read, it really wasn't for me.

I was attracted by the cover, the summary and because I heard a lot about it before it came out (it's been a while, I know).

Honestly, the concept was very good: the historical setting, the mythology, the plot, almost everything came together for an excellent book.

The main problem I had with my reading was therefore entirely to do with the writing and the characters. I'd been told it was going to be an adult book, but to me it sounded more like YA or even middle grade. Overall, it was very immature, especially the dialogue and the main character. This clearly prevented me from enjoying my reading.

Nevertheless, I think it's a book that a younger audience will enjoy.

3.5 stars rounded up

The best bit of this was the romance, which was SO CUTE. It was a slow build, but Mr Less was a sweetheart and there was a gentleness to their growing connection that I found charming (there was a kiss scene that had be clutching my kindle to my chest). The setting was fascinating, with the characters moving between mortal and mythical realms and versions of Shanghai, and the prose was great, the descriptions atmospheric.

The ending was, in a word, convenient. It involved lots of people turning up at just the right time to say “here is information you didn’t previously know but which sorts this whole matter out!” It wasn’t unsatisfying, precisely—it did, after all, tie everything up neatly—the problem was that I already wasn’t very invested in the non-romance plot, so having it put aside so easily kind of confirmed it as not particularly important to me.

The most frequently used expletive is ‘piss fart’ which… got old quickly. I don’t know if that’s the literal translation for an equivalent to ‘shit,’ or just a character quirk the author chose to use (it was hardly the only potty humour, ‘turd-egg’ was another frequent one), but I found it carried a childishness that then reflected on Lady Jing in a way that influenced how I felt about her defiance and non-conformity (it took away some of the potential depth for me - but given the irreverent tone of the book, maybe I was trying to cling to a depth that wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place?). Basically, she was just so immature and the language choices made it worse.

I really tried to get into this book but it honestly just didn't work for me. I found myself unable to connect with & even constantly irritated by the FMC, which made it hard for me to keep reading this.

When I read half vampire, half fox spirit I knew this was a book I’d definitely be interested in. Lady Jing works for the King of Hell and is sent on a new task to transport a human, all while trying to solve the corruption going on and find away out of her own entrapment. I loved the charm and wit of the characters though I did find some of the language used didn’t necessarily feel like the right fit.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review,

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Shanghai Immortal" by A.Y. Chao follows Jing a half vampire and fox spirit who gets the opportunity to get her revenge.

I would give "Shanghai Immortal" by A.Y. Chao a 2 star review because, while the description sounded okay going back to the description and reading the story everything feel short to my expectations.

There's a reason it's taken me nearly 6 months to read this after the publishers sent it to me. Every time I think about how the MC is purposefully described as a “sasshole” in the synopsis, I physically cringe. and I knew it was a sign of things to come.

This is meant to be an adult novel, but the immaturity of it all significantly deters the book's target audience. The childish language/dialogue, as well as the whiny and unrelatable MC, not only prevented me from enjoying this, but it also hinders the world-building and any other redeeming aspect of this story.

Which, surprisingly, there are a few. The entire concept is actually quite intriguing - it's why I picked this up and finished it, even though the writing and MC annoyed me. I think the plot is a great idea, the historical setting is exciting, and the mythology is very interesting. Which is why it's such a shame all of this was held back by poor writing choices and characterisation, preventing the book from living up to its full potential.

However, younger readers who can relate to this particular kind of writing and humour may actually really enjoy this (this should have been marketed as YA instead). But, for me, this definitely could have been so much more than what it is as an adult fantasy novel.

"Shanghai Immortal" by A. Y. Chao is like diving headfirst into a whirlwind of magic and mayhem in the bustling streets of 1920s Shanghai. With a kick-butt protagonist, wickedly cool supernatural powers, and a plot that twists and turns like a rollercoaster, this book is an absolute thrill ride. A. Y. Chao's writing makes you feel like you're right there in the middle of the action, and the blend of Chinese folklore and the roaring '20s vibe adds an extra layer of awesomeness. Whether you're into fierce heroines, urban fantasy, or just crave a story that'll keep you hooked from start to finish, "Shanghai Immortal" is the book to pick!