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.

**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.

This year, I read incredible ARCs having female protagonists who embark on an adventurous journey. Shanghai Immortals is one of those ARCs. This novel has several interesting aspects.

First this novel is based on the unique Chinese mythology of yang and yin about the cosmos. It contains celestial bloodthirsty immortals, hell, fox and vampire concepts. I mean if you have watched a series like Tale of the Nine Tailed or Avatar then you might understand what I’m saying 😉.

The way Chao describes these mythological characters is really amazing. I absolutely loved the concept behind the story.

Next, the novel is set in 1930’s Shanghai. There are yin and yang Shanghai. Thus, you’ll not only see immortals in this book but also the normal people. I really enjoyed the tour of yang Shanghai with Lady Jing. The writer beautifully describes each and every detail of Shanghai at that time. My most favorite scenic beauty of yang Shanghai is the sunset.

The characters in the novels are all amazing. I love all the characters besides Lady Soo and Lady Jing’s grandmother. This novel not only features immortal characters but also a mortal man named Tony Lee. I love the relationship between Lady Jing and Mr. Lee. Although they both are from a different world, so there will be some clashes and misunderstandings between them. But I can assure you things will turn out well for them.

This novel along adventure is also filled with humor. Lady Jing’s character itself is funny. She tries to control her anger but still it causes her problems. Yan Luo Wang aka Big Wang, the king of hell is also funny and caring at the same time. I love his sarcastic side.

If we talk about the pacing of the novel, it contains too much description that isn’t required in my opinion. This issue only happened to me in the first half of the novel. Later, i found myself lost in the Shanghai Immortals and couldn’t put it down.

In the end I’ll say read this novel if you love

Found Family
Unexpected cinnamon rolls
Vengeance
Awkward crushes
Feeling like you don’t belong

Lady Jing is a half-vampire, half hulijing fox spirit who was traded to the King of hell - for a very large diamond - when she was child. She’s been raised in his court, trained by his bodyguards, and provided for, but she’s never felt like she belongs. Neither a being of hell nor a pure hulijing, Jing feels like an outsider everywhere she goes - a feeling only perpetuated by the bigoted and narcissistic hulijing courtiers who make it their mission to remind her she’s ‘lesser’ when they visit. When Jing is sent to retrieve an unusual delivery for the King, she finds herself tempted by an unprotected and unsuspecting mortal, who really needs to stop with the fancy court talk, thank you very much, and she gets to explore Mortal Shanghai like she’s always dreamed.

The blurb describes Jing as a ‘sasshole’ and I couldn’t agree more. Shanghai Immortal has that shiny newness to it, but Jing really reminded me of the 00/10s urban fantasy MCs who were all sarcastic loners who didn’t trust anyone - as someone who loved those books, it felt very reminiscent. Her cast of supporting characters, who put up with a lot of crap from her let’s be honest, were wonderful and I enjoyed seeing the various levels of exasperation with which they interacted with Jing.

The plot was action-packed and exciting. I loved how it twined her history with both the present and the future, and how so many threads were left dangling enticingly to be picked up in the sequel. That’s not to say that the story didn’t come to a satisfying conclusion, because it certainly did, just that we can clearly see that there are parts of the story as yet untold.

I also enjoyed the way that, while this book centred around Chinese mythology, her vampire ancestry opens the door to potentially incorporate other mythologies and folk tales as the series progresses.

Overall, Shanghai Immortal was an enjoyable, fast-paced read, and I will definitely continue the series in the future.

I had a lot of fun in reading this book; it's fast paced, well plotted and there a lot of humour. The world building is fascinating and Lady Jing is a character you cannot help loving.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book is a mixed bag, so I know that people are calling it adult (looking at you Fairyloot), but I would call it YA. So I wish I had gone into it with a 'reading YA mindset' instead of a 'adult' mindset because that would have ruined my enjoyment of the book. I don't like YA but I wanted to read this, and I'm happy I gave it a good. For a YA book it was good, I think the language the character's were using were appropriate, in a YA context but event then a hundred year old ish character being described as a 'sass-hole'? is not it - this is not 2008. I was kind of wishing the characters were more grown-up the entire time. I don't know if that's because as I'm getting older I'm looking for characters I can relate too or what?

Anyway I liked the plot and love Chinese mythology and Lady Jing, a half-jiangshi (vampire), half-hulijing (fox spirit), but she was immature and that's the only part I couldn't click with. But I will say, I did buy a copy of the book and will also keep my Fairyloot edition so I think that those of you who go into it knowing what to except will love it.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars out of 5.

I absolutely demolished this book in a day. Although this isn't reflected so much in my rating, it just wasn't my preferred style of writing but it was such a fun read.

Shanghai Immortal follows the foul-mouthed Lady Jing, a half-jiangshi (vampire), half-hulijing (fox spirit) exposing a plot to steal a dragon pearl from the king of hell. Sounds cool right?

This adult fantasy is full of humour, descriptive narrative and such unique voices. It's fast-paced and sarcastic but I don't think it would have worked any other way. I absolutely love mythology based books, and adding a gorgeous, glittering Chinese mythology book into the mix was definitely the right way to go.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of this!

Unfortunately I have had to DNF this book @ 40%

I really wanted to like this book. The set up has me intrigued, and I was excited to learn more about the world. However unfortunately for me the execution was a bit flat and I found myself confused for the majority of the time that I was reading. The book itself reads more YA than adult. The main character Lady Jung is almost a century old, and yet displays very immature and reckless behaviour. It was personally cringey and comfortable for me as a reader to read as she throws temper tantrums when she doesn’t get her way, and behaves at a much much younger level of maturity than her age suggests. Lady Jing uses the terms “piss-fart” and “ta-tas” which again doesn’t reflect well for her age and the life experiences she should have had. I think if this book was marketed as a YA and the character themselves were younger then I could’ve looked past it. The romance fell flat as I found there was little build-up and I couldn’t connect with the characters in general.

Thank you for Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this eARC in advance of release date in exchange for an honest review. I’m disappointed that this book was not for me as I was looking forward to it, however this is just a reflection of my tastes as a reader. What doesn’t work for me may work for others, so if you find yourself reading this and still wanting to give this book a read, please go for it.

What a ride!

If you're looking for Chinese mythology vowed into a fun story with a really immature, impulsive FMC, this book is for you. If I was immortal and 100 years old, I would aspire to be such a spirited individual. In my opinion, people these days take themselves too seriously, manacled by societal pressures and this thought that everyone has their life together. Well, they don't. And neither do I. This is why Lady Jing was such a lovely character to read about. Her shenanigans and view of the world were a refreshment in fantasy!

The imagery of this book is just wonderful. I want to feel the clothes under my fingers, see all the Hellish scenery and try all the foods and drinks characters raved about. I just love it when authors pay attention to a lot of details like this. I love mythology and I feel like I learned so much about Chinese lore through this book. Truly, an adventurous, wonderous journey with a lot of humor, mocking proper ways, and speech that serves nothing only to try and make peacocks out of ourselves. And yes, there is a slow, subtle at first, romance as a backstory. <3

Big thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an eARC!

I had so much fun reading this book. I've been loving the increase in books based on Asian mythology that have appeared lately. It was about time this genre was recognised.

Lady Jing is half-vampire and half fox spirit. She is not wanted by either parts and is considered a disgrace. Her only chance to redeem happens thanks to a betrayal. When she overhears plans of a theft, she starts a journey to stop it and gain recognition. She'll have the help of a sweet human guy, but there are so many twists and turns before Lady Jing can get her HEA.

The plot and worldbuilding in this are fantastic. Set in both a well-researched 1930s Shanghai as well as its immortal counterpart, I loved how the idea of yin and yang, Confucianism, Chinese vocabulary and food, and classical Chinese mythology infused every page. This was a highly atmospheric read — full marks for the setting.

This only gets three stars from me, though, because this is marketed as an adult book but the (immortal and 99-year-old) first-person narrator is as bratty and self-centered as you’d expect a 13-year-old to be. The author has explained on her socials why this is (Jing’s dual, unreconciled selves) and Jing greatly improves at about the 80% mark, but she is so unbearable that the book was difficult to read at times despite the aforementioned amazing worldbuilding and interesting plot.

This book is sassy, sarcastic and comedically heartwarming which was not at all what I had expected from an adult fantasy read - but definitely what readers are promised from the synopsis. This book has an interesting narration style where it feels like the main character is talking to the reader - almost like a tv show monologue at the opening of an episode.

It follows our main character Jing, a sardonic and immature immortal that is coming of age. Her personality and tone reminded me of Gideon from Gideon the Ninth - pessimistic and full of curses. Warning: The colloquialisms and mannerisms in this book may be jarring or unconventional if you are unfamiliar with Chinese customs and culture as the phrases used may be considered weird in the English language.

I loved all the fun characters we got to meet in this book and the various personalities that came together in the story. This book is filled with references to figures from Chinese mythology and fairytales that are great little easter eggs for those who are more familiar. The book does a great job depicting the rich culture and societal expectations of a different era in this fantasy world based off of Shanghai while also showing the reader how much our main character struggles to fit into these polite society requirements.

Overall I thought this was a cute story about a girl who is struggling to find her place in the world, overcoming traumas and learning to love. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy books rich in Chinese culture or someone looking for a more satiric and less serious fantasy read. I would not recommend this to anyone who is looking for a page turning read or anyone who dislikes weird phrasing in books.

I’d like to thank Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with a free eARC for my honest review of the book.