3.5 Stars!
I really enjoyed Daughter of Calamity! The writing was beautiful, and the story was intriguing. The setting in mysterious Shanghai, with its mix of secrets, violence, history, and a bit of magic during the dark of night, was compelling. The narrative, rich in detail, made the story feel more like an experience than just a book.

Jingwen, the main character, is a showgirl juggling multiple jobs, including being a money runner for her grandmother involved with the Blue Dawn gang. Another gang is vying for control of Shanghai, willing to go to any lengths to achieve it. The book blends historical crime fantasy with a touch of Chinese mythology, which I found intriguing. The incorporation of Chinese mythological elements adds an interesting layer to the plot.

Jingwen is a likable protagonist, and her character development brings a positive aspect to the otherwise dark subject matter of the story. The unexpected and sometimes graphic imagery kept me turning the pages to see what Jingwen would do next.

However, I wished for more development of the supporting characters. Despite this, Daughter of Calamity is an impressive debut novel.

Thank you Netgalley and SMP for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Magical realism in jazz age Shanghai? Sign me up. Daughter of Calamity is beautifully written with some very lyrical language about the city, dance and martial arts. It took a bit for me to settle in to it, as the early chapters suffer from the naïveté of the protagonist, but Jingwen develops a lot over the course of the novel. Overall, a very interesting tale that really suffuses you in the atmosphere of the jazz age. It reminds me of a cross between Mexican Gothic and Last Call at the Nightingale.

Enthralling tale of a grand-daughter who must decide which path to take in a morally grey story based in Shanghai.

I wasn’t expecting the delicate, at time gruesome imagery that I simply had to keep turning the page to find out what our FMC would do next.

I wished for more character development of the supporting characters, but this story wasn’t about them; it was about her.

This is a great debut novel.

I found this story to be unique and enjoyed the world that the author created. I sometimes get bored or lost with excessive world-building, but did not have that problem here. The combination of fantasy with historical fiction was perfect. I will definitely recommend this on publication day. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

Truly enjoyed this book just as I knew I would from the description, very beautiful in the writing an meanings. I felt as if I was learning something new an in depth for each page I had read. I love how the world is in the book an how the dynamics are quite strange but fascinating.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgallery for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has a great start. The writing is really beautiful and there are many quotable lines! I love how it’s set in Shanghai!

Despite having beautiful writing, I couldn’t get invested in the story and I got bored at points. The pacing felt off and it took me out of the story many times. It does have a great ending line.

Pick it up if you like the historical fiction genre.

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

It's hollow, and that's what is making me sad. It has a really good promise to *be* something, but there is no character, depth, or explanation behind anything I'm reading on paper. Which is upsetting. I usually give a book 15% to get me into the world, feeling, and understanding for the character.

This one kind of just shoves you right in and you feel as lost as to what the grandmother is exactly, why are there gods and or magic? in Shanghai, what is the character's hopes, ambitions, dreams? You know she is a dancer, what else do I know about her ... uh, her grandmother does illegal surgeries. Okay. What else? ... uh. I got nothing.

Out of respect for the author, I am choosing not to rate this on goodreads due to not finishing it.

DNF at 20%. Writing was solid enough, but the plot was not particularly engaging, the worldbuilding felt muddled, and the characters weren't interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some aspects of this book were really, really great, but some just fell flat for me. I absolutely loved Jingwen as a main character. I loved being in her head, I loved her personality, and I think I would read Lin's next book just because she clearly writes great main characters. I also really loved the themes of female friendship throughout the book. Sure, Jingwen has a rivalry with the other girls, and sometimes they're really mean to each other, but when it comes down to it, they'll support each other.
I think that there were just too many genres in this book. Historical fiction, magical realism/fantasy, and thriller: they made it seem like I was reading two separate books. I think that historical fiction is a really great setting for adding in thriller and mystery elements, or fantastical elements, but all of these at once kept the plotline from being linear and cohesive.

ARC review - Pub date June 18th 2024

I enjoyed aspects of Daughter of Calamity.
I am picky about my urban fantasy but I did feel transported to 1930’s Shanghai and the strength of the novel was in the dark mysterious world it created. Rosalie M. Lin does a great job of painting a picture of the locations and settings. The beginning of the novel focuses a lot on dance since the main character is a dancer and for me that just didn’t connect. However, if you are an avid dancer I think it would draw you in more. It took me about 30% of the book but once the mystery element took off more I found myself more intrigued. The overall plot idea is definitely the strongest part and the execution is really lacking as well as a connection to the characters.

For me, Rosalie M. Lin wasn’t fully able to blend the historical fiction and fantasy element so it was either very slow at times or slightly overwhelming with info dumping. If you’re already familiar with Chinese mythology it might be easier to digest but for the average reader it was very confusing. But I did appreciate how unique and different it was after reading a lot of the same fantasy novels and same tropes. I also read it very quickly as I wanted to find out what exactly was happening in this world. There is a considerable amount of violence which I enjoyed but might not be for everyone.

Overall a 3/5 novel with a very unique story that with the right editing could excel but muddled with a lot going on.

Amazing, hard, and gritty, with no punches pulled! A great look at the world of Shanghai before WWII, and from the view of three native Chinese women instead of a Westerner for a change!

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rosalie M. Lin's "Daughter of Calamity" is a richly woven tapestry of intrigue and dark fantasy set against the backdrop of 1930s Shanghai. Lin's novel is a masterful blend of historical fiction and fantasy, creating a world where the glamour of the era coexists with a chilling undercurrent of supernatural dread. This book is a vivid reimagining that will appeal to fans of Nghi Vo and S. A. Chakraborty, offering a unique perspective on a time and place rarely explored in fantasy literature.

The story centers on Jingwen, a showgirl at the Paramount, a nexus of Shanghai's nightlife, who is entangled in a web of danger and deceit. By day, she is a dancer competing for the attention of wealthy patrons; by night, she assists her grandmother, a surgeon with deep ties to the city's most powerful gang. Lin portrays Jingwen's dual life with skill, capturing the glittering surface of her world and the dark realities that lie beneath.

The narrative takes a sinister turn with the mysterious assaults on dancers, whose faces are gruesomely stolen and later found on foreign socialites. This plot element serves not just as a thrilling mystery but also as a metaphor for the city's duality, the price of its opulence, and the exploitation hidden under its luxurious façade. Lin's depiction of 1930s Shanghai is both atmospheric and authentic, immersing the reader in a world of silver-armed gangsters, backroom deals, and divine powers.

However, the novel's ambitious scope sometimes leads to a complexity that can be overwhelming. The intertwining of historical detail, fantasy elements, and a large cast of characters requires attentive reading to fully appreciate the intricacies of the plot and the world Lin has created.

"Daughter of Calamity" is a compelling and imaginative work that combines historical depth with fantasy elements to create a story that is both unique and enthralling. Lin's talent for world-building and her ability to weave together different genres make this novel a standout in both historical fiction and fantasy. Readers who enjoy a story that challenges conventions and offers a rich, immersive experience will find "Daughter of Calamity" a rewarding read.

I loved this book. The setting and history was rich and I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was beautiful and the pacing was good.

This was a DNF for me at about 15%. The storytelling just wasn't grabbing and the main character is unlikable, but in a way I didn't connect with at all. If you like historical fiction, you'll probably enjoy this but it just wasn't for me. Also not posting this to Goodreads until the St. Martin's Press boycott is over.

A vivid historical fantasy/mystery, this book and its characters wholly immerse you in its imagining of 1920s China.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

The premise of this book is killer, but all the cool pieces just didn't come together for me, personally.

I loved the idea of historical fiction mixed with magical realism and I enjoyed Jingwen as a character (really all of the dancers were interesting) but it felt like each time I wanted the book to zig, it zagged instead.

I think the problem for me is that it felt like there wasn't ample time to give each of those two narrative elements (history and fantasy) the proper space to be fully developed. So the book reads a little choppy -- we're deep into the details of choreographing a dance, and then we're jumping back into eye ball and lip-less girls. (I STILL don't know if they're ever getting their faces back!)

I guess, for me I felt like there was A LOT of world-building, and much of it was just dropped in there, without fuller exploration. (Maybe this is an editing issue?) I wanted to get to know the grandmother more. I wanted more exploration of the goddess. I wanted to know why the gang members each had one silver hand.

Overall I did enjoy this book, but it felt a little bogged down by its ambitious narrative reach. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mysterious Shanghai, secrets, violence, history, gangs, and a bit of magic in the dark of night. The setting so rich, the story so complex, almost an experience rather than a book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jingwen is scared when things start happening to her co workers. She decides to do her own homework, but encounters several stumbling blocks in her way. A nice read

Fascinating novel of life in Shanghai. Fictional life, of course.
A mixture of romance, criminal activity and some voodoo and witchcraft thrown in. A rich look at the life of a chorus girl and her challenging existence.