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

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This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and one to pick up if you love elements of Chinese mythology, a strong female MC, found family and slow-burn romance. When Lady Jing overheard that she hated hulijing courtiers are planning to steal a dragon pearl from Big Wang, she was determined to use this chance to take her revenge for all the things they had done to her in the past.

Despite her outwardly rude and unladylike manners, at nearly a century old (young in immortal years) she has a huge heart and fights for what she believes in. The first half of the book is pure fun: I was enjoying myself so much, I loved every crazy line and stunt by Lady Jing. When she sees a viral job advert for a three-month bookseller position on a Bali beach, she jumps at the chance. She's a "mongrel," or so her horrible relations insist, which is why she's the ward of the King of Hell. She also has a unique voice and says a lot of quirky things that may not be for everyone’s tastes, but I liked it.The fact that Lady Jing, the main character, is half-vampire and half-deity adds insight to the story. The romance was very drawn-out, and its tenderness and hesitancy stood in stark contrast to the attitude Lady Jing showed other characters. This is a very impressive debut that left me wanting for more, I was not even finished and I knew it would instantly become a cozy reread. I opened this book because the main character is a half vampire half-hulijing fox-spirit expecting wild shenanigans and I ended up staying because it was actually a very heartwarming story.

She may have been a little overly impetuous early on, but that just shows her growth through the novel.It's impossible not to be charmed by Lady Jing as she gets up to shenanigans in mortal and hell Shanghai. 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. Thrilling to the very last page, Shanghai Immortal is an immersive and exuberant journey through the dazzling realms of the wicked and the divine. And the king of Hell wants to establish a bank, hence enrolling the aid of a mortal specialized in finance: Mr Lee.

She spends her days as, what she thinks, is kind of more of a slave to Big Wang (he says differently to her, time and time again, but hey everyone has at least a little bit of self-doubt). The story isn’t all sunsets and cocktails though, and with the time period of 1930s Shanghai Jing does come across some unsettling situations in mortal Shanghai.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. When she discovers a plot to steal a dragon pearl from the King, she must team up with a mortal to uncover the plot and expose the courtiers who have spent so many years making her life miserable. Affectionately known as Little Jing to Big Wang, the King of Hell and also his ward, Jing doesn’t take no for an answer and oftentimes gets into trouble.

I adore the descriptions in this book, both the world-building and especially the explanations about food. As a person of Chinese descent, it was fascinating to read about popular Chinese mythological figures. I was so distracted by the sassiness that I didn't take them seriously until they said hey hi, this story is also about us. Thirties Shanghai was a meeting and amalgam of different cultures, each gleefully borrowing from the others to try them on, resulting in an exhilarating period that, unfortunately was all too soon overshadowed by world war.I also enjoyed her most vulnerable moments, her growth, and the growth of the relationships with those around her close circle. Our narrator is Lady Jing, ward of Big Wang, the King of Hell--who rules the mythic world that overlies thirties Shanghai. By chance, she hears of a plot by the court of fox spirits (or rather huljing) to steal the very dragon pearl that the King of Hell gave her mother to have Jing become his ward.

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