Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Shanghai Immortal

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Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao

7 reviews

elizabeth_lepore's review

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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amy_reading_23's review

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funny lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

This is a fun book, and it was interesting to learn more about Chinese folklore. The main character was a bit immature, which I guess kind of makes sense since she's led mostly quite a sheltered life, but yeah I can see why people say it reads more like YA than adult fiction. I think my favourite bit was when they were in mortal Shanghai.

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xvicesx's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It was an alright story, charmingly irreverent though I'd probably place it firmly in the Young Adult category, irrespective of the main characters being adult.

It fits the vision of godly creatures being somewhat immature so that's OK, though the romance between Lady Jing and Mr. Lee was a touch uncomfortable on account of that perceived maturity gap. I think I'd have been more comfortable if the hero was another immortal with the same... maturity level?
Overall, alright, but I don't see myself continuing the series.

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a story with very low stakes pretty much all the way through. It falls a little bit into the "no plot just vibes" category for me. I can appreciate both of those things, but I usually look for them in something like a cozy fantasy, for example, and that wasn't the case here. We mostly just follow Lady Jing first in Immortal Shanghai, and then in regular Shanghai, as she looks into a shallow mystery.

As a character, Jing is quick to anger, stubborn, and belligerent. But despite all of that, she doesn't have a lot of agency. She just sort of gets moved along by the events happening around her, and the will and whims of Big Wang, and I suppose that makes sense in some ways, but it makes her character feel inconsistent to me. She claims that insults and hurtful comments don't stick to her, yet she can fly into a rage at a single remark. And coming from some characters, that absolutely makes sense, but she flew off the handle so regularly that there didn't seem to be much difference in her behavior, regardless of who she was dealing with.

The romance left me pretty lukewarm, but I did end up reluctantly caring about her relationship with Big Wang. Ultimately, though, I don't think I will stick around for the rest of the series. This book can stand perfectly well on its own and is not open ended.

And this is a minor gripe, but Jing kept eating salted caramels in 1930s Shanghai when those weren't invented until 1977, and these are the kinds of details that my brain gets fixated on.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Writing: 4.75⭐️/5

A.Y. Chao controls the prose and literary figures throughout the book. The integration of multiple languages – even tossed in here and there – was incredibly well-formatted and managed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, like a delicious meal. I think my only complaint on the writing end was the pacing near the end of the novel; otherwise, nearly perfect.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

Lady Jing is a force of nature. I felt her character so strongly and vividly, I half expected her to chastise me as I wrote this for double-checking her name. I loved her perspectives, I loved that she felt like her own unique person, and I adored that I didn’t feel like she was a carbon copy of any other character. The only complaint I have with any of the characters in the novel is that I wished certain characters were more adequately shown in earlier chapters to get a feel of their importance. I also had a bit of a jarring moment the first time Lady Jing acts courtly – I wish this had been hinted at sooner, that there were even some she wouldn’t dare insult, though maybe that was implied. Her ease of overcoming her water phobia also felt a bit too easy, even though the explanation of her memory helped justify it.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5

I’ll start with the critique because there was so much to love. I didn’t love how convenient the ending felt. When everyone started walking into Niang Niang’s palace, it started feeling a bit too perfect. I would’ve loved a bit more strife here, a bit more fight to get her to be placed in front of all of these people. However, I loved the rest of the plot. I applaud Chao for managing to put her heroine in so many worlds and in front of so many people without the story reading choppily.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of fantasy novels
Fans of books based on or inspired by elements of Chinese mythology
Fans of feisty, feminist, bold female characters
Those looking for a bit of romance with lots of drama
Fans of the vampire genre

Content Warnings?

Blood, injury/injury detail, gore, confinement, abuse, fire/fire injury, death of a parent, death of a child, death, stalking, murder

Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5

Very fun. Would read another one. Would read this one again.

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.25

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, injury, death of parent (off page), child abuse, bullying, confinement, kidnapping, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders
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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.

"No matter how small or insignificant you think you might be, the Cosmos makes no distinction... Embrace the Cosmos, and you become embraced. Nurture the Cosmos, and you become nurtured. Accept the Cosmos, and you become accepted. Clear your vision, and you will see. Open your heart, and you will be loved."

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.

'You're scary for a scholar,' I say instead, opting to keep things light. 'Remind me never to get on your bad side.'

"Scholars are overrated. Bad sides are more fun."

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

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shainalite's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Shanghai Immortal is the first book I read which features a half-fox spirit half-vampire as a main character who was under the protection of King of the Hell in the yin Shanghai. This book takes place in 1920-1930 Shanghai, so the words and conversations used in this book are a little bit difficult for me to digest. However the way A.Y. Chao delivers the story gives off the cozy vibes (yes, you'll have some sightseeing in Shanghai, staying at a hotel, xiao long bao, macarons and sunset in this book).
I love the world building! It's cool, two different types of Shanghai in 1920-1930s, even though the blurb can make you expect a more adventurous and complex story from this book (so yeah, read the blurb, but don't expect the high fantasy adventures and plots)
As for characters, I love Big Wang, Lord Ma and Lord Nioh, from the very beginning of this book and I need another book about them only.
This book is perfect for you who want to read a book inspired by Chinese mythology, infused by family, friendship, a little bit romance and identity themes, but in a lighter way.

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