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

Product Information

I love how vulgar, unapologetic and stubborn Jing is. She is one of the most well built, interesting and real characters I've read. And she made me laugh so much, it also made my heart hurt with all she had lived and I felt the sentiments were very relatable, and connecting with her and loving her is so easy ❤️ 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. Not that Lady Jing doesn't deliver, she's all the sass promised by the blurb, but this book is so much more!!

Shanghai Immortal follows Lady Jing as she seeks to expose a plot to steal a dragon pearl from the king of Hell. Her escapades take her through both Hell and mortal Shanghai in search of information to prove the hulijing courtiers are behind the plot. Shanghai Immortal is an Adult Fantasy with elements of Chinese mythology and a jazz-age feel. 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. Lady Jing lives in Yin Shanghai, the glittering capital of Hell, and its mortal counterpart is set in 1930s Shanghai. The worldbuilding was so beautiful and immersive. Every detail was there, and yet, the book didn't get wordy nor did it have lengthy descriptions. Little Jing or Lady Jing, is a very feisty character, and I love that about her. Despite this strong facade, it is very evident that she struggles with an identity crisis, predominantly because she is half vampire and half huli jing or fox spirit!! You follow her through a story of action and drama and find out her origins. You read through secrets that slowly unfold and reasons being given for various mysteries of Jing's life and character. Pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child, Lady Jing is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit and all sasshole. As the King’s ward, she has spent the past ninety years running errands, dodging the taunts of the spiteful hulijing courtiers, and trying to control her explosive temper – with varying levels of success.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. The slow burn romance between Jing and Mr Tony Lee, a human from Mortal Shanghai who was a balm to her fiery nature. He is the epitome of hope and was also brave in partaking certain responsibilities.

I really enjoyed the emotional moments at the end, when she realized she wasn't sold, but adopted! Big Wang really cared for her, he knew she was afraid of water way before she told him, he always kept her safe. It's a very sweet parent-daughter relationship.So when Jing overhears the courtiers plotting to steal a priceless dragon pearl from the King, she seizes her chance to expose them, once and for all.

u>Her inner voice is such a fun part of this book. She’s irreverent, hilarious, and completely badass. She’s 99 years old, however for an eternal life that’s not much. She’s immature, passionate, and impulsive. The author portraits her “teen years” perfectly. She’s also broken and a bit lost in her life, as many of us are too. However, if you are expecting a serious, fully developed adult character, this is not your book. But if you like unserious characters and you relate with her personality and mood, Lady Jing will be the perfect choice to make you laugh. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book were the action scenes with demon swords (I don’t want one, I need one NOW), because they were really entertaining and well explained The author states that they're interested in exploring the interplay between self-perceived versus imposed identity and this is exactly what the book is about. And then throw in some dragons and you have a nearly perfect book.The plot was amazing! Always filled with adventures yet we still had time to drink tea--and other things--and eat xiao long bao. I personally need this balance because to me, this is what makes the story even more real.