Series: Shanghai Immortal #1
Release Date: June 1st 2023
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: I received an E-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Synopsis

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.

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.

With the help of a gentle mortal tasked with setting up the Central Bank of Hell, Jing embarks on a wild chase for intel, first through Hell and then mortal Shanghai. But when her hijinks put the mortal in danger, she must decide which is more important: avenging her loss of face, or letting go of her half-empty approach to life for a chance to experience tenderness – and maybe even love.

Review

Shanghai Immortal is the first in a new fantasy series that follows Lady Jing, the half-vampire, half-fox spirit ward of the King of Hell. Jing has spent most of her time in immortal Shanghai running errands for the King of Hell and getting into trouble for her temper and manners. 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.

Shanghai Immortal has a really intriguing premise and I really thought this was going to be a book that I fell in love with. The story is fast-paced and there’s plenty of action and adventure to keep the reader hooked. The story felt well written but some of the writing – the terms like tatas and piss-fart really threw me out of the story.

I thought the settings of mortal and immortal Shanghai were really well depicted. They were so vibrant and really came to life. I did wish there was more of a chance to learn more about the different creatures residing in immortal Shanghai but that might be explored more in subsequent books. Lady Jing is a brilliant main protagonist, she’s very sarcastic and there are plenty of humourous moments. I did thing the romance could do with a little more development, but I did enjoy the depiction of female friendship.

Overall Shanghai Immortal was a story with a really intriguing premise that missed the mark a little bit for me. If you’re a fan of fast-paced fantasy stories with a sassy protagonist this could be just the book you’re looking for.