

Publisher’s Description
Half vampire. Half fox-spirit. All trouble.
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.
Summary
I read the alternate history and dark fantasy Shanghai Immortal by UK based author A.Y. Chao.
Lady Jing is the protagonist, a half-vampire, half-hulijing fox -spirit and heir to the throne of the Hulijing Court. Disliked for her irreverence, feistiness and half-vampire/ half-hulijing, her place in the immortal realm is secured only by her mother placing her as the ward of the formidable Lord of the Hell in exchange for a rare, precious and powerful Dragon Pearl.
Jing wants more from life than the constrains and proprietary of the Hulijing Court ruled by her grandmother. Attempts by the hulijing to remove Jing from Hell and the protection of the Lord of Hell are a constant threat and annoyance.
After discovering her grandmother sndvtgr Court of the hulijing intend to steal the precious Dragon Pearl her mother traded to the Lord of Hell, Jing takes chance to finally bring down the Court of the Hulijing and expose their treachery.
To solve the mystery of her own fate and the Dragon Pearl, Jing falls in love with a mortal the Lord of Hell has recruited to set up the Central Bank of Hell in keeping with mortal 1930s Shanghai and currencies. Jing’s plans to use the mortal to learn the secrets of her past are threatened when the chance of love forces her to decide between vengeance against her grandmother and the Hulijing Court and the mortal she loves.
Review
A.Y. Chao has written a spell-binding novel. Shanghai Immortal is a witty and irreverent in its exploration of 1930s Shanghai and Chinese mythology. Written in a fresh and engaging style, this is a fascinating adventure through the Chinese Immortal realms and massive social changes in 1930s Shanghai. Utterly magical!
Conclusion
An adventure-packed, dark fantasy with unique 1930s Shanghai alternate history. Great for fans of urban fantasy, myths and legends, paranormal romance. Highly recommend!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
You must be logged in to post a comment.