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Daughter of Calamity
By day, Jingwen delivers bones for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most formidable gang in Shanghai. By night, she dances at a lavish cabaret club, competing ruthlessly with her fellow dancers to part wealthy foreign playboys with their wallets. When a mysterious attacker starts stealing dancers’ faces for the powerful elite, Jingwen is plunged into a world of cutthroat businessmen, silver-limbed gangs and vengeful gods as she tries to uncover the culprit and protect the dancers.
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
July 10, 2024
Update July 2024: I will be withdrawing my review of this book in solidarity with the St. Martin's Press boycott, please visit @readersforaccountability on Instagram for more information. My request of this ARC was made before the boycott, and in my haste, I forgot the withdrawal (many thanks to the commentor, "blank", for the reminder).
March 5, 2024
**ARC of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Hello reading slump, my old friend.
It's actually pretty difficult for me to decide if this book was underwritten or overwritten. On the one hand, the amount of similes and unnecessary adjectives was mind blowing and made the whole story difficult to get into but on the other hand there was not enough lore and world building to make sense of what was happening. Majority of the dialogs were weighted down by the descriptions of gestures and fidgeting but there was almost no explanation of the supernatural aspect of the story. Details were there but for some reason they were for the not important things.
Jingwen, aka Wilma, is a very frustrating character with an attention span of a goldfish. She witnesses a bloodbath? No big deal, next day she will go about her day as usual. She is shocked by the face-stealing act? She will get over it in few pages. She witnesses some magic? Oh, I guess magic exists, there is no need to ask questions or be curious about it. There is no gravity to the events in this book and its even more emphasized by Jingwens casual approach to everything that happens. What is even worse, her character traits will change couple times during the story, completely out of blue, so it felt like the story was going one direction but then the direction changed and MC had to be adjusted to fit the new trajectory. Sadly she is the only character that has any reason to exist in this story so everyone else feels disposable - the gangsters, main evil guys, grandma, other dancers or MC's mother. The worst was done to the love interest - the story would lost nothing if he was removed from it completely.
The magic and gods aspect was so chaotic and half-baked that it is hard for me to tell you how does it really work. I have the vague impression that it changed at least few times but I can't be sure since I feel I never understood it fully. How the reign of gods over Shanghai would be better that the reign of the gangsters is still a big question for me even after finishing this book.
It's a book. It's readable. But it gave me a major reading slump so I would not recommend it.
Hello reading slump, my old friend.
It's actually pretty difficult for me to decide if this book was underwritten or overwritten. On the one hand, the amount of similes and unnecessary adjectives was mind blowing and made the whole story difficult to get into but on the other hand there was not enough lore and world building to make sense of what was happening. Majority of the dialogs were weighted down by the descriptions of gestures and fidgeting but there was almost no explanation of the supernatural aspect of the story. Details were there but for some reason they were for the not important things.
Jingwen, aka Wilma, is a very frustrating character with an attention span of a goldfish. She witnesses a bloodbath? No big deal, next day she will go about her day as usual. She is shocked by the face-stealing act? She will get over it in few pages. She witnesses some magic? Oh, I guess magic exists, there is no need to ask questions or be curious about it. There is no gravity to the events in this book and its even more emphasized by Jingwens casual approach to everything that happens. What is even worse, her character traits will change couple times during the story, completely out of blue, so it felt like the story was going one direction but then the direction changed and MC had to be adjusted to fit the new trajectory. Sadly she is the only character that has any reason to exist in this story so everyone else feels disposable - the gangsters, main evil guys, grandma, other dancers or MC's mother. The worst was done to the love interest - the story would lost nothing if he was removed from it completely.
The magic and gods aspect was so chaotic and half-baked that it is hard for me to tell you how does it really work. I have the vague impression that it changed at least few times but I can't be sure since I feel I never understood it fully. How the reign of gods over Shanghai would be better that the reign of the gangsters is still a big question for me even after finishing this book.
It's a book. It's readable. But it gave me a major reading slump so I would not recommend it.
February 10, 2024
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Daughter of Calamity is one of those books where you start to form questions and can't stop forming them until everything has been revealed. At times, I didn't even know if what we were reading was really happening or if it was the characters imagination due to the drugs/alcohol. Throw all of this into a gigantic city with so much mystery that it's hard to figure out who you can really trust.
After meeting Jingwen, our main character, I didn't know what to think. Most of the time I knew she was pretty naive about the world she was living in. She wanted nothing to do with her grandmother's practice or the gang members she worked with. Then there's her mother and lack of relationship that doesn't really changed throughout the book. The one thing we knew she loved to do was dance.
Once the attacks started happening, we kind of get a few hints about possible romances. Not necessarily a love triangle because it's hard to figure out what's real and what isn't. For the longest time, it felt like she was a pawn, or I guess you could say a puppet. Someone somewhere was pulling the strings and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next.
The betrayals came and went. There's also a little fight scene that goes by very quickly. Heck, I'm still trying to digest the last few chapters. In the end, I'm intrigued by this new version of Shanghai being built and wonder how long it's going to last. Will there be another attack? Nobody knows.
Daughter of Calamity is one of those books where you start to form questions and can't stop forming them until everything has been revealed. At times, I didn't even know if what we were reading was really happening or if it was the characters imagination due to the drugs/alcohol. Throw all of this into a gigantic city with so much mystery that it's hard to figure out who you can really trust.
After meeting Jingwen, our main character, I didn't know what to think. Most of the time I knew she was pretty naive about the world she was living in. She wanted nothing to do with her grandmother's practice or the gang members she worked with. Then there's her mother and lack of relationship that doesn't really changed throughout the book. The one thing we knew she loved to do was dance.
Once the attacks started happening, we kind of get a few hints about possible romances. Not necessarily a love triangle because it's hard to figure out what's real and what isn't. For the longest time, it felt like she was a pawn, or I guess you could say a puppet. Someone somewhere was pulling the strings and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next.
The betrayals came and went. There's also a little fight scene that goes by very quickly. Heck, I'm still trying to digest the last few chapters. In the end, I'm intrigued by this new version of Shanghai being built and wonder how long it's going to last. Will there be another attack? Nobody knows.
February 8, 2024
I received an ARC from St Martin's directly! thank you!
Shanghai gangster historical fantasy is weirdly popular these days. It feels like such a cool, magical time in history when China was the epicenter of world culture and there was a lot of buzz around the city in particular. People were writing song after song about it- even in the west. Shanghai was rightfully looked at as this crazy magical lawless adventureland where anything could happen and you met people from all over the world making their fortunes in what was often a "faraway land". It was also a time of colonialism and a lot of cultural mixing for China. Theres this complicated beauty in the history of the time period being presented here that still keeps readers coming back and begging for more. In these books, Shanghai is as much the character as the characters themselves.
Daughter of Calamity is one of these books. To dismiss the beauty of Shanghai in this book and how lovingly the author writes about the city would be missing a lot, and it was my favorite part of the book.
This a debut and it shows. Some clunky writing and weird transitions. It sometimes felt like the author really wanted you to get caught up in the adventure she was hoping to frame, but it also takes her a long time to get to the point. Scene transitions can be a little odd and the dialogue comes across as forced and awkward at times.
I just never really got into the story the way I wanted to and struggled to care about something that conceptually is really cool. It was a little boring and just didn't catch me. I do think that historical fantasy fans and people who are really passionate about Chinese historical fiction will probably find a lot of enjoyment in this. It may be a better book for historical fiction fans who are used to the flow of these stories. while there are fantasy elements, the vibe is heavily historical fiction.
Shanghai gangster historical fantasy is weirdly popular these days. It feels like such a cool, magical time in history when China was the epicenter of world culture and there was a lot of buzz around the city in particular. People were writing song after song about it- even in the west. Shanghai was rightfully looked at as this crazy magical lawless adventureland where anything could happen and you met people from all over the world making their fortunes in what was often a "faraway land". It was also a time of colonialism and a lot of cultural mixing for China. Theres this complicated beauty in the history of the time period being presented here that still keeps readers coming back and begging for more. In these books, Shanghai is as much the character as the characters themselves.
Daughter of Calamity is one of these books. To dismiss the beauty of Shanghai in this book and how lovingly the author writes about the city would be missing a lot, and it was my favorite part of the book.
This a debut and it shows. Some clunky writing and weird transitions. It sometimes felt like the author really wanted you to get caught up in the adventure she was hoping to frame, but it also takes her a long time to get to the point. Scene transitions can be a little odd and the dialogue comes across as forced and awkward at times.
I just never really got into the story the way I wanted to and struggled to care about something that conceptually is really cool. It was a little boring and just didn't catch me. I do think that historical fantasy fans and people who are really passionate about Chinese historical fiction will probably find a lot of enjoyment in this. It may be a better book for historical fiction fans who are used to the flow of these stories. while there are fantasy elements, the vibe is heavily historical fiction.
Want to read
June 1, 2022an adult historical fantasy where a cabaret performer schemes against ancient gods and powerful gangs and set in Jazz Age Shanghai YES PLEASE
May 28, 2024
There's no arguing the author's talent with words. She built the setting of Shanghai so viscerally and with great attention to detail. Unfortunately, that didn't translate to plot, world-building, or characters.
Jingwen is a showgirl by day and an errand girl by night. She has no desire to take over her grandmother's gang, but still helps out when needed. When dancers start having their faces stolen Jingwen is forced to confront the darker side of luxury.
As far as settings go, Daughter of Calamity did fantastic. Lin did a beautiful job of displaying the opposing sides of Shanghai: the good and the bad. She brought dimly lit alleys and opulent stages to life with detailed descriptions.
I thought I would love this book, but the further I read the more confused and bored I was. The magic system is half-baked, at best. It lacks solid guidelines and structures, so anything goes. The mechanics behind it were never explored so I just had to roll with it, which I hated. It was made worse since what the characters see/hear is not always true. I was constantly guessing what was true and false.
Jingwen is shallow and such a mechanical character. Her personality is...dancing? That's all I got. Her emotions of love, hate, and sadness, read like a programmed robot. Even then, she got over her emotions weirdly fast. She would experience something undeniably horrific and traumatizing, but continue living like it never happened. And this was the main character!
The problem with the side characters is they play vital roles, in theory. But because they are not fleshed out, they are caricatures of what their roles are supposed to be. For example, the villain? Never got an explanation for his motivations or his goals. The love interest/hero is even worse. The author info-dumped his background to explain his motivations, which explained nothing. I learned that he wants to be a hero because he likes heroes.
I'm always disappointed when you can see the potential on the page but it's never translated into the story. Daughter of Calamity would have easily been a five-star read if the characters and world had been properly developed. While this book was half-baked, I will read the author's future works. This a debut novel so hopefully she will continue to improve with time.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Jingwen is a showgirl by day and an errand girl by night. She has no desire to take over her grandmother's gang, but still helps out when needed. When dancers start having their faces stolen Jingwen is forced to confront the darker side of luxury.
As far as settings go, Daughter of Calamity did fantastic. Lin did a beautiful job of displaying the opposing sides of Shanghai: the good and the bad. She brought dimly lit alleys and opulent stages to life with detailed descriptions.
I thought I would love this book, but the further I read the more confused and bored I was. The magic system is half-baked, at best. It lacks solid guidelines and structures, so anything goes. The mechanics behind it were never explored so I just had to roll with it, which I hated. It was made worse since what the characters see/hear is not always true. I was constantly guessing what was true and false.
Jingwen is shallow and such a mechanical character. Her personality is...dancing? That's all I got. Her emotions of love, hate, and sadness, read like a programmed robot. Even then, she got over her emotions weirdly fast. She would experience something undeniably horrific and traumatizing, but continue living like it never happened. And this was the main character!
The problem with the side characters is they play vital roles, in theory. But because they are not fleshed out, they are caricatures of what their roles are supposed to be. For example, the villain? Never got an explanation for his motivations or his goals. The love interest/hero is even worse. The author info-dumped his background to explain his motivations, which explained nothing. I learned that he wants to be a hero because he likes heroes.
I'm always disappointed when you can see the potential on the page but it's never translated into the story. Daughter of Calamity would have easily been a five-star read if the characters and world had been properly developed. While this book was half-baked, I will read the author's future works. This a debut novel so hopefully she will continue to improve with time.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
March 21, 2024
Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm the wealthy men in the 1930's filled with glamour, gangsters and wealth. This book is a historical fantasy and I had a hard time reading this book in the beginning that is why it took me so long to read it. I won this book from Goodreads giveaway and from the Author Rosalie M. Lin
January 26, 2024
*review copy courtesy of the punlisher*
This was dreamy, poetic, and very Chinese in its essence. I really liked Daughter of Calamity.
Jingwen, the main character, is cold, abrasive, and standoffish, but deep down, she has a strong moral core and loyalty to those she holds dear.
Like Shanghai itself, she has multiple faces and personalities. Her Shanghai is kitchy and brimming with life, while at the same time dark, seedy, and dilapidated. Crystal palaces and French cafes are interspersed with abandoned temples with crumbling paint, underground gangs are fighting for power in dark alleys, and foreign powers are exploiting city riches for their own gain. This Shanghai is true to its historical memory despite very strong fantasy elements.
Another delightful part of this book is its portrayal of Guanyin, who is usually like Mother Teresa of Chinese pantheon. Here she is Mother of Calamity and Destruction, assassinations in the dark, true to her demonic origin.
At last, the best part of this book for me is how much it's suffused with a passion for dance.
The beginning of the twentieth century was absolutely revolutionary for the dance world, very experimental and exciting. Jingwen lives and breathes by it.
And the performance which is a centerpiece of the book made me think of its historical counterpart in the shock value, possibly The Rites of Spring which was performed by Dyagilev ballet troupe in Paris at that time (look it up, pretty avant-garde stuff for its time!)
Secondary characters to Jingwen are all excellent. Li Beibei, who was way too cool for a support cast, deserves her own story. Her grandmother and mother, the two opposing gang members, even the despicable villain with his typical white man exploiting Asia attitude, they all had layers.
What else? The atmosphere was top notch, and the plot was fast-paced and exciting. Overall, 4.5 stars. This was totally my jam.
This was dreamy, poetic, and very Chinese in its essence. I really liked Daughter of Calamity.
Jingwen, the main character, is cold, abrasive, and standoffish, but deep down, she has a strong moral core and loyalty to those she holds dear.
Like Shanghai itself, she has multiple faces and personalities. Her Shanghai is kitchy and brimming with life, while at the same time dark, seedy, and dilapidated. Crystal palaces and French cafes are interspersed with abandoned temples with crumbling paint, underground gangs are fighting for power in dark alleys, and foreign powers are exploiting city riches for their own gain. This Shanghai is true to its historical memory despite very strong fantasy elements.
Another delightful part of this book is its portrayal of Guanyin, who is usually like Mother Teresa of Chinese pantheon. Here she is Mother of Calamity and Destruction, assassinations in the dark, true to her demonic origin.
At last, the best part of this book for me is how much it's suffused with a passion for dance.
The beginning of the twentieth century was absolutely revolutionary for the dance world, very experimental and exciting. Jingwen lives and breathes by it.
And the performance which is a centerpiece of the book made me think of its historical counterpart in the shock value, possibly The Rites of Spring which was performed by Dyagilev ballet troupe in Paris at that time (look it up, pretty avant-garde stuff for its time!)
Secondary characters to Jingwen are all excellent. Li Beibei, who was way too cool for a support cast, deserves her own story. Her grandmother and mother, the two opposing gang members, even the despicable villain with his typical white man exploiting Asia attitude, they all had layers.
What else? The atmosphere was top notch, and the plot was fast-paced and exciting. Overall, 4.5 stars. This was totally my jam.
June 18, 2024
In Rosalie M. Lin’s Jazz-Age Shanghai, gods and demons mingle with cabaret dancers and absinthe cocktails. We follow Jingwen, an ambitious young dancer; her family deals with silver-armed gangsters and dubious medicine, but she spends her nights charming wealthy patrons at the Paramount Club until she witnesses a horrific event on the dance floor. Suddenly the city is full of ominous magic, and Jingwen has to untangle friend from foe to save those she loves.
There was a lot of potential in this story, which incorporates Chinese mythology and a fearless heroine. I was reminded of Nghi Vo’s “Siren Queen,” which had a similar setting and cutthroat supernatural atmosphere. There were some very exciting scenes in this book, and lots of surprises, but personally I felt it was missing some deeper characterization; for instance, Jingwen’s relationship with her grandmother was pretty central to the plot, but there was actually very little on-page interaction between the two of them.
The pacing was slow and thoughtful, the prose dense and lyrical, and overall I found the plot was satisfying in its conclusion. While it may not have been a perfect book for me, “Daughter of Calamity” is a promising debut novel with a unique voice.
3.5 stars
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
There was a lot of potential in this story, which incorporates Chinese mythology and a fearless heroine. I was reminded of Nghi Vo’s “Siren Queen,” which had a similar setting and cutthroat supernatural atmosphere. There were some very exciting scenes in this book, and lots of surprises, but personally I felt it was missing some deeper characterization; for instance, Jingwen’s relationship with her grandmother was pretty central to the plot, but there was actually very little on-page interaction between the two of them.
The pacing was slow and thoughtful, the prose dense and lyrical, and overall I found the plot was satisfying in its conclusion. While it may not have been a perfect book for me, “Daughter of Calamity” is a promising debut novel with a unique voice.
3.5 stars
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 2, 2024
Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons. To cap off her shifts, she runs money for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most powerful gang in the city.
When a series of cabaret dancers are targeted -the attacker stealing their faces-Jingwen fears she could be next.
And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price. Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers-women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends- Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld.
Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones.
This book for sure was a mixed bag in my opinion. Going into this book I was interested in the concept or 1930’s Shanghai and the idea of the many faces we put on when it comes to handling society. Including the dancing and how it can be its own language.
The main character was borderline plain with little sparks of interesting aspects including her relation to the gang and her search for the person who is mutilating dancers.
The storyline just wasn’t it for me. I kept losing interest and found myself constantly checking to see how much pages I had left to finish the book. Typically I’d end up dnfing a book that had me like this but I soldiered on.
Overall this book felt like honestly a complete waste of a book. It sounds mean I know. The author has promise to make amazing work but this book just wasn’t it. My rating was originally a 3 but it dropped to a 2.
I would not recommend this book.
Thanks for the folks at NetGalley for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings of my book.
When a series of cabaret dancers are targeted -the attacker stealing their faces-Jingwen fears she could be next.
And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price. Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers-women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends- Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld.
Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones.
This book for sure was a mixed bag in my opinion. Going into this book I was interested in the concept or 1930’s Shanghai and the idea of the many faces we put on when it comes to handling society. Including the dancing and how it can be its own language.
The main character was borderline plain with little sparks of interesting aspects including her relation to the gang and her search for the person who is mutilating dancers.
The storyline just wasn’t it for me. I kept losing interest and found myself constantly checking to see how much pages I had left to finish the book. Typically I’d end up dnfing a book that had me like this but I soldiered on.
Overall this book felt like honestly a complete waste of a book. It sounds mean I know. The author has promise to make amazing work but this book just wasn’t it. My rating was originally a 3 but it dropped to a 2.
I would not recommend this book.
Thanks for the folks at NetGalley for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings of my book.
did-not-finish
July 13, 2024DNF @ 29% - Not bad, but not for me.
I think the concept is pretty interesting, girls being attacked while out in public and parts of them going missing but them somehow surviving, and a mystery as to why its all happening. The whimsical nature of what was going on was actually really cool and I imagine the book could explore that in interesting ways (which I did see a hint of before I put it down).
Now although I feel like I probably would have DNFd this anyway, I originally intended to read at least little bit further in, but it was hard to motivate me to pick it back up, and eventually my arc expired and I lost access to it. The truth though is I was relieved when it went away and I didn't have to push through anymore. Don't get me wrong the book wasn't bad, but I could NOT get into it and so the experience was kinda boring as I waited for the plot to progress.
I didn't care for all of the time spent with the main character just existing because I didn't connect with her at all so most of her scenes I was waiting for them to be over so that we could get into the mystery solving. I think if you like the character and the dancing side of things you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did cause it is a cool concept but for some reason I didn't care. Perhaps because I knew a bigger story was supposed to be happening, or perhaps I didn't enjoy the way she was written, I'm not sure, but it just didn't work for me.
I didn't dnf it because it was bad, I just couldn't get into it and am not in a mental state right now to push through a book I'm not enjoying. I do think other people can enjoy this and I am interested in reading more from the author in the future.
I think the concept is pretty interesting, girls being attacked while out in public and parts of them going missing but them somehow surviving, and a mystery as to why its all happening. The whimsical nature of what was going on was actually really cool and I imagine the book could explore that in interesting ways (which I did see a hint of before I put it down).
Now although I feel like I probably would have DNFd this anyway, I originally intended to read at least little bit further in, but it was hard to motivate me to pick it back up, and eventually my arc expired and I lost access to it. The truth though is I was relieved when it went away and I didn't have to push through anymore. Don't get me wrong the book wasn't bad, but I could NOT get into it and so the experience was kinda boring as I waited for the plot to progress.
I didn't care for all of the time spent with the main character just existing because I didn't connect with her at all so most of her scenes I was waiting for them to be over so that we could get into the mystery solving. I think if you like the character and the dancing side of things you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did cause it is a cool concept but for some reason I didn't care. Perhaps because I knew a bigger story was supposed to be happening, or perhaps I didn't enjoy the way she was written, I'm not sure, but it just didn't work for me.
I didn't dnf it because it was bad, I just couldn't get into it and am not in a mental state right now to push through a book I'm not enjoying. I do think other people can enjoy this and I am interested in reading more from the author in the future.
February 4, 2024
This is a dazzling fantasy story of a young woman who is being called to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother and graft new metal parts onto the people of Shanghai. But this isn't the life she wants. In the mornings, she trains to dance and has dreams of performing on stage. At night, she dances with men, hoping to earn money in exchange for dance cards. In each of these 2, she is in competition to the other women around her and she pushes and pulls to get her wins.
But one night, in the midst of dancing and meeting rich men, one of the girls on the dancefloor is attacked. It's so fast, no one saw what happened or who did what, but the girl is forever maimed. That night changes the world for our main character, and she can no longer hang on the outskirts hoping for things to happen - she must make her own destiny.
I found the Shanghai the mc gives us to be fancy and mysterious. I liked the competition and the eventual comradery of the dancing girls. The smoke was used so much, I was unsure at times what was real and what wasn't. I didn't find much use for either love interest. They felt more like pretty arm candy than affection. I wish there had been more interaction and time between those who'd raised the mc, as I found their characters and storylines a little flat but I was interested to know more. The gods sounded as gods should - terrifying and awful. I loved the danger and horror of the events and the twists and turns. It did keep me entertained. I liked it!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
But one night, in the midst of dancing and meeting rich men, one of the girls on the dancefloor is attacked. It's so fast, no one saw what happened or who did what, but the girl is forever maimed. That night changes the world for our main character, and she can no longer hang on the outskirts hoping for things to happen - she must make her own destiny.
I found the Shanghai the mc gives us to be fancy and mysterious. I liked the competition and the eventual comradery of the dancing girls. The smoke was used so much, I was unsure at times what was real and what wasn't. I didn't find much use for either love interest. They felt more like pretty arm candy than affection. I wish there had been more interaction and time between those who'd raised the mc, as I found their characters and storylines a little flat but I was interested to know more. The gods sounded as gods should - terrifying and awful. I loved the danger and horror of the events and the twists and turns. It did keep me entertained. I liked it!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
January 31, 2025
2.5 stars - this one didn't really go anywhere. Nothing is explained, it promised much but didn't deliver.
June 30, 2024
3.5/5 ⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC of Daughter of Calamity in exchange for this honest review.
🌸 Release Date: June 18 2024
🌸 Vibes:
- Roaring 20s in Shanghai
- Gangs, drugs, and gods
- Unreliable narrator
🌸 Quick Synopsis
Our protagonist, Jingwen (Vilma), is a cabaret dancer at the Paramount, and also the go between for her surgeon grandmother and the Society of the Blue Dawn (aka the ruling gang of Shanghai). Her grandmother wants Jingwen to apprentice in the illicit surgeries that she performs for the gang, replacing limbs with silver ones that give the owner unnatural speed and strength. Jingwen, however, is happier to dance the night away and fight the other girls for their best prospects.
After meeting a charming American doctor, who so happens to make Jingwen the lead dancer in the East Sea Follies newest production, Jingwen is immersed in the strange and mysterious happenings in Shanghai that involve the stealing of dancer's faces, drugs, and gods.
🌸 Review
Let me start by saying that the gods & magic at play in this world are so incredibly interesting and unique. The thing about it all is that you can't really know what happened or not since the characters are high out of their minds very often. Did that bother me? No, I think that made it all the more interesting and vivid so that yu could feel the paranoia.
I also really loved the focus on the dancers and how no one else really would have cared to protect them, because let's be real - that is 100% how women in SW are treated. Pretty objects and then ignored once their beauty is diminished.
So why not 5 stars? The focus on the stage production and Sui Feng's methods for teaching the dancers was very meh, and Jingwen was just so wishy-washy on sides between the Society of the Blue Dawn and The Court of Exiles. The ending also was very underwhelming. I would have LOVED to see those faceless girls be free to strike down all those men that hurt and used them.
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC of Daughter of Calamity in exchange for this honest review.
🌸 Release Date: June 18 2024
🌸 Vibes:
- Roaring 20s in Shanghai
- Gangs, drugs, and gods
- Unreliable narrator
🌸 Quick Synopsis
Our protagonist, Jingwen (Vilma), is a cabaret dancer at the Paramount, and also the go between for her surgeon grandmother and the Society of the Blue Dawn (aka the ruling gang of Shanghai). Her grandmother wants Jingwen to apprentice in the illicit surgeries that she performs for the gang, replacing limbs with silver ones that give the owner unnatural speed and strength. Jingwen, however, is happier to dance the night away and fight the other girls for their best prospects.
After meeting a charming American doctor, who so happens to make Jingwen the lead dancer in the East Sea Follies newest production, Jingwen is immersed in the strange and mysterious happenings in Shanghai that involve the stealing of dancer's faces, drugs, and gods.
🌸 Review
Let me start by saying that the gods & magic at play in this world are so incredibly interesting and unique. The thing about it all is that you can't really know what happened or not since the characters are high out of their minds very often. Did that bother me? No, I think that made it all the more interesting and vivid so that yu could feel the paranoia.
I also really loved the focus on the dancers and how no one else really would have cared to protect them, because let's be real - that is 100% how women in SW are treated. Pretty objects and then ignored once their beauty is diminished.
So why not 5 stars? The focus on the stage production and Sui Feng's methods for teaching the dancers was very meh, and Jingwen was just so wishy-washy on sides between the Society of the Blue Dawn and The Court of Exiles. The ending also was very underwhelming. I would have LOVED to see those faceless girls be free to strike down all those men that hurt and used them.
July 18, 2024
Thank the Lord this is a standalone. I don’t know how much more of this I could take.
The concept of this was really interesting. A 1920s flapper, urban Shanghai fantasy standalone where the facial parts of cabaret dance girls are mysteriously disappearing. Immediately, color me intrigued. And now, having read the book, color me annoyed.
Jingwen as a character had no focus. Every action made and thought she had made no sense for her. She’s set up as like a slightly confident yet ignorant cabaret dancer who is kind of a loner by choice. Then suddenly, she’s completely knowledgeable on everything she does and becomes more of a wizened old soldier than the innocent little dancer she was set up to be.
Jingwen got easily sidetracked by guys which was annoying. One was someone who gave her expensive stuff, and she couldn’t track him down again for a while so he occupied a lot of her mind in the first half because she might honestly be a gold digger. Luckily, that phase ended fast through some revelations. The other was some mysterious and dangerous stranger she was (obviously) warned to stay away from, who also had some kind of nameless appeal that had her attracted to him “despite knowing she shouldn’t.” Give me a break. His threatening demeanor in the first moment they met had Jingwen thrilled with excitement, though she didn’t know why. Ugh. Also, he had a very long ponytail which was just super cringey, and she was constantly fixated on a mole by his left eye. Ew. Everything about their relationship felt random and forced (just like his ponytail).
Every other sentence slowly morphed into similes and outlandish adjectival descriptions. Honestly, most of them were cringey and didn’t even make sense. They made what was being described—physical things and emotional moments—lost in the shuffle. Like a thick smog hiding the sun that is the plot. As a diseased flower wilts among a flourishing field. Ooh, like tripping into an endless well that’s only two feet deep. If you’re confused, that’s what this plot was. Simile-infused confusion. Excuse me while I bang my head against a wall.
The inclusion of gods and religion was really interesting but over explained to the point of confusion. I’d be wrapping my head around one piece of world building to explain something, and the next moment there’d be new information that threw me off, and I was back to square one. The way gods were physically included in the story through drug-induced hallucinations was interesting, though. However, its execution in the long run was strange and, well, felt random. Let’s just safely assume that the one word to describe this book is “random.” Especially that ending. Oh my. I can safely say that while I understood what happened, at the same time, I have no idea what happened.
The concept of this was really interesting. A 1920s flapper, urban Shanghai fantasy standalone where the facial parts of cabaret dance girls are mysteriously disappearing. Immediately, color me intrigued. And now, having read the book, color me annoyed.
Jingwen as a character had no focus. Every action made and thought she had made no sense for her. She’s set up as like a slightly confident yet ignorant cabaret dancer who is kind of a loner by choice. Then suddenly, she’s completely knowledgeable on everything she does and becomes more of a wizened old soldier than the innocent little dancer she was set up to be.
Jingwen got easily sidetracked by guys which was annoying. One was someone who gave her expensive stuff, and she couldn’t track him down again for a while so he occupied a lot of her mind in the first half because she might honestly be a gold digger. Luckily, that phase ended fast through some revelations. The other was some mysterious and dangerous stranger she was (obviously) warned to stay away from, who also had some kind of nameless appeal that had her attracted to him “despite knowing she shouldn’t.” Give me a break. His threatening demeanor in the first moment they met had Jingwen thrilled with excitement, though she didn’t know why. Ugh. Also, he had a very long ponytail which was just super cringey, and she was constantly fixated on a mole by his left eye. Ew. Everything about their relationship felt random and forced (just like his ponytail).
Every other sentence slowly morphed into similes and outlandish adjectival descriptions. Honestly, most of them were cringey and didn’t even make sense. They made what was being described—physical things and emotional moments—lost in the shuffle. Like a thick smog hiding the sun that is the plot. As a diseased flower wilts among a flourishing field. Ooh, like tripping into an endless well that’s only two feet deep. If you’re confused, that’s what this plot was. Simile-infused confusion. Excuse me while I bang my head against a wall.
The inclusion of gods and religion was really interesting but over explained to the point of confusion. I’d be wrapping my head around one piece of world building to explain something, and the next moment there’d be new information that threw me off, and I was back to square one. The way gods were physically included in the story through drug-induced hallucinations was interesting, though. However, its execution in the long run was strange and, well, felt random. Let’s just safely assume that the one word to describe this book is “random.” Especially that ending. Oh my. I can safely say that while I understood what happened, at the same time, I have no idea what happened.
April 2, 2024
"Daughter of Calamity" is a historical fantasy written by Rosalie M. Lin, here at her debut. A novel that captivated me with its refined and evocative prose, its bewitching, dark and highly evocative setting, but which unfortunately did not convince me in terms of development of the story and characters. A book toward which I had high expectations, but which in the end left me rather lukewarm.
The story is set in 1930s Shanghai, amid glittering cabaret clubs, dark gods and dangerous gangsters. I was enchanted by the vivid descriptions of the various places and the attention paid to details. An attention that unfortunately, in my opinion, is absent at the level of world building and magic system. I don't know, I found everything decidedly confusing, nebulous and sometimes contradictory. And I'm sorry, because the basic idea intrigued me so much!
Jingwen, the protagonist with her only first person pov, conveyed only a lot of frustration to me. During the story she does nothing but ignore her surroundings, postpone any problems to an undefined future, set aside important events as if nothing happened, conveniently forget about upsetting situations, complain about everything and everyone, and basically behave as if she couldn't care less about the constant mysteries she finds herself in. An attitude that no, I cannot even attribute to her personality, since she seemed extremely shallow to me. The secondary characters, especially the male ones, follow the same example, appearing insubstantial at the highest levels. I was unable to bond with any of them, anyone, remaining indifferent to their vicissitudes.
All in all, "Daughter of Calamity" is a novel with an excellent premise, characterized by fantastic writing and an atmospheric setting, which unfortunately did not convince me in terms of development and characters.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story is set in 1930s Shanghai, amid glittering cabaret clubs, dark gods and dangerous gangsters. I was enchanted by the vivid descriptions of the various places and the attention paid to details. An attention that unfortunately, in my opinion, is absent at the level of world building and magic system. I don't know, I found everything decidedly confusing, nebulous and sometimes contradictory. And I'm sorry, because the basic idea intrigued me so much!
Jingwen, the protagonist with her only first person pov, conveyed only a lot of frustration to me. During the story she does nothing but ignore her surroundings, postpone any problems to an undefined future, set aside important events as if nothing happened, conveniently forget about upsetting situations, complain about everything and everyone, and basically behave as if she couldn't care less about the constant mysteries she finds herself in. An attitude that no, I cannot even attribute to her personality, since she seemed extremely shallow to me. The secondary characters, especially the male ones, follow the same example, appearing insubstantial at the highest levels. I was unable to bond with any of them, anyone, remaining indifferent to their vicissitudes.
All in all, "Daughter of Calamity" is a novel with an excellent premise, characterized by fantastic writing and an atmospheric setting, which unfortunately did not convince me in terms of development and characters.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2023
3.5/5 rounded up
Historical fiction with a thrilling peek into 1930’s Shanghai’s corruption and greed. Jingwen is a showgirl with multiple jobs as a dancer, plus one as a Money runner for her grandmother, who is working with the Blue Dawn gang. There is another gang who wants control of Shanghai and will stop at nothing to get it. This book I would describe as a historical crime fantasy with a splash of gods and deities.
For fans of slow burn historical crime fantasy, if you like one of these genres, I’m sure you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to St Martins Press, NetGalley, and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Historical fiction with a thrilling peek into 1930’s Shanghai’s corruption and greed. Jingwen is a showgirl with multiple jobs as a dancer, plus one as a Money runner for her grandmother, who is working with the Blue Dawn gang. There is another gang who wants control of Shanghai and will stop at nothing to get it. This book I would describe as a historical crime fantasy with a splash of gods and deities.
For fans of slow burn historical crime fantasy, if you like one of these genres, I’m sure you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to St Martins Press, NetGalley, and the author for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
December 23, 2023
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgallery for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has a great start. The writing is really beautiful and there are many quotable lines! I love how it’s set in Shanghai!
Despite having beautiful writing, I couldn’t get invested in the story and I got bored at points. It does have a great ending line.
Pick it up if you like the historical fiction genre.
Despite having beautiful writing, I couldn’t get invested in the story and I got bored at points. It does have a great ending line.
Pick it up if you like the historical fiction genre.
June 11, 2024
Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟✨/5
This book hit just the right spots in terms of aesthetics, but overall left me waiting for more. Daughter of Calamity is a historical fantasy set in Jazz Age Shanghai with wonderful prose but a weak plot.
To begin with, the setting is one of the most immersive ones I've ever read. The prose was fantastic, especially for a debut. Lin makes the city come alive with rich and decadent detailing that is on a whole another level. The aesthetics deserve five stars. Unfortunately, for a story set in boisterous Shanghai, the plot was awfully uneventful. It felt the the author was trying to do too much but came short of the potential every time. I'm a fan of all things mythology (especially Asian), so the gods aspect was terribly disappointing. The portrayal of Guanyin/ Niang Niang was interesting but not well explained. I didn't really like Jingwen as the MC. She came off as annoying because of the questionable decisions she made, especially teaming up with Zikai not long after they met for the first time. Speaking of Zikai, I wish he hadn't been a part of this book. The whole romance storyline could've been scrapped and it wouldn't have affected the book much. It was not believable and nothing annoys me more than a forced romance plotline in a fantasy novel. Liqing and Beibei were characters teeming with potential but ended up being underutilised.
The climax could've been better with a few improvements in worldbuilding and character backstories. The ending was... interesting and had potential for a sequel. I came for the mythology, stayed for the vibes but was ultimately disappointed with the uneventful plot. However, the author has a lot of potential and I'll be checking out whatever she writes next because as far as the prose is concerned, I'm a fan.
🌟🌟🌟✨/5
This book hit just the right spots in terms of aesthetics, but overall left me waiting for more. Daughter of Calamity is a historical fantasy set in Jazz Age Shanghai with wonderful prose but a weak plot.
To begin with, the setting is one of the most immersive ones I've ever read. The prose was fantastic, especially for a debut. Lin makes the city come alive with rich and decadent detailing that is on a whole another level. The aesthetics deserve five stars. Unfortunately, for a story set in boisterous Shanghai, the plot was awfully uneventful. It felt the the author was trying to do too much but came short of the potential every time. I'm a fan of all things mythology (especially Asian), so the gods aspect was terribly disappointing. The portrayal of Guanyin/ Niang Niang was interesting but not well explained. I didn't really like Jingwen as the MC. She came off as annoying because of the questionable decisions she made, especially teaming up with Zikai not long after they met for the first time. Speaking of Zikai, I wish he hadn't been a part of this book. The whole romance storyline could've been scrapped and it wouldn't have affected the book much. It was not believable and nothing annoys me more than a forced romance plotline in a fantasy novel. Liqing and Beibei were characters teeming with potential but ended up being underutilised.
The climax could've been better with a few improvements in worldbuilding and character backstories. The ending was... interesting and had potential for a sequel. I came for the mythology, stayed for the vibes but was ultimately disappointed with the uneventful plot. However, the author has a lot of potential and I'll be checking out whatever she writes next because as far as the prose is concerned, I'm a fan.
August 29, 2025
⭐ 1.5 / 5
This book has a vivid atmosphere but nothing beyond that.
📖 Daughter of Calamity follows Jingwen, a cabaret dancer in 1930s Shanghai who also works for her surgeon grandmother, delivering bones to a powerful gang. When mysterious attackers begin stealing the faces of dancers, Jingwen fears she'll be next and is forced to enter the city's dangerous underworld.
✨ Review ✨
The setting here was fantastic. Her descriptions of Shanghai and the glitz and glamour of the cabaret clubs were great. It was vivid and I could imagine this place perfectly. Sadly, it doesn't feel like much attention was put into anything, and this ended up feeling messy and bland.
I really liked the premise, this is meant to be a world of gangs, gods and magic but we spent so much time with our fmc dancing that we didn't spend nearly enough time with the other elements. Because of this, everything felt half-baked to the point I was confused as to why our fmc was even our fmc. I couldn't even work out if the magic was something known to this world or not.
The characters were bland and lacked motivation. Jingwen doesn't want to take over her grandmother's practice but never says why. The villain's motivations and goals are never explained. Nothing was pulling these characters forward, so when everything finally came to a head, I'm not sure it even made sense.
There was also this massive lack of reaction. Our FMC sees horrific things happen to people around her, and then two pages later, she's kind of just over it and fine.
It's a shame because I do see potential, and if the author had given the same amount of care to the characters/plot/magic as she did to the settings, this could have been good.
This book has a vivid atmosphere but nothing beyond that.
📖 Daughter of Calamity follows Jingwen, a cabaret dancer in 1930s Shanghai who also works for her surgeon grandmother, delivering bones to a powerful gang. When mysterious attackers begin stealing the faces of dancers, Jingwen fears she'll be next and is forced to enter the city's dangerous underworld.
✨ Review ✨
The setting here was fantastic. Her descriptions of Shanghai and the glitz and glamour of the cabaret clubs were great. It was vivid and I could imagine this place perfectly. Sadly, it doesn't feel like much attention was put into anything, and this ended up feeling messy and bland.
I really liked the premise, this is meant to be a world of gangs, gods and magic but we spent so much time with our fmc dancing that we didn't spend nearly enough time with the other elements. Because of this, everything felt half-baked to the point I was confused as to why our fmc was even our fmc. I couldn't even work out if the magic was something known to this world or not.
The characters were bland and lacked motivation. Jingwen doesn't want to take over her grandmother's practice but never says why. The villain's motivations and goals are never explained. Nothing was pulling these characters forward, so when everything finally came to a head, I'm not sure it even made sense.
There was also this massive lack of reaction. Our FMC sees horrific things happen to people around her, and then two pages later, she's kind of just over it and fine.
It's a shame because I do see potential, and if the author had given the same amount of care to the characters/plot/magic as she did to the settings, this could have been good.
June 9, 2024
LOVED the premise of this book, and really enjoyed reading it after getting past the first few chapters. Rosalie Lin writes about 1930s Shanghai with such lyricism and beauty that the city itself almost becomes a shifting a sly character alongside Jingwen. It was a bit disappointing to not see more of the other dancehall girls—but the more I sit with the book, the more I appreciate that the reader only sees what Jingwen knows of them. Women pulled together by circumstances, often competing with one another, and wearing mask upon mask to move through a(n often male) fantasy world.
I definitely understand the comparisons to Nghi Vo's SIREN QUEEN, though I think this will appeal more to readers who want a heavy dose of atmosphere and are willing to let their own minds fill in details about the book's characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for a review!
I definitely understand the comparisons to Nghi Vo's SIREN QUEEN, though I think this will appeal more to readers who want a heavy dose of atmosphere and are willing to let their own minds fill in details about the book's characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for a review!
August 9, 2024
Jingwen works as a showgirl at the Paramount, the most opulent cabaret in Shanghai. She and the other showgirls are constantly jockeying for prime place and the pick of the wealthiest of the male clients.
When she is not at the Paramount, she runs money for her grandmother, who works for the most powerful gang in the city as a skilled surgeon. Jingwen's grandmother is eager for Jingwen to apprentice herself to her, but Jingwen resists.
When cabaret dancers begin showing up missing parts of their faces, Jingwen fears she's next. Oddly, instead of simply protecting herself, she decides to figure out who the butcher is, thereby protecting all her fellow showgirls. Jingwen begins asking questions, not only of her almost friend Xiao Lei, a gangster, but also of the other girls and her grandmother. She begins to slowly uncover various plots, including danger to her grandmother's employer, secret foreign plans to extract particular resources from China, and hints as to who is harming the showgirls. And more concerning, she finds out gods are eyeing the activities in the city.
1930s Shanghai is lovingly recreated by author Rosalie M. Lin, and the nightlife that has Jingwen in its thrall. I loved the look and feel of Jingwen's world, and the complexities of alliances and interests she blithely walks through, until she can't pretend there are many dark things going on around her.
I loved the first third of this book as I gradually became accustomed to Jingwen, her fellow showgirls and all their jealousies, the wealthy men paying to dance with them, her fierce grandmother, the various secret societies, and the tensions amongst the gangs. But I found that there was almost too much going on, and I sometimes got a little lost in the plot. The pacing was uneven, which did not help.
Though I have some complaints, I think the author beautifully conjured the city and its many fascinating and dangerous people all looking to gain something. I will, therefore, keep my eyes open for more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
When she is not at the Paramount, she runs money for her grandmother, who works for the most powerful gang in the city as a skilled surgeon. Jingwen's grandmother is eager for Jingwen to apprentice herself to her, but Jingwen resists.
When cabaret dancers begin showing up missing parts of their faces, Jingwen fears she's next. Oddly, instead of simply protecting herself, she decides to figure out who the butcher is, thereby protecting all her fellow showgirls. Jingwen begins asking questions, not only of her almost friend Xiao Lei, a gangster, but also of the other girls and her grandmother. She begins to slowly uncover various plots, including danger to her grandmother's employer, secret foreign plans to extract particular resources from China, and hints as to who is harming the showgirls. And more concerning, she finds out gods are eyeing the activities in the city.
1930s Shanghai is lovingly recreated by author Rosalie M. Lin, and the nightlife that has Jingwen in its thrall. I loved the look and feel of Jingwen's world, and the complexities of alliances and interests she blithely walks through, until she can't pretend there are many dark things going on around her.
I loved the first third of this book as I gradually became accustomed to Jingwen, her fellow showgirls and all their jealousies, the wealthy men paying to dance with them, her fierce grandmother, the various secret societies, and the tensions amongst the gangs. But I found that there was almost too much going on, and I sometimes got a little lost in the plot. The pacing was uneven, which did not help.
Though I have some complaints, I think the author beautifully conjured the city and its many fascinating and dangerous people all looking to gain something. I will, therefore, keep my eyes open for more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
dnf
August 5, 2024DNFd at around 30%. I tried, but just couldn't get interested in this story. Which is entirely on me and not on the story itself.
If you think the summary sounds interesting then I'd recommend this. It reminded me a lot of The Night Tiger, which most people like but I also didn't care for.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via netgalley, I was not required to leave this review.
If you think the summary sounds interesting then I'd recommend this. It reminded me a lot of The Night Tiger, which most people like but I also didn't care for.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via netgalley, I was not required to leave this review.
August 29, 2024
DNF: just was not keeping my attention.
May 15, 2025
DNF - audiobook
I couldn’t like the characters. It was just boring. And I didn’t know what was happening and I didn’t care
I couldn’t like the characters. It was just boring. And I didn’t know what was happening and I didn’t care
July 25, 2024
3.5
Such an interesting premise but sadly not the best execution 🥹😔
Such an interesting premise but sadly not the best execution 🥹😔
Read
June 13, 2024I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it is a DNF for me @ 27%
The book has a fascinating premise, and of course I want to support my AAPI girlies, so I had high hopes for this book. The writing was just not for me, and the characters were frustrating. I just wasn't in the mood to force myself to keep reading.
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it is a DNF for me @ 27%
The book has a fascinating premise, and of course I want to support my AAPI girlies, so I had high hopes for this book. The writing was just not for me, and the characters were frustrating. I just wasn't in the mood to force myself to keep reading.
gave-up-on
December 21, 2023I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.
It's hollow, and that's what is making me sad. It has a really good promise to *be* something, but there is no character, depth, or explanation behind anything I'm reading on paper. Which is upsetting. I usually give a book 15% to get me into the world, feeling, and understanding for the character.
This one kind of just shoves you right in and you feel as lost as to what the grandmother is exactly, why are there gods and or magic? in Shanghai, what is the character's hopes, ambitions, dreams? You know she is a dancer, what else do I know about her ... uh, her grandmother does illegal surgeries. Okay. What else? ... uh. I got nothing.
Out of respect for the author, I am choosing not to rate this on goodreads due to not finishing it.
It's hollow, and that's what is making me sad. It has a really good promise to *be* something, but there is no character, depth, or explanation behind anything I'm reading on paper. Which is upsetting. I usually give a book 15% to get me into the world, feeling, and understanding for the character.
This one kind of just shoves you right in and you feel as lost as to what the grandmother is exactly, why are there gods and or magic? in Shanghai, what is the character's hopes, ambitions, dreams? You know she is a dancer, what else do I know about her ... uh, her grandmother does illegal surgeries. Okay. What else? ... uh. I got nothing.
Out of respect for the author, I am choosing not to rate this on goodreads due to not finishing it.
July 7, 2024
2 Stars rounded up. Audiobook ARC.
I was looking forward to the book as the book description sounded so interesting. I have never read a book that was so full of contrast. On one hand, the book had beautifully written, detailed descriptions of scenes full of rich imagery, to the point of being over-written. Yet this book is also so underwritten where the same care and attention to detail was not extended to the actual plot or characters. In fact, the imagery was so full of similes it became exhausting to listen to and made you lose focus on the rest of the story. This book would have been half the length if you removed half the imagery, and you still would have had a detailed world but with plenty of room to actually write a plot and flush out the characters. Jengwin's whole personality is dancing and getting attention from rich men. There is nothing else there. She sees traumatic and horrifying events happen to her "not friends", and is over it the next day. Nothing seems to bother her or affect her deeply at all, ever. She puts no thought or emotion into her life or her experiences. Oh, lets just casually do drugs with no consideration for the repercussions or effects because some rich man is giving me attention and wants me to. The character is another contracts in the writing, she somehow notices all these little fine details in how things look (again with the author's liberal use of imagery), yet the character is supposed to be naive despite working in a dance club catering to men. It is hard to believe she is naive as she is in the book. I find her character so flat and annoying, and frankly she is just TSTL. The other characters are equally flat and annoying. I had to force my way through this audiobook at 2x speed then started skipping 10 to 15 mins at a time and yet still didn't miss any plot points. The story was completely lost amongst the imagery and needlessly excessive description of the surroundings. I DNFed at 50% because the story (or lake of) was making me frustrated and I cannot bear listening to another second of it. The narrator was no help in keeping engaged either. There was just no effort there to make the book and dialogue more interesting. While she could pronounce all the Chinese words to some cool cultural items (that were never described or explained...in a book that over described every other detail), she put no effort into making her voice any different for any of the characters, You couldn't tell who was talking and had already zoned out after 10 minutes of describing the room and all the peoples clothes. 1930's Shanghai had a tease of being actually interesting if not simultaneously over and under written. The hint of a magic system was poorly focused on and could have really added an extra layer to this book if it had also been paid half as much attention as the descriptions given to another dancer's lipstick colour and how their earrings sparkled as they moved. Don't get me wrong, I do like some beautiful imagery in scenes but when you can listen to a 40 minute chapter and its 90% descriptions that a rope handing a cage from the roof twisted like a giant serpent with a coiling muscular body wrapping around its prey like a... it is just too much and only 10% maybe bland dialogue and a single plot point. I understand the author wanted to write a beautifully described book, but she overshot the mark and this was just too much.
Clearly the author has the ability to write beautiful detail and rich imagery, just take some of that focus from the scene descriptions and put it onto the plot and characters and this book could have been way better. This is a debut author and I do hope she works on her allocation of detail to provide more of that meticulous detail towards the more important plot and character aspects in her next book.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen copy of this audiobook.
I was looking forward to the book as the book description sounded so interesting. I have never read a book that was so full of contrast. On one hand, the book had beautifully written, detailed descriptions of scenes full of rich imagery, to the point of being over-written. Yet this book is also so underwritten where the same care and attention to detail was not extended to the actual plot or characters. In fact, the imagery was so full of similes it became exhausting to listen to and made you lose focus on the rest of the story. This book would have been half the length if you removed half the imagery, and you still would have had a detailed world but with plenty of room to actually write a plot and flush out the characters. Jengwin's whole personality is dancing and getting attention from rich men. There is nothing else there. She sees traumatic and horrifying events happen to her "not friends", and is over it the next day. Nothing seems to bother her or affect her deeply at all, ever. She puts no thought or emotion into her life or her experiences. Oh, lets just casually do drugs with no consideration for the repercussions or effects because some rich man is giving me attention and wants me to. The character is another contracts in the writing, she somehow notices all these little fine details in how things look (again with the author's liberal use of imagery), yet the character is supposed to be naive despite working in a dance club catering to men. It is hard to believe she is naive as she is in the book. I find her character so flat and annoying, and frankly she is just TSTL. The other characters are equally flat and annoying. I had to force my way through this audiobook at 2x speed then started skipping 10 to 15 mins at a time and yet still didn't miss any plot points. The story was completely lost amongst the imagery and needlessly excessive description of the surroundings. I DNFed at 50% because the story (or lake of) was making me frustrated and I cannot bear listening to another second of it. The narrator was no help in keeping engaged either. There was just no effort there to make the book and dialogue more interesting. While she could pronounce all the Chinese words to some cool cultural items (that were never described or explained...in a book that over described every other detail), she put no effort into making her voice any different for any of the characters, You couldn't tell who was talking and had already zoned out after 10 minutes of describing the room and all the peoples clothes. 1930's Shanghai had a tease of being actually interesting if not simultaneously over and under written. The hint of a magic system was poorly focused on and could have really added an extra layer to this book if it had also been paid half as much attention as the descriptions given to another dancer's lipstick colour and how their earrings sparkled as they moved. Don't get me wrong, I do like some beautiful imagery in scenes but when you can listen to a 40 minute chapter and its 90% descriptions that a rope handing a cage from the roof twisted like a giant serpent with a coiling muscular body wrapping around its prey like a... it is just too much and only 10% maybe bland dialogue and a single plot point. I understand the author wanted to write a beautifully described book, but she overshot the mark and this was just too much.
Clearly the author has the ability to write beautiful detail and rich imagery, just take some of that focus from the scene descriptions and put it onto the plot and characters and this book could have been way better. This is a debut author and I do hope she works on her allocation of detail to provide more of that meticulous detail towards the more important plot and character aspects in her next book.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen copy of this audiobook.
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