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Shanghai Immortal

Shanghai Immortal, Book 1

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Shanghai Immortal

By: A. Y. Chao
Narrated by: Mei Mei MacLeod
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About this listen

 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.

This richly told adult fantasy debut teems with Chinese deities and demons cavorting in jazz age Shanghai.

'The must-read debut of 2023' Tasha Suri

'Bursting with personality' Xiran Jay Zhao

'Absolutely rooting for Lady Jing forever' Hannah Kaner

'A delightfully wild ride' Chelsea Abdullah

'A gritty, glittering tale' Saara El-Arifi

'A love letter to Chinese mythology' Tanvi Berwah

'Outstanding' T.L. Huchu

'Absolutely delightful' Judy I. Lin

(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2023 A. Y. Chao Action & Adventure Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy Fiction Humorous World Literature China Mythology Magic

Continue the series
Paris Celestial cover art
Paris Celestial By: A. Y. Chao

Critic reviews

A brilliant, vibrant world with a joyous, irreverent and chaotic cast of characters. Absolutely rooting for Lady Jing forever
Shanghai Immortal is the must-read debut of 2023, both intensely fun and heart wrenching. A wild ride through a Shanghai you've never seen before
A delightfully wild ride through a fantastical Shanghai filled with rich mythology, endearingly snarky characters, and laugh-aloud mischief. Entertaining from start to finish!
A thrilling adventure packed to the hilt with attitude, Shanghai Immortal will have you laughing, cheering, and screaming along with the inimitable Lady Jing. From the glittering settings and vivid characters to the thoughtful exploration of family and sacrifice, this is a story you won't soon forget
The most fun you'll ever have in hell! With her debut, Chao takes you on a high-octane, snark-filled adventure through the underworld, where the celestials are bloodthirsty and out for a good crime time. Lady Jing is a hot-headed triumph of a leading lady, with a wicked sense of humour that never fails to delight. If you're looking for your next fantasy obsession, look no further than Shanghai Immortal
Shanghai Immortal is a gritty, glittering tale of gods and monsters in a reimagining of 1930s China. The fearsome half-vampire half-deity Lady Jing swaps anger management lessons for a crash course in the mortal realm and you can't help but root for her and the chaos she leaves in her wake. Full of fury, passion, and beauty, this is a debut that will grip you in its fangs and make you bleed-all the while wanting more
A love letter to Chinese mythology, Shanghai Immortal is a compulsive read that will have you laughing and gasping at once. Lady Jing is delightfully irreverent and charming as she takes us on a wicked, exciting adventure through hell. With skillful worldbuilding and attentive prose, Chao has crafted the delectable fantasy feast you've been waiting for!
This outstanding debut grips you from the first page and doesn't let go. With characters that leap off the page and a compelling story filled with fantastical creatures, Chao has crafted something so utterly original and delightful I couldn't help but fall in love. Shanghai Immortal is a stellar start to what should be an incredible series
A wildly inventive and moving romp that goes through the mortal and immortal realms of China, with an endearing and tumultuous main character
Thrilling to the very last page, Shanghai Immortal is an immersive and exuberant journey through the dazzling realms of the wicked and the divine. And there's no better guide through worlds both mortal and immortal than Lady Jing-her razor-sharp wit and tongue is sure to captivate any reader, by force if necessary!
An absolutely delightful romp of a book. It's impossible not to be charmed by Lady Jing as she gets up to shenanigans in mortal and hell Shanghai. I was entranced from start to finish
All stars
Most relevant
A beautiful story of resilience and identity steeped in Chinese mythology. Lady Jing is snarky, rebellious and impulsive, and as the story unfolds and you find out more about her traumatic childhood, you get a real sense of her inner struggles and needs, which makes it so much easier to empathise with her when she says or does things that might on the surface seem wrong or foolish. I love the ending, it is heartening, moving, the kind of reading that brings a smile to your face. I look forward to book two of the trilogy!

Engaging read!

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I really enjoyed reading and listening to this audiobook. It kept me great company whilst I baked pies, cakes and pre-prepared our Thanksgiving dinner.
I slowed down the audio speed by half a point, as I am a slow human, and the narrator is a rather fast one 😜

Such fun!

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Set in the jazz age of 1920s in mortal and immortal Shanghai. We follow Lady Jing who is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit. Her boss big Wang.
The mortal - mr. Lee is sent to immortal Shanghai to help with the banking system.
Jing’s biggest foe is her grandmother Lady Sue.
The worldbuilding is amazing, both mortal and immortal Shanghai feel very vivid. No one ever thinks of hell as being better than earth, but I think the writer has made a very beautiful hell.
The amount of cursing lady Jing does is fantastic and the amount of groveling mr. Lee does with flowery language is also amazing.
I love that lady Jing is a strong, feisty deity.
As lady Jing gets into a lot of trouble, Big Wang sends her to mortal Shanghai with mr. Lee. Adventure ensues. The book I first read as an ebook, then listened to the audio version read by Mei Mei Macleod. She is a fantastic narrator and I was happy to hear the correct pronounciations of the Chinese.
I will absolutely read anything else she writes and recommend this for fantasy / historical fiction lovers.

Lovely Asian fantasy adventure

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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.

Alright

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Great story, good humour and loved the narration. From my prospective as a Londoner, the different accents really enhanced the character development.
I love the main character, she is so easy to root for and loveable in all her flaws. I hope for more soon!

Such an Enjoyable audiobook

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