https://lynns-books.com/2024/07/04/beat-the-backlist-the-girl-with-no-face-by-mh-boroson-the-daoshi-chronicles-2-review/
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : This Series is Seriously Good

TGWNF is a book that I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time. I loved The Girl With Ghost Eyes and was so desperate to read the next instalment but then in the way of a lot of great books this one seemed to get left behind in the ever mounting furore of deadlines. So, this year I’ve been taking a look back at my TBR and trying to read at least one book a month to make a small dint in my backlist books

The first book in the series was wonderful. Please check out my review here. And. I’m pleased to say that the second instalment is equally breathtaking. What a wonderfully unique storyteller Boroson is. I can’t remember reading a series before with such attention to detail. Clearly the author has taken research to the next level and this is reflected in the story.

Once again we return to the world of Li-lin. She is an amazing character. Beset with prejudices and inequalities she is a woman unafraid to take chances to help others and stand by what she feels is the right way to behave.

I’m not going to over elaborate on the plot – especially as I’m so late to the party there are already some excellent reviews available that tell you everything you need to know. Suffice to say that we pick up not long after the first instalment. Li-lin has been disowned by her father. She is working for a local gangster. Her life is undoubtedly a struggle, she is grieving for her husband and she now finds herself with a new mystery to ponder. A young girl has died in the most unusual circumstances and dark magic is suspected.

What I really loved about this.

Once again Li-lin is an amazing character to read about. I love this character and I think in this instalment, she goes through an incredible story arc, particularly where the relationship with her father is concerned.

I mean, the imagination here is incredible. I could go into great detail about spirit trains and tiger priests but to be fair if I get started there’s little hope that I’ll be able to stop. Instead take my word for it, this is a fascinating world. I seriously don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this before with the depth of world building, which isn’t to say such books don’t exist of course, just this feels like such a great exploration of culture, tradition, folklore and superstition.

Overall, I had a really good time reading the next instalment in Li-lin’s journey and whilst the mystery here was wrapped up nicely I hope that we will return to this world again.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The Girl With No Face is book 2 in the Daoshi Chronicles series by MH Boroson. I do recommend you read the first book before reading this book. I greatly enjoyed both and I hope the series is continued. This book has a definite ending but does leave it open for a third book.

I love books that use fairy tales, monsters, themes, etc from cultures I am not familiar with to create exciting and fascinating books such as this one. This is historical fantasy at its finest in my humble opinion. It is filled with spirits, devils, kung fu, mysticism, witchcraft and more all in a living, breathing turn of the century San Francisco Chinatown with a tough yet kind female heroine.

If you enjoy books like Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse I think you’d love reading about the adventures of Li, Lin, the girl with the ghost eyes.

I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator is fantastic.

**Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

It took me a while to pick this book up but I wasn't disappointed.

This is the second book in a series so I'm gonna keep it spoiler free. But it comes with trigger warnings for some intense stuff. Expect unique and great world building with fantastic characters and action filled plot.

Shame on me for taking nine eternities to get to this fantastic book's ARC.

I already enjoyed the first book in The Daoshi Chronicles, The Girl with Ghost Eyes , but I absolutely loved this one. Everything I enjoyed in the first one was distilled into action-packed wonderfulness here, and the slight issues I had were very clearly addressed and improved upon (like the lengthening of sentences and a bit more exposition and explanation for certain terms and concepts that were left out the first time round).

What impressed me most was Boroson's strong female MC. Writing a feminist book against the backdrop of the deeply patriarchal early-twentieth century Chinese culture can't be an easy feat, but I believe Boroson managed to write Li-lin's perspective with respect and nuance for that heritage and culture that in no way took away from her righteous feminist soul.

I also really loved the information in the back of the book, from the author's note detailing concepts and elements that form part of the story, to the recommended reading and movies and the story of how the author came to be so interested in Chinese culture. An author's passion for their subject matter always shines through in their writing, and this was no exception.

I'm really sad to be leaving Li-lin and her world, and I really hope the next story, hinted at in the last sentences, will be available soon.

At the time I had no idea that it was a second part.. I took a while to get through the books but it was definitely a pleasure to read thing one..this is the second book that I have read about East Asian cast and I really enjoy reading it because I can relate to it so much... Even though the time I diff here.

I would recommend this book for people who love reading bad ass women in action based books

My Rating : 3.75🌟
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Kindle/ Netgalley/ April2020
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Thankyou so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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The Girl with No Face is the second book in The Daoshi chronicles and we continue to follow the adventures of our Daoshi priestess Li-Lin. This story is set in old Chinatown at the end of 19th century and follows the investigation of a corpse went wrong situation.
*Trigger Warning : Sexual abuse, torture, blood and lots of gore*
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First, I loved the first few chapters of this book. There were a lot of witty scenes and character personality shown, and it was delightful to read about. Our main character Li-lin is strong, capable and determined to protect her immigrant community from supernaturals. She has an amazing personality and the character arc is quite good in this book.
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Second, how could I not love the best friend who lives on her shoulder and gave a new meaning to the phrase 'Shouldering our responsibility'. I am a huge fan of Historical Urban fantasy, and reading about other cultures and I was really happy to read about the Chinese lore and the monsters that come with it as well! Every character had an arc (including the demons) and everyone had a backstory to support their character development.
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I would have given this book a 4 star if not for the fact that Li-lin goes slightly off character after the first half of the story. There was no sound reasoning for the sudden change, and the conversations with her father was quite unnecessary to be honest. Other than that, I loved the pacing, the writing style, and how the story progressed wrt the characters introduced. I am a fan of all things horror, so all the demon gore didn't bother me. But keep in mind there are a lot of them in this book!
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Overall, a solid sequel to The girl with ghost eyes, amazing characters and development, good writing, really good story arc ! I am really looking forward to the next book!

The Girl with No Face by M.H. Boroson is an absolutely brilliant sequel to The Girl with Ghost Eyes. I'm thrilled I was somehow approved for this via NetGalley since book is one of my favorites. Obviously, my expectations were incredibly high going into this sequel, but I shouldn't have worried because this novel was just about everything I could have wanted. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres and Boroson writes some of the best. His Daoshi Chronicles deserves all of the love and attention it can get. The author's characters are all so fantastic, but Li-lin is still one of the best leading ladies I've had the opportunity to get to know. She isn't perfect and she's had a rough way to go, but her resolve, hard work, and sense of loyalty give her a relatable strength regardless of the unusual abilities her yin eyes give her. Mr. Yanqiu, the spirit of her father's gouged out eye and Li-lin's friend, still totally manages to steal the show. Finally, I have to mention just how amazing the author's world-building skill are. You can tell he's done his research as he's integrated real world events into the magical world Li-lin finds herself right in the middle of. The setting feels just as much of a character as any member of the cast. Overall, I can't recommend The Girl with No Face (The Daoshi Chronicles #2) by M.H. Boroson enough. If you haven't started in on this series yet, what are you waiting for? If you're a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Spirited Away, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I have a feeling you'll love this series too. I'm dying for revisit this world in the future and I can't wait to read anything Boroson decides to write in the future.

Have you ever read a book and then years later you remember liking it but couldn't remember why? That was how it was for me with the first book in the series, The Girl with Ghost Eyes. Fortunately, the writer does such a good job reminding me what happened that it was easy to dive in and be immersed in San Francisco's Chinatown at the end of the nineteenth century. The world building is well researched and there is many Chinese lore widens the world beyond Chinatown.

Lin-lin, a Daoist priestess who can see the ghost world, has to find the soul of a girl who died with flowers coming out of her mouth and nose. While she is looking, she encounters a paper ghost of a young girl with no face. This leads her to reunite with her father.

Lin-lin is smart and very quick but there are times when she's too smart and ends up hurting herself. She still has learning to do, something I'm looking forward to reading in the other books of the series.

Received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Firstly, I really appreciate the effort the author took to research and write not just a period mystery focusing on the Chinese community in San Fransciso and a story steeped in so much philosophical and religious lore. Those elements already make one of the most unique stories I've read. The only drawback would be that sometimes the amount of explanations bog down the pace of the plot which waned my interest. The amount of information was also quite confusing at times. That said, I look forward to reading more of the heroine's adventures should there be more.

I haven't read book one of this series but I guess you don't have to. However, that being said I really want to go back and read book one because this one was really good. The cover to start out is just so breathtaking that I want a poster or a tattoo or something so I never forget about it. This was a very unique title with a great story. This book is teeming with well written characters and one amazing story. The world building jumps off the page and just everything comes together. That I need a print copy of this one ASAP! Don't let this one pass you by!

After the events of The Girl with Ghost Eyes, Li-lin has set up shop as the Daoshi—a Daoist priestess—for a rival tong in 1890s San Francisco. She has plenty of work settling ghosts and serving as a bodyguard, enough to keep her mind off of the fact that her father disowned her at least some of the time. At least she has the ghost of her father’s eye to keep her company. In The Girl with No Face, by M.H. Boroson, Li-lin runs across a problem so big, so awful, that she has to reach out to her stubborn father for help before they are all doomed.

It starts with a small mystery. Li-lin is presented with the body of a young girl who died under strange circumstances. When Li-lin begins to prepare for the girl’s funeral rites, she discovers that the girl’s soul is gone. From there, Li-lin ends up on the trail of someone who is abusing Chinese folk magic for their own ends, a vampire tree, some old enemies from deep in her past, and a spirit who wants to set itself up as a god in San Francisco.

What I loved about this entry in the Daoshi Chronicles is the further development of Li-lin’s character. She has always been pushing boundaries. In the first book in the series, she pushed because she knew she could be more than just an apprentice to her father…and because she couldn’t bear to destroy the ghost of her father’s eye. Mr. Yanqiu became more to her than a tool; he became an entity in his own right, deserving his own existence. In this book, Li-lin’s feminist sense of justice comes to the fore. She lives in a very sexist place and time. Even her own father, who loves her, tries to limit her abilities and actions. Women are regularly treated as pawns. It turns out that is something Li-lin cannot abide. So, not only is Li-lin fighting monsters (human and otherwise), but she also fights (verbally, for the most part) to change people’s views about the rights of women.

In the author’s note at the end of The Girl with No Face, Boroson explains the amount of research that went into creating Li-lin and her father’s Daoist magic, as well as the beliefs of Chinese people at the end of the nineteenth century—and reveals the liberties that were taken to make the magic come to life on the page. Because of all the research (this book comes with a recommended reading list), there are some parts where the characters deliver mini-lectures about what they’re doing and what’s going on. In any other circumstances, this might have annoyed me. Because I know so little about the time, the place, and people, however, I didn’t mind at all. It also helped that there are some spectacular fight scenes in this book. The ending is a showstopper.

I strongly recommend this novel for fans of historical fantasy who are looking for something from a non-Western European tradition. Even if that’s not what you’re looking for, I would still recommend this book because it’s an absolute hell of a read.

It’s been a while since we heard from M. H. Boroson, but his debut The Girl with the Ghost Eyes made such a strong impression that I had no issues jumping back into what is now a planned trilogy. His alternate universe San Francisco is a magical place, and I was beyond excited to resume the story of Li-lin, the girl able to see the spirit realm overlaid on the mortal world.

Li-lin may be that titular girl with ghost eyes from the first book, but she only metaphorically lacks a face in this second installment. Disowned in the first book for disobeying her father, she now works as a bodyguard and spiritual protector for one of Chinatown’s gangs. She is proud of her work and skilled at it, but she has been in a holding pattern since the events of the last book.

Your face is, obviously, what you show to the world. But it’s so much more than that. It’s your dignity, your credibility, your social standing. It’s even your history. Just as you can see a parent’s features passed down on a child’s face, you can reference a complex web of relationships when mentioning “face.” Conversely, to deny someone face is to hide them, shame them. A person with no face is a person with no place in the community.

This is why, when Li-lin encounters a girl who literally has no face (just a blank span of flesh), she feels compelled to act. Li-lin knows what’s it’s like to be denied face. As a woman in a patriarchal society, as a young person, and as a Chinese person in a racist and xenophobic nation, she chafes at the limitations and does not want another girl to suffer the same.

It’s not just the faceless girl who needs her, though. She’s sworn to protect not just her gang’s boss, but his little daughter as well. And then there’s the matter of a girl who was recently killed in a way she cannot begin to understand: strangled from the inside out by a strange flowering plant. In China, masters would guide disciples and parents would guide children to the answers, all of them in their right place. But in America, everything is topsy-turvy. Girls have no faces, no lineages, and some even have no families—the deceased girl is a paper wife. How can Li-lin be faithful to her cherished traditions and also fight for those who tradition has abandoned?

“Paper” relatives refer to people who were not related (or not closely related) except on paper; which is to say, on official government documents. In order to get around (racist, fear mongering) immigration policies, immigrants would claim to be parents, children, husbands, wives, and siblings of Chinese people already living in the country.

Here’s an important piece of history you might not have learned in school: Chinese immigrants were the first to be targeted by legislation limiting immigration from a specific ethnic group and nation. Chinese women were the first to be targeted: in 1875, America forbade any and all Chinese women from immigrating to the US. Then Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 forbade any immigration from China, and banned all Chinese immigrants already in the country from ever attaining citizenship. These racist and xenophobic policies were then compounded by other injustices at the state and local level in the form of additional taxation, quarantines, and harassment.

Just in case you thought this shit was new.

But let’s leave relevant political and historical parallels aside and get back to The Girl with No Face’s other excellent traits and insights. I can see the origins of some of the action in HK and Taiwanese cinema, but Boroson has a flair of his own. At one point, Li-Lin skewers one enemy and, without pausing to remove her sword from that enemy, goes right on to stab another. It’s over the top in the best way. It’s also fun. Grimdark is all very well, but it’s nice to read something that embraces the spectacular possibilities of the format and the story.

The battle sequences combine well with the magic, too. There are big, showy magics full of danger, and also small, subtle magics full of cleverness. And, not to be outdone, there are maneuverings that are not magic at all, just sound magic theory and legal reasoning based on Daoist principles. I wholeheartedly adore a good technicality. Legal argumentation, done right, can be just as thrilling and devastating as a physical or magical fight, and I'm glad to see Boroson is continuing to excel in this area as well.

The feminist threads of the story are powerful and affecting. Boroson clearly put as much thought into reflecting on Asian American women’s issues as he did into his Daosit research, and it shows. Li-lin has some powerful conversations with her father about the imbalanced nature of their relationship, but those conversations are tempered by love and respect. I think it would have been easy for this to turn into a preachy, black-and-white series of diatribes, but instead there’s nuance and care.

One particular sequence also really impressed me with its feminist critique of a fantasy trope I hate: the love potion. It’s not actually that common anymore, thankfully, but until The Girl with No Face I hadn’t seen too many takedowns of the idea. Li-lin, though, demolishes the idea that a love potion can be anything other than a circumvention of consent and a ruinous disrespect for someone’s personhood. When she is ensnared—but not fully caught—by a love spell, she pours all her spiritual and physical power into a bid for escape, never once dismissing the threat to her autonomy.

This scene reminded me of several points in Harry Potter that involve love potions. It was deeply uncomfortable even when Romilda secretly tried to force a love potion on Harry (despite being written with a slightly humorous tone), and downright criminal when Tom Riddle’s mother enslaved his father with repeated doses. The books are already a product of their time, the pre-#MeToo era, and it’s not my goal to further castigate Rowling. Rather, I want to point out how far we’ve come that love spells have gone from plot devices and jokes to objects of horror and catalysts for discussions about consent.

The ending feels a bit unearned on a purely narrative level. Emotionally, Li-Lin’s progress and that of many other characters makes complete sense. There’s a moving realization for both Li-lin and her father, a heartfelt release of trauma, and so on. But the mechanics of her final stratagem were not sufficiently explained or foreshadowed, making the ending feel a bit like a deus ex machina.

Still, that’s more of a quibble and not a full-blown complaint. The flaws in the ending don’t detract from my overall impression of the book, which is that it’s a worthy follow-up to The Girl with the Ghost Eyes and a wonderful adventure on its own terms.

trigger warning
<spoiler>torture
slavery
rape
mind control
gore</spoiler>

Daoist Li-lin is asked to prepare the remains of a little girl for funeral; the dead person was suffocated by a parasitic plant growing in her airways. Finding this odd, Li-lin begins to poke around, and finds another little girl - a faceless one.

So you know where I am at, I don't have any clue whatsoever about Daoism, or China and Chinese people in general. Of course I've watched some martial arts, am aware of recent politics, know a few mythical creatures, but I am a white, middle-European person who hasn't got round to do some research.
In consequence, I have nothing to say on the authenticity of the backgrounds to this novel and world-building. Or about being an immigrant.
This novel does not belong to own voices tales, but it comes with recommended reading, which is always a plus.

Another disclaimer: This is the second installment of the series, and I don't know the first part. I was able to understand the plot reasonably enough and you can read this as a standalone. At least if you're fine with some background issues not being solved, there is room for another installment.

So basically we have a historical fiction urban fantasy crime novel, set in 19th century San Francisco, Chinatown. We have a corpse that implies some kind of foul play, and a person who investigates this out of a sense of duty because of her profession.
Refreshingly, our protagonist is no damsel in distress, but able to defend herself from mortal and spiritual attacks, being trained in martial arts and a Daoist priestess. And there is no problem in the opposite, as her powers are not over-the-top. She trains hard every day, has fought battles in her past and gathered experience. She knows to gather information if possible as soon as possible, and then play her strengths to hide her weaknesses. She makes mistakes, she wins some, she looses some - her skill set seems well balanced. It's just that with historical fiction I usually have either women that need constant saving or women who do the saving in a very Sue-ish way. The more realistic middle ground seems to be not favoured.

Apart from that, the characters did feel... rushed. Not as three dimensional as I would like, this clearly is mostly plot-driven. The monsters? Grotesk, but again, that might be because I know nothing about the mythological background. The gore level? High. The protagonist's best friend is a disembodied eye ball perched on her shoulder. Of course, there is a story behind that, but to find it out you need to read the book.

This was fun, I learned some new things and am intrigued to read some background information, which I probably won't do in the nearer future as I am intrigued by so many cultures and religions and myths that I should first finish what I started.
It was great to read outside from... not necessarily my comfort-zone, but outside of what I am used to. To have more than just the obligatory dragon, dwarves and elves - which are cool, but kind of overused in fantasy.
Also, when I recall how it feels to read stories based on my cultural heritage, I want everybody to have this. Every reader should be able to feel like coming home when picking up a book for fun.
So please, more!

I have recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The opening couple of scenes were some of the best I've read this year. And I do not say that lightly. I've read incredible books this year, some of which will forever be on my bookshelf. There were so many great call backs to book one that I smiled a lot.

But then out of nowhere the Li-lin became arrogant and cocky out of the blue. I don't have a problem with that in a character, but she was so quietly confident just a few pages before. The change was sudden and stark, and just did not work. Also, there was a scene prior that involved a fight between herself and her father that was quite silly. I forced myself to see the positive as there was so much good that came before it and I also loved the first book so much. But that sudden change in personality, plus Gan Shuhao was just, well, a little too ridiculous for my liking.

The girl with no face, what an action packed story! The main protagonist, Li-Lin, takes you on adventure when she gets her hands on an amulet, this particular amulet makes its wearer bulletproof, however this power comes at a very high price. Li-Lin goes through a lot of twists and turns to set things right.

I really enjoyed Li-Lin’s journey and would recommend to others who like a thrilling ride!

This book was quite long winded, but enjoyable.

I liked the different scene, plot and characters. I also liked the family dynamics. It showed that you can be a good person and do bad things, or bad person and do good things. You can be a bad person but driven to be bad by extenuating circumstances.

I REALLY LIKED how the author put so much emphasis and detail into the Chinese culture. It shows how much they appreciate and respect the culture.

The author did ramble on - A LOT. I’m not sure if the author was poetic or what but a lot of the time it was just repetitive.

I did like this book though, and would recommend it.

You don't have to read the first book of the series, The Girl With Ghost Eyes (Daoshi Chronicles #1), to follow The Girl With No Face. After reading this book, I am sufficiently intrigued to want to go back and read the first book to read about some events that have now been glossed over and in the past.

I was afraid with the setting of San Francisco's Old Chinatown that this book would be the usual tired racist Hollywood stereotype of gambling and opium dens, gangsters and traids, high octane chases and fights complete with a white man saviour. Instead, this is a well-researched adventurous foray into the Taoist spirit world and its practitioners set at the end of the nineteenth century. Also unexpected was insight and compassion into the everyday challenges chinese immigrants during that time faced and their contribution to the America of today, especially in building the railroad.

Numerous interesting Chinese and Taoist folklore, mythology and beliefs are featured in the course of telling an exciting story. There is Granny Meng who gives everyone a bowl of forgetfulness soup so they will not remember their past life after reincarnation. Niu-tou and Ma-mian (ox-head and horse-face), gatekeepers and summoners of the underworld appear. Burning paper representations of material goods to give to the dead for use in the spirit world. Origin story of the Kongming lantern. A spirit yamen (judicial court) reachable only by ghost railway network. So much to unpack and appreciate.

We also have our plucky Taoist priestess Li-lin struggling to make things right in a male-dominated world. Her father's treatment of her can be hard to stomach, especially when she tries her best to be filial. I think the author did a good job in portraying the way chinese parents can be dichotomously loving and controlling, sacrificing and unyielding. Despite knowing all this, I still had a difficult time when Li-lin's father pictured her as the white-haired demoness (?!) just for following her own will and forging her path. Also, the overexplanation that he treated her this way partly because she was a daughter and daughters are seen as destined to leave the family is (1) unrealistic - being a chinese girl, this would be known by Li-lin and ingrained into chinese belief, would not need to be explained; (2) disingeneous because it does not mean you have to preemptively disown her (and don't give the crap about disowning in order to protect).

This book is quite unique as I've never read a fantasy book centred on Taoist practice. Highly recommend.

A lush sequel that definitely builds off of the previous book. Characters are done well, while there are issues that I have here and there when it comes to decision making. Strong MC who is quite relatable in terms of personality.

A very good start for a new series.
I appreciated the mix of genres, the well written characters, the engrossing and entertaining plot.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.