Daughter of Calamity follows Jingwen, a Jazz Age Shanghai club showgirl enamored with the city's duality of bright lights and dark alleys. As patrons from each find their way to her club, Jingwen finds being swept into their paths consuming and difficult to navigate. As thrilling danger and unparalleled luxury threaten to compromise her morals and her family, Jingwen has to pick a side before her city crumbles under the strain.

After the dancers at the club incite a semi-friendly competition to find the wealthiest, most powerful date to the upcoming ball, a horrific tragedy strikes one of the dancers as she's maimed on the floor. Jingwen is understandably shaken by this, but she's soon distracted with a mysterious ex-pat patron, keen to become her benefactor. Jingwen finds no solace at home as her grandmother, a kind of mystical, underground surgeon to the gangs that run Shanghai, pressures her to take over the family business. As she's pulled between duties at the club, her aging grandmother, festering gang activity, her potential benefactor, and the sinking feeling something is very wrong with the city as the attacks on her peers skyrocket, Jingwen must find a way to weave these loose ends back into the fabric of the city she loves before its too late.

Lin does a great job of painting Shanghai's picture. The descriptive detail given to the streets cramped with clubs, restaurants, temples, and tiny apartments brings them to life, giving the reader a sense of place so strong that you can practically feel the glow of the street lanterns and smell the offerings on the food vendors' carts outside the clubs. Jingwen's love for the city drips from the pages. The story is fresh, and it pulls in the reader from early on, often leading you somewhere unexpected. From there, things get a little muddled.

The story has interesting elements at every turn, but the sheer volume of these ended up sacrificing some depth of the characters experiencing them. The fantastical and horror elements almost feel like an afterthought when they could easily be the driving element here. Outside of the already complex plot, a few additional asides lack the time and detail to serve as an extra layer and end up feeling like an afterthought. These dabble in everything from Jingwen's view on spirituality to her relationship with her mother and from a would-be love triangle to mystical mechanical birds. While they serve as minor elements, the level of detail feels unbalanced with their place in the tale. It would've served better to extend the novel's length and build up more depth to these elements or perhaps thin a few of them out even further to streamline the packed story.

From the description, Daughter of Calamity sounds like something I would devour. I read this book back in May, intending to review it for Wyrd & Wonder. While this review comes late primarily due to my own schedule, it’s also partially because every time I sit down to write about it, I don’t know what to say. I liked it alright, I guess, but it felt sluggish to get through?

The plot described above in the copy sounds quite compelling, with a fast pace and high stakes. However, I found it too stop and go. Possibly, this is a case of too much happening in one story. I wanted more of certain plot elements and wondered when the main plot would pick up again. The ‘power of gods’ and stealing faces elements that link to the fantasy aspects of the book aren’t explored to their full potential. I did make a note at the book’s conclusion “that’s kind of dope”, though, so it does end on a high point, haha.

The prose also hindered my ability to clip through this book. Kasia over on Goodreads wrote, “It’s actually pretty difficult for me to decide if this book was underwritten or overwritten.” Yes! A lot of minutiae is detailed, bogging down parts of the story, but when it comes to the most fascinating parts (ie the fantasy elements), little is described.

Jingwen at least is a fun protagonist, with her cabaret girl attitude and daring manipulations of everyone around her in order to achieve her personal goal of helping the girls who faces are being stolen. Her actions seem sometimes at odds to that goal, though, and are a contributing factor to why the plot feels clunky start and go. But I enjoyed her dynamic with various characters, such as the other dancers, her grandmother and mother, and foreigner Bailey. I didn’t care for her romance subplot, though. She finds her cocky love interest “infuriating” for a good chunk of the book. That is my least ‘favourite’ romance dynamic but you may appreciate it more if you’re a fan of that trope!

The Bottom Line 💭
I would still say Daughter of Calamity makes for an impressive debut. I enjoyed many of the individual elements. They just didn’t come together in a compelling way.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

"Daughter of Calamity" was one of those books that started great. I liked the premise and the writing style, but then I began to struggle. It couldn't keep my interest and started to not invest in the characters as I would have hoped. Unfortunately, this story wasn't for me.

Glamorous 1930s Shanghai Fantasy

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin is a historical fantasy novel set in the dazzling and dangerous world of 1930s Shanghai. The story follows Jingwen, a talented showgirl at the Paramount, one of the city's most lavish nightclubs. Jingwen competes ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons while balancing a double life as a messenger for her physician grandmother. The plot thickens when a series of cabaret dancers are attacked, their faces stolen by cruel magic and appearing on wealthy foreign socialites. Jingwen fears she could be next and is drawn into a web of intrigue, glamour, and danger.

Daughter of Calamity is a compelling read for fans of historical fantasy and dark, atmospheric storytelling. Rosalie M. Lin’s debut novel offers a richly textured glimpse into 1930s Shanghai, blending elements of glamour, danger, and magic. While it may have some minor flaws in character development, the novel's strengths lie in its vivid setting, intricate plot, and the moral complexities faced by its protagonist. Overall, it is a promising start for Lin and a worthwhile addition to the genre.

I really wanted to love this book but ultimately it fell a little short for me. I could not connect with the characters but I did enjoy the writing.

The opening was striking, with the dancing girls, delivery and gangs but I soon lost interest in the meandering plot. Okay prose though but none of the characters were fleshed out well.

I do feel like its very reminiscent of These Violent Delights and not in a good way. Both books rely on line level writing and tropes to compensate for lackluster worldbuilding

The cover and the premise initially drew me in but the story just didn’t do it for me. A lot of plot holes and the characters fell short.

jingwen is a cabaret girl who moonlights as a runner for her grandmother, the surgeon to the most powerful gang in shanghai. though she has no interest in one day taking her grandmother’s place, her worlds collide when someone begins stealing the faces of her fellow dancers—only for them to reappear on foreign socialites. her investigation takes her across the city she loves and deeper into its underworld as she is forced to confront the price of shanghai’s luxurious facade.

the more i think about daughter of calamity, the less i like it. all the reviews about how it’s both overwritten and underwritten are spot-on; while i appreciate the author’s commitment to bringing 1930s shanghai to life, and i found her writing quite lovely at certain points, so much of the novel is spent on (sometimes redundant) imagery that everything else is neglected. the plot, characters, relationships, and magic system are all so underdeveloped that i actually went back to double check that i hadn’t missed something. even jingwen remains a shell of a character throughout the novel, shrugging off the various life-altering, traumatic events she experiences within a page or two.

maybe i’m more disappointed because i had such high hopes; the concept is brilliant, and i really wanted the story to live up to the blurb.

This cover is so beautiful! The book was okay. It had magical realism with historical fiction. It takes place in 1930s Shanghai. Our MC is a showgirl dancer & her fellow dancers are being attacked and having their faces stolen. I thought the concept was interesting but I was a bit lost to the reasons why things were that way. The world building was a bit lacking. It was a unique story overall

This was okay. I think for me there was just something missing in this story. It tried to tackle so much it muddled the narrative. I found myself having so many questions to the why and who and what that it took me out of the story. The concept was really interesting and had me hooked from the start. Girls are being attacked in public and parts of them go missing and start turning up on wealthy foreign socialites. Having multiple genres in this book was unique and interesting. It had historical fiction, magical realism and mystery and horror elements. I loved the setting and world building descriptions. The city of Shanghai almost felt like it was its own character at times it was so integrated into the story. I did find myself struggling to connect with Jingwen the main character and the other side characters too. They just felt a bit underdeveloped. Jingwen felt like she might have her Black Swan moment but we never really understood her motives fully so it left me confused at her actions. I was hoping this story would offer more depth but it included so many subplots I lost the overall scope.

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin is an enchanting blend of historical fiction and dark fantasy, set against the backdrop of 1930s Shanghai. Lin’s evocative prose paints a vivid picture of a city caught between opulent glamour and gritty corruption, drawing readers into a world where every alley and cabaret pulses with life and danger.

The novel follows Jingwen, a cabaret dancer with deep ties to the Blue Dawn gang through her grandmother, who is both a surgeon and a key figure in the city's criminal underworld. When a series of gruesome crimes threatens the safety of her fellow dancers, Jingwen must navigate a treacherous landscape filled with rival factions, gods, and shamans.

Lin’s depiction of Shanghai is a highlight, skillfully blending historical detail with fantastical elements to create a setting that feels both real and otherworldly. The city’s transformation from a glittering jewel to a battleground for power and greed is rendered with impressive depth and nuance.

Jingwen herself is a compelling protagonist, driven by a fierce determination to protect those she cares about. Her journey through the dark corners of Shanghai, while thrilling, is also a poignant exploration of identity and belonging. The relationships she forms—both with allies and adversaries—add layers of complexity to her character and to the narrative.

The novel's pacing is deliberate, with the plot unfolding gradually and reaching its peak in a gripping finale. While some readers may find the slow build-up challenging, the payoff is well worth the wait. The story’s intricate web of characters and motives requires patience, but Lin’s storytelling rewards those who invest in the journey.

Despite its strengths, the book does have some minor drawbacks. Character development can be uneven, particularly in how Jingwen’s understanding of her world fluctuates throughout the story. Additionally, the plot’s dramatic shifts and the introduction of numerous elements can occasionally feel overwhelming.

Overall, Daughter of Calamity is a rich and immersive novel that combines historical intrigue with fantastical adventure. Rosalie M. Lin’s debut is a strong and engaging read, and I look forward to seeing how her storytelling evolves in future works.

Trigger warning: scenes with alcohol, scenes with drug use, mention of animal death/dismemberment, mention of blood and gore, general violence

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin is one of those books that is hard to describe. Going by the blurb alone, one could be led to believe the book is one genre. Only when you actually start reading do you realize that it’s something quite different.

As far as the setting, Lin’s descriptions of Shanghai is superb. Her descriptions of the various places the story goes really draw the reader in. From the dance clubs with their glitz and glamour to the back alleys with their hidden shadows, each locale comes alive. The numerous settings are as much a part of the story as everything else.

The characters though were somewhat lackluster. We’re never really given any kind of background on any of them so their motivations can be confusing at times. Jingwen says she doesn’t want to take over her grandmother’s medical practice but never goes into the why. Her relationship with her mother is confusing and again no reason is given as to why these two women do not like one another. It’s not just the women characters this applies to but the men as well. The American doctor Jingwen meets seems to be motivated by greed alone but it’s never explained. Her dance teacher is seeking revenge, but for what exactly? He gives a brief speech towards the end of the book but it’s hard to know if what he says is real or an illusion.

Which leads into the most disappointing aspect of all, in my opinion, the magic. The notion that magic in some form exists isn’t even introduced until about a third of the way into the book. And when it is, there are no solid guidelines or structures around it. Does everyone have the ability to utilize magic or is it only select individuals? Is the concept of magic known to the world at large or is it relegated to “foreign mysticism”? It didn’t help that some of the things characters saw or experienced weren’t always real. It became quite frustrating.

It’s always difficult to review a book when the potential is there, it just doesn’t fully make it to the page. Daughter of Calamity had the potential to be an amazing book in every way. Like I said, the setting of a Shanghai caught between new ideas and old ones, was very well done. Unfortunately, with the lack of character development as well as the half-explained magic, it all kind of fell apart.

As this is Ms. Lin’s first novel, I cannot be too harsh. Creating the ideas behind a book and putting it on the page is an incredibly difficult task. While I somewhat enjoyed Daughter of Calamity, it is Ms. Lin’s future endeavors I look forward to. She has the making of an excellent author and it is my sincere hope I can read and review more of her books in the future.

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.

Unfortunately, this book was not really for me. I found it to be a little disjointed, with dense complicated writing. The Chinese mythology was an interesting aspect and the premise was unique but I don't think I'm the intended audience for this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNFd 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.

So I had to DNF this book, not because it was bad. I honestly really love the characters and world building. But somehow there is too much going on in the story that I cannot keep track of it enough to follow what is going on. Which is quite frustrating because I want to be able to continue it, but I cannot due to how overwhelming it is to just make sure I am following the plot.

It was just really difficult for me to get into this writing. The premise is good and I really wanted to enjoy this.

"I found 'Daughter of Calamity' to be dreamy, poetic, and deeply imbued with Chinese essence. Jingwen, the protagonist, initially appears cold, abrasive, and standoffish, yet beneath this exterior lies a strong moral core and unwavering loyalty to those she cherishes.

Much like the city of Shanghai itself, Jingwen embodies multiple facets and complexities. Her Shanghai is a vibrant tapestry of kitsch and life, juxtaposed with shadows of darkness, decay, and hidden intrigues. Crystal palaces and French cafes coexist with abandoned temples and clandestine gang wars in dimly lit alleyways, while foreign powers exploit the city’s wealth. This blend of fantasy with historical memory vividly captures the essence of Shanghai.

An intriguing aspect of the book is its portrayal of Guanyin, typically revered as the compassionate figure akin to Mother Teresa in Chinese mythology. Here, Guanyin takes on the role of the Mother of Calamity and Destruction, embodying her darker origins with clandestine assassinations.

What truly captivated me was the passion for dance suffusing the narrative. Set against the backdrop of a revolutionary era in the dance world at the turn of the twentieth century, Jingwen’s life revolves around this art form. The central performance in the book, reminiscent of the avant-garde shock of Dyagilev's Ballets Russes and 'The Rite of Spring' in Paris, adds an electrifying dimension.

Supporting characters such as the enigmatic Li Beibei, who deserves a tale of her own, along with Jingwen's grandmother, mother, and even the morally repugnant villain with his exploitative colonial attitude, are all intricately layered.

The atmospheric richness and fast-paced plot further elevate the novel, culminating in a thoroughly engaging read that resonated deeply with me. Overall, 'Daughter of Calamity' earns 4.5 stars and was entirely my kind of narrative."

⭐️: 3.25 / 5

Publication Date: June 18, 2024

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, was the feeling of being in the streets of Shanghai. I found the descriptions to be vivid and it really swept you up into the double sided coin that is the Shanghai underground. From the luxurious clothes to the shady black market.

As for my reservations, the overuse of similes and metaphors was a bit much at times. I also felt like I couldn’t tell what was really happening and what was not given how many hallucinations the character was undergoing. In part because there was no notable distinction to indicate it was a hallucination or dream such as a different stylization or break. While at times that can be used as a plot device I felt that it took away from the story.

Overall I thought the book was okay. I felt that some of the fantasy elements could have been more flushed out. I also couldn’t really rationalize some of the motivations for some of the character’s actions.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Shanghai setting
- 1930s
- Linear timelines

⚠️ violence, gore, mutilation