"Daughter or Calamity" by Rosalie M. Lin is a difficult book for me to review. I really liked Jigwen's character. She is clever and strong and easy to cheer for. I liked the setting and time period of the novel, Jazz Age Shanghai with a twist of fantasy. I was entertained throughout the whole novel...but also confused. Though this novel is quite long and a lot happens within its pages, I would have liked to see more world-building and character development, especially of the vital secondary characters. It seemed the author wanted the reader to just be able to see the fantastical place she created, but without sufficient explanation of that world. It was hard to know what was real and what wasn't, and so Jigwen's world never came fully alive to me. I would have liked to see more explanation of the supernatural elements of the story; again it seemed like the author just assumed the reader would understand them without actually helping the reader to understand them. Overall, this book seemed chaotic and too loosely structured to create a coherent and immersive story. I think it had a lot of potential, but the execution just didn't work for me. That said, I was intrigued enough that I will probably read the sequel if there is one (the ending definitely leaves open that possibility).

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book.

DAUGHTER OF CALAMITY was a book I had high hopes for and was genuinely interested in because it seemed like it was going to be a good story. With magic and an atmospheric Shanghai in the 1930s, I thought this would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book. It was confusing, the world building was severely lacking, the pacing was weird, and poor character building was missing.

A positive for this book is the atmosphere the author creates. It was one of beauty and made this book very noir. The setting was described in a way that made you feel like you were there and get a real sense of Shanghai in the 1930s.

However, this is where the positives end. I found the story confusing to be honest, and I think it had to do with a few elements. One being the world building. It is being written as if we know the world already, but not being explained as she goes. It is as if the author assumes we know the world already and nothing is truly fleshed out. And the pacing was strange as well. It feels like scenes are half written or that they are vignettes almost. And Jingwen is not a well fleshed out character. She doesn’t question at all or seek answers. It’s like things happen to her and she is fine with it. No larger emotions. No deeper thinking. It made for a read that was difficult for me personally.

Overall, I struggled with this book. But, if you like atmospheric reads, magical realism, and some historical elements, this might be your read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I don't believe my review would benefit the author at this time as I am not in a place to review it.

Daughter of Calamity is a historical fantasy set in jazz-age Shanghai.

Jingwen is a young dancer at the Paramount, Shanghai's top cabaret club. In addition to her dancing and singing, she also works as a runner for the local gangsters. Her grandmother would like Jingwen to take over her role as physician for the Blue Dawn, but Jingwen wants to be a singer instead. But after a series of vicious attacks on dancers leave them mutilated and their faces suddenly appearing on Shanghai's wealthiest, Jingwen must work with her rival dancers, and the gangers she would prefer to avoid, in order to stop the violence. Meanwhile a rival gang is encroaching on the Blue Dawn, and the tensions simmering just under the surface are about to come to a head.

I enjoyed this book, though at time the story meandered a bit and I was a little lost in the worldbuilding. The book is set in the 1920's, many elements of the real world are present while some fantasy and magic are woven in, though I felt confused by the magic system at times, and the many gods and magical elements. The violent nature of the attacks on the dancers was a bit graphic to me. Though, I did enjoy the lovely writing in this book, it was highly descriptive and poetic, and I was visualizing every scene in great detail. The story was also great at reflecting the equally gritty and ethereal nature of Shanghai at this time - the wealth of the city, those who control it, and those who fight for a piece of it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book had all the twists and turns that I ever wanted and more.

Daughter of Calamity follows Jingwen, a cabaret dancer in 1920s Shanghai, who is the granddaughter of Liping, a powerful surgeon who caters to the most powerful gang in the city. To protect everything and everyone she holds dear, she will descend into Shanghai’s underworld and grapple with gods in ways beyond her comprehension.

This book was wonderfully complex and mystifying. It reminded me a lot of the magical realism of Allende’s House of the Spirits, where the mystic melds into reality. The scenery was so well described, I could visualize the streets perfectly and it felt like I was there.

The characters were amazingly developed. Even the minor characters were very identifiable and were very sympathetic. Jingwen in particular was a captivating heroine who I felt like was an avatar of me in my twenties, drawn to trouble in all sorts of ways and always hungry to find out who she is. Her relationships to the other cabaret girls also add to the scenery and I was cheering them all on.

I felt like the themes of this book were very complex, but not completely inaccessible. There were themes of generational trauma, as well as colonization’s legacy. Additionally, we see Chinese mythology and history take centerstage, which I lived for. I’m a sucker for all things mythology, as many of you know. Jingwen’s quest for self empowerment and quest for identity also drew me in.

The plot was definitely slow burn, but I felt like the pacing was fairly consistent. It was a bit slower in the beginning, but the patience paid off and I loved this story so much. I love learning about parts of history that may normally be overlooked in American society and this did a lovely job of transporting me back in time.

This is a must for all historical fantasy lovers!

Daughter of Calamity has such a fascinating concept--I really wanted to love it, and at first I thought I would, but my attention waned beyond the first few chapters. I found the setting richly detailed and some of the world building--like gangsters having magical prosthetic arms--fascinating, but something about this one didn't quite work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

An intriguing tale of 1930s Shanghai seen through the eyes of Jingwen, a dancer, Oddly, I found the magical realism/fantasy parts of this distracting- there's so much that could be said about the period and the people that I wanted to stick to reality. That said, Jingwen is an interesting character and I enjoyed being part of her world. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of DAUGHTER OF CALAMITY. This was a fantastic, lush, evocative story based in a fantastical version of historical Shanghai that will stay with me for a long time.

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

I was not satisfied with this book. I felt there was an over explanation on things that didn't matter, and that there wasn't enough on things that did that would have progressed the storyline and made it more enjoyable. Characters were introduced and then nothing would happen regarding them. I was also annoyed by the overuse of similes and metaphors that seemed to start on the first page and never stopped.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Withholding my review in solidarity with the reader's strike on St. Martin's Press, led by Readers Want Accountability.

"Genres collide in this dark and atmospheric reimagining of 1930s Shanghai for fans of Nghi Vo and S. A. Chakraborty.

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. A position her grandmother is pressuring her to inherit...

When a series of 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. In this treacherous realm of tangled alliances and ancient grudges, silver-armed gangsters haunt every alley, foreign playboys broker deals in exclusive back rooms, and the power of gods is wielded and traded like yuan. 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."

Given the whole transplanting of flesh, it's odd that the elegant cover reminds me of a tattoo I saw recently.

This was a very unique story that kept me intrigued throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of this.

This book was an intriguing blend of crime, historical fantasy, horror and with elements of Chinese mythology,

I wish there had been more character development for the side characters, however the development of Jingwan was a refreshing contrast to the darker plot.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. I enjoyed the concept of the story, of rival gangs in Shanghai, cabaret dancers, old gods, girls with missing faces. However, while the story was interesting, most of the characters were pretty flat, and I did not really care much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This novel had GORGEOUS descriptions of literally everything and the ending gave me chills! I don't typically read historical fiction so this novel started a bit slow for me, but I am very glad I stuck through Jingwen's journey!

This book was very hard for my to get into. I feel like there was too much going on and it was over written, like there was words that didn’t need to be there. That being said, I don’t feel like I ever got into it which made it hard to care about the characters and plot. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for an easy, quick read.

"In Shanghai, we are allowed to wear multiple skins, which we collect over our lifetimes and store away for when we need them."

The decadence of 1930's gangster-run Shanghai glitters in this fantasy novel starring a dancer with deep ties to the underworld.

Jingwen skirts the edges of trouble, delivering human bones for her surgeon grandmother who makes a living giving gangsters robotic parts in exchange for their human counterparts. As a cabaret dancer, she's trying to find the richest date to bring to the Christmas dance. But when she attracts the attention of one wealthy expat at the same time as dancer's faces start to get stolen, she finds that Shanghai's dangers are closer than she ever dreamed.

Decadent, dreamy prose shine through a complicated plot, where some of the main action occurs in drug-induced hazes. While villains and their role in bringing ferocious gods to life was not always clear, the book introduces the reader to a beautiful world. My favorite part was when Jingwen visits a secret, underground nightclub, where the flamboyance of the pageantry contrasts with the drug-induced experiences.

At the heart of this glitzy romp of a fantasy is a love story with a city: Shanghai as it was.

DNF'd at chapter two. I knew immediately it just wasn't a fit for me. The blurb and the title drew me in, but I just felt so unconnected with the story.

I think I ended up liking the concept more than the execution. So much time was spent on the Cabaret Girl lifestyle that when we did actually dig into gangs, gods, magic, and corruption, it felt a bit hollow because we didn’t have enough context for those things. Jingwen doesn’t interact with the gangsters and her grandmother nearly enough to give the ending the weight it needs. It also makes the story drag quite a bit in the middle.

In all honesty, Jingwen doesn’t feel present in her own story. And I think that works when she’s at the dance hall, but it does a disservice to the emotional impact and especially the ending.

However, the writing style is gorgeous - showing off the glitz and shadows in equal measure, giving us hints of magic and wonder as well as the grotesque.

The premise of this historical fantasy is very strong: a showgirl in gangster-riddled Shanghai comes of age. Unfortunately, the writing is uneven, somehow both overdone at times and underdone at others. I never got a great sense of Jingwen and who she was, and the magic and gods swirling about the city were not developed well. The setting of Shanghai itself was really well done, definitely the best part of the book, along with the descriptions of the clothing and costumes. Thank you to NetGalley St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.