The setting and culture were top notch. Gangsters in 1930s Shanghai? Could it get any cooler? The fantasy element was interesting and a little mysterious.

The writing was different than I’m used to but it fit the story. I can see why some would struggle with it but it worked for me. It reads like poetic historical fiction.

The romance is a slow burn and the tension drawn out which I actually love but if you don’t, this might not be for you. However the romance isn’t central to the story so maybe give it a go anyway.

the setting and elements of Chinese culture in the book were so well done .
Thank you for the Arc .

In Daughter of Calamity, I was immediately drawn to the setting and the characters. I love the idea of Shanghai in the 1930s, and it was cool to see the various cultures and types of folks who called the city home. Part of the fantasy element is that the city itself is personified, and I found that to be an excellent framework on which to build the characters' arcs. We follow along with Jingwen as she traverses the showgirl nightlife as well as the gangster underground. I appreciated the mystery of finding out how and why showgirls' faces were being stolen, and overall the book was a quick read. A big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for my thoughts!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for a review!

I ended up not finishing this one mostly because of the issues I had with the characters. They were hard to pin down, and all seemed like archetypes loosely based off other existing characters. The world had lush scenes but in a sort of bland, overly familiar way, relying on the reader's knowledge of similar settings to fill in the blanks. I think this needs to be edited down and the central threads made more obvious. Magic system -- maybe system is the wrong word; magic...stuff? -- is not easy to follow. I'm finding it difficult now to summarize what it is/how it works. I've seen in other reviews that it expands to include more types of magic...I cannot imagine what that could be, at the point I'm at now (about 20% through).

I'm not too familiar with Chinese history, or mythology, but this one was a miss for me. It started out as a strong story, but somewhere around the halfway mark, it started to feel like two different novels being forced into one, There was a disconnect between the plot that I can't quite put my finger on, I almost wish it was a series, with a chance to flesh things out a little more.

Daughter of Calamity had a strong concept but the prose was overblown, like to the extent that I sometimes had a hard time following what was actually going on.

This book fell very flat for me. Which is unfortunate because I was looking forward to it. The plot was not interesting and I had to DNF. The story just did not have a lot of substance for me.

I liked the general concept of the story but I couldn't connect to the character, whenever the tension started to build, the author delayed it. the slow build of the plot makes it less mysterious and less exciting. The eerie elements and fantasy were a great mix with the historical setting and worth revisiting.

1.5/5 - rounded to 2

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of Daughter of Calamity! Some things may change from now to the final publication. All opinions are my own.

Against the backdrop of 1930's Shanghai, Jingwen is a cabaret dancer, showgirl, and the grand-daughter to the city's most prolific doctor/gangster. When a girl at her dancehall has her lips stolen and two mysterious men enter her life Jingwen must transform into all that she isn’t but must become.

Let me be clear, if my synopsis wasn't enticing or inspired then that's because the story is not and I wasn't. If you're a fan of tumblr level dialogue and watt-pad written "bad ass morally gray women", you will like this story. However, if you have a fully developed frontal lobe, you might be disappointed.

The premise held so much potential, but unfortunately the execution left much to be desired. The book really needed to be edited one or two more times. Confusing sentences littered paragraphs and two consecutive chapters started with the same sentence that felt out of place and not intentional. Lin's writing style here is inconsistent and either delves too deeply into similes or just barely scratches the surface. It felt like she was trying too hard to evoke the exact image of Shanghai she wanted us to see rather than allow us to envision it by ourselves. Afraid of misinterpretation, all of her thematic symbols were so on the nose I felt like she was talking to us as if we were children. Speaking of...until I read that the main character was twenty, I thought Jingwen was sixteen. I think this would have found a better audience within the YA genre even if it was a bit gory in some areas (but the gore lasted a paragraph or so each time, and never truly explicit).

I did not enjoy the romance even if that wasn't at the center of the story. The almost instant love hidden behind a thin veil of "enemies to lovers" made me roll my eyes and quite frankly I really hoped Jingwen would end up with one of the cabaret girls. Queerness isn't really discussed or written about in the book, but if you squint really hard you can see it in a few sentences. But you have to squint really hard. I also hoped we would see greater bonding between the dance girls and explore all their different motivations. I wanted women helping women because if not them, then who? We get this a bit, but I wish it was developed and explored more with the nuance it deserves. What we get instead is random moments of laughter over a quirky event that bonds the dancers because "girlhood".

Other thoughts:
- Pacing was off the charts weird. Time didn't exist and neither did rest/rumination
- A perfect blue/black swan moment appeared just as quickly as it left and left me stunned in both good and bad ways
- The main twist was :/ it was pretty predictable in a lot of ways, and the secondary twist was cooler than the first but still not revolutionary

With all of this said, I will name a few pros to end this review:
- It ended in a way that definitely alludes to a sequel, so if you like the book there's probably more coming
- Some of the sentences did hit the way poetry is meant to hit
- The theme of colonial powers in China and the way foreign power pervades & forces assimilation was interesting and a large theme in the book which I appreciated

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

I ended up DNF this book at 23%. I had expected the plot to follow more of a thriller/mystery solving path but unfortunately, that was not the case for this book. It reads more like a historical fiction without any compelling fantasy elements that kept me want to continue reading. The first face-stealing case happens and then is not mentioned again for another two or three chapters. The worldbuilding with the gods & demons being mentioned also came out of nowhere.

Overall this book wasn't for me. The pacing was way too slow and the characters felt dull and boring.

I wanted to enjoy this book so much more, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. It had an interesting premise, and the vivid setting was the most compelling aspect, but the characters were a bit one-dimensional. I wanted more from them, and ultimately it didn’t hold my attention.

Jingwen is a dancer in Shanghai in the 1930s. Her grandmother, who raised her, is a doctor… and works for one of the local high ranking gangs. Jingwen does errands for her grandmothers to make extra money; this is dangerous as these errands often involve gangsters. She dances in the evenings where men buy dance tickets to dance with the girls, and during the day, she is learning a routine with a group of dancers (none have had formal dance training) so they are not well-known nor particularly sought after.

An American doctor-turned-businessman dances with Jingwen one night and charms her (and/or vice versa?)), but at the dance, there is a horrifying scream. One of the other dancers is crying on the floor and when she turns her face up, they see her lips have been cut off.

The next day, the building and dance company Jingwen is dancing with during the day has been bought and she, herself, is going to be the next star of the company. They are switching from ballet to traditional Chinese dancing (this type of dance is new to all the dancers).

There is a lot going on! It does all end up meshing together, with Chinese mythology and fantastical elements weaved in, as well. The mythology was told like a story-within-a-story (which I’m not a fan of), so I kind of skimmed that. Also not a big fantasy fan, so the fantasy stuff didn’t peak my interest, either. The book was very dark. I like horror, so the “type” of darkness in a book doesn’t always bother me, but dark mysteries, for example, are not always appealing to me. The darkness in this book also didn’t “do it” for me. I really didn’t like any of the characters in the story, either. So, this one is definitely not for me.

I loved the Shanghai created by Rosalie Lin in this book. It's lush and decadent with an oily undercurrent that reminds you of the period in history and what kind of colonial violations have both allowed for this kind of a cultural whirlpool to happen in the first place and will also be it's undoing in a short time. In spite of Jingwen's very clear view of the seedy underbelly to this city of nightlife, you can still see why she loves it and fights for it, because it also captures that feeling of borrowed glamour, anticipation, and the allure of the unknown that all the greatest night's out involve . (I'm also a sucker for detailed descriptions of what people wore, what they ate, and glamorous locations and she delivers on almost every page on that front. Even when dark deads are happening, I would still kill to take a peep into some of the venues she describes because she makes them seem that appealing)

While the world building really captivated me, the actual plot seemed like it could have been condensed. There were almost too many different semi-antagonists to fully focus on and certain characters seemed plopped in compared to others who felt like they belonged in the world. The love interest for example basically shows up in a tree and from then on we're told that he's alluring and deeply connecting to the heroine but it's a lot of telling rather than showing. I can honestly think of several characters Jingwen had fewer scenes with where the chemistry felt significantly more natural, whereas this one almost felt like it existed to tick romantasy trope boxes.

That being said, you can tell this is a good writer at work, and I enjoyed being in this world enough that I'm excited to see what's next

Based on the synopsis, I was really looking forward to this. But I was unfortunately disappointed. The dialogue was awkward, and the middle of the novel DRAGGED.

“If you wish to survive in this world of ours, it’s best not to dwell on others’ pain.”

“Daughter of Calamity,” by Rosalie M. Lin

Jingwen is a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai. After her shifts she runs mother for her grandmother who is a surgeon for the most powerful gang in the area. When dancers are being targeted to steal portions of their faces that are reappearing on wealthy socialites in the city, Jingwen thinks she might be next. Jingwen decides to find out who is doing it to not only save herself but the other dancers.

This story and plot were interesting and unique, very stand out. The imagery and allure of Shanghai was my favorite part of the book. There were a lot of boring parts of the book, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I liked seeing the glitz and glam with the beautiful places, internally ugly people, and drug use but in a different country as the backdrop. 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I adored this book. It was very much one where I just had to trust the vibes and roll with it. But I did really enjoy it.

The main character is naive and has the memory of a goldfish sometimes. But it weirdly worked for me? She felt relatable in a way. I just wanted to follow along more.

In "Daughter of Calamity" by Rosalie M. Lin, the narrative orbits around Jingwen, a showgirl at the Paramount, a hub of Shanghai's nightlife, ensnared in a perilous labyrinth of deception. By day, she vies for the favor of affluent patrons through her dance performances; by night, she aids her grandmother, a surgeon entrenched in the city's most formidable criminal syndicate. Lin adeptly portrays Jingwen's dual existence, skillfully depicting the opulent facade of her world juxtaposed with its grim underbelly.

Set in 1930s Shanghai, "Daughter of Calamity" unfolds an adult historical fantasy narrative. Jingwen, a cabaret dancer, finds herself entwined in the intricate web of her family's ties to a local gang when a shocking incident occurs during a bet among her fellow dancers. As one of them falls victim to a bizarre theft right on the dance floor, Jingwen is propelled into a journey of self-discovery, unearthing the secrets of her lineage and her city.

Love this book!

Thank you to NetGally for the ARK

the story was incredibly shallow and had no depth. also the pacing was all over the place so it's difficult to immerse yourself in the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Also I know the author a bit because we share an agent.

Jingwen is a cabaret dancer in a 1930s Shanghai quite a bit, but not entirely, like our own. She also goes by Vilma, for a little Western glamour when she's lighting up the tiles with her fancy footwork and practiced flirtation. She loves her life of dancing, drinking, and beautiful qipaos and shoes. Her grandmother, a doctor with the ability to make people new limbs out of a magical silver substance, is disgusted by Jingwen's frivolity. She has made her bargains with the seamier side of Shanghai life in the gang of the Blue Dawn, and she expects Jingwen to follow in her footsteps.

When another dancer is attacked in a horrifying and unnatural way, Jingwen can't be comfortable running the occasional errand for her grandmother and her gang contacts any more. Gradually competing with the other cabaret girls for the richest patron feels less important--and the rich patrons look more dangerous. When her diurnal dance troop is bought out by one of them and its artistic director replaced by a mysterious figure who makes her the lead dancer, she knows she's playing with fire, but she has to pursue justice for the other dancers--and safety for herself.

There are powers beyond the human in play in Jingwen's Shanghai. She will have to try to sacrifice to them, embody them, control them, work around them--but she can't ignore them, or not just her way of life but her life itself--will be in danger. This is not our Shanghai, quite, but it is still a crossroads of the world, keeping its culture and making it new in the face of dozens of outside forces and divided desires from its own people.

I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press

Daughter of Calamity is told from the point of view of Jingwen, a cabaret dancer and the granddaughter of an infamous doctor in fantasy 1930s Shanghai. The city is full of action, magic, gang conflicts, drugs, and dancing. Someone is stealing the faces of other dancers, and it is up to Jingwen to uncover what is going on and save them all.

Overall I enjoyed reading Daughter of Calamity, though I thought I sometimes had trouble believing the decisions Jingwen made. I also felt like the ending dragged on a bit, and the last couple of chapters could have been shortened. But it was very well written!