DNF at 11%. I ultimately was not engaged. I only made it a little way through and found nothing of it interesting. Even the narrator for the audio wasn’t very good. Didn’t show any inflections or any differences between the characters or people. If I wanted that, I could’ve listened to myself read it.

This is an example of a book with an amazing concept that just didn't quite follow through for me personally. Jingwen is such an interesting character, but I could not tell if she was supposed to be naïve or more mature because her personality, thoughts, and actions varied wildly between the two. I loved the magical-type aspects in the book, but the story was very slow in getting to the action and twists so that I was less invested when they eventually came. I also couldn't quite figure out the relationships she had with both friends (enemies?), family and romance. The descriptions could be beautiful, but also vague. I also enjoyed this version of Shanghai that the author altered just subtly enough to make you questions what is real and what is not. There are a lot of different things going on and the transition between them was (for me) confusing. I think this author has such interesting ideas and maybe with time can craft a dazzling book.

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I felt like I hoped for more? The plot felt flat but the author wrote eloquently. I feel like it’s not quite done with lots going on and not quite sticking. For what it was though, I had an appreciation for the read

THANK YOU for granting me access to this Audiobook in exchange for a review!

I was conflicted a little bit on if I wanted to rate this 2 stars, or 3 stars. In the end, I went with 3. There is genuine effort here, just maybe not fully fleshed out.

I immediately felt kind of bored by this book. I thought maybe I was being impatient, but after a couple hours through, nothing had really happened or changed in the plot. It didn't feel 'backstory' heavy, just extremely taxing with descriptions and pace. This did not change throughout the book. I actually ended up listening to this on 1.25x Speed just to get through it. All the 'flourishes' of language, turns of phrases, comparisons, etc. was just grating after a while. Ultimately it felt extremely taxing and unnecessary. Of course, this is a writing method that can work, but I think moderation is key. It is hard to apricate the fine details if all we get are the fine details.

Part of this pacing issue was also the narrator's fault. Her cadence was very slow and somewhat odd. She would read sentences at such a slow pace, it was easy to forget I'd sped it up. She also had a thing with commas where every time there was a comma in the sentence, her tone would go up like it's a question. Example: "Suddenly? There was a commotion? As if everything came crashing down. As if? There was a riot? causing me to jump out of my skin." It became very distracting. I would also catch some mispronunciations here and there. Not a huge deal, but I often use Alexa/other AI text reading apps if I'm in a slump with a book, and it would throw me off as I listened, making me think it was AI reading.

At times, I think the story was more confusing than interesting. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters, and I couldn't keep focus for long with all the extra fluff. I just wanted to get to an actual plot point to progress forward in the story. I think this book ultimately lacked pacing structure, and greatly suffered for it. I also think if the pacing had been fixed (flourishing's removed in favor of plot progression) we could have received more details/plot points to deepen this world, our understanding of it, or meaning of it all. Our characters did not feel like people with emotions, likes and dislikes, etc. Everything just felt completely flat, and ultimately this lead to the climax/resolution also falling flat.

I think readers would read this purely for the descriptions/vibes of "seedy" club life in Shanghai but there wasn't much going on in it plot wise for me to actually recommend it based on the plot.

Daughter of Calamity is a glittering and dark urban fantasy with beautiful writing and an intriguing plot.

I had a good time with this one, but it fell flat for me. The writing was beautiful, but some lines felt awkward or too embellished. There were still many fun and memorable moments, though parts of the story felt slightly stiff and silly. I wanted to see more development and exploration of the magic. It was still an interesting read and the characters and character development were lovely. I also really appreciated the wonderfully described dance scenes.

The narrator had a soothing voice that worked very well for the MC and story, but I hoped for stronger accents that varied more between characters. Overall, her performance was lovely.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

The book was overall very interesting and intriguing. Loved how the author weaved mythology into a modern world that still made a lot of sense. Characters were flushed out.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 3.75, rounded up

Wow. The writing was beautiful, but I feel like a lot of the plot got a bit confusing at times as there was a lot going on.

The setting was fantastic and the author did an amazing job giving us such detailed descriptions of 1930s Shanghai that it felt like I was there. But for me, the gangs, the gods, the magic, the romance... it all got confusing to keep track of.

However, I did like the way the magic was written and how the gods were incorporated in this. I honestly would love to read another book this author writes as I feel like there's so much potential, and you can see how detailed everything was.

The narrator of the audiobook wasn't the best in that they didn't really distinguish the characters, but they did a great job bringing the world to life.

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

I’ve been eagerly awaiting ‘Daughter of Calamity’, but it didn’t quite do it for me. Initially, I was sucked right into the book and was intrigued by every turn and character. Jingwen is a dancer in 1930s Shanghai, and she also works for her grandmother as a runner for one of the local gangs. I’ve never read a book set in 1930s Shanghai, so the setting felt new and interesting to me. The author, Rosalie M. Lin, did a great job pulling you into the scenes and making you feel like you were there. The competition between Jingwen and the other dancers was fierce and often brutal. I would not thrive in that kind of cutthroat environment!

As I mentioned in my first sentence, I was so sad to find that, after a handful of chapters, ‘Daughter of Calamity’ began to really fall flat for me. I stopped caring quite so much about what was happening, and I found my mind wandering often. I love romantic elements in the books I read, but the romance in this was just meh.

To end on a high note, I do want to reiterate that there were things I really enjoyed. The setting was fascinating, and the idea of women’s facial features being stolen was horrifying and curious. I also loved the fantastical/magical realism. The author’s writing style holds so much promise, and I thought a lot of it was truly beautiful. I would not hesitate to try another book by her, despite this one not hitting the 5 stars I thought it might.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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.