| ARC REVIEW | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 |

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt completely enveloped into the gritty glamour of the streets of Shanghai. The author wrote about Shanghai so lovingly, it was easy to care for it the same way Jingwen does.

The plot twisted and turned and chased Jingwen across the dance floor of the Paramount: the nightclub she loves so much. The crossover of mythology and Shanghai’s crime-filled underbelly was a lot of fun, if a little unclear at times.

Jingwen’s character was fully fleshed out and the exploration of her relationships with her grandmother and the other dancing girls was the best part of the book. I adored how the girls went from frienemies to friends, and how each girl had a personality that stood out. The love interest and the male characters fell a little flat, unfortunately, but were still an enjoyable part of the read.

For a debut novel, this was super enjoyable and set itself apart from novels which have a similar theme. I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes next!

If you enjoy chinese mythology with a sprinkle of jazz and gangsters thrown in, you’ll have a fun time with this one!

| thank you for my ARC via Netgalley |

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin is an opulent, high-paced adult historical fantasy set in Shanghai in the 1930s, a time when the city was absolutely booming and becoming one of the worlds largest, and busiest cities

Jingwen is a showgirl, whose grandmother is the primary surgeon for the Shanghai underworld. Jingwen is not following the path her grandmother wished for her and the pressure on her mounts as terrible acts begin to be committed against the showgirls as they battle each other for the affections of wealthy customers in their establishment

The dark energy behind the narrative is utterly compelling and as much as Lin brings to life Shanghai in a completely different era, the brutality of the underworld is (whilst being at once fantasy) is reflective of the cruelty and extensive reach of some of the prolific South East Asian criminal gangs throughout history

Daughter of Calamity is an intense, highly immersive novel that wil leave you absolutely reeling and as such, I will be looking forward to reading more from Rosalie M Lin

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan, Tor and the phenomenal author Rosalie M Lin for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#DaughterofCalamity #NetGalley

First of all the writing was really beautiful on this book, the author really brought the characters and the setting to life
The story was very intriguing and mysterious while feeling unique. The first half was great but by the second half I was struggling to feel fully immersed in the story

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc