Welcome friend! One of the releases this month is Rosalie M. Lin’s Daughter of Calamity. Ariel and I read this a few months back and today, I have 10 reasons to check out this book (something different) and tomorrow, pop back to read an interview with the author. 🙂
Rosalie M. Lin | Goodreads
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 cabaret 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.
10 Reasons I liked Daughter of Calamity
Because of Shanghai
#1 The setting of Daughter of Calamity is 1930s Shanghai. Shanghai itself emerges as a character in its own right, with its glittering facade masking darker secrets and dangers lurking in the shadows.
#2 I loved the fantastic elements of this book and how they were rooted in old gods. Shanghai’s origin story is well done.
#3 The colonial influence of the West is explored through the narrative.
For the Characters
#4 Daughter of Calamity offers a good mix of characters. There is seriousness, danger, humour as well as a fight for justice.
#5 Jingwen is a complex and intriguing protagonist, balancing her roles as a showgirl, a runner for her grandmother, and ultimately, a fighter for survival.
#6 The generational ties in this book were interesting to read.
#7 The presence of characters from different countries adds layers of complexity to the story, as they navigate cultural differences and societal expectations in Shanghai’s diverse landscape.
For the Writing
#8 The writing captures the vibrant and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city during this time period.
#9 The storyline is unique. I have never read anything like it.
#10 Gritty writing.
Though there were moments when the story became a bit abstract, I still enjoyed it. Add Daughter of Calamity to your Goodreads if you are interested.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book for an honest review.
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