DAUGHTER OF CALAMITY

A talented young cabaret dancer finds herself entangled with gangsters, socialites, and practitioners of ancient magic.

Set in Shanghai during the early 1900s—a time and place full of old magic—this novel tells the story of Jingwen, a skilled showgirl at the Paramount looking to get a leg up on her fellow dancers. When several of the women are attacked in public and their stolen faces begin to appear on the foreigners who watch them perform, Jingwen finds herself torn between the life of wealth and revelry that she yearns for and the city she calls home. Soon enough, a convoluted web of back-alley politics and ancient gods reveals itself to Jingwen, and the spectacular mirage that is Shanghai’s nightlife comes crumbling down. Jingwen is abrasive, despite the loyalty and love she shows to those she holds dear, and often downright frustrating in her flatness. She’s present during several shocking acts of violence—early on, one of her fellow performers has her lips cut off while she’s with a patron—and has very little reaction; although shaken, she quickly moves on and the story progresses. Though her lack of affect might be an act of self-preservation or a result of her upbringing running money for her grandmother, it deprives the story of gravity or emotional depth. Similarly, the magic that Jingwen is exposed to lacks an explanation that would make it feel like a tangible part of the world—it is, in the end, thin as the smoke it often appears as. The author’s love for Shanghai is clear from the early pages, and her descriptions of the Jazz Age and its effects on the city unfold in gorgeous, vivid detail. The early 20th century was a formative time for both music and dance, and they play important roles in Jingwen’s life. With that in mind, this novel would perhaps be more appealing to readers looking for a lovingly detailed work of historical fiction than a fantasy novel.

A fascinating time period and intriguing cast of characters, but the story lacks depth and development.