Review
As a fan of gothic fiction and historical fiction, I was definitely excited to check out The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang. And I am happy to report that the author successfully combined the genres all in the setting of early 1900s Shanghai.
From the beginning, Chang sets the tone and the remarkable women who serve as the main POVs. Lisan is a ward of a prominent bachelor, and Caroline is an newlywed heiress settling into her new home – or mansion. Both women’s motivations are mostly clear, yet their backgrounds remain mysterious throughout. The author slowly clues readers in to the fact that the stakes for both are higher than meets the eye.
Not only does Chang deliver on the historical context of the railroad boom in China, but she incorporates the perfect amount of paranormal mystery and suspenseful storytelling that is difficult to do well. Yet, she does it with The Fourth Princess.
The secondary characters add other entertaining elements such as heart, humor, betrayal, intrigue, and compassion. I easily connected to the characters, despite having no way to relate to them or their choices. All in all, The Fourth Princess is a worthy addition to any reading list.
Janie Chang joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her family ancestry and how she blended two powerful genres. Listen to episode 126 and pick up a copy of The Fourth Princess, available now!
Book
Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.
Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman’s family that the orphaned Lisan can’t answer.
As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’s mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.
