Congratulations Janie
on the recent release of
The Fourth Princess!
The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang
Historical Fiction, China, 336 pages
Published February 10, 2026 by William Morrow Paperbacks
From the internationally bestselling author of The Porcelain Moon comes a haunting Gothic novel set in 1911 China. Two young women living in a crumbling, once-grand Shanghai mansion face danger as secrets of their pasts come to light, even as the mansion’s own secret threatens the present.
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.
My thoughts about The Fourth Princess~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"For sale or lease: Lennox Manor A five-acre country estate just outside Shanghai, minutes from the junction of Brenan and Jessfield Road."
I love reading stories set in China, especially stories about their past history. The culture and their customs have always fascinated me. I had already read another book by Janie Chang and enjoyed it so I was excited to have a chance to read The Fourth Princess.
I was immediately drawn into the worlds of Lisan Liu and Caroline Stanton. They each have their own hardships to deal with, as well as deep, dark secrets from their past. The unraveling of all of that made for an intriguing and captivating storylines. I couldn't stop reading!
I loved everything about The Fourth Princess and highly recommend it for historical fiction lovers and readers who enjoy stories about Chinese culture. This is a good one!
I received an ARC of The Fourth Princess and this is my honest opinion.
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About the author
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Janie Chang is a bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books are often inspired by tales of ancestors who encountered dragons, ghosts, and immortals as well as family stories about life in China in the years before the Second World War. Her novels, THREE SOULS and DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD were nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award. DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD was a Canadian national bestseller. Her third novel THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS was a Canadian national bestseller and a Book of the Month Club selection. THE PORCELAIN MOON is set in WWI France and brings to readers the forgotten history of the 140,000 Chinese workers sent to the Western Front. THE PHOENIX CROWN, a novel co-authored with Kate Quinn, released in February 2024. THE FOURTH PRINCESS, releasing in February 2026, is her first Gothic novel.
Born in Taiwan, Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives on the Sunshine Coast of beautiful British Columbia, Canada with her husband and Minnie, a rescue cat who thinks the staff could do better. ~ Goodreads
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