The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

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.

Paperback, 336 pages 

Published February 10, 2026

 by William Morrow 

4/5 stars

This is my third time reading Janie Chang, and once again I was completely drawn into her depiction of China during this fascinating period in history.

The Fourth Princess opens in Shanghai in 1911 and follows Lisan Liu, a young woman hired as secretary to Caroline Staton, a wealthy American newly installed as mistress of Lennox Manor. Through Lisan’s perspective we see that the neglected manor itself carries a dark past that slowly begins to haunt her, giving the story that gothic feel.

From Caroline’s point of view, we experience Shanghai as an outsider trying to establish herself in an unfamiliar country. She arrives with secrets of her own and as her past begins to surface it adds depth and tension to the narrative.

I especially loved the atmosphere, it was rich in history, which I love, the decaying mansion mirrors  hidden truths and the characters are ones that I could root for.  The story itself came with a few surprises and unexpected twists.

Janie Chang has a talent for bringing parts of China's history to life. The Fourth Princess was a captivating historical novel filled with secrets, layered perspectives and a setting that still lingers.

My thanks to HarperAvenue for a print arc in exchange for a honest review.