Daring You To Read...White Tiger by Kylie Chan

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

You’ve already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought!
You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know!
Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

This week, I'm daring you to read a book I just discovered: WHITE TIGER by Kylie Chan. I've seen her books in the store before but it took me a while to pick her first book up. Now that I have, I'm so excited that there are six more instalments available right now!

Set primarily in Hong Kong, WHITE TIGER is steeped in Chinese mythology and martial arts. It's the first book in the Dark Heavens trilogy, a series of books that follows Emma Donahoe, an Aussie working in Hong Kong as a nanny for John Chen, a very rich businessman. Her days are filled taking care of John's daughter Simone but it doesn't take long for Emma to realize there's more to John, Simone, and their household than at first glance. There may also be more to Emma than any of them realized (including Emma herself) and we get to accompany Emma as she learns all about the hidden world of Chinese shen (gods/spirits) and begins to practice wudang.

I would consider this book to be urban fantasy but it's not as fast-paced as what you typically see in the genre these days. Instead, things are slowly revealed, letting the reader learn about this world in a very digestible manner. As much as I love an edge-of-your-seat-thrill-ride, I really appreciated the more moderate pace of WHITE TIGER since there's a lot of mythology that I wasn't familiar with. The author delivers it in very manageable bits, and always just enough that you have to know more! Even now, having finished the book, I feel like there is so much more to learn about this incredible world.

If that's not enough, Emma is also an atypical UF heroine. She's an Aussie in Hong Kong, working as a teacher and tutor, who eventually becomes a full-time nanny, not the usual career path we see in the genre. She's also slightly overweight, has average looks, and doesn't have any powers, just a keen mind and a good heart. Watching her fall in love with Simone and her father was lovely. Watching her figure out what exactly goes on in John's life was awesome because Emma's just so on the ball. She may be a newbie in the world of magic and demons but she's quick to understand the implications, and brave enough to stand by John and Simone when it would be much easier to run.

And then there's John. He is a very cool character. Because WHITE TIGER is told through Emma's eyes, we get to know John as she does and he is excellent. He's got so much depth and tragedy. I loved it but I don't want to say too much so that you can have the same sense of discovery I did!

WHITE TIGER is full of wonderful characters, amazing world building, and the promise of even greater things to come. I really do hope I've convinced you to give WHITE TIGER a try. I've put the rest of the trilogy on my Christmas wish list so here's hoping they're under the tree later this month. If not, you'll find me at the bookstore in the "C" section on Boxing Day!

Want more? I bet you do! Here's the cover copy for WHITE TIGER:

ACTION, INTRIGUE, DEMONS AND DRAGONS

Kylie Chan creates a fast and furious story balanced between the celestial and the mortal, the powerful and the innocent ...

Emma Donahue has just started her new job as nanny to Simone, the daughter of John Chen, a very rich Hong Kong businessman. She understands that Simone may be a target for kidnappers but she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal domain.

When John and his American bodyguard, Leo, teach Emma their particular style of martial arts, they begin to realise that Emma herself is more than she seems ...

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

And here's the rest of the trilogy:

If that's not enough, there's also a subsequent trilogy, Journey to Wudang:

And a prequel novella featuring Gold:

What do you think? Have you read this series? Are you willing to accept my dare?

Posted by jenn at 05:59

 Daring You to Read, Gods, Harper Collins, Kylie Chan  104 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.