Urban Fantasy Review & 3-Book Contest: DARK HEAVENS series by Kylie Chan

It’s always fun to find an urban fantasy series that draws on a culture outside the European-American arena, and one of the most interesting recently has been Australian author Kylie Chan’s Dark Heavens trilogy, just released in the U.S. in the last few months. White Tiger, the first book, came out in August, followed by Red Phoenix. The third book, Blue Dragon, comes out next week. Today’s contest is for all three books in the series!

THE OFFICIAL BLURB: 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 Donahoe 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 realize that Emma herself is more than she seems. (This is the blurb for White Tiger, book one, only since you don’t want spoilers.)

MY THOUGHTS: I was a little slow to warm up to this series, finding Emma a bit passive-aggressive and not immediately likeable. Once it kicked in, I found it hard to put down. The worldbuilding is fascinating enough that sticking with it pays off.

            John Chen is enigmatic and mysterious and ultimately swoon-worthy, and daughter Simone adds an extra element of tension to the story. Throw in exotic settings, old mythology, and martial arts, and it’s a fascinating read, if not always the fastest.  

Want to win all three books in the Dark Heavens series? You know the routine: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for Tweet or Retweet or a share on Facebook!