White Tiger is the first book in a series of book by Australian author Kylie Chan. This series follows the story of Emma Donahoe. Emma is an Australian who lives in china working at a day care centre as well as being a part time nanny for a little girl called Simone whose father is Mr Chen a very wealthy Chinese business man. Although Emma doesn't see herself as special in any way after quitting her job at the day-care centre and becoming a full-time live-in nanny for Mr Chen she is thrown into a world where gods and demons exist and she discovers that she is not as average as she originally thought.

This novel is well written with good structure and plot. It is easy to see how much work and research has been put into this book, as with the rest of the series. The main characters are Mr Chen, Emma, Simone and Leo. Mr Chen is a very wealthy Chinese business man who has a secret that puts his daughter Simone and everyone that works for him at a high risk of being kidnapped, or worse. Mr Chen's daughter Simone is a sweet little 4 yr old girl who is half Chinese and half European on her mother's side. After her mother died Simone has lived with only her father, his body guard Leo and a range of nannies. Leo is a big wall of muscle; he is South American and worked as Simone's mother's body guard when she was a singer before being employed and trained by Mr Chen. Leo is a lovable and caring character who absolutely adores Simone and would do anything to protect her; he is witty and becomes good friends with Emma once she knows the family secret. Emma who has been living in China for the past few years working at a day care centre, owned by Ms Kitty Kwok, teaching English. Although Kitty is almost unbearable to work for the pay is good and so Emma has stayed there for as long as she could. Emma is a caring character who loves looking after Mr Chen's daughter Simone and when is given the opportunity of working full time to take care of this little girl she takes it straight away. When Emma finally convinces Mr Chen to teach her martial arts she discovers that she is not as ordinary as she had always believed she was.

Chan has combined the complexity of the Taoist religion and Chinese mythology with the magnificence of her imagination and writing style. Overall I found this book very easy and enjoyable to read, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about different cultures mixed with fiction. This book not only contains believable characters within a mythical world but fighting scenes that include demons, gods and the ancient form of martial arts. Another added bonus to this book is that if you really want to learn more about the religion and the mythology that the story is set around Chan has listed many of the websites and books that she used in collecting all of the information she needed to write these books in the back of every book in this series.

Brilliant, exciting fantasy novel that uses a unique blend of Chinese mythology and taoist philosophy as the basis for a captivating story.



The content is obviously well researched, especially in regards to the martial arts and different deities. The Hong Kong setting is also very integral as it involves the reader in a culture and tradition very different from the western world.



As far as the plot was concerned I couldn't have asked for more. This first book hooks the reader nicely and provides a well rounded story whilst also leaving you wanting more. The following books I am happy to say deliver nicely.



This book comes highly recommended to anyone who likes a bit of fantasy and adventure.