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Kung Fu Princess #1
Daughter of Light
The first volume in Pamela Walker's Daughter of Light series doesn't waste time getting started. A handful of mysterious coins plunge Cassidy in a series of strange and threatening experiences. First, disturbing dreams indicate that she is destined to defeat evil spirits. Then she's plagued by a series of mishaps and disasters, including the attack of a dangerous snake. It takes the arrival of handsome stranger James Tang to bring some stability and understanding to Cassidy's baffling predicament. A promising series debut.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2006
2 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Walker
3 books1 followerLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 16, 2007
it may sound chessey but its acually a decent book and youll never know what happens
November 8, 2025
I was apparently quite into this series when I was younger, as I had to special order the sequel (since it was out of print or not largely accessible). I re-read this book, not really remembering what it was about. Certain scenes, though, came back to me quite vividly (like the winged snake).
This book isn't bad. It's a sufficiently interesting YA book. I'd normally have rated it a three star book, but I've dropped it one in protest of the way this book handles the idea of a teen girl's weight. In two instances, she mentioned being upset with her "pudgy tummy" and not wanting to look "fat" in a Halloween costume. The main character is 14 years old. I understand that this can be meant to show regular teen girl stresses and make a character dealing with supernatural demons more down to earth. But the fact that her mindset viewed them negatively, with no pushback from other characters and no contextualization from the author in narration, means that this message of larger = bad gets pushed to the readers, who in most cases are going to be young girls themselves. Not a great message to be conveyed and really, it doesn't fit with the rest of what we know about the character. (The character is kind of flat in a way, more so affected by the plot than having a robust personality and independent interests...we don't know why she wanted to get into Wing Chun in the first place or whether she really cares about her grades in school or much about her at all, come to think of it.)
In other words, the plot is different, unique. There's mystery, intrigue, and light references to Chinese mythology. But the characters are somewhat steered by the plot, and appear flat and one-dimensional on their own.
This book isn't bad. It's a sufficiently interesting YA book. I'd normally have rated it a three star book, but I've dropped it one in protest of the way this book handles the idea of a teen girl's weight. In two instances, she mentioned being upset with her "pudgy tummy" and not wanting to look "fat" in a Halloween costume. The main character is 14 years old. I understand that this can be meant to show regular teen girl stresses and make a character dealing with supernatural demons more down to earth. But the fact that her mindset viewed them negatively, with no pushback from other characters and no contextualization from the author in narration, means that this message of larger = bad gets pushed to the readers, who in most cases are going to be young girls themselves. Not a great message to be conveyed and really, it doesn't fit with the rest of what we know about the character. (The character is kind of flat in a way, more so affected by the plot than having a robust personality and independent interests...we don't know why she wanted to get into Wing Chun in the first place or whether she really cares about her grades in school or much about her at all, come to think of it.)
In other words, the plot is different, unique. There's mystery, intrigue, and light references to Chinese mythology. But the characters are somewhat steered by the plot, and appear flat and one-dimensional on their own.
November 26, 2019
took a long time to get going. probably wouldn't have finished if it weren't so short, and I won't be finishing the series. basic, predictable story. it was decent enough, but mostly just because there's nothing outright terrible. might be a good book for a young reader who is learning about their own multicultural background, since they would have that in common with the protagonist, but there are likely more compelling choices out there.
September 10, 2016
The book Kung Fu Princess Daughter of Light by Pamela Walker is about a girl named Cassidy Chen who wakes up from another nightmare that has been recurring on the morning of her fourteenth birthday. The tells her that she's destined to defeat evil spirits with the help of an unknown ally. She then gets a box with 5 old coins and is plagued by a series of disasters and mishaps, including the attack of the winged snake. The arrival of handsome James Tang explains that she is being haunted by demon ghosts.
My favorite part of the book was when Cassidy battled the winged snake. Cassidy ran away from the party and went into the park. She didn’t notice the snake slithering up to her until the snake hissed. She whirled around and saw the snake flying up to her height. Cassidy heard the crunching of leaves behind her and she turns around to find James behind her. James explains that he knows what that winged snake is. He hands the sword that is part of his costume to the party and explains that she has to defeat the winged snake. Cassidy takes the sword and battled the winged snake. Cassidy defeated the winged snake and one of the old golden coins start to warm up in her pocket. This is my favorite part because Cassidy is a girl and she defeated the winged snake without any help from James. This part shows that girls are capable of anything a man does.
A theme that is shown throughout the book is: through bravery in the face of the unknown, balancing the strength of mind, body, and spirit; and facing your fears, anybody can become a warrior against evil forces. The author develops this theme by first, writing that Cassidy doesn’t believe anything at first. Then, as the story develops, Pamela Walker adds a sequence of events that could not happen to anybody else to make Cassidy believe that she can defeat all the evil forces that she is supposed to. Some of the add ins were: fighting the winged snake.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked the characters and the plot, but the book is too easy. The writing needs to be harder and more complex in my opinion. If it weren’t for that, I would have given it 5 stars. I would recommend this book to people who like easy books. I would also recommend this book to people who like adventure books.
My favorite part of the book was when Cassidy battled the winged snake. Cassidy ran away from the party and went into the park. She didn’t notice the snake slithering up to her until the snake hissed. She whirled around and saw the snake flying up to her height. Cassidy heard the crunching of leaves behind her and she turns around to find James behind her. James explains that he knows what that winged snake is. He hands the sword that is part of his costume to the party and explains that she has to defeat the winged snake. Cassidy takes the sword and battled the winged snake. Cassidy defeated the winged snake and one of the old golden coins start to warm up in her pocket. This is my favorite part because Cassidy is a girl and she defeated the winged snake without any help from James. This part shows that girls are capable of anything a man does.
A theme that is shown throughout the book is: through bravery in the face of the unknown, balancing the strength of mind, body, and spirit; and facing your fears, anybody can become a warrior against evil forces. The author develops this theme by first, writing that Cassidy doesn’t believe anything at first. Then, as the story develops, Pamela Walker adds a sequence of events that could not happen to anybody else to make Cassidy believe that she can defeat all the evil forces that she is supposed to. Some of the add ins were: fighting the winged snake.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked the characters and the plot, but the book is too easy. The writing needs to be harder and more complex in my opinion. If it weren’t for that, I would have given it 5 stars. I would recommend this book to people who like easy books. I would also recommend this book to people who like adventure books.
March 30, 2009
On the morning of her fourteenth birthday, Cassidy Chen wakes from another in the series of nightmares she has been having, yet unaware of the extraordinary changes she is about to experience. She has led a safe and secure life with her family and friends and has no reason to suspect that life could be otherwise. Although she realizes that something is different, that something might be wrong, it takes a while for all the clues to add up; from a stranger’s appearance with the five stones, to the antique shop owner’s ominous reaction when confronted with the odd gift, and the frightening hallucinations she experiences almost daily.
Cassidy is a likeable character in that she is a “nice” girl. She gets along well with her parents and Master Lau. She has good friends and is a good friend in return. It is an easy read and difficult to put down once the strange events start.
ISBN 0-448-44139-x
224 pages
Cassidy is a likeable character in that she is a “nice” girl. She gets along well with her parents and Master Lau. She has good friends and is a good friend in return. It is an easy read and difficult to put down once the strange events start.
ISBN 0-448-44139-x
224 pages
May 20, 2008
This book is not exceptionally well written and is a bit of a slow start but picks up momentum toward the end. Light and entertaining, although the attempt at foreshadowing falls a little flat.
May 18, 2009
very stupid, cliché, poorly written, and sooooo predictable. I don't need to read the other two books because I can already guess what's gonna happen.
July 29, 2009
I like it,but it needed more action.Enough suspense to keep you interested.
March 6, 2013
it would be a great book for a person who likes action/fighting.
May 22, 2014
The plot was well written and really interesting.
March 31, 2015
Cute girl-power plot with some romance and a likable protagonist. Probably better suited for middle grades, but I think a few of my freshmen would enjoy it.
August 24, 2013
A very good and interesting book. If your looking for a fantasy,this is good.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews