The Dragons of Heaven

Missy Masters #1

by Alyc Helms

Missy Masters inherited more than the usual genetic cocktail from her estranged grandfather. She also got his preternatural control of shadows and his enduring legacy as the legendary vigilante superhero, Mr. Mystic.

After a little work, the costume fits OK, but Missy is far from experienced at fighting crime, so she journeys to China to seek the aid of Lung Huang, the ancient master who once guided her grandfather. She becomes embroiled in the politics of Lung Huang and his siblings, the allegedly mythical nine dragon-guardians of all creation.

When Lung Di—Lung Huang's brother and mortal enemy—raises a magical barrier that cuts off China from the rest of the world, it falls to the new Mr. Mystic to prove herself by taking down the barrier.

It's a superhero novel, a pulp fantasy novel, with lashings of kung fu, immense kick-ass dragons and an unfailingly sympathetic heroine—yes, it's another wonderful Angry Robot title.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Superheroes, Science Fiction Fantasy, Paranormal

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Alyc Helms prefers tea (especially a really smoky Lapsang Souchong) over all other beverages. They studied folklore and anthropology what feels like a lifetime ago, and they dabble in corsetry and costuming, dance Scottish Highland and Irish Ceili at Renaissance and Dickens fairs, and game in all forms of media. They sometimes refer to their work as “critical theory fanfic,” which is a fancy way to say that they are obsessed with liminality, gender identity, and foxes. They are a freelance RPG writer for Green Ronin, a graduate of Clarion West 2012, and have published short fiction in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Crossed Genres, and Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. They are the author of the Adventures of Mr. Mystic novels from Angry Robot and, as M.A. Carrick, the co-author (with Marie Brennan) of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook & Rose trilogy.

Reviews

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nobody becomes an adventure hero by accident. For me, it started with a revival showing of "Big Trouble in Little China" at the opening of the rebuilt Pagoda Palace in North Beach. Big Trouble ranked as one of my favorite movies of all time, and I roped a crew into going on the strength of my enthusiasm. Who can pass up the chance to see Kurt Russell as Jack Burton? Plus, spunky Kim Catrall. Yowza!
(Yes, Kim Cattrall's name is spelled wrong but my copy is an arc.)



Now this sounds like a fun book. Misty Masters grandfather was the vigilante superguy named Mr. Mystic. He leaves his powers to her and the best I can figure she can control the shadows. I know at one point the book says that she can cloak her features with his fedora. She does so because she uses a male disguise.
Superheroes? I love them. Asian lore? Love it.



This book? Not. I didn't finish it because I was starting to get a headache from it. I can't figure out what the hell is going on. It starts on one topic and randomly jumps to another. One paragraph might be talking about one thing and then the next something completely different.

Then the amount of characters. I can't even. I have no clue where they are coming from or the point of them even being in the story. ARgghghh!
So, I gave up on this book. Life is too short for me to spend time on books that I do not want to read. Or I will start looking like this on a regular basis.

[Lata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Likes:
-Lots of PoC characters, acknowledging that in N. America we live with many different cultures. 5 stars.
-lots of women, doing all sorts of things, talking to one another as friends, saving each other. 5 stars.
-lots of action, so story keeps moving. 4 stars.
-dragons. 4 stars.
-Charlotte's Web reference. 3 stars.
-did I mention there were dragons?

Dislikes:
-kind of dumb, big, world-ending plot. 2 stars.
-kind of dumb resolution to world-ending plot. 2 stars.
-a white person has to save all the spirit guardians all over the world, and save China. Huh?!?!? China has to sit around waiting for the main protagonist to get her crap together so she can save China and the world??? Nope, didn't like this aspect at all. 0 stars.
-"Chosen One" plot-- I hate these types of plots, where everything hinges on one person who has the best strength/spells/action/moves/specialness/etc. Yuck. 1 star.

Averaging, this just barely makes it to a 3 stars.

[Viking Jam · Rating 1 out of 5]

https://koeur.wordpress.com/2015/04/2...

Publisher: Angry Robot

Publishing Date: June 2015

ISBN: 9780857664341

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 1.5/5

Publisher Description: Street magician Missy Masters inherited more than the usual genetic cocktail from her estranged grandfather. She also got his preternatural control of shadow and his legacy as the vigilante hero, Mr Mystic. Problem is, being a pulp hero takes more than a good fedora and a knack for witty banter, and Missy lacks the one thing Mr Mystic had: experience.

Review: This read like a rabid weasel seeking frenetic copulation with a pinecone. Do they need a new editor at Angry Robot? Someone to infuse some sense of logical progression?

Missy Masters is a girl but you will continued to be confused as the character goes from guy to girl and back. Then it is revealed that she is a she who can make herself up real good with shadows and shjt. The novel hops around from “Then” to “Now” in a contorted temporal twister. Within each “Event” or chapter is this confusing mélange of characters and spastic scene progression. It gets worse as the author seeks to impart her own brand of social commentary with the tried and true liberal shtick of “It’s for the greater good”. Which is code for, “If you don’t think like us you’re evil”.

So Missy er Mystic or Lieng Shi Fu Quan Whu, goes back to “Then”, to be trained by a Dragon God who used to train her grandfather in the ways of guy on guy sex. Then for some reason Missy gets the hots for Dragon boy and he of course reciprocates cause she’s so hot and frustrating. And then “BAM” she is pregnant with twins. Huh?

This was an excruciatingly long read that lacked character and scene development of the cogent sort and world building that fails to capture the imagination by limiting descriptive detail. Missy is a one dimensional character that was built separate to her ongoing experience i.e. movement.

Get this book if you’re planning a root canal. The pain will fail in comparison.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

See Read-alikes on The Book Adventures.

In The Dragons of Heaven, Missy Masters is trying to live up to her grandfather's legacy as Mr. Masters, one of the original superheroes of the mid-twentieth century. We are introduced to her present-day struggles to be taken seriously and to defeat a Chinatown crime boss in San Francisco.

The narrative is split between the present-day and some time in Missy's past. It's also split between San Francisco and China. In one plot line, Missy is a superheroine fighting crime when mysterious magical walls spring up around all Chinatowns in the world, and around China itself. This launches Missy into the world-saving business, as she is the only person who can dissolve the walls. In the other, she travels to China to learn from a Dragon and become a better superheroine.

I really liked some aspects of this book. It's difficult for me to even describe the plot, because it was so disjointed. The divide between the San Francisco superheroine plot line and the Chinese spiritual adventure was too wide. The split-time narratives never connected. The story feels like two stories, instead of one. Part of this is the organization, which, while chapters are divided into "now" and "then," does not provide enough signposts to clearly separate the two times.

The other part is the emotional distance between the two times. At first, the reader meets Missy in San Francisco, where she's essentially a street magician-turned-superheroine. Without much introduction at all, the reader then jumps back into Missy's past, when she has just started her work as a superheroine, and decides she needs training and experience, so she travels to China to learn from the same Dragon her grandfather did. The reader doesn't find out until much later on, about the climax of the book, why Missy left China to return to San Francisco (there are deeper reasons than her original goal to return a better superheroine). There's some sadness, betrayal, involved - but the San Francisco Missy never really feels it. This puts even more distance between "then" and "now" plot lines, making them seem even less connected.

The "then" narrative, which tells of Missy's trials to get to the Dragon in China, was delightful. I loved reading about her time as Jian Huo/Lung Huang's student, and the development of their relationship. Her adventures fighting against demons and shadow creatures, and her struggles to learn Taoism, were highly enjoyable. I loved meeting all the strange and wonderful spirit creatures that inhabit the China she lives in. I think this is where the novel really shines.

However, I felt that the broken storyline ruined its impact. Too much was glossed over in deference to having both a "now" plot line and a "then" plot line. In fact, I wasn't very interested at all in the beginning, which sets up the world-saving business and describes her life in San Francisco. I wasn't emotionally drawn into her life or her story until the younger Missy went to China. The ending suffered from the same lack of emotional feeling as most of the "now" plot line. As a reader, I felt the hurt and betrayal that ended in separation (when I finally learned about it), but the resolution was so short it felt like a bandaid instead of healing.

The other thing I really liked about this story is the reliance on Chinese folklore and spiritualism. The complex etiquette of dealing with spirits and gods, the rituals required, the spirits themselves, and the bits and pieces of Taoism were fascinating. I loved that Missy was able to provide an outsider's perspective on the folklore and spiritualism of China, but it felt colonial for the heroine to be a red-headed descendant of the British, traveling to China to soak up the culture and knowledge so she could bring it back to San Francisco and to save the world.

Sometimes the pace felt dragged out, while the most important events were not given enough attention. The final battles in both time periods felt rushed. In the end, there are hints that there is more to come - more reconciliation between lovers, final determination of the heroine's status, and one final Heroine vs. Sociopath battle. This is one of those books I wish felt complete in one volume.

In the end, I did not find what I was looking for in this story. I would have loved a story with a straight narrative, starting with Missy's first steps as a superheroine, spending the majority of the story in China with Jian Huo, and then culminating in the Big Battle, the Betrayal, and the Reconciliation.

Try it if you're interested in Chinese spirits and dragons, but I'm not sure I would recommend it.

[Rachel Cotterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chinese fantasy with a female superhero masquerading as her grandfather, and a thread of Taoism. This sounded very much my kind of thing, and it was good fun, though I didn't love it the way I hoped I would. The plot weaves between two timelines ("then" and "now") in a way that was sometimes confusing, as the two plots had a number of things in common (not least the same antagonist), but at the same time I think these echoes and connections are kind of the point. Good fun.

[Peter Tieryas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun book combining shadow magic, dragons, Asian culture, and some interesting characters.

"The space to think was a little less welcome when it turned out to be the same prison of misery I'd stayed in the last time I'd been to Shanghai... Was I seriously considering bearding the dragon in his lair? Again? With less of a plan than last time?"

It's a fast read and I can't wait to dive into the second book!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my review for SkiffyandFanty.com:

The Dragons of Heaven is a fun read. It is a genre blend that combines urban fantasy with folkloric myth, the superhero comic, romance, and the complex family dynamics featured in ‘mainstream’ fiction. There is magical action driving the plot aplenty, there are moments of humor and pop culture reference. But there are also great doses of introspection, of character development for Missy, and deep themes at its core.

I particularly appreciated the way Helms writes Missy’s development within the plot and structural confines of the novel. The chapters of The Dragons of Heaven are a contrapuntal conversation between Missy’s present and the formative events of her past. Some readers have objected to this organization, but I consider it essential for the novel. The Missy of the present, who runs around the night streets of Chinatown as Mr. Mystic, is not the same person as the young woman who left to discover her grandfather’s past, and herself, in China. The relevance and meaning behind the plot of the present only make sense to the reader as they learn of Missy’s past. It is a gradual build that effectively caught and held my attention.

If you go into this expecting quick info-dumps and spoon-fed explanations to simplify a complex set of characters bridging two time periods and two cultures, you will be disappointed. The story is not just a fun, mindless adventure; it requires some patience and thought. With its mixture of genres the novel succeeds in thwarting reader expectation because it never commits to any stereotypical direction.

The Dragons of Heaven contains some of the usual themes that one might expect from this as a superhero story: the moral quagmire of vigilantism, personal sacrifices made for the dedication to the job, the dangers of mystical powers that touch darkness, etc. However, the general recurring theme I found unique and fascinating is the sense of intrusion on worlds not one’s own. Conflicts over a sense of intrusion lie at the center of Missy, within the supporting characters, and in the philosophical differences that drive the plot through the plans of the villain.

Missy is a woman dressing up as a male superhero, interpretable as commentary on gender ‘intrusion’, that ridiculous notion that Wonder Women can’t compete at the level of Supermen or that Black Widow can’t hold a film of her own (or even merit an action figure). Beyond the matter of gender, Missy is a newcomer to the superhero business, and other ‘official members of the club’ see her as an unwelcome, misguided intruder on their gig.

She is also an intruder into the shadow realm, a zone filled with many dangerous creatures but also home to a lovably devoted being who is happy to serve her, and acts somewhat like a familiar or as a pet. Missy struggles to come to terms with this level of control over another intelligent being, in how much sacrifice and risk she can demand.

And like her grandfather, Missy is a cultural intruder, a Westerner intimately tied into Chinese civilization; she is a mortal intruding into the affairs of immortal gods, into the strained existence of a dragon family. The central portion of the novel is primarily concerned with these conflicts, as Missy struggles against being viewed as a foolishly unworthy pretender, and as a woman who should obey a husband rather than follow her own thoughts in conversation with a partner.

Even aside from Missy this theme arises again and again: the intrusion of parents into the lives of their children (or vice versa), intrusion of gods into the affairs of mortals, intrusion of modern ignorance into ancient wisdom, intrusion of new love into older responsibilities.

Despite the powerful adversity that Missy faces, she stands resolutely strong, a sympathetic female protagonist that draws strength from being female without giving into societal gender expectations. For all of the conventional genre elements that The Dragons of Heaven draws upon, it is filled with unconventional relationships and nicely entertains while inviting thought or conversation on cultural ownership/appropriation.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is something a bit different: a mashup of the superhero, martial arts and fantasy genres, with a touch of thriller for flavour. I enjoyed it, although the dual timeframe structure only just worked, and it needed better copy editing.

Let's get the copy editing out of the way first. One of the reasons that people publish with trad publishers like Angry Robot is presumably so that they can get editorial input that they couldn't afford to pay for. I don't know how much developmental editing this got, but however much copy editing it got, it needed a little more. The author and editor need to learn the coordinate comma rule; the rule about a comma always preceding a term of address; that a question should always get a question mark; not to link an adjective and a noun together with a hyphen; when, and when not, to capitalise; and the difference between creek and creak, a PR junket and a PR stunt, troupe and troop, gloaming and gleaming, tartar and tartare, paternal and maternal (or possibly it's a mistake for parental), trammeled and trampled, and perked and piqued. There are a few simple typos, too (missing quotation marks or periods), and a few other minor errors and infelicities. This is why I waited for it to be on sale; just because it comes from a traditional publisher is, sadly, no guarantee of quality copy editing, and so it's not automatically worth more to me than an indie book is.

The complex, but only occasionally confusing, story unfolds in a series of cuts back and forth between two periods of time, separated by an unspecified number of years (there's a bit of time trickery involved, which makes the timeline complicated and led to a readjustment of my assumptions about the main character's age partway through). This mostly works, and gives opportunity for some startling moments as another plot twist is introduced. Each story has something slightly different going on in it - one is an extended training montage/romance, the other is a superhero story - but they inform and impact each other in a satisfactory and impressive way. You do have to pay close attention, though, to keep everything straight, especially once the plot twists start flying.

I'd describe the plotting as ambitious, and almost successful. There's also a depth of research and knowledge of Chinese culture which is impressive, if perhaps a touch excessive; I had to use my Kindle's ability to access Wikipedia frequently, and it didn't always help. Both these things help the book stand out above the normal simple post-pulp adventure, and would do so even more if they were more completely successful. The characters, other than the main character, could do with some more depth, and I've already mentioned that the language side needs work, but overall this is a decent bit of craft that reaches for a higher level than normal and partially achieves it.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obligatory disclaimer: I know the author. Which certainly influenced how eager I was to read the book, but shouldn't much affect what I did or didn't enjoy about it. But add as many grains of salt to this review as you see fit.

So, let's start off with a minor niggle: there are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, and some of them are mentioned before you've really properly "met" them in the narrative. My advice? Don't sweat it. Everything will be explained in due course - just focus on enjoying the ride.

Because there is a heck of a ride to enjoy. I particularly liked the way the book handles the characters from Chinese mythology and folklore. It can be a pretty tricky to pull off a powerful supernatural being who you can relate to a as a character while still making them have a distinctly non-human perspective. This book does it repeatedly.

Plus, I think I hadn't realized until I read this book how much I have been wanting to read fantasy novels in which awesome women get to be friends with other awesome women. I mean, feel free to tell me I've just been reading the wrong stuff, but finding books with strong female characters isn't that hard these days. But finding books with awesome female characters whose major relationships aren't primarily with men is much harder.

Finally, this book contains quite possibly the best description of someone eating a peach that I have ever read.

[Debra Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first drawn to this book by the cover especially the dragon overlay. The story follows Missy Masters, a vigilante hero who assumes the guise of Mr. Mystic which was her grandfather's legacy. She roams the city correcting wrongs when she can, but there's more to Missy than her control of Shadows. To truly come into her powers, Missy travels to China, falls in love with her teacher Lung Haung, and becomes embroiled in politics of the nine dragon guardians of creation.

Ms. Helms tells the story in the "now" and "then" to let the reader understand what events have shaped Missy and how because of her very existence, the dragon guardians are warring. I thoroughly enjoyed the "then" chapters. They were steeped in Chinese dragon guardian lore and the story moved along with intrigue and suspense. The "now" China is in trouble and it's up to Missy to walk the minefield that is dragon guardian territory if she has any hopes of saving the world. Will she be able to match wits with creatures older than creation itself? Fans of fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this tale. Highly Recommended.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Fantasy / Contemporary
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

The Dragons of Heaven is the first installment in author Alyc Helms' Missy Masters series. The story combines superheroes, romance, and ancient mythological China, along with a blend of urban fantasy with folkloric myth, the superhero comic, romance, and the complex family dynamics featured in ‘mainstream’ fiction. The chapters are a contrapuntal conversation between Missy’s present and the formative events of her past which lets the reader understand what events have shaped Missy Masters and how because of her very existence, the dragon guardians are warring.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was suprised by the romance/emotion that developed. But it was very well done and many times I got extremely attached. Also said "that's not fair!" many times on behalf of the protagonist. Looking for the next book right now.

...

I'm now very sad to see book 2 is not out yet. This is why I only read completed series. waiting kills me.

[Victoria]

I love urban fantasy, but this book just wasn't for me. Over the past few days I've picked it up, read a page or two and set it back down. Also the font was too small to read comfortably.
I'm sorry. I tried.
As I said this book wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. Give it a try.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠]

kung fu and dragons?? I like

[Dragana · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can already guess that a dragon in a book title and on the cover meant instant interest from me. When I started reading I didn’t expect much, but The Dragons of Heaven exceeded my expectations.

LIKES

* Interesting setting. I always like to read about a world where super-heroes exist. Blame it on that little girl who watched in awe as Superman jumped over the tallest building. And Alyc Helms is more optimistic than Brandon Sanderson in Steelheart, people with super-powers are not all villains – some are fighting for the good. So the optimist in me is satisfied too.

* Chinese folklore. For the better part of the year, I’m talking how I can’t wait for Richelle Mead’s Soundless to be released, when unexpectedly this little gem falls into my lap. The Dragons of Heaven has everything I have ever imagined an urban fantasy novel with Chinese folklore elements should have: Huxian, Fenghuang, Qilin and dragons (of course). It was all new too me and very exotic.

* Surprises. I started reading The Dragons of Heaven thinking I got it all figured out. Than surprises and twists just started popping out. I’ll tell you just the first one: I didn’t read the summary and based on cover I thought that main character was a male. The rest… Well too spoilery to talk about it here. :)

* Realistic kick-ass heroine. Of course, there is a charm in a heroine who yells “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!” while destroying everything in her line of sight. But, I liked Missy more. She is tough, but she thinks before she acts and does not use force if it’s not necessary.

* Ending without cliffhangers. The Dragons of Heaven is the first book in the new series, but Alyc Helms didn’t succumb to the new trend and left me hanging until the next year. Everything important gets resolved and there are few clues and hints what will happen in the next book.

* The Shadows. Missy has an interesting power to call the shadows from Shadow Realm. I loved that the shadows were conscious beings and didn’t always do what was expected.

DISLIKES

* I wanted more world-building, especially related to all super-hero stuff. There are Citizen Vigilante laws and organisation that good super-heroes belong to (something like S.H.I.E.L.D.) but Alyc Helms gives just enough facts about them for a story to make sense. I was intrigued and wished for more…

* Glitchy way of story telling. Alyc Helms decided to tell the story in an unorthodox way – starting from the middle of it. Narration of chapters in The Dragons of Heaven switches between ‘Now’ and ‘Then’. The result is that you find out how it all started slowly as it is resolved. This way of storytelling is interesting, but doesn’t work all the time and can cause confusion.

IN THE END…

The Dragons of Heave was a pleasant surprise. If you are looking for a fresh urban fantasy with superheroes, Chinese folklore, realistic heroine and a great story, then you must try it out!

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally posted on Roberta's Literary Ramblings

I received this as an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Impression: It could have been much better.

Recommended for: Those who enjoy fantasy with a smattering of Chinese culture. That's who it's written for but I personally wouldn't recommend it.

As I said above, this book could have been so much better. It had the bones for something really great, but the presentation wasn't quite up to par. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't particularly enjoy it.

It's hard to talk about some of the issues with the book without spoilers, but I will do my very best. The main issue is that it should have been two books. It switches between the present and the past, with about equal page time for both. Oftentimes when this happens, I end up feeling more attached to one story line than the other, and this is what happened here. I was much more interested in the past story than the present one.

This could also be because much of what is happening in the present is directly affected by what happened in the past, and the information that you need to know to make the present sections more impactful/make sense isn't revealed until later. It wasn't very effectively done. However, I think the story would have been great had it been in two books.

Secondly, Missy's character didn't feel real to me. It took me forever to place how old she was. In fact, I didn't know exactly how old until about the last 30 pages of the book. I believe this was due to her voice. She talks like someone in their early-twenties rather than someone who is 33 and has been through...stuff. (Curse spoilers!)

While I enjoyed some of the references—I'm looking at you Princess Bride references—I did sometimes find them either unnecessary or inappropriate for her age and supposed maturity level. Basically, the present sections were not reflecting her past, and considering what her past was, I would think that she would be greatly affected by it. However, it doesn't seem that she is, which makes the character seem rather flat and unrealistic.

There were also a few unanswered questions that kept popping up in my mind. Why does she seem to dislike her grandfather so much? What really happened to him? What exactly is going on with all of these superheros? Is it like something from The Incredibles where there is a governing body that that regulates them? Has this been around forever (kind of like an alternate reality thing) or have they just discovered them and now everyone knows and likes them? And why did here grandfather dislike the governing body so much? What makes them corrupt? The world building was a little lacking, so I was often bogged down with questions trying to figure out how everything worked.

Sadly, this book didn't work for me despite its potential. If these types of things don't bother you, than go for it. Otherwise, I would suggest going to read The Waterborne Blade. It's from the same publisher and it's really great!

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the heck out of this. I've read over a hundred urban fantasy novels and it's so easy for me to pick one up now and think, "I think I've read something really close to this before." Not so with The Dragons of Heaven. It feels like a combination of martial arts movie and superhero tale and urban fantasy, and that blend works very well.

Missy Masters is a superhero on the streets of San Francisco. Her heroic alter-ego is actually the hero Mr. Mystic--the persona created by her grandfather. She's quite familiar with Chinatown and its denizens (human and spiritual), but also has intimate knowledge of the spiritual plain in China. That's because she went there to seek out the master who trained her grandfather--and life became a whole lot more complicated as a result.

The full novel hops between Then and Now; Then being her training in China, and Now being the new worldwide peril that is a consequence of her actions. Right at beginning, the switches jarred me, but I was soon engaged by the twining plot lines. There were plenty of surprises along the way. There were some major details Missy never thought on in the Now plot that struck me as odd when the reveals finally came in the end; she was a more unreliable narrator than I expected.

Overall, though, it was great fun. With the stress of the past week, I really needed a book that I could drop into like a nice hot bubble bath. The Dragons of Heaven was perfect.

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missy Masters has the power to control shadows and uses this power to play a role as the vigilante superhero, Mr. Mystic. When a magical barrier suddenly appears around all of China and all of the official China towns of the world, it's up to her to find a way to take down the barrier — a challenge that leads her back into the past she left behind.

The book mixes up superhero novel with martial arts movies and dragon mythology in a fun, action packed urban fantasy. Where it differs from similar action titles is the structure, with each chapter alternating between the past and the present — a structure that was at times frustrating for me because every time I was getting used to a time period (either past or present), it would cut right in the middle of the action to the other period. However, this structure was vital to the heart of the story, unveiling her past and refocusing on a story of love, family bonds, and the way those bonds can be broken apart. It was this connection to Missy's past that made the novel more than just an action-adventure story and it's what makes me want to keep reading more.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because it has a cool, and original sounding premise. There are super heroes, with dragons, and Asian myth lore, told through a female protagonist. Unfortunately, it’s told using a dual now and then narration that felt more like 2 different people.

The story starts with the now narrative, but it’s very confusing as to who everyone is, and what’s happening. Most of this is explained in the then narrative, but since the two narratives switch back and forth throughout the story, you don’t really get the full background until near the end of the book.

This, combined with my complete misunderstanding of Missy’s age in the now narrative made this book hard to follow. I did really like the then narrative, but would have preferred to read just it. It was filled with exciting dragon action, with a more character driven theme. The now narrative felt younger, and more action driven, but didn’t make sense without the full background.

Overall, there were good elements to the book, but the narration style made it feel disjointed and hard to read.

[Elaine Aldred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missy Masters has inherited her grandfather’s ability to control shadows. It is an inheritance that made her to seek out and find Lung Huang who once mentored her grandfather. When Lung Huang’s brother and enemy raises a magical barrier cutting off China from the rest of the world, Missy has to attempt to take it down and in the process make some tough decisions.
The idea that Missy’s career as an adventure hero began at a revival showing of ‘Big Trouble in Little China’, immediately brought to mind an expectation of lots of mystical hocus pocus with plenty of action and narrow escapes. This does indeed happen. But, unfortunately, the way the story is written does not make it possible to really engage with the characters and feel their pain, or worry about them being in peril. The Missy’s immersion into the oriental ethos also has the feeling that, as a reader, you’ve been there before and there’s nothing fresh to glean from the narrative. On the whole the book is an entertaining enough read, but not one that you would go out your way to acquire.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got terribly excited about this book. Promised a kick-ass female taking up the mantle of her grandfather's hero persona. And it delivered for the first several chapters. I might even have agreed that there was a "Big Trouble in Little China" vibe to it. But then it lost its head of steam. I finished it because I kept wanting it to return to the energy I enjoyed in the first few chapter. Sadly, I don't feel it ever recovered. A shame too...I really like the basic idea and think it had a promising world of superheroes. Maybe Helms will visit the same world with some of the other heroes we hear mentioned in passing. I'd be interested in seeing a story line that wasn't so tied to confrontations that depended on the protagonists ability to conduct ceremonies and rituals to avoid shame. At the end of the day, not my cup of tea.

[wishforagiraffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable superhero/urban fantasy debut. Set in San Francisco and China, the characterization in this played with a lot of expectations and stereotypes in interesting ways, which was good. The magic was strange, which I think is somewhat intentional, because it's strange even to Missy, the main character. I think it could have used another 10 pages or so detailing the relationship of the Argents to the rest of... well... everyone. But hopefully that will be in book two. The romance was definitely there, but not obnoxious. I'd definitely recommend it to folks who enjoyed Carrie Vaughn's After the Golden Age.

[Brenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: so-called "synopsis" of the book does not remotely prepare you for what it's ACTUALLY about. Deceived and disappointed.

I hate it when the awesome superhero book you think you're reading turns into a draco-political power struggle that centers around the protagonist getting pregnant with demigod twins whose entire purpose is as little more than bargaining chips in a poorly-conceived (did you see what I did there?) plot that spends more time on elaborate christening ceremonies than anything remotely heroic. Oh, I could just throw this book against a wall!

[Conna Condon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good I read it twice .... and am now eagerly awaiting Conclave to see how the story continues. The author has a wonderful way with words. There were times when I could not put the book down. I love the approach of getting to know Missy first as she is today (now) and then learning about how she came to be (then) cleverly weaving her past with her present. It so matches to how we learn about new people in our lives. I'm looking forward to Mr Mystic being in my life for many stories.

[Rebecca Rosenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was incredibly fun. I loved falling into the complex world in which this story exists, and I'm excited to see what comes next for Mr. Mystic.(And Missy Masters. And Skyrocket. I want more Skyrocket.) I definitely felt like the book gained steam as it went along, and I read the last four chapters without putting the book down.

[Neile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun. Then it got to be more fun. Then it was whoo this is fun what's going to happen now? And guess what, at the end I thought that was fun, too. But also rewarding and interesting, with lots of weird, inventive, and substantial surprises to keep me well entertained. Now I want #2.

[Emily Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

tl;dr: fun book, interesting characters, sometimes confusing plot, and potential issues with the "white savior rescues the Asians" narrative. Will probably read the sequel.

So, first the good things about this book:
~Fun take on the superhero genre!
~Some great female characters - I generally really liked the character Missy and her numerous female friends.
~Interesting mythology
~Generally interesting plot with plenty of twists. Plot is divided into "Now" and "Then" timelines in alternating chapters. I found the "Then" plotline to be a bit more interesting than the "Now" but both held my interest.

Now, the not-good things about this book:
~A lot of the time I felt like I was reading a sequel, not the first book in the series. I could have used some explanation of why some characters have superpowers and others don't. Also, I know the author was trying to be mysterious about Missy's past with her grandfather, but it sort of came across like it was something I should already know. I generally did not have a good understanding of how superheros operate in this world, and I also didn't have a good sense of how much the public knew about them. Obviously, superheros were recognizable public figures and obviously the public was aware that some of them depended on magic and others depended on technology. However, some characters seemed surprised and shocked when magical things happened, so... how much do people know about these magical things?
~I have literally no idea how much time elapsed in the "Then" timeline because there were some big jumps in time.
~The romantic plotline felt a bit abrupt to me. Like, okay, they can fall in love, that's fine. But it was REALLY sudden.
~There were a lot of characters, most of whom had multiple names (and whose names are in either Cantonese or Mandarin, neither of which I speak), and many of whom were also capable of some kind of shape-shifting, so it got hard to keep track of everyone.
~I... kind of don't understand WTF happened at the end of the "Now" plotline. It seemed needlessly complicated, given what the bad guy was ultimately trying to accomplish.
~There were a few other plot points that didn't quite work for me, or didn't make sense, but they're spoiler-y.

And now for the BIG THING, which may be a BAD THING (but I dunno):
White girl has to save all of China (and all Chinatowns around the world). Missy came across as a bit of a "yellow fever" fangirl sometimes. It's great when people explore other cultures, and want to learn about them, and be a part of them. But the whole "only this white person can save this entire society of Asians" felt a bit... colonial?
I'd maybe be okay with it if Missy's race had something to do with the plot. It's implied that her heritage is primarily Irish, so if her magic/abilities were derived from, say, the Druids, and she used that to combat the magic being done by the spirits from Chinese mythology, then I could see how her heritage would be relevant.
But for the most part... it really doesn't matter what race she is. There are a couple of times when characters tell her that she should let China/Chinatown deal with its own business, but that doesn't end up stopping her. The vast majority of the prejudice she faces is because she's human and not a spirit or mythological demigod, not because she's a white girl from California.
I read through a lot of the reviews of this book, and as far as I can tell, very few people thought that this was an issue (among people who did and people who did not like the book). So maybe I'm overreacting? I honestly don't know how to feel. It'd be great if we really lived in a post-racial world where representation (and white savior plotlines) were not a big deal, but we don't, so I guess the best thing I can do is point out possible issues and bring them up for discussion.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish things had progressed more linearly - rather than the constant jumping back and forth between present and past. I can kind of see why, allowing exposition in chunks to give you an overall sense of everything (maybe?), but it still made things super disjointed and allowed for a lot of things to just be left out. Like just skipping entire scenes that I felt just might be kind of important such as what happened after Missy saved the world and how she got out of China - we literally get NO resolution to the actual impact things had. Just oh, I'm moping back home, and then hello dragon lover . Overall, not terrible, would probably read again since I own it. Potentially looking at the sequel.

[Jon Kaneko-James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book -- I bought the follow-up immediately and spent two hours reading it when I'd intended to be working.

I will admit, I was slightly stalled by a series of long flashbacks starting at roughly the 40% mark. Partly because they came at a point where the narrative was clipping along very well and slowed things down, partly because I got a feel for where they were heading, which made the whole thing feel (initially) like an exercise in the inevitable.

With that said, once the flashback plot got some speed up, it carried me along very nicely, and it served its purpose very well indeed.

I'd hugely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Big Trouble in Little China, Chinese mythology, urban fantasy, or who loves superhero films.

[Joelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The alternating timeline was annoying, and made following the storyline more difficult than it needed to be. This was the first book set in this world that I've read, and I felt as if I was missing a ton of information. I could forgive the author for being skimpy on details of Missy's grandfather, but I cannot fathom why she'd leave out detail of the Shadow Realms and "The Conclave." Why even mention this "Conclave of Shadows" when they had nothing to do with the events in the book? It felt like a missed opportunity. I think, had this been two sequential books - each with more filled out characters, more complete world building of the Shadow Realms, and some additional plot points, my rating would likely be more in the four star range.