Delilah Waan is an award-winning Chinese-Australian author based in Sydney. She writes raw, emotional stories where there are no villains—just complex characters with strong motivations who are at cross-purposes.
RESONANCE CRYSTAL LEGACY is her adult epic fantasy series about love, debt, ambition, and family. It takes place in an East Asian-inspired setting where emotions give you power, and reexamines classic epic fantasy tropes through the lens of an immigrant perspective.
The first book, PETITION, is about Rahelu, an angry daughter of impoverished fisherfolk fighting privileged rich kids in a ruthless job hunt tournament. Petition won the 2023 Indie Ink Award for Best Asian Representation by an Asian Author and was a semi-finalist in Mark Lawrence’s 2023 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off contest.
The sequel, SUPPLICANT, is about how far Rahelu will go to live up to the weight of her family’s expectations. It’s an epic fantasy heist with world-changing stakes, diverse perspectives, and complex characters struggling with difficult choices that culminate in hard-hitting emotional moments.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:
“magic school with teeth and rivalry, and an underdog with a mind of her own”
—Janny Wurts, author of THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, on PETITION
“kept me hooked from the start to the end, and twisted some of the tropes of high fantasy in a way that hit directly in the feelings.”
—Jamedi, JamReads, on PETITION
“Waan’s prose is a balance of pain and wit, offering hilarious highs and heart-wrenching lows.”
—Krystle Matar, author of LEGACY OF THE BRIGHTWASH, on PETITION
“I can see this author blowing up like M.L. Wang.”
—Indie Fantasy Club, on PETITION
“If you like the way Robin Hobb destroys you emotionally, you’ll like this book.”
—Angela Boord, author of FORTUNE’S FOOL, on SUPPLICANT
“This is how you write a sequel!”
—Under the Radar SFF, on SUPPLICANT
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